Women’s health is not only one of the branches of medicine but also a particular area of public health that deals with a variety of issues that are peculiar to women because of inherent biological, social, and cultural challenges.
More so, there is great need to examine women’s health as a way to not only increase the quality of each person’s life but also make a healthy population at the international level.
Regardless of the fact that women are on their period, pregnant, or breastfeeding, good care goes beyond health but also incorporates mental health where Women’s Health have unique problems that need solutions and continuous determinants.
Core Issues in Women’s Health
Reproductive and Sexual Health
Reproductive health is one of the aspects of health and wellbeing for women over the ages covering the periods before and after menstruation, during pregnancy, and encompassing child birth, and menopause.
Women’s sexual health includes reproductive health services such as family planning services, contraception, and sexual health education.
Menstrual Health: As there continues to be much discussion and research surrounding this issue, it has been appropriately identified that menstrual health is an integral kicker of health among Women’s Health.
Affordable menstrual products, menstrual hygiene education, and cultural stigma, especially in the low-income population, are some of the barriers there are still work to be done Women’s Health.
Maternal Health: Women’s health services during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period are described as maternal health. It is important to prevent those complications through making quality prenatal and postnatal care available to all who may need such services since preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and maternal mortality are still major challenges in many parts of the world Women’s Health.
Family Planning and Contraception: Contraception and access to family planning services allow women preferred intervals within which children can be borne and this enhances healthy pregnancies and enables women to go to school and work Women’s Health.
There is however inequity in distributions of these services across regions, such as those attributed to the economical, social or political barriers Women’s Health.
Breast and Gynecological Health
Breast and gynecological health are among the important aspects of health care services that women….Protocols for treatment and screening of these conditions, Breast cancer, Ovarian cancer, and Cervical cancer at an early revolution are extremely fare in improvement of the out Women’s Health.
Breast Cancer: Breast cancer is a 2 common female-cancer diagnosis. Identifying breast cancer vision or through a mammogram self-breast examination saves many lives. Initial detection initiatives are positively related to health programs focusing on detection and treatment in the cause of cancer however some people have continued to receive unequal care.
Cervical Cancer: Being one of the gynaecological malignancies caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer is curable with preventive measures like vaccination and regular Pap smears. Access to HPV vaccines and cervical Cancer prevention programs in the developing region remains the goal of all public health initiatives in recent years.
Hormonal Health and MenopauseManagement of hormone replacement therapy for Women’s Health.
Women go through a tough hormonal change during their lifetime and more specifically during puberty, pregnancy and the stage of menopause. Hormonal disorders include polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), thyroid disturbances, and endometriosis.
Menopause: Transition into menopause occurs in women in their 40s or mid 50s mostly and this period is almost always associated with hormonal changes of varying characteristics and effects on the body. During this stage heat intolerance, emotions, and even bone thinning disease should be curbed so that health and health-related quality are not compromised.
Endometriosis and Polycystic ovarian syndrome: There are two other conditions that women will be confronted with which are common and oft-discussed yet not so frequently clinically diagnosed. Endometriosis involves the growth of tissue outside of the uterus, while PCOS is a hormonal disorder that can affect fertility and weight. There is a need for improved education, clinical abilities and treatment of these conditions to all women in order to curb the effects of the disorders.
Mental Women’s Health
The area of mental health is essential to the general well-being of women. Conditions like depression, anxiety, and eating disorders are more prevalent in women than men. Such problems are often brought about by social, economic and cultural factors, and more importantly, stereotypes related to mental issues often deter women from going for treatment.
Postpartum Depression In some cases, after giving birth, women are affected by postpartum depression, which interferes with the ability to bond with a baby and the family as a unit. It is therefore important to sponsor programs that enhance understanding of health risks during and after pregnancy as well as access to mental health services.
Stress and Anxiety The pressures of having a career, caregiving, and housework, all of which often fall on the woman lead to chronic stress. From the research evidences above it is evident that women are more likely to suffer from trauma in forms of domestic violence and sexual abuse which has adverse effects towards their mental health.
Chronic Diseases and Lifestyle Related Women’s Health Problems
Women are going to develop a number of chronic illnesses some of which can be avoided through changing health behavior, diagnosing illness early and treating it appropriately.
Cardiovascular Disease: Fortunately, cardiovascular disease while it is the foremost killer of women all over the world. As sad as it is, heart disease is often considered an afterthought for women. The knowledge of heart health, the signs of a heart attack in women, and the ways to prevent such occurrences is important.
Diabetes and Obesity: It is not only women who are victims of such diseases but also their women folk who are affected by such lifestyle-related conditions as Type 2 diabetes. Such chronic diseases may lead to other complications such as cardiovascular disease, infertility and some types of cancer.
Osteoporosis: Postmenopausal women are at an increased risk for this disease due to the depletion of estrogen after menopause. It is very important to promote bone health through diet, exercise and other preventive measures to reduce chances of a fracture in elderly women.
Violence and Women’s Health
Domestic violence, sexual violence, human trafficking of women are all violent acts that have severe physical and psychological effects on women.
Violence is a global problem that continues to persist affecting millions of women all over the world with adverse effects on their health both physically and mentally.
Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence: Women who have experienced violence suffer from the plethora of health complications, both physical and mental including, injuries, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and reproductive health. It is crucial to enhance legal provisions and support for the survivors in order to cope with this problem.
Sexual Health and Rights: Never breaching the women’s fundamental right to choose what is best for their bodies and their reproductive health is making a very important part of eradicating healthcare gender disparity.
Global Disparities in Women’s Health
Though women’s health is being focused in the correct way and important steps are being taken, there are still huge disparities across regions and economic classifications.
Women of low and middle income countries are usually at higher risk because they have fewer healthcare facilities, lower education levels and cultural issues to contend with. Problems such as maternal health, unmet need for contraception and access to essential healthcare services tend to be pronounced among women in low and middle income countries.
The Role of Education and Advocacy of Women’s Health
It is important to note that advocating for women in their health care and components of education play an important role in improving the health of women. Women who have knowledge on their health rights and health options are more likely to go health facilities than those who do not and use prevention actions and use healthcare services effectively.
Moreover, enhancing gender equity with respect to medical research, health policy formation, and health-related services is critical for meeting the concerns of women and providing equitable health services to all.
The health of women encompasses a variety of health-related and social problems, which can be dealt with only in a comprehensive manner involving strategy, policy, and society.
Improvements have been experienced in many areas, however, further financing for health services, education, and advocacy is required for the realisation of the needs of women around the globe. It is not merely a matter of social justice—investing in women’s health is critical for the future society.
Key Steps Taken to Improve Women’s Health: Progress and Priorities.
In the last few decades people, and in particular women, have worked towards improving their health in countries all over the globe. Such efforts have been carried out by governments, international bodies, healthcare providers, and NGOs to address the specific health needs of women.
Even though much progress has been made so far towards this cause, health inequities exist and comprehensive health care is not available to as many women as it should be around the world.
1. Improving Access to Reproductive and Maternal Healthcare
Providing access to reproductive health services has been targeted and one of the health issues that has had several key initiatives geared towards improving family planning, maternal and child health and delivery services.
Family Planning and Contraception: This is especially the case with government owned family planning programs and organizations such as the UNFPA and WHO.
These specific contraceptive services have been particularly useful in low income societies in averting unplanned pregnancies, maternal health problems, and unsafe abortions considering that most women’s reproductive health decisions depend on family resources.
Prenatal and Postnatal Care: Maternal health has improved due to more availability of prenatal and postnatal care. Campaign such as that of WHO’s Safe Motherhood looks at making sure all women receive proper care during each of the pregnancy stages and after childbirth.
Having professional help during childbirth, sufficing food and provision of emergency obstetric care services have contributed remarkably to the falling maternal death rates.
HPV Vaccination and Cervical Cancer Screening: Various national policies and programs aimed at preventing the development of cervical cancer, including a national regimen of HPV immunization and regular Papanicolaou screening, have been introduced in numerous countries. Thanks to the easy access to HPV vaccines, newborns are now very unlikely to suffer from cervical cancer.
2. Addressing Breast and Gynecological Health
Boob and gynecological health are the other areas that have registered some progress when it comes to investigation, diagnosis, screening and treatment.
Mammography and Breast Cancer Screening: Health education and cancer advocacy on breast cancer has resulted in increased early detection with regular breast mammograms.
There have been several programs in several nations in the world that support a national breast cancer screening program and of what ideal women are supposed to go through in order to be screened which has greatly enhanced chances for majority patients with early diagnosis.
Access to Gynecological Services: Efforts to enhance gynecological services such as pelvic examinations on a regular basis have been prioritized in order to catch reproductive health problems such as ovarian cysts, endometriosis, among other cyst-related issues.
There have been positive changes in health seeking behavior because initiatives to eliminate the stigma on gynecological health and encourage women to access health services early have worked well.
3. Promoting Mental Health and Well Being
Efforts to tackle psychological issues sisted regarding by women, especially matters on reproductive health, care giving, and gender-based violence have been a vital aspect of women healthcare.
Postpartum Depression Support: Governments and other institutions especially in health care systems have made some positive gains in postpartum depression problems.
The responses taken towards gaining better maternal health include: enhancing awareness about depression and mothers with mental disturbances, increasing the availability of mental healthcare services, and introducing organizational support for these mothers.
Mental Health Awareness and Counseling Services: Development and implementation of mental health initiatives aimed at women especially those addressing such both counseling services and support including anxiety, depression and trauma related problems has gained ground.
Some countries have well included mental health care that undergirds women into primary healthcare thus seeking the psychological help is stigma free stealthy.
4. Legislation and Policy Reforms for Gender Equality in Healthcare
Policies and laws relating to the healthcare gender equity have been created and adopted in various countries. These attempts are geared towards making the healthcare systems and institutions better suited to women.
Universal Access to Healthcare: In countries that have enacted laws for universal healthcare, women some of the times are given more importance for the services that they are able to occupy whenever required such as reproductive health and maternal health services.
Countries such as Rwanda and Thailand have successfully improved women’s health and maternal care via universal health coverage, reducing maternal mortality through access to services.
Gender Specific Healthcare System Reforms: Some of the nations have restructured their healthcare policies and systems to be more gender responsive for instance, equipping health care providers with knowledge and skills to ensure that women’s health considering their unique gender issues is adequately catered for avoiding inequalities in diagnosis and treatment.
For instance, plans offered through employment and plans purchased by individuals are mandated by the ACA to include coverage for maternity and women’s preventive health care such as wellness check up to avoid extra costs to women for essential health services.
5. Addressing Violence Against Women and Its Health Consequences
Women’s health has been under various improvements with one of the key areas being violence against women, a worldwide campaign geared towards violence against women has had a lot of serious consequences to both the psyche and health of women.
Legal remedies and assistance to survivors: Most of the countries have either promulgated or are in the process of passing domestic violence laws, sexual violence, laws against other forms of violence targeting women. In addition, all necessary services such as women’s hotlines, shelters, legal aid, and counseling have also been established in order to assist the victims in the process of healing and rebuilding their lives.
Awareness Campaigns: Awareness campaigns, for example the United Nations’ 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence are undertaken to inform the public about the issues emanating from violence against women and mobilize the public to provide support. Their efforts include educational programs targeting the adverse health effects of violence against women, encouraging women to come forward, and spurring change in society.
6. Research and Advocacy for Women’s Health
The efforts to advocate for and conduct research on women’s health have also contributed in one way or another on the achievement of women’s health.
Funding for Women’s Health Research: Women were and many times still are underrepresented in clinical trials and research studies of medicine. To reduce this discrepancy, more and more initiatives such as the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) mandate that a study must contain females’ subjects if males are included in the study to ensure that health issues of both genders are represented.
Non-Profit Advocacy and Global Campaigns: Women health rights advocates in low-income areas have been particularly active thanks to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as well as global advocacy networks, for example, Women Deliver, Plan International and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). These bodies facilitate reproductive health care, health education, and gender equity.
7. Treatment of Women’s Non-Communicable Diseases
Another way of addressing these issues has been with regard to the non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as heart diseases, diabetes and osteoporosis, which tend to be more prevalent among Women’s Health.
Heart Disease and Stroke Awareness: Society has initiated various awareness initiatives themed around cardiovascular diseases in women, among them Go Red for Women, a project developed by the American Heart Association.
This campaign informs Women’s Health about heart disease, the risk factors, and the various signs, which most of the time do not match up with what’s considered normal.
Osteoporosis Prevention: Campaigns to prevent osteoporosis target women, primarily post-menopausal women, and advocate that they preserve their bone strength through dietary habits, physical activity, and regular tests. This is important in reducing the risk of experienced fractures and thereby enhancing the ability to move actively amongst older Women’s Health.
Conclusion
There is great progress in women’s healthcare all around the world, including, but not limited to, reproductive and maternal health, mental health, and non-communicable diseases. Even with these accomplishments, there is still more work to be done to guarantee that all women have access to the required healthcare, especially in the underserved parts of the populations and disadvantaged groups. Moving forward, it will still be important to continue with the efforts that include policy, research and education on healthcare to continue the forward march and tackle the existing issues in women’s health.
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