0579 Pei Xun Health blog

You may have noticed that when you are stressed, your PMS symptoms such as mood swings, irritability, poor concentration, depression and basic crabbiness are worse? Many studies, have, over the years identified the connection between stress and PMS, but it wants clear, which of the two was responsible for the other.

Researchers from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development tracked over 250 women to find the answer to this question – whether PMS causes stress or whether stress exacerbates PMS symptoms.

It turned out that it is stress that worsens the symptoms of PMS. The study showed that those women who were seen as stressed were more likely to be irritable, anxious, sad, and tearful and so on. In other words, it was stress that was seen to be cause of the worsening symptoms rather than the effect of PMS.

In particular, this fact was demonstrated by the same women who were seen as being less stressed one month and more stressed the next – their symptoms and the severity of their symptoms seemed to correspond to their stress levels leading the researchers to arrive at their conclusions.

So ladies if you want to keep the PMS under control, who knows, all you may need is some pampering and some stress buster treatment – a day at the spa perhaps?

If you’ve undergone abdominal hysterectomy, you should know that the whole procedure is very delicate. It is not that easy to go under the knife and having some of your organs removed.

After undergoing an abdominal hysterectomy, the last challenge that a woman has to go through is the hysterectomy recovery period. There are different factors that determine how long your recovery period will be and they include the following:

• Size of incisions

One major determining factor of how long your hysterectomy recovery period will be is the size of the incision made on your abdomen. A big incision will result to a longer and harder hysterectomy recovery.

• Excessive vaginal bleeding

Another common post operation symptom of an abdominal hysterectomy you have to deal with is vaginal bleeding. But there are two possibilities when this happens; first if the bleeding worsens day by day, then you need to have yourself checked so that proper treatments are given.

But if the bleeding gradually decreases over a period of time then it is most likely that your health is starting to improve and on your way to a hysterectomy recovery.

• Bowel movements

Another determining factor to know how much you have progressed in your hysterectomy recovery is by observing your bowel movements.

At first this activity will be very painful as any straining action could cause intolerable pain specifically on the place where you had the incision. But if you have noticed positive changes in your bowel movements, then it means that you are on your way to recovering your health.

• Physical activities

The kind of physical activities you can perform is another factor to consider. If you can already lift heavy objects, walk and jog around the neighborhood, and do household chores, then these are good signs that you’re recovering well.

However, avoid forcing yourself to doing these strenuous activities if you’re not yet ready. Recovering from surgeries like abdominal hysterectomy is a gradual process, not an instant one.

• Overall health

Your overall health condition is also an important factor to consider. Remember that hysterectomy is a major surgical operation that can leave the patient weak and prone to infection and other diseases. If you’re in perfect health and are not suffering from other diseases, then you’re most likely to recover fast.

It will take months to completely recover from hysterectomy. It takes time to completely heal the wounds. However, you can speed up the healing process by doing the following:

• Avoid lifting heavy objects

• Avoid doing strenuous activities

• Avoid any sexual activity for at least six weeks

• Get enough rest

• Have a well-balanced diet

• Follow your doctor’s advice

Expect a lot of changes after your recovery. For starters, you’ll no longer menstruate and since your ovaries will be removed, you’ll no longer capable of carrying a child. You will also have your menopause at an early age. After your hysterectomy recovery period, you’ll also need regular Pap smear tests and visits to your doctor.

Certainly the female condom is less popular than the male condom, which is far more widely used and also much more widely available around the world.

As the name suggests the female condom is to be used by the women, and may be inserted into the vagina prior to intercourse. Intercourse does not have to be interrupted for inserting the female condom; it can be inserted from before, as many as 8 hours before intercourse.

While the material used is the same as the male condom i.e. latex, the design of the female condom is slightly different.

It has a tube like structure with flexible rings at both ends and is open one end and closed at the other.

Unlike the male condom however, one has to take care with the female condom that the penis is inserted at the correct place inside the condom ring. It should not slip into the vagina by mistake because that would negate its purpose.

The female condom gives women the same protection against STDs and pregnancies as the male condom. This becomes very important particularly when a male partner is reluctant to use a male condom.

It can take a little getting used to, but for many women, the female condom makes a lot of sense and offers a sense of control that the male condom does not.

Did you know that aside from breast cancer, cervical cancer also causes high mortality rate in women over the years?

Cervical cancer HPV is tagged as a high-risk disease caused by hpv virus types 16 and 18. It doesn’t choose its victims but studies proved that women who are sexually active are prone to it.

The normal symptoms of cervical cancer HPV are not easily detected until a pap smear test verifies the presence of the virus. In some cases, women experience the following symptoms later on:

• Irregular vaginal bleeding and contact bleeding

• In rare cases vaginal mass may also be an indicator of the carcinoma

• If there is pain during intercourse or during the vaginal discharge then there may be a possibility that one has contracted the cervical cancer HPV.

Treatments

There’s no need to panic if you have acquired cervical cancer hpv since there are treatments for this medical condition. Technology has improved the chances of surviving cervical cancer.

Pap smear is a very common method that can help detect the formation of cancerous cells and viruses in the cervix. Doctors recommend regular pap smear tests if you are detected of having cervical cancer.

The following treatments are recommended in treating cervical cancer:

• Lymphadenectomy: This is the most common method in treating cervical cancer. The lymph nodes are removed through surgery to prevent the spread of the cancer cells.

• Radical trachelectomy: The cervix and the tissues around it are surgically removed, though the uterus stays. Women who still want to get pregnant opt for this treatment together with lymphadenectomy.

• Radical hysterectomy: This treatment includes the removal of the uterus, cervix and vagina. For severe cases, even the ovaries, lymph nodes and fallopian tubes are completely removed.

• Bilateral salpingo oophorectomy: In this treatment, the ovaries and fallopian tubes are removed. Oftentimes, it goes together with hysterectomy.

• Chemotherapy: This is perhaps the most popular and effective cervical cancer hpv treatment available today. Chemotherapy prevents the spread of cancer cells and stops them from multiplying. However, there are many factors to consider like the type of cervical cancer, its stage, and the health condition of the patient.

Though these treatments are effective, they can greatly affect a woman’s fertility. Women who wish to keep their fertility intact opt for an operation such as cone biopsy or trachelectomy.

On the other hand, if you’re pregnant your doctor will have to postpone treatments right after you deliver your baby.

Prevention
Cervical cancer can now be prevented, thanks to modern science. Vaccines are now available to help protect women from this killer. Gardasil HPV is tested and proven to protect the body from harmful strains like the HPV types 16 and 18.

However, the most effective preventive measure is to avoid having sexual contact. If possible, stick to only one partner.

Avoid having intercourse with strangers or having multiple sex partners since these can only increase your chances of acquiring the deadly virus.

According to a new study, the contraceptive pill can make certain areas of the brain bigger by as much as 3%. The part of the brain that governed conversation or the so called conversation hub was seen to be enhanced in those women who took the pill.

Not just that, but the grey matter of the brain that determines memory and social skills is also seen to grow in size among the pill takers. This is the first time that the impact of hormonal pills upon the brain has been studied and the study found that several areas of women’s brains were found to be bigger when they took the pill.

Spatial skills such as map reading, which are supposed to be better among men, however were not seen to be positively impacted, since it was the sex hormones that were seen to be affecting the women’s brains.

Those skills such as memory and verbal skills, which are already better developed in men than women, were seen to be further enhanced by the pill.

While it is not clear exactly why this happens, one of the theories offered is that the hormones estrogen or progesterone used to stop eggs from being released also strengthens the links between nerve cells in the brain.

We all know that cancer is deadly and that women are not exempted from it. The good news is you can fight cancer through early detection of cancer cells.

HPV or human papillomavirus is considered the leading cause of the formation of these cancer cells especially those associated to cervical cancer. In order to protect your self from this ailment, a pap smear hpv is necessary.

Through the years, doctors have been using the pap smear test in detecting abnormalities in tissues and cells surrounding the female reproductive organs.

Pap smear HPV is the most reliable procedure used in detecting precancerous symptoms and abnormal lumps in the cervix. It is strictly recommended by doctors that women aged 21 and above undergo regular pap smear tests to prevent cancer.

Sadly, the presence of hpv is not easily detected. The virus strives in areas with mucous membranes like the genitals and skin. It’s no surprise then that the presence of warts in these areas is considered the most visible symptoms of the disease. However, to further verify the presence of the virus, a pap smear test is required. In some cases, a DNA test is also needed.

How the pap smear HPV test is done?

If you still haven’t tried this test then you must be very curious about the whole procedure. Contrary to what others believe, pap smear test is not painful at all. It is done through a thorough pelvic examination wherein the doctor examines the cervix through the vagina with the use of a speculum.

The doctor gets specimen using a plastic spatula and brush. These samples are then placed in a container with special solution which is then taken to a laboratory for testing. You will get the results in two to three weeks after the examination.

How can the pap smear HPV test help women?

As stated, pap smear is the most effective method available that can help detect early signs of cancer and other irregularities in the female reproductive system. Therefore it can help women in many ways such as:

• Undergo treatments against cervical cancer at an early stage

• Observe proper hygiene to prevent the spread of the virus

• Develop awareness on other reproductive disorders aside from cervical cancer

Who can avail of pap smear HPV test?

By the time a woman turned 21, she must take a pap smear test. This examination is applicable even for those who are already in their 50s. Usually, women go back for another exam after two years. However, if you are sexually active, getting a test done at least once a year is very beneficial.

Where is it done?

Pap smear hpv test only takes a few minutes. You can have it done at your doctor’s private clinic. Government clinics and hospitals even conduct pap smear tests for free so you don’t have to worry about paying for it. In case you’re not satisfied with the results, you always have the option of retaking the examination.

While it has been known for a while that any drugs containing estrogen can impact a woman’s cholesterol levels, it has now been demonstrated by researchers that even menstrual cycles can vary cholesterol levels.

So, it isn’t just drugs and treatments that could impact the cholesterol count of women, but even their own bio rhythms as manifested through the menstrual cycle, can cause cholesterol to go up or down. And this intra month variation could be as much as 19%.

In the study, women of child bearing age were checked to measure their cholesterol levels 14 times in two months. In one month, the average variation in measurement of cholesterol levels was 19 percent.

When estrogen levels rose, so did the levels of good cholesterol or HDL – HDL was highest during ovulation. Also a corresponding fall in LDL or bad cholesterol was seen with rising estrogen levels. So when a reading was taken two weeks later, or when estrogen levels were lowest, the cholesterol reading was very different.

So, hormone levels and time of month are aspects that are important to factor into a cholesterol reading, to get a more accurate idea of a woman’s actual cholesterol levels.

Being a woman entails a lot of health problems. A woman’s body is more complicated than men.

As such, women are prone to acquiring more diseases than men.

Thankfully, advancements in medicine and science have given way to different health tests for women.

Learn more of these tests and identify what else you need to undergo.

1. Pap smear: Among the health tests for women, pap smear is the most common. Developed in 1951 by Dr. George Papanicolaou, its purpose is to detect abnormal changes in the cervix which may lead to cervical cancer.Considered as one of the most important health tests for women, a pap test must be done within three years from the first sexual intercourse. Because of the advent of this test, cervical cancer cases have reduced tremendously.
2. Mammogram: A woman’s breast is a powerhouse of tissues. Every year, hundreds of women suffer from breast cancer. Such disease could have been avoided had a mammogram test was availed of earlier. Mammograms are health tests for women who are forty years old and above.A mammogram is a painless and safe test that helps detect cancer. There are several health tests for women necessary in detecting breast cancer. However, mammograms are most effective such that when cancer is immediately detected, the five year survival rate is increased by 96%.
3. Bone density test: Women over the age of 65 and those who underwent hysterectomy should consider getting a bone density test. One of the health tests for women, it aims to determine osteoporosis at an earlier stage. By undergoing one of these health tests for women, the chances for the disease to be treated and reversed is high.
4. STD Tests: STD tests are required for women who have vaginal discharges. Although vaginal discharge is not an indication that one has sexually transmitted disease, it can be indicative of vaginal infections. These health tests for women are available at any age.
5. Cholesterol Screening: One of the primary health tests for women is cholesterol screening. Through this test, the development of heart diseases is easily detected.However, pregnant women are not advised to undergo this test since their cholesterol level is usually higher.

   Further, such health tests for women can only be given to healthy patients since certain illnesses may result to false low tests.Did you know that heart diseases among women is the leading cause of death among American women? Well, there are available health tests for women to protect themselves for acquiring these diseases.

   Learn about your good and bad cholesterol as well as blood fats known as triglycerides. Having one’s blood pressure regularly checked is also important. Whenever one experiences palpitations, chest pains and irregular heartbeats, getting an echo cardiogram will prove helpful.

6. Colorectal Cancer Tests: Colonoscopies are important health tests for women who are in their late forties to early fifties. These tests must be availed of in a ten-year interval. Once detected at its early stage, the five-year survival rate is increased by 90%.

A new emergency contraception or morning after pill ‘Ella’ has been approved by the FDA. This new drug in tablet form may offer protection from an unwanted pregnancy if taken up to 5 days after having unprotected sex or failure of contraception.

The FDA has approved this prescription only drug unanimously, but has warned that this is not a device for routine contraception and is not intended as such. Ella has already been approved and has been sold in Europe as EllaOne.

In the United States, the emergency contraception drug that was hitherto available for women was Plan B, which is sold without prescription to women over the age of 17. Ella, however will require prescription.

The possible side effects of Ella and Plan B are similar: headache, pain, discomfort, dizziness, fatigue, and nausea; however the two are different formulations. Plan B contain levonorgestrel, a progestin hormone whereas Ella contains ulipristal.

This is a non hormone based drug that works by blocking the action of some of the key hormones that are necessary for conception.

Also Plan B is able to be effective up to 72 hours (or three days) after sex, whereas Ella will continue to be effective up to 120 hours or five days after sex.