Special Female Concerns

You might have heard the song that has the line, "I enjoy being a girl."  Most women wouldn't trade places with a man even if you paid her all the money in the world.  It's great being a woman, but with the feminine mystique, cool shoes, and ability to get out of a traffic ticket by batting eyelashes comes a special set of medical concerns.

WOMEN HAVE SPECIAL MEDICAL NEEDS

Medical care is not one-size-fits-all.  Not only do we have different outward physical characteristics than men, but our insides are relatively different as well.  We are more prone and less prone to certain diseases and ailments, and we also react to stress and illness differently than men do.  This is why you need to make sure that you seek out the care you need, and don't lump yourself into the same category as your husband, son, or any other men in your life.  For example, just because your husband's doctor tells him that he should increase his protein intake does not mean that you should take that advice as something that pertains to both of you. 

Of course, there are some things that are valid for both genders (you should exercise, keep your fat intake low, etc), but there are also other things that are definitely gender-specific.  This is why you need to make sure that you pay attention to the things that you, as a woman, need to be concerned with.  You need to remember to do your breast self-exams, you need to remember to pay attention to your menstrual cycle, and you absolutely need to see a medical professional who is going to encourage you to remember to do these types of things.  Don't settle for a one-size-fits-all attitude when it comes to your health, because it just isn't the case.

If you want a female doctor, say so.  Studies and polls both show that many women (as well as men) feel intimidated or embarrassed when in an appointment with their doctors, and for this reason many people don't bring up valid health questions and concerns like they should.  The thought that your doctor is going to judge you or think you are stupid is not something that you should allow to consume you so much that you hold back information from your doctor.  You are your own health advocate, and that means that you need to realize what makes you the most comfortable and what you should do in order to partner with your doctor and get the best medical care possible.  If a male doctor just makes you feel uncomfortable - or if you spend too much time gazing into his dreamy eyes so you get tongue tied - then there is absolutely nothing wrong with deciding to switch to a female doctor. 

Sometimes it doesn't matter how much schooling or experience a male doctor has because there is just always something a little weird about him conducting sensitive exams, at least for many women.  The same principal applies to any doctor with whom you just aren't comfortable, regardless of gender.  You may find a female doctor who seems to be quite book-smart but who just does not seem to have the best bed-side manner.  If a warm personality is important to you then find a different doctor who will make you more comfortable.  Remember that you are paying doctors to provide you with a service.  Just because they usually have infinitely more schooling and are highly regarded within our society does not mean that they are infallible. 

You should always be comfortable enough with your doctor that you feel as though you can bring absolutely any medical concern to him or her and he or she will in turn answer your questions thoroughly and make you feel better about the situation.  Some women have a difficult time with being aggressive, especially when it comes to matters involving authority figures.  If you hope to take charge of your health, though, you need to get a little more aggressive with not only asking the questions that need to be asked, but also by insisting on a doctor with whom you feel comfortable.   

We get ailments that men don't get.  This is certainly not to say that all male physicians are inept and have no idea what diseases women can get.  To the contrary, there are plenty of fine male physicians out there who probably know the inner workings of the female body better than the majority of women who never attended medical school.  This is more of a reminder for you than for your doctor.  You have to remember that there are some ailments and diseases that women can get that men don't, simply because the body parts are different.  You should be vigilant in paying attention to the parts of you which are distinctly female.  Men don't have to worry about what their discharge smells like or the amount of blood they lose every month during their periods because these aren't things their bodies do. 

Women, on the other hand, need to pay attention to these things in order to make sure that everything is functioning like it should.  You should especially make sure to keep all your regular appointments pertaining to those things that only women need to deal with.  In other words, just because your husband doesn't have to go see a doctor once a year to have his penis inspected doesn't mean that you shouldn't have to go see your doctor once a year (or however frequently your doctor recommends) to have your pelvic exams and all the other intrusive procedures that women have to deal with simply because we're different and have different equipment. 

YOUR PERIOD SHOULD NOT STOP YOUR LIFE

Excessive bleeding isn't necessarily normal.  Your period is probably pretty annoying…most women do not find joy in the process of monthly bleeding, and for some women it becomes enough of a problem to inhibit them socially and exhaust them for days.  You may be familiar with the joke that some men tell: "I can't trust anything that bleeds for five days and doesn't die."  There is an element of truth to that joke, no matter how lame the joke actually is.  The truth is that you can't bleed and bleed for days on end and not have some physical residuals from it.  When the bleeding becomes so much that you just can't seem to function - or you keep ruining pieces of clothing because the bleeding can't be contained with pads or tampons - then it's time to take your concerns to a doctor. 

This is especially important if the women in your family do not have a history of heavy bleeding and if you used to have shorter periods with less bleeding than you do now.  A sudden or eventual shift to heavy bleeding can be a sign of something serious, but on the other hand it can be just a natural evolution of your body, so try not to panic if this happens to you.  Just make an appointment with your doctor and see what options you have.  If your doctor agrees with you that your bleeding is more than it should be then you will probably go through a series of unpleasant (but not incredibly painful) tests, which will make sure that there is nothing serious going on.  When the results come back negative you will probably be offered a few options:

• You can try to take birth control pills or receive a birth control implant because these things can sometimes lessen your blood flow during your period.  If you are already on birth control then this is obviously not an effective solution, unless you are at a low dose and want to try a higher one. 

• You can try an endometrial ablation, which is a relatively new procedure.  This outpatient surgery uses various methods to actually cook the lining of your uterus.  For some women, it stops their periods altogether while other women experience less bleeding, or in some cases, no change at all.  You should know that women who have this procedure done are not expected to be able to carry a viable pregnancy afterward, even though they can technically get pregnant.  In other words, don't get this procedure done if you ever want to have another baby. 

• For women close to menopausal age, some doctors might suggest a hysterectomy.  This stops your bleeding altogether, but it also makes it absolutely impossible to ever get pregnant again.  This is a much more complicated surgery than an ablation.  Some women, however, welcome the idea of getting a hysterectomy and getting it all over with because this means there is no long process leading up to the conclusion of menopause. 

• Some doctors will merely suggest you wait it out to see if it changes.  Women who have had babies in the not so distant past may be in a situation where their bodies will eventually adjust and the bleeding will subside.  This is a good idea for any women who may want to someday have another baby, because any permanent procedures to limit or cease menstrual bleeding will make it impossible. 

You should know that there are things that can be done when your life is adversely affected by the amount of bleeding you have every month. If you feel as though you have to put your life on hold every month it is definitely something that you need to bring to the attention of your doctor. You don't have to give up life every month.

Figure out what makes you more comfortable. You have choices when your period rolls around, and you don't need to just do whatever your mother initially taught you (especially since a lot has probably changed since you first had your period). Whether you choose tampons or pads, the main thing is to make sure that you are personally comfortable with whatever you choose. Don't wear pads if you feel disgusting and feel like you're wearing a diaper. On the other hand, don't wear tampons if you get a little freaked out at the idea of sticking something inside you and holding in all the blood that is trying to leave your body.

As long as you are comfortable with the choice you make (although most women know it's hard to be comfortable during a period anyhow) then you can also make sure that for health's sake you are changing your pad or tampon frequently. If you don't change your pad frequently you might wind up with a bad rash, not to mention that it's simply bad hygiene to walk around with a pad all day. As most women know, bad hygiene is only a hop, skip, and a jump away from illness, so you don't want to open the door to getting sick like that. Tampons should also be changed frequently because you don't want to risk winding up with Toxic Shock Syndrome, which is quite rare but still a possibility.

If you suffer from cramps during your period, you should make sure to try out a variety of pain relievers to find the one that works best for you. Some women do fine with regular pain relievers, but there is a wide variety of pain relievers manufactured specifically for problems with menstrual cycles. You can choose from acetaminophen or ibuprofen based pain relievers, and many of them include other ingredients to lessen bloating and help with energy levels. The important thing to remember when it comes to using pain relievers for period pain is that since they are made from things like acetaminophen and ibuprofen you should not take other medications in conjunction with these medicines if they contain the same ingredients. This doubling up is too much for your body, and can actually make you quite sick. For this reason, always check to see what the active ingredient of your pain reliever is before taking another pill.

In fact, if you take a pain reliever designed to relieve period pain that might be all you need, even if you suffer from cramps and a headache, for example. If your pain is severe then you can take period pain medicine in addition to another pain reliever as long as they don't both have the same active ingredient.

Douching, tampons, and all that jazz. Let's get one thing straight: your crotch is not supposed to smell like flowers and incense. While most women have a concern about vaginal odor, it's important to remember that there is a big difference between a very slight odor (or even the absence of any scent at all) and a really smelly vaginal odor. A foul odor merits a visit to the doctor because it can be indicative of an imbalance or an infection, most of which can be easily remedied. If you do not have a foul odor emanating from that area, however, you should take that as an indication that everything is fine and you shouldn't be messing with the chemical balance down there.

Think about it: douching is essentially introducing a bunch of stuff into your body that isn't supposed to be there. It's not natural, and it can actually cause quite a few problems. The same goes for using so-called feminine sprays…why in the world would you want to spray perfume into your vagina? You're asking for trouble when you throw the balance of your body off like that. Another potential problem comes in the form of tampons. Although these can be great since many women do not like wearing pads, you can't put a tampon in at the beginning of the day and then just forget about until you head to bed at night, no matter how light your flow is.

Think about it this way: By using a tampon you are forcing your body to hold on to the things it is trying to get rid of, and so your body doesn't get to get rid of that particular waste until you replace the tampon. Don't hold that stuff in there for too long. Take the warnings seriously on the tampon box that warn you about Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). The company wouldn't put the warning on the box if it wasn't a true possibility. If you wear tampons, be sure to change them as recommended on the box.

On the next page we will have a frank discussion of Your Sexual Health.