Mother’s Day (May 11, 2008 ) kicks off this year’s National Women’s Health week. This is the 9th annual celebration with events held all over the country. The yearly initiative focuses on 4 areas of health:

• regular exercise
• health eating habits
• yearly doctor visits
• refraining from dangerous habits (smoking, etc.)

To find information about events in your area, visit the womenshealth.gov event information page.

According to womenshealth.gov, when a woman takes care of herself and her health improves it positively affects the health of her whole household. Women tend to be the caregivers and when our wives, sisters, mothers, and girlfriends are better taken care of, they will in turn take better care of their loved ones.

One way that women can love their bodies and take care of their health is by taking a multivitamin supplement.

It’s true – every woman, every year should get a complete physical, including a pap smear and breast exam, beginning when a woman becomes sexually active.  It’s also true that a lot of women don’t visit their doctor for their annual exams, and will even avoid going for several years in a row.  Men don’t need invasive annual physicals every year until they reach age forty, so why do women have to start going to their gynecologists every year from an early age?

Unfortunately, women have a slew of medical problems that can come from just being a woman.  There are so many ailments that can affect a woman’s reproductive system alone that being checked yearly is imperative.  A pap smear will test for cervical cancer.  There are, however, many other things that a doctor or gynecologist must test for during an exam and some of these ailments are fairly common.

Every year your doctor should examine your breasts for lumps or irregularities that could indicate breast cancer.  Around the age of forty, you should be having a yearly mammogram as well.  In addition to this, it is important that you do a monthly self breast exam to keep an eye out for anything unusual that should be followed up by a doctor.  Your doctor will also check for any sign of sexually transmitted diseases or infections, serious or otherwise.  Vaginal infections due to a bacteria or virus (such as yeast infections or Chlamydia) can be treated with antibiotics but can develop into more serious illnesses if not detected for an extended period of time.

An annual exam can also detect some of the more common aliments that women can have, such as endometriosis or ovarian cysts. While both of these can be extremely painful, they will usually not have any serious bearing on your general health, but can be treated to alleviate any discomfort you may be experiencing.  Your doctor will also ask you several questions in relation to your menstrual periods, such as the length and duration of your periods, how heavy they are and how often they occur.  Records kept over a period of several years can help signal your doctor to any changes in your menstrual flow and can aid in the diagnoses of many of the aforementioned diseases.

Although it is optional, sexually active women with more than one sex partner should be tested yearly for HIV.  Monogamous women have less to worry about, however, it is well known that HIV is extremely life threatening.  Treatment is available to lessen symptoms and increase life span, however, the earlier treatment is started, the better chance you have for a fuller and happier life if you are diagnosed with HIV.  Your doctor can do this easily during your annual exam and can give you peace of mind.

Any way you look at it, it is important to visit your doctor yearly to make sure that you are in good health – your body will thank you later on!

You can provide your body with an extra health boost by taking a women’s daily multivitamin. The nutrients found in multivitamins can protect your body from heart disease, boost your immunity, and improve your circulation. Taking an Omega-3 supplement in addition to a women’s multivitamin provides added benefits including lowered blood pressure and an improvement in cardiovascular health.

Previous studies have linked hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopausal and post-menopausal women to a higher risk of heart disease. New studies show that this information was either incorrect or incomplete.

Post-menopausal women in 4 groups were studied:

• Didn’t take HRT, no risk factors for heart disease
• Didn’t take HRT, have risk factors for heart disease
• Took estrogen, with risk factors
• Took estrogen and progestin

Women who took HRT and had risk factors showed improvements in flow-mediated dilation.

That’s a whole lot of technical speak to say–hormone replacement therapy is not the threat to heart disease that we once thought it was. For more information visit the article at Forbes Magazine. Also see the Women’s Health Initiative.

Have you heard about Omega 3? It is a natural supplement shown to improve cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular events like heart attacks.

A healthy diet is an important factor in the way you look and feel. We all know that we’re supposed to eat a variety of foods including fruits, vegetables, dairy and grains. But let’s be honest—how many of us actually get a well-balanced source of nutrients from our diet alone?

Work, family life, television, sports, social life … all of these things can prevent us from taking the time to eat properly. We often have coffee for breakfast, have been known to skip lunch, and find ourselves driving through for our dinner more often than we’d like to admit.

Our schedules are not about to get less hectic, and as far as I know, McDonald’s isn’t about to offer steamed broccoli on their drive-thru menu. So what do we do? The answer is simple—take a multivitamin. These nutrient-packed capsules of wonder can make a big difference in the way you feel.

So what should you look for in a women’s multivitamin?

• Vitamin D—Helps with the absorption of calcium. Also strengthens bones and may reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
• Vitamin A—Boosts immunity and protects vision (so that’s why you mom told you to eat carrots for your eyes). Safest form is beta-carotene, so look for this on the label. Beta-carotene improves skin’s resistance to UV damage.
• Folic Acid—Especially important for women who may become pregnant because it reduces the risk of neural tube birth defects. May also reduce the risk of depression and heart disease.
• Vitamin E—An antioxidant that fights skin cell damage. Reduces risk of heart disease and boosts immunity.
• B6—Helps to maintain hormonal health. Can also reduce morning sickness during pregnancy and may reduce depression.
• B12—Prevents heart disease. Maintains brain and nerve function.
• C—An antioxidant that protects against premature aging. Also boosts immunity.

It is also beneficial to take an Omega-3 supplement along with a multivitamin supplement. Omega 3 fatty acids provide a plethora of benefits, including better circulation, improved mood, reduction of cardiovascular events (such as heart attacks), support brain development and function, and anti-inflammatory properties which promote joint health.

This blog was created as a space for information on women’s health issues. We will cover topics including beauty, anti-aging, wellness, mental health, and more.

Please visit our sister site Prenatal Info for information on pregnancy and pregnancy health.