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Get to know these health conditions that only affect, or are much more likely to occur in, women.
HPV and cervical cancer
Cervical cancer has been linked to a
virus that is transmitted through sexual intercourse. The human
papilloma virus is thought to target a number of genes within cells,
including a tumour suppressor gene called p53. Loss of p53 can lead to a
cell becoming cancerous.
The earlier cervical cancer is treated,
the better the chance of survival. In the first stage of cervical
cancer, in which the disease is confined to the cervix itself, 80 per
cent of women live more than five years. Once cancer has spread to
distant parts of the body, such as the lungs, only five per cent of
women live more than five years.
Endometriosis
With endometriosis, fragments of the
uterine lining (endometrium) are deposited elsewhere in the body —
typically in or on the Fallopian tubes, on the ovaries, behind the
uterus, or on the bowel, bladder or pelvic wall, but sometimes in
abdominal scars or even the lungs.
Endometriosis can begin at any time from
the onset of menstruation to the menopause. You are more at risk if you
have a family history, a menstrual cycle shorter than 28 days and if
your periods last more than a week. The main symptom is pelvic pain.
Other endometriosis symptoms include bloating, fatigue, painful periods,
painful sex, painful bowel movements, constipation, painful and
frequent urination or blood in the urine during periods, and
infertility.
Osteoporosis
Bone loss is mainly a depletion of the
mineral calcium. It affects more women than men because the hormone
estrogen plays a crucial role in the female body’s ability to use
dietary calcium to build new bone. When you approach or are in
menopause, the reduction in your body’s estrogen production deprives
your bones of the calcium they need. Some 20 to 30 per cent of bone loss
in women occurs in the first five years after menopause. Osteopenia
often develops during this critical time. Without treatment, this
bone-thinning condition can lead to osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis can also occur in younger
women whose estrogen levels fall after hysterectomy or in athletes whose
ability to produce estrogen may be hindered by low body fat.
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is hard to detect because there are no early symptoms, and later ones are vague and can mimic common disorders.
Ovarian cancer develops in one of the
ovaries, the almond-size egg-producing reproductive organs on either
side of the uterus. When a woman ovulates, an egg bursts through the
wall of the ovary. To repair the hole, ovarian cells must divide and
reproduce. As in all cancers, when cell division gets out of control, a
tumour forms.
In about 70 per cent of cases, ovarian
cancer is not diagnosed until it has spread to other parts of the body.
At that stage, survival rates are between 20 and 25 per cent. Women who
are treated before the cancer has spread have an 85 to 90 per cent
chance of cure.
Unfortunately, there’s no foolproof
screening test for ovarian cancer. In the later stages, your doctor can
feel a tumour during a pelvic exam or see it on an ultrasound. She may
remove a tiny sample of cells to check them for cancer under the
microscope.
Most cases of ovarian cancer occur in
women over 50. Your risk is higher if a close relative has had ovarian
cancer or if you have the BRCA1 gene (which also influences breast
cancer risk). If you have the gene, you have about a 45 per cent chance
of getting ovarian cancer; women without the gene have a two per cent
lifetime risk.
Urinary tract infection
If this is your first urinary tract
infection, you can take solace in the fact that you’re not alone: more
than 10 per cent of women suffer from a UTI at least once a year.
Treatment may now be only a phone call away, and you could feel better
in a single day.
Most urinary tract infections are called
“lower UTIs,” meaning the germs have taken hold in your urethra (a
condition called urethritis) or in your bladder (a condition called
cystitis). If the germs travel farther, an “upper UTI” can develop,
affecting the narrow tubes (ureters) leading to the kidneys or even the
kidneys themselves. This potentially serious infection is known as
pyelonephritis.
Between 80 and 90 per cent of urinary
tract infections are caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli), a bacterium
usually confined to the colon and rectum that can spread from the anus
to the urethra. Because a woman’s urethra is relatively short, women are
more prone to UTIs than men (whose much longer urethra in the penis
makes it harder for the bacteria to travel to the bladder). After
menopause, some women are increasingly susceptible to infection because
of a lack of estrogen.
•Adapted from besthealthmag.ca
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