Do you agree with the fact that women are multi-taskers? They always put others first whether it is in terms of education, health, or anything else. However, very often the most important aspect of their lives is forgotten chaos of multi-tasking - Good health.

It is seen in most households that health is the last thing that comes on a women’s priority list. Result? Rise of a lot of infections, diseases and deficiencies.

Let’s look out the major health issues that women face in India.

Heart Diseases

You may be wondering that this is common between men and women both. But let me tell you something, studies have shown that heart diseases affect 6 times as many women as breast cancer. Yes, you heard it right.

Coronary Artery Disease is common and occurs mostly in menopausal women, but the shocking part is that, in case of diabetes, women get affected at a younger age.

What are the causes?

Diabetes, smoking, hypertension, obesity, lack of physical activities are all the things that leads to heart diseases. And how can we forget family history? It plays a major role.

Some dietary changes, quitting smoking, getting involved in small physical activities or even have an evening walk can lower the risk of heart diseases.

Breast Cancer

This issue occurs mostly due to family history but 10% cases of breast cancer are due to other reasons as well.

These are – obesity, early menstruation (before the age of 12) or late menopause (after the age of 55) and even excess alcohol and smoking.

There is a solution to this. Women can do self-examination and should consult a doctor if any abnormality is observed. Also, women should get mammogram check-ups after the age of 40.

PCOD (Polycystic Ovarian Diseases)

Women often face this problem called PCOD. What exactly it is?

Let’s understand this term; PCOD refers to a hormonal disorder causing enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the outer edges.

In simple terms, it is hormonal imbalance in a women’s body. What does it do? It produces more than normal amount of male hormones.

Results? It leads to irregular menstruation cycle, weight gain, and high levels of insulin and makes it harder for them to get pregnant.

And for more information, it is known to affect 5-10% women in this age group.

Strokes

Millions of women die everywhere due to strokes.

Causes?

This is caused due to hypertension, diabetes and a sedentary lifestyle with lots of junk food, excessive drinking and smoking.

Women should live a healthy lifestyle and get correct treatments of chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure to reduce the risk of stroke.

Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

Obesity is a very common problem faced by a lot of people in the entire world. Teenagers and women are mostly affected by it due to their imbalanced diet and excessive junk food and smoking.

On the other hand, Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or is unable to use insulin properly.

Results? High level of glucose in our blood.

It generates problems like heart diseases, kidney problems, and even possible blindness. Moreover, obesity is one of the major risk factors associated with diabetes.

If women maintain a healthy weight and involve themselves in some or the other physical activity then it reduces the chance of Type 2 diabetes. 

Respiratory Diseases

3 out of 5 people suffer from some kind of respiratory diseases. Respiratory illness such as Chronic Obstructed Pulmonary Disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, and several other problems affecting the lungs fall under this category.

All these infections results from smoking and can be prevented by switching to a healthy lifestyle.

Depression

Women are very sensitive for their loved ones as compared to men. They need to have a connection with people they love and when they do not, eventually depression is likely to occur.

Hormonal changes are very common too. These changes can also result in depression, especially after pregnancy or during menopause.

Other factors I would like to bring attention to are trauma, abuse, family history of depression and chronic illnesses.

Alzheimer’s disease

Same as depression, women are more likely to get affected by Alzheimer’s disease than men which results in memory loss.

How to prevent it? This disease can be prevented by managing chronic problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and regular physical and mental activity.

It is also said, (not proven) that when a woman reaches her middle age, the reduction in estrogen is believed to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Hair Loss and Premature Greying

Most of urban women are facing this issue. While genetics do contribute to this problem, some other factors that add to it are deficiency of Vitamin B12 and iron, excessive consumption of junk food and coffee/tea, lack of sleep, an unclean scalp, smoking and stress.

How to maintain it? By maintaining a diet rich in Vitamin B12 and iron, and a healthy lifestyle, you can prevent this condition.

• Tags:  
• Women Health Issues in India
• Health problems of Women in India

Manmeet Kaur