Female Care

Calcium is well-known for its connection to healthy, strong bones and teeth. Calcium is a major contributing factor to the prevention of bone density loss and osteoporosis. These are by far the most obvious benefits of this important mineral, but there are actually many other benefits to consuming an adequate amount of calcium in your daily diet.

Calcium directly affects the hormones that control the condition of your arteries. Healthy arteries and low blood pressure are associated with healthy calcium levels in the body. Since your arteries and blood pressure affect the heart, calcium is highly beneficial in maintaining a healthy heart. Calcium is also connected with the health of your colon, and particularly the prevention of colon polyps and colon cancer. Calcium has an important role in maintaining a healthy weight, as well. The same hormone that influences the health of your arteries affects the way your body absorbs nutrients and fat. When this hormone is properly regulated by calcium, it is easier to maintain your weight.

Maintaining healthy levels of calcium is easy to do by monitoring your diet and, if necessary, taking a calcium supplement every day. Dairy products, dark green vegetables, and lintels are just some of the foods that are high in calcium. Continue reading »

If you’re trying to have a baby, the first thing you’ll want to know is when you’re ovulating. By the same token, if you’re trying not to have a baby you’ll want to know when you’re ovulating! You can only get pregnant when you ovulate, so it’s important to know when it happens.

Every woman’s cycle is different, so here’s how you can find out what time of the month you’re most fertile.
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Scientists have found new gene variants linked with the age at which females experience their first menstrual period and the onset of menopause, which can even help in preventing breast and endometrial cancer and osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease.

In the collaborative study led by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), the researchers have identified 10 genetic variants in two chromosomal regions associated with age at menarche (the first menstrual period), and 13 genetic variants in four chromosomal regions associated with age at natural menopause.

Menarche and natural menopause are two important physiological events in a woman’s life.

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Women frequently experience chronic pelvic pain that at times can be debilitating. There are many different medical causes but in some instances no obvious cause can be found. If the pelvic pain occurs monthly around the time of your new menstrual cycle and it seems much worse than typical menstrual cramps then perhaps you have endometriosis.

Normally when a woman begins a new monthly menstrual period the tissue lining of her uterus called endometrium is washed out in her menstrual flow. This process normally takes 4 to 7 days.
For women who suffer from endometriosis this endometrial tissue lining fails to completely wash out and instead ends up in their abdomens and pelvices attached to internal organs like the bladder, ovaries or intestines. This endometrial tissue is still functional so whenever a period occurs this displaced tissue swells and bleeds leading to severe pain. Other symptoms can include back pain, pain with intercourse (dyspareunia), and pain with bowel movements (dyschezia). Women who have difficulty getting pregnant are also more likely to have endometriosis since the repeated tissue swelling can cause scar tissue around the fallopian tubes and ovaries.

The diagnosis of endometriosis is very challenging because there are no accurate blood tests, ultrasounds or x-rays available. The only way to make a definitive diagnosis is for your doctor to perform a laparoscopy. This procedure performed under anesthesia is done by making a small skin incision usually through your navel and placing a camera scope into your abdomen. Your doctor can then visually check for possible areas of endometriosis.

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by Stephanie Moore

A menstrual cramp is like a heart attack in the uterus. The pain is caused by the uterine muscles constricting in order to stop the loss of blood.  This condition is called dysmenorrhea. Since many women get excruciating menstrual cramps before and during their monthly period, it is important to know. The pain can be a mild annoyance or it can be crippling, with back ache, nausea and even vomiting.

Pain medications can bring relief, of course. Which medication actually works depends on the individual.  Some women only respond to ibuprofen. Others find that acetaminophen or aspirin works just fine. A doctor may even recommend beginning daily medication a few weeks before a patient’s period begins.

Such measures may not be necessary for mild cramps, in fact, simple alternatives may be just as effective as medicine, without any adverse side effects. Ibuprofen, for example, has been known to cause stomach damage over time.

A hot water bottle or heating pad is the best ‘homemade’ method for relieving menstrual cramps, headaches and backaches. Exercise also makes a great pain reliever. The trick is to get the blood flowing. A brisk walk or some yogic stretching will get your heart pumping. However, sit-ups, crunches and other abdominal exercises are bad for cramps.

Another way to deal with mild menstrual pain is to change what you drink. Caffeine makes pain worse, causing the uterus to constrict even more. Alcohol can also aggravate uterine contractions by depleting important nutrients in the body. A switch to decaffeinated coffee and some teetotaling might eliminate mild cramps altogether. They can also lessen with vitamin supplements, as doctors say calcium helps maintain normal muscle tone.  Niacin, another important nutrient,  is also effective but, only when taken seven to ten days before the flow starts.

Menstrual cramps can also be caused by constipation, so fiber is important. Valerian, a medicinal herb is also effective when taken in doses of 300-500mg per day. It also can help with insomnia. Other herbs that work for dysmenorrhea are: cramp bark, yarrow, black and blue cohosh and ginger.

Whatever method she chooses for dealing with premenstrual symptoms, a woman should always know her own body.  In the end, this knowledge is the best defense against terrible period pain.

Irregular menstrual periods or heavy menstrual periods, mainly referred as abnormal uterine bleeding, are most common concerns for many women. Every woman experiences this specific problem at least once during her entire reproductive years.

More often adolescents in the first few years of menstrual cycle and women after 45 years of age become victims for abnormal or dysfunctional uterine bleeding.

The reason behind dysfunctional uterine bleeding is quite simple. It mainly occurs due to imbalance of most crucial female hormones, estrogen and progesterone.

Role of estrogen and progesterone!

Estrogen is the most crucial hormone which stimulates the growth of uterine lining. Usually, when you have dysfunctional uterine bleeding, you can have periods longer than usual. As a result, the lining of your uterus is exposed to estrogen for longer periods of time.

Once when the ovulation takes place, another important female hormone namely progesterone is produced by your ovary.

This progesterone mainly prepares uterine lining for menstruation and clears off entire surface neatly within few days. So, when there is an imbalance of these major hormones in your body, it results in abnormal uterine bleeding and there will be no monthly release of egg.

Steady exposure of your uterine lining to estrogen, without action of progesterone results in abnormal bleeding. This kind of abnormal bleeding is mainly characterized by bleeding from one area for some time, which will be followed by bleeding in some other area for next few days.

Other uterine bleeding disorders!

Dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB) disorder is quite similar with other types of uterine bleeding disorders. Sometimes DUB overlaps with other uterine bleeding disorders and causes great discomfort for you. Certain most common uterine bleeding disorders that usually overlap with DUB include:

1. Menorrhagia: This is the term used mainly for abnormally long and heavy periods. At times, this type of menstrual problems can also become a sign for DUB. In menorrhagia, you can get periods regularly, but usually lasts for more than seven days. Passing blood clots is quite common and almost 15-20% of women experience this specific type of uterine bleeding disorders, which interferes with your regular activities.
2. Polymenorrhea: With this type of uterine bleeding disorders, you can probably suffer with too frequent periods. Ovulation doesn’t take place during regular menstrual cycle, but get periods more often for every 21 days.
3. Metorrhagia: If you are suffering with uterine bleeding between menstrual periods, it is mainly referred as metorrhagia. With this specific condition, you can experience heavy irregular bleeding.

These are few uterine bleeding disorders that can possibly overlap with your dysfunctional uterine bleeding. So, be aware with all these conditions and whenever you experience any of these conditions, immediately consult your personal doctor to avoid further complications in your reproductive health.

All of us, from time to time, experience what we feel is unusually heavy bleeding during our menstrual periods. Fortunately, most often what we think is abnormal uterine bleeding is not excessive enough to be diagnosed as menorrhagia.

How do you know when bleeding during your period is abnormally heavy? The easiest way to know if you are experiencing menorrhagia is to take note of how often you need to change your pad or tampon. If your period is heavy enough to require changing more often than every one or two hours, or if you have a period that lasts more than a full week, you may be experiencing menorrhagia.
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You’ve just finished making love, and you’re in that pleasant dream-like state when you go to the bathroom and discover that you are bleeding. Nothing can bring you back to reality faster than vaginal bleeding after sex. Post-coital bleeding can occur for a number of reasons, and is nothing to take lightly. Here’s a look at the top 10 causes of vaginal bleeding after sex:

1. Cervical dysplasia: Cervical dysplasia is precancerous changes of the epithelial cells that line the cervix. Risk increases with multiple sexual partners, sex before age 18, childbirth before age 16, or a past history of STDs. Treatment is usually cryosurgery or conisation.

2. Chlamydia: A bacterial infection that is usually transmitted through sexual activity or contact with semen, vaginal fluid, or blood.

3. Gonorrhea: A usually sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacteria. Several pharmaceutical treatments are available.

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