Women and men have many of the same health problems, but they can affect women differently. For example, women may have different symptoms of heart disease. Some diseases or conditions are more common in women, such as osteoarthritis, obesity and depression. And some conditions, such as menopause and pregnancy, are unique to women.
Women sometimes neglect their own health and focus instead on their partner's and their children's. Take care of yourself first:
- Plan for pregnancies and see your healthcare provider regularly while you are pregnant
- Have regular mammograms
- Get regular checkups and screenings. Early detection is important for treating breast, cervical, uterine and ovarian cancer.
- FASTATS: Women's Health(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/womens_health.htm
- Health Topics(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/topics.cfm
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Staying Healthy at All Ages(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/ab006.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/sb006.cfm
- JAMA Patient Page: Women's Health(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/295/12/1474.pdf
- Women's Health Center(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/womens-health/WO99999
- Timing, Dosage of HRT Affect Chances of Heart Trouble(10/01/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69937.html
- Bladder Problems Keep Women Out of Sports(09/29/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69803.html
- Black Women More Likely to Regret Sterilization(09/26/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69758.html
- September Is National Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month(09/22/2008, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/Features/GynecologicCancers/
- More News on Women's Health http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_w.html#womenshealth
- Action Steps for Staying Healthy(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/women/owh/preventworks/action.htm
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General Screenings and Immunizations Guidelines for Women(National Women's Health Information Center) - Links to PDF - http://womenshealth.gov/screeningcharts/general/general.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.womenshealth.gov/espanol/tabladeensayos/mujeres/
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Pap Smears: What They Are and What the Results Mean(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/reproductive/gynecologic/138.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/women/reproductive/gynecologic/138.printerview.html
- Recommended Screenings and Immunizations for Women with High Risk Factors(National Women's Health Information Center) - Links to PDF - http://womenshealth.gov/screeningcharts/highrisk/highrisk.pdf
- Women: Stay Healthy at 50+(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/women50.htm
- Common Questions Regarding Women's Mental Health(American Psychiatric Association) - http://healthyminds.org/expertopinion18.cfm
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Alcohol: A Women's Health Issue(National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) - http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochurewomen/women.htm
Also available in Spanish http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/WomenSpanish/Women_Spanish.pdf
- Environment and Women's Health(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/faq/environment.htm
- Female Genital Cutting(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/faq/easyread/fgc-etr.htm
- Female Genital Cutting(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/faq/fgc.htm
- WISEWOMAN: Frequently Asked Questions(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/wisewoman/faqs.htm
- Women's Health Risks(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/womens-health/WO00014/METHOD=print
- Body Image: Are You Imagining the Wrong Body?(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/editor/archive/jan05/jan05.htm
- Celebrate the Beauty of Youth(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/celebrate.htm
- Does Sex Make a Difference?(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2005/405_sex.html
- Girlfriends' Health and Safety Tips(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/women/girlfriends/
- Women's Health Quiz: What Makes You Unique(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/womens-health/QZ00052
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Women's Health(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Women's+Health%22
- Women's Participation in Clinical Trials(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/womens/trials.html
- Study Better Defines Risks of Smoking, Benefits of Quitting for Women(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_1_1x_Study_Better_Defines_Risks_of_Smoking_Benefits_of_Quitting_for_Women.asp
- Women on "Prudent" Dietary Pattern May Reduce Risk of Death(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=447
- Women's Health in the U.S.: Research on Health Issues Affecting Women(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - Large PDF file - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/womensHealth/PDF/womenshealth.htm
- Women's Health Initiative(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/whi/
- Women's Health Research at the NICHD(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/womenshealth/
- Article: Age no bar to routine mammography. Evidence is accumulating that... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18819197&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Evaluation of community-based health projects: the healthy tomorrows experience. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18762490&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: "Write a chapter and change the world". How the Boston... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18703436&tool=MedlinePlus
- Women's Health -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=women's+health[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Female circumcision -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=circumcision,female[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- ACOG's Physician Directory(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.acog.org/member-lookup/disclaimer.cfm
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - http://www.acog.org/
- Food and Drug Administration, Office of Women's Health - http://www.fda.gov/womens/
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Research on Women's Health - http://orwh.od.nih.gov/
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National Women's Health Information Center(Dept. of Health and Human Services) - http://womenshealth.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://womenshealth.gov/espanol/
- Social Security and Today's Woman(Social Security Administration) - http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10127.html
- FASTATS: Women's Health(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/womens_health.htm
- Heart Disease and Stroke Maps(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/giscvh2/
- Leading Causes of Death in Females United States, 2004(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/women/lcod.htm
- Quick Health Data Online(Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) - http://www.healthstatus2010.com/owh/
- Trends in Health Status and Health Care Use among Older Women(National Center for Health Statistics) - Links to PDF - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ahcd/agingtrends/07olderwomen.pdf
- Women's Health USA 2007(Dept. of Health and Human Services) - http://mchb.hrsa.gov/whusa_07/
- Aging Well, Living Well(National Women's Health Information Center) - http://womenshealth.gov/ow/
- For Women Ages 65 and Older: Staying Healthy(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) - http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZJUIRMFGC&sub_cat=641
- Breast Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/breastdiseases.html
- Menopause - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/menopause.html
- Pregnancy - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pregnancy.html
- Reproductive Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/reproductivehealth.html
- Uterine Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/uterinediseases.html
- Population Groups - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/populationgroups.html
- Women - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/women.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Women's Health is the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health - http://www4.od.nih.gov/orwh/
Women's Health - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/womenshealth.html