Women's Health

Encouraging Women to Take Charge of Diabetes
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
About 8 million women in the United States have diabetes, and one-third of them don't know it. Identifying and managing the disease is the focus of a new education campaign.

Tampon Safety: Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Though tampons were linked in 1980 to more than 800 cases of potentially deadly toxic shock syndrome, the suspect tampons were removed from the market and TSS cases dropped drastically. But women still need to be vigilant and take some basic care steps.

Breast Reduction Surgery
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Reducing the size of breasts considered overly large from a medical standpoint often means also reducing head, neck and shoulder pain. Such surgery can also make mammography easier and more accurate.

Teens - Yeast infections: An Itch Like No Other
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Yeast infections are most common in young women. Medications recently made available over-the-counter, as well as at least one new prescription product, make it easier to end the itch before it turns into pain.

Women and Heart Disease
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Heart disease has been the number one killer of women since the turn of the century. Yet, until recently, many considered it a man's disease. Today awareness is growing of how women's symptoms and treatment may differ from men's.

Teens: Menstrual Cycle
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
The menstrual cycle doesn't affect all women the same. Some hardly notice it, while others may have bad cramps and other symptoms. Happily, modern medicine has come up with many ways to lessen discomfort and keep life on an even keel.

Controlling Yeast Infections : Prevention
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
In general, candida likes warm, moist places. It's not possible to prevent every yeast infection, but a few simple steps can help reduce the number of infections women get. Wear loose, natural-fiber clothing and underwear with a cotton crotch.

Controlling Yeast Infections : Diagnosis
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Diagnosing vaginal yeast infections can be tricky, especially at first. Several other disorders, including inflammation of the cervix or sexually transmitted diseases such as trichomoniasis (a parasitic infection) or herpes, can have similar symptoms.

Controlling Yeast Infections
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
In the last few years, FDA has approved switching products for treating vaginal 'yeast' from prescription to OTC status for women. Though quick help is a boon, repeated infections should not be taken lightly.

Uterine Fibroids Treatments
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Twenty percent of American women under 50 have noncancerous growths in their wombs, commonly known as fibroids. They are the reason for about one-third of all hysterectomies in this country. But now doctors - and women - are examining other treatments.

Women and AIDS
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
HIV infection is growing more rapidly among women than among other groups. Last year, for the first time, more women were infected through sex than though drug use. The disease is much more easily transmitted from man to woman than vice versa.

Endometriosis Painful, but Treatable
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
About 5 million American women some as young as 11 have this painful condition, which occurs when fragments of the uterus (womb) become embedded elsewhere in the body. Many report having symptoms as teenagers.

Toxic Shock Sydrome: Reducing the Risk of TSS
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Tampon users 15 to 19 years old are the most frequent victims of toxic shock sydrome. Using low-absorbency tampons is one way to reduce the risk of this rare but sometimes fatal illness. Women taking the necessary measures to prevent menstrually-related

Taming Menstrual Cramps
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Once offered a choice between heating pads and narcotic painkillers, or simply told to grin and bear it, women now have access to over-the-counter drugs that get at the cause of the sometimes disabling pain that can accompany menstruation.

Women and Nutrition: Vitamins, Calcium, Iron, Calories, Weight Control, Cholesterol
by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Breast cancer. Osteoporosis. Iron deficiency. Weight reduction. What do these things have in common? They are either unique to women, or are more prevalent in women. And they affect current recommendations on what women should eat for optimum health.

How can I help handle my stress?
by US Department of Health and Human Services
Don't let stress make you sick. As women, we tend to carry a higher burden of stress than we should. Often we aren't even aware of our stress levels. Listen to your body, so that you know when stress is affecting your health.

Stress and Your Health
by US Department of Health and Human Services
What are some of the most common causes of stress? Stress can arise for a variety of reasons. Stress can be brought about by a traumatic accident, death, or emergency situation. Stress can also be a side effect of a serious illness or disease.

Women Are At Greater Risk for Depression than Men
by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Major depression and dysthymia affect twice as many women as men. This two-to-one ratio exists regardless of racial and ethnic background or economic status. The same ratio has been reported in ten other countries all over the world.

Depression: What Every Woman Should Know
by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Life is full of emotional ups and downs. But when the 'down' times are long lasting or interfere with your ability to function, you may be suffering from a common, serious illness - depression. Clinical depression affects mood, mind, body, and behavior.

Women in Second Adulthood
Inventing the Rest of Our Lives: Women in Second Adulthood
by Suzanne Levine
My first step into Second Adulthood was backward off a ninety-foot cliff. On impulse, I had signed up for an Outward Bound program and found myself poised in full rappelling gear - harness, helmet, and guide rope - to walk down the face of what could just