Women's Health Archive

Pregnancy and childbirth effects on the body can linger or develop years or decades after the birth. Muscles, ligaments, and nerves in the pelvis can be damaged, leading to urine or stool leakage or sagging pelvic organs. Treatment approaches include a pessary, various surgical procedures, or pelvic floor physical therapy. Women can protect their pelvic floor from weakening further by maintaining a healthy weight, preventing constipation, and managing conditions that contribute to chronic cough.

A 2022 study found that women are more likely than men to have "generalized" stroke symptoms such as weakness and confusion, in addition to classic signs such as speech or movement problems.

A 2022 study found that pregnant women who ate a diet rich in foods typical of a Mediterranean-style eating plan were significantly less likely to develop the potentially serious pregnancy complication pre-eclampsia.

A 2022 study found that women with long COVID showed more symptoms than men, including shortness of breath and fatigue.

A 2022 study found that women with overactive bladder showed significant improvement in urinary symptoms, such as urgency and leakage, after they engaged in a type of telehealth care.

Mammograms are still the gold standard method for breast screening, but additional imaging tests can help detect cancers that might otherwise be missed in women with dense breasts or other breast cancer risk factors. Ultrasound is inexpensive but has a high false-positive rate if used alone. MRI is expensive but very accurate for tumor detection. Three-dimensional mammograms are highly accurate but have a 50% false-positive rate over a decade of yearly screening in women ages 40 to 79.

Women have long been told to watch for "atypical" signs of heart attack, but new guidance reveals that heart symptoms are not as different in men and women as once believed. Women are also more likely to have a less-common subtype of heart failure, and reproductive history should be considered when assessing women's heart risks. Anyone experiencing chest pain should call 911, mention chest pain before other symptoms, and bear in mind that other chest sensations may signal heart attack.

Postmenopausal women whose screening mammograms show signs of calcification in their breast arteries may have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

Reaching menopause many years before the average age may be linked to a higher risk of developing dementia later in life.

Brain fog is tied to the severity of certain menopause symptoms, especially depression and sexual problems. Estrogen loss may be a factor, but cognitive issues aren't expected to linger. Women in menopause may worry dementia is the culprit, but Alzheimer's is rare at midlife. Strategies for coping with brain fog include staying calm, challenging the brain by changing routines, writing reminders, exercising, getting sufficient sleep, and avoiding multitasking.