5 Ways to Observe Women’s Health Month
Lindsay Knake
| 4 min read
Lindsay Knake is a brand journalist for Blue Cross B...
Medically reviewed by Dr. Patricia Ferguson, M.D.
As women are more likely to report being stressed and anxious than men, May is an important reminder for women to step back and assess their own health.
May is Women’s Health Month, a way to encourage women and girls to attend to their own physical and mental health needs. Here are five ways to observe this month.
Schedule your annual physical and get recommended screenings.
Prevention is an important part of long-term physical health and well-being. If you haven’t scheduled your annual physical, observe Women’s Health Month by making the appointment. Annual physicals are key for you and your primary care provider (PCP) to monitor your health year to year. Even if you are in good health, create medical records for future comparison.
Physicals include:
- Checking your blood pressure, pulse and weight
- Listening to your heart and lungs
- Checking your ears, eyes, throat, skin and abdomen
- Checking cholesterol and blood sugar
During this visit, you can talk to your PCP about the vaccines you may need at this stage in your life. Adults will need updated tetanus diphtheria vaccines every decade, and women in their 50s will want to start their shingles vaccines.
While you’re making the appointment, check to see what health screenings you need. Health care is important at every age, but women entering their 40s will see more recommended screenings on the calendar, including for breast and colon cancer.
Learn about your family health history.
As most people have a family history of at least one chronic medical condition, knowing your family history is important to addressing your own health. If you haven’t, talk to parents, grandparents, children and siblings about medical conditions, mental health and lifestyles. Even if you can only get basic information, any knowledge can be helpful; a medical condition such as cancer or heart disease in a relative can increase your risk for it.
Use this to create a family health history and your own personal health history to discuss with your own PCP. You can also share this information with other family members.
Learn the heart attack symptoms for women.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, according to the American Heart Association. Women are more likely than men to die after a heart attack, per a study, and women are more likely to experience heart failure in the five years after a heart attack.
Women can also experience different heart attack symptoms than men. Knowing these symptoms can save lives:
- Uncomfortable pain or pressure in the center of your chest.
- Pain or discomfort in your jaw, neck, back, arms or stomach
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea or upset stomach
- A cold sweat
- Anxiety
- Lightheadedness
- Unusual fatigue or weakness
Perform a mental health check.
Women report higher levels of stress than men, and women are more than twice as likely than men to experience depression. Chronic stress, anxiety and depression can lead to worse physical health, such as:
- Headaches
- Weakening immune system
- Insomnia
- Higher blood sugar levels
- Increased heart rate
- High blood pressure
- Heartburn
- Digestive problems
Women’s Health Month can be a good time to check in with your own stress levels and mental health. Take 15 minutes alone to ask yourself how you are feeling, note sources of stress and create a personal mental health check-in. While it may seem like another item on your to-do list, taking care of emotional and mental health will help you in the long term.
Check in on loved ones to see how they are doing.
Relationships are a key factor in our physical health and longevity. Celebrate Women’s Health Month by calling or spending time with a woman you love to see how they are doing. Meeting to go for a walk, have a healthy lunch and provide support for each other can improve your physical and mental health. Whether it’s sharing joy or support during stressful times, maintaining strong relationships contributes to overall well-being.
Image: Getty Images
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