In this ever changing world, people are more aware of a multitude of subjects ranging from equality, racism to technology yet women’s health is still a topic many hesitate to talk about. While both men and women face various conditions, some health issues affect women more commonly and differently.
Did you know women suffer higher heart attack deaths compared to men?
According to World Health Organisation (WHO) on the 2015 report, among the top health risks that most women face are:
- Cancer: Two of the most common cancers affecting women are breast and cervical cancers. The global figures show that around half a million women die from cervical cancer and half a million from breast cancer each year.
- Reproductive health
- Maternal health
- HIV
- Sexually transmitted infections: It is to prevent and treat diseases like gonorrhoea, chlamydia and syphilis. Untreated syphilis is responsible for more than 200,000 stillbirths and early foetal deaths every year.
- Mental health: Evidence suggests that women are more prone than men to experience anxiety, depression, and somatic complaints – physical symptoms that cannot be explained medically.
- Being young: Adolescent girls face a number of sexual and reproductive health challenges: STIs, HIV, and pregnancy. About 13 million adolescent girls (under 20) give birth every year. Complications from those pregnancies and childbirth are a leading cause of death for those young mothers and many suffer the consequences of unsafe abortion.
