Heart attack symptoms in women can easily ignored at the initial stages because the symptoms show up differently.

The symptoms of heart attack that one experiences may differ significantly from the experiences of others.

Recent research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reveals that women often undergo several different physical symptoms from a month or more prior to experiencing heart attack.

According to the women heart attacks survival statistics, heart attack is the third leading cause of death in women between the ages of 25-44. It is the second leading cause of death in women between the ages of 45-64.

How heart attack occurs?

Heart attack, also known as myocardial infarction (MI), is an event that results in severe form of pain in the heart muscle (myocardium) and signs that a part of the heart is damaging or dying.

The pain usually develops with decrease in oxygen supply to one or more regions of the heart muscles, which is the resultant of blocked blood flow to the heart muscle.

The blockage of blood flow generally occurs with the deposition of plaque (known as cholesterol) or other fatty substances, and a blood clot in a heart artery, where it reduces or interrupts the blood and oxygen to a specific division of the heart.

An ultra-low dose of 10 micrograms of estradiol significantly improves vaginal tissue, pH balance, and urogenital symptoms in postmenopausal women with vaginal atrophy, new research suggests.

Initially, it was thought that 25 micrograms was required to effectively treat the condition, but recent reports have suggested that a 10-microgram dose also provides effective symptom relief.

To investigate further, Dr. James A. Simon, from the Women’s Health and Research Consultants in Washington, DC, and colleagues assessed the outcomes of 309 postmenopausal women with vaginal atrophy who were randomly assigned to receive ultra-low-dose estradiol or a placebo for 52 weeks.

“Treatment instructions were to insert one vaginal tablet daily for 14 days, and subsequently one tablet twice per week,” the team explains.

At week-12 follow-up, estradiol therapy was associated with significant improvements in the scores estimating vaginal health, vaginal pH and other measures compared with placebo treatment, the report indicates. Moreover, these benefits were first apparent after just 2 weeks of treatment.

Estradiol therapy was also significantly better than placebo at improving the most bothersome urogenital symptoms score. This treatment effect was first apparent at 4 weeks and became statistically significant at 8 weeks.

Metabolic syndrome is becoming a rising issue in woman’s health. It is also known as syndrome X or dysmetabolic syndrome.

The syndrome is a cluster of health consequences associated with obesity.

It increases the risk of cardiovascular disease such as heart strokes, disease, attacks, and peripheral vascular disease.

The metabolic syndrome and its effects!

The occurrence of metabolic syndrome is very high among women and it is found that about 20-30 percent of the female population is with metabolic syndrome.

The disease is connected to various health conditions, unique to women’s health, such as gestational diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, yeast infections, female sexual dysfunction, menstrual irregularities, and pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Metabolic syndrome is also connected with fatty liver (accumulation of fat in the liver), leading to the development of inflammation.

The syndrome also affects the kidneys, as it is connected to microalbuminuria — the protein leakage into the urine. It is a clear sign of kidney damage.

Other health conditions associated with the metabolic syndrome are sleep apnea, greater risk of dementia, and cognitive decline with the aging process.

Contributing factors of metabolic syndrome!

As with many medical conditions, genetics as well as the environmental factors play vital role in the development of the metabolic syndrome.

Hot flushes, night sweats or painful joints may be good news for women taking hormone-based drugs for breast cancer — it may mean their tumors are less likely to return, researchers said.

Women with any of these menopause-like symptoms after taking AstraZeneca’s breast cancer drug Arimidex or generic tamoxifen were 30 percent less likely to have their cancer return over the next nine years, they found.

“The treatment is designed to starve potential cancers of estrogen and these symptoms mean that there are lower levels of estrogen in the body,” said Jack Cuzick, an epidemiologist at Cancer Research UK, who led the study.

“But it is too early to say whether having these symptoms is essential for the treatment to be effective. At the moment all we can say is that the symptoms indicate the likely success of the treatment.”

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide, according to the American Cancer Society. The group estimates about 465,000 women died of breast cancer globally in 2007, and 1.3 million new cases were diagnosed.

Declining death rates from breast cancer in developed countries have been attributed to early detection through mammography screening and to improved treatment.

Are you aware of sexually transmitted diseases (STD)? How much do you know about STDs? Now-a-days, sex education has become widespread, so many of you no longer believe in certain misconceptions about STDs.

But there are few people who still fail to distinguish between the fact and fiction.

If you want to avoid the health consequences associated with sexually transmitted diseases, certainly you should have clear knowledge regarding STDs.

Here are few common myths about sexually transmitted diseases that you have to be essentially aware of.

You can’t be exposed to STD because you had oral sex!

Actually, there are 3 possible ways for the infectious micro organisms to transmit. These 3 ways mainly include vaginal or anal intercourse, oral sex or even through contact with infectious body fluids.

So, don’t deceive yourself that you are on safe side because you just had oral sex. Being sexually active orally can put you in risk of STDs. So, just be cautious with it.

Oral contraception protects you from STD!

This is the common misconception most of you can certainly have about sexually transmitted disease. But, actually birth control pills or oral contraception can protect you against unplanned pregnancy.

Often we consider testosterone as a male hormone. But, in fact, it also produces in low levels in the female body by the reproductive organs—the ovaries.

Normally, female body has three major sex hormones circulating in the blood — estrogen, testosterone and progesterone, which helps drive sexual activities in women.

The production of testosterone is usually by the adrenal glands as well as the hormones–DHEA and DHEAS—that are produced by the adrenal glands.

The ovarian hormone-testosterone-is an essential factor in maintaining woman’s health before and after menopause.

The role of testosterone in female body!

It plays a vital role in building up muscle mass and muscle tone, losing body fat, strengthening the bone density, increasing libido energy levels, and the frequency of coitus, and, for some, it enhances mood as well as metabolic activities.

It also provides relief from vasomotor symptoms of menopause, reduces breast tenderness and enhances orgasm.

Though the testosterone levels in the female body are only ten percent of the levels in male body, the testosterone levels decline rapidly as we age–especially during menopause.

These levels fall off, along with other ovarian hormones–estrogen and progesterone, due to the decline in the functioning of ovaries and adrenal glands.

A new study from the University of New Hampshire finds that elderly women can increase muscle strength as much as young women can, indicating that decline in muscle function is less a natural part of the aging process than due to a decline in physical activity.

The research compared strength gains of inactive elderly women and inactive young women after both groups participated in an eight-week training regime.

Yet while the two groups increased similar percentages of strength, the older group was far less effective in increasing power, which is more closely related to preventing falls.

“Power is more important than strength for recovery from loss of balance or walking ability,” says Dain LaRoche, assistant professor of exercise science at UNH and the lead author of the study.

Preventing falls, which occur in 40 percent of people over 65 and are the top reason for injury-related emergency room visits, is the driving force behind LaRoche’s research agenda.

LaRoche compared the initial strength of 25 young (18 – 33) and 24 old (65 – 84) inactive women then had both groups participate in resistance training on a machine that targeted knee extensor muscles, which are critical for walking, stair-climbing, or rising from a chair. “They’re what let you live on your own,” he says.

Pelvic floor mainly refers to group of muscles that form a sling or hammock across the opening of your pelvis.

These muscles, along with other surrounding tissues, keep your pelvic organs in place so that the organs function properly.

When these pelvic muscles and their connective tissues become weak or injured, it results in pelvic floor disorders.

It has been estimated that almost 1/3rd women across the world are suffering with some types of pelvic floor disorders at some point in their entire course of life.

Factors responsible for pelvic floor disorders!

These pelvic floor disorders may result from pelvic surgery, vaginal delivery of a child or pregnancy and also due to radiation treatments. So, it would be better for you, if you have better knowledge about these pelvic disorders to lead a healthy life.

Obesity, chronic coughing, heavy lifting, frequent straining during bowel movements can contribute to pelvic floor disorders.

Certain causes responsible for pelvic floor disorders include hysterectomy, nerve disorders, tumors, injuries. Some women who are born with weak pelvic muscles and tissues can surely experience pelvic floor disorders.