In many ways women’s health is more challenging than men’s.
Women over age 50 are much more likely to get breast cancer, or its precursors, such as fibrocystic breast disease.
Women get cervical and ovarian cancer–men don’t need pap smears or the equivalent.
Women are five times more prone to osteoporosis.
Many medical studies have disproportionately targeted men, although that is changing.
But let’s just consider osteoporosis for a moment. Some risk factors are:
- Unchangeable
- Sex
- Age
- Race
- Family History
- Frame Size
- Hormone Levels
- Sex Hormones
- Thyroid
- Other Glands
- Dietary
- Low Calcium Intake
- Eating Disorders
- Weight Loss Surgery
- Steroid Prescriptions and Others
- Lifestyle
- Sedentary Lifestyle
- Excessive Alcohol Consumption
- Tobacco Use
- Too little estrogen
This is but one ailment, but threading the needle is difficult. Consider that sedentary lifestyle and inadequate weight are opposites. If someone exercises and loses weight, the risk is increased. If someone does not exercise, the risk is increased. And the task is even more complicated. A recent study found that consumption of high-fat dairy is associated with increased mortality from breast cancer–so your doctor will probably tell you to stick to low-fat dairy to get additional calcium–be sure to ask.
Very often we hear that someone fell and broke their hip; less often we realize that someone’s hip broke, and they fell.
The International Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men will experience a fracture from osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis affects more than 10 million Americans, accounting for 1.5 million fractures annually.
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