She-ology, the She-quel by Sherry A. Ross MD

Author:Sherry A. Ross, MD
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: N/A
Publisher: Post Hill Press
Published: 2019-11-21T00:00:00+00:00

* Systemic Autoimmune Diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Psoriasis

* Depression

It can certainly be argued that, if men were the ones who gave birth, there would be a lot less pregnancies—as Gloria Steinem said: “If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament”—but, until then, due to pregnancy, birth, and hormones, women unfortunately face greater risk of cardiovascular problems than men.

Risks for Women (Facts and Myths)

Roxanne is a healthy forty-five-year-old mother of IVF twin eight-year-old girls, but her road to pregnancy was a fierce physical and emotional battle. After she and her husband spent six years and all their energy on a business for building sustainable homes for families of color, they were finally ready to start a family of their own. Five years and five miscarriages (one at six months) later, they were able to get pregnant using donor eggs. Roxanne’s pregnancy was spent mostly in bed with severe morning sickness, resulting in a five-pound weight loss by twelve weeks, followed by preterm labor at twenty-eight weeks, high blood pressure at thirty-four weeks, and a C-section at thirty-six weeks—fortunately for Roxanne, she had a husband by her side who massaged her aching back for hours on end and serenaded her on guitar. Eight months after the successful delivery of her twin girls, Roxanne’s high blood pressure remained difficult to treat. At thirty-eight, she scheduled her first cardiologist appointment for heart disease screening.

Pregnancy

One of the first great stress tests that can often predict a woman’s future health is pregnancy—arguably one of the most joyful hormonal cycles. Pregnancy complications such as hypertension of pregnancy (known as preeclampsia), preterm labor, and gestational diabetes can reveal early predictions for cardiovascular risk and uncover vulnerabilities in various organs. That is to say, the effects of pregnancy can last for far longer than the actual pregnancy and postpartum period!

If a woman experiences some form of disease of the blood vessels—especially preeclampsia or gestational diabetes—during her pregnancy, once that pregnancy is over, those complications and concerns can persist. For instance, if a woman experiences preeclampsia, her chance of having hypertension later in life increases three- to sixfold, and her risk of heart disease and stroke is twice as great as that of a woman who had an uneventful pregnancy. Women who suffer gestational diabetes are seven times as likely to become diabetic. And it’s not only later in life—meaning menopause and beyond—that the results of these pregnancy complications can be felt; they can occur several years after pregnancy, while a woman is still in her childbearing years.

Therefore, in order to reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease later in life, it’s important to follow up with a cardiologist for the appropriate testing. A detailed pregnancy history is also key to assessing those risks. Seriously, don’t wait until those later years to assess your cardiovascular health. Don’t assume that because you are still of childbearing age that you’re exempt from the blood diseases associated with “older” folks. Cardio disease is definitely nonpartisan when it comes to age.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.