While women are no longer characterized as pathological by virtue of being women alone, and while scientific inquiry has expanded to explore issues affecting women and their health, much remains to be done about educating the general population about issues relating to women’s health. For all the information brought to our fingertips by the advances in technology made in our time, despite the increased rates of literacy we enjoy compared to past eras, we continue to disregard the female body. (…)

If Rush Limbaugh and those who agree with him knew anything about women’s bodies and female health, they would know that the oral contraceptive pill is not only used to prevent pregnancy. (….)

Polycystic ovary syndrome, also known as PCOS, is a hormone-related disorder in women which affects one in five women of reproductive age and is one of the biggest causes of substantially decreased fertility. It is characterized by an overabundance of male hormones (androgens); lack of ovulation; and excessive menstrual periods, very few menstrual periods or no periods at all, which can lead to abnormalities in the womb and even cancer. PCOS has also been linked to obesity and insulin resistance — in fact, women with PCOS are at risk for type II diabetes, high blood pressure, lipid disorders, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and autoimmune thyroiditis. The contraceptive pill is used to regulate the hormone imbalances associated with PCOS.

Dysmenorrhea is a condition that results in extreme pain during menstruation, which is debilitating and different from menstrual cramps. Dysmenorrhea also causes nausea, dizziness, disorientation, diarrhea, constipation, and fatigue. It affects 25 percent of the female population, and 90 percent of sexually mature teen girls. Pain can begin shortly after ovulation and continue until the end of a woman’s cycle. Because the pain is produced by the changes in hormonal levels in the body, the birth control pill is used to treat the condition.

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photo { Marilyn Monroe by Bert Stern }

health | March 7th, 2012