yan raditya
IndoForum Addict E
- No. Urut
- 163658
- Sejak
- 31 Jan 2012
- Pesan
- 24.461
- Nilai reaksi
- 72
- Poin
- 48
At the end of the day, staying healthy in body and mind is the most important ingredient for a good life.
To attain optimal health — and to maintain that level — is the key to living well and experiencing the best of what life has to offer. We should constantly be mindful of what we are eating and doing to our own bodies. It is equally important get regular feedback through health screenings to check that we are indeed on the right track as our bodies are in constant state of change as we move through the years.
The extent of health checks will differ depending on the needs of individual women, their ages as well as the presence of personal or family risk factors.
For those between 18 and 25 years, at the threshold of womanhood, it is good to be aware of their menstrual cycles and patterns, as well as to increase knowledge of sexual health. The HPV vaccine is highly recommended for this group. Knowledge of how to protect one’s fertility and avoiding infections is also critical at this stage. A simple gynecological review would be helpful to introduce these concepts to young ladies.
Women between 25 and 35 are in their most fertile period. Managing fertility and avoiding infections — as well as basic screenings for high blood pressure, urine for sugar and physical examinations — are useful.
Pap smears should be done once a woman is sexually active and a pelvic ultrasound should be done to exclude any abnormality, especially when cycles become erratic or there is abnormal bleeding. Encouraging a good diet and regularly exercising to maintain a normal body mass index (BMI) will ensure fitness and help keep women away from chronic medical illnesses.
A basic blood screening to exclude anemia would be useful, as young ladies tend to scrimp on their diet in the name of beauty. Thalassemia is a common cause of anemia. It is important to determine if one is a carrier as that would impact the future generation should she decide to have children.
A basic urine test is also recommended to exclude any significant loss of protein or renal problems or sugar in the urine indicating underlying diabetes.
Pap smears and pelvic examinations should be performed if the young lady is sexually active and she will be advised to have pap smear minimally once every three years. HPV Vaccines should be encouraged especially before becoming sexually active, but this does not mean that there is no advantage in receiving the vaccine later. Cervical cancer is the only cancer that can be prevented by a vaccine.
Immunity to common infections such as rubella, Hepatitis B and chicken pox should be tested for and vaccines should be offered as appropriate. Women who are sexually active should also be tested for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphillis and HIV at least once if unprotected intercourse has occurred.
Thyroid examination and self breast examination should be done and further investigation performed as necessary.
When women reach their 40s, a lot of hormonal changes will be taking place. The incidence of breast and cervical cancers peaks for those between 40 and 50 and again for women in their 60s. Cancer screening is of great importance as women grow older. Routine screening for the growth of abnormal masses in the uterus, ovaries, breasts and thyroids should be scheduled in.
Basic cardiac disease should be screened for, along with a cholesterol test and a regular blood pressure check. A fecal sample to exclude the presence of occult blood is also important to exclude any colorectal tumor.
When women reach their 50s, we should enhance our screening for various cancers, cardiac diseases and osteoporosis. How often screenings should be performed is dependent on a woman’s health status and what one’s risk factor is. If someone is carrying the high risk HPV DNA who does not as yet appear affected, she should undergo pap smear screenings every six month. Similarly, those with suspicious breast lumps or calcifications, mammograms should be repeated every six months.
To ensure optimal health, women should build a good foundation while young. Regular health screenings will ensure that one is indeed well and is likely to remain so.
Wealth without health is meaningless, and health is an essential key to happiness.
The author is a physician and was previously chief of fetal maternal medicine at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and president of Perinatal Society of Singapore.
The extent of health checks will differ depending on the needs of individual women, their ages as well as the presence of personal or family risk factors.
For those between 18 and 25 years, at the threshold of womanhood, it is good to be aware of their menstrual cycles and patterns, as well as to increase knowledge of sexual health. The HPV vaccine is highly recommended for this group. Knowledge of how to protect one’s fertility and avoiding infections is also critical at this stage. A simple gynecological review would be helpful to introduce these concepts to young ladies.
Women between 25 and 35 are in their most fertile period. Managing fertility and avoiding infections — as well as basic screenings for high blood pressure, urine for sugar and physical examinations — are useful.
Pap smears should be done once a woman is sexually active and a pelvic ultrasound should be done to exclude any abnormality, especially when cycles become erratic or there is abnormal bleeding. Encouraging a good diet and regularly exercising to maintain a normal body mass index (BMI) will ensure fitness and help keep women away from chronic medical illnesses.
A basic blood screening to exclude anemia would be useful, as young ladies tend to scrimp on their diet in the name of beauty. Thalassemia is a common cause of anemia. It is important to determine if one is a carrier as that would impact the future generation should she decide to have children.
A basic urine test is also recommended to exclude any significant loss of protein or renal problems or sugar in the urine indicating underlying diabetes.
Pap smears and pelvic examinations should be performed if the young lady is sexually active and she will be advised to have pap smear minimally once every three years. HPV Vaccines should be encouraged especially before becoming sexually active, but this does not mean that there is no advantage in receiving the vaccine later. Cervical cancer is the only cancer that can be prevented by a vaccine.
Immunity to common infections such as rubella, Hepatitis B and chicken pox should be tested for and vaccines should be offered as appropriate. Women who are sexually active should also be tested for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphillis and HIV at least once if unprotected intercourse has occurred.
Thyroid examination and self breast examination should be done and further investigation performed as necessary.
When women reach their 40s, a lot of hormonal changes will be taking place. The incidence of breast and cervical cancers peaks for those between 40 and 50 and again for women in their 60s. Cancer screening is of great importance as women grow older. Routine screening for the growth of abnormal masses in the uterus, ovaries, breasts and thyroids should be scheduled in.
Basic cardiac disease should be screened for, along with a cholesterol test and a regular blood pressure check. A fecal sample to exclude the presence of occult blood is also important to exclude any colorectal tumor.
When women reach their 50s, we should enhance our screening for various cancers, cardiac diseases and osteoporosis. How often screenings should be performed is dependent on a woman’s health status and what one’s risk factor is. If someone is carrying the high risk HPV DNA who does not as yet appear affected, she should undergo pap smear screenings every six month. Similarly, those with suspicious breast lumps or calcifications, mammograms should be repeated every six months.
To ensure optimal health, women should build a good foundation while young. Regular health screenings will ensure that one is indeed well and is likely to remain so.
Wealth without health is meaningless, and health is an essential key to happiness.
The author is a physician and was previously chief of fetal maternal medicine at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and president of Perinatal Society of Singapore.