Medical Appointments Every Woman Should Make

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Everyone has to make regular health appointments. We all have to see the dentist on an annual basis, and we should all check in with our hygienist on an annual basis too. Then, we should see our optician once every two years. These checkups allow medical professionals to examine us and keep an eye on our well-being. However, as women, there are certain extra checks that we should keep up with. Here are some to incorporate into your routine!

Making Appointments

It is extremely important that you keep up with the following appointments. Every year, thousands of women miss their own appointments for a host of reasons. If you’re guilty of this, it’s time to change your ways.

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU, right??

After all, it’s only your own health and wellbeing that you’re risking! If you completely forget appointments, make sure to note them down in a diary and set reminders on your phone. If you fear medical professionals due to previous malpractice or negligence, overcome your fear by contacting professionals in defending malpractice claims - they can seek out justice on your behalf. If you have a hectic social schedule, make time. Cancelling one set of plans is better than leaving problems undiagnosed or untreated.

Cervical Screening

The first appointment that you should consider booking in for is cervical screening. This is alternatively referred to as a “smear test” or a “pap smear”. Put simply, it is a process that is used to examine cellular material from your cervix - this is the entrance to your womb through your vagina. Irregularities in this cellular material could be indicative of cancer or cancerous cells, so it’s important that you keep on top of these appointments. Generally speaking, it is recommended that women aged over twenty five attend annual screenings.

Breast Screening

It is recommended that you conduct regular checks on your own breasts at home. You can find out how to do this here. If you do notice changes or irregularities in your breast tissue or under your armpits, you should contact your general practitioner and schedule a breast screening. This will incorporate the use of a mammogram, which is a specialist form of X Ray that can detect the presence of cancerous cells before they are big enough to see or feel.

Gynecologist

Now, you don’t need to check in with a gynecologist as regularly as you might other medical professionals. But if you notice any problems with your reproductive system, or if you have any concerns, your doctor may recommend that you check in with one. Generally speaking, you can ask for your doctor to refer you. This saves you the hassle of finding a reliable gynecologist yourself.



Sure, medical appointments may not be the most pleasant scheduled events in our calendar. But it’s extremely important that we keep up with them. So, check the last time you were seen and contact the relevant professionals whenever you need.

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Beat the Bloat: 5 Simple Steps for Women

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Feeling bloated isn’t nice. It’s especially inconvenient when you’re getting ready to go to an event, you slip on that beautiful dress you bought for the occasion and your stomach sticks out a mile. It doesn’t matter if you avoid gorging on a huge pizza every Friday night. For women, bloating can be part of our natural cycles. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things you can do to avoid it. Here are simple remedies for beating the bloat.

Avoid Sugar Free Candy

You may think you’re doing yourself a favor by avoiding sugar. After all, sugar does cause us to put on weight. However, a lot of sugar-free candy or gums are filled with artificial sweeteners, like aspartame or sorbitol. These ingredients aren’t easy for the body to digest, so they just sit there, right in the center of your stomach. This causes you to bloat. So, when you want to avoid bloating, you’re actually better off sticking to the sugary stuff, or better yet, switch to natural sugars in fruit instead.

Take Your Time

It’s possibly down to the limited time most of us have to take a break, but many of us are eating faster than we ever have before. When you eat quickly, you tend to swallow a lot of gas at the same time. Eating quickly means your body isn’t given as much time to digest your food and the gas sits in your stomach along with it. Both cause bloating. Try taking more time with your food, or if you really can’t afford a longer break, drink a Skinny Tea along with your meal. The organic ingredients will help aid digestion and avoid bloating.

Avoid Stress

Easier said than done, right? However, it’s especially important for women to avoid as much stress as possible. Stress can cause hormonal imbalances which can lead to constipation or diarrhea, both of which can cause bloating. If you feel like you’re becoming overwhelmed, it’s always best to take time out. You could go for a walk while at work, ask your partner to watch the kids while you take a long bath or even go to an exercise class. Taking time out regularly will help to improve stress levels and mental health.

Exercise

Many women believe that bloating can be solved by losing weight. It can’t. Bloating isn’t necessarily weight gain. In fact, it’s often linked to anything but your weight. However, exercise can help you to deal with bloating. It can help you to regulate your meal times and meal portions, it can regulate your bowel movements and help you to stay hydrated.

See Your Doctor

There are times when bloating could mean something more sinister than last night’s big meal. If you’re persistently bloated, it’s important to visit your doctor and have a check-up. It could be that you have a gluten or lactose intolerance and some professional advice on dietary changes, or bloating has also been linked to ovarian cysts and ovarian cancer.

 

Living with bloating can really make you miserable, so give these tips a try and see if they can improve your quality of life.

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Thinking of Delaying Your Period? Here's the 411 On What You Need To Know

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Is it Safe?

There’s rarely a “good” time for your period to arrive, but some are a little more frustrating than others. While it’s obviously a natural occurrence and something we all get used to, for some women, the pain can be unbearable and for others, you may not feel like dealing with the agonizing symptoms that may come with it.  

If you are the latter, or just someone who just doesn't want to deal with Mother Nature at the time she may trotting along, delaying your period can be done, BUT it should not be done on a regular basis. There are treatments available which can delay your period for up to 17 days. It  can be extremely effective in most cases; however, as with many medications it does come with some  risks.

What Are My Options?

Oral contraception is usually a fixed dose via the combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP). Women who choose to use the COCP generally have fairly predictable menstrual cycles, experiencing their period during their 7 day break after their monthly strip of pills ends. If you’re on the COCP you can delay your period simply by moving straight on to your next pack without your normal break. Your cycle will then be delayed until you take a break from taking the pill. This shouldn’t be done regularly, and you should aim to return to normal for a couple of months at least following the break.

For women who don’t use the COCP, a synthetic hormone tablet Norethisterone is usually administered. The prescription for the tablet is generally one 5mg tablet three times a day for the given number of days (with the maximum being thirty days) a woman wishes before her period resumes to normalcy.

Norethisterone should only be used occasionally. It is a progestogen hormone. Progestogens are hormones that sustain the uterus lining. Under normal circumstances, there is usually a fall in the level of progestogen hormone in the body leading to the start of the menstrual cycle. The hormone sustains the uterus until a time when the tablet is stopped. The tablet also plays a vital role in changing the quality of the endometrium wall. The changes prevent any fertilized eggs that have been fertilized from implantation.

The Risks Involved

While Norethisterone is generally the safest method for women who choose to delay their period, there are some risks associated with it for some people. For example, those with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) will have to visit their doctor for medical advice before taking Norethisterone. It’s always a good idea to consult with your doctor before taking any new medication.

Side effects of the pill can include some issues with stomach bloating and discomfort, as well as potential spotting or discharge. There are various other potential side effects which may occur, and although the likelihood is rare, it’s worth checking them out before deciding to go ahead.

In most cases it’s perfectly safe to delay your period under certain circumstances, provided it’s not something you do too often or for an extended length of time. As always, you should consult with your gynecologist or primary care physician to see if any of these options may work for you and your situation.

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