Hemorrhoids or piles are swollen, painful, and inflamed veins in and around the anus and lower rectum. It is a common condition in both men and women, usually occurring due to straining when passing stool which is common in chronic constipation. Women are prone to develop hemorrhoids, especially during pregnancy and childbirth. The most common symptom is the passage of bright red blood while passing stool or when wiping after a bowel movement.
Gynecologic or female reproductive system cancers include cancers of the vulva, vagina, cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. Surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and combination therapy are the standard treatment options available for most gynecologic cancers. Hormone therapy may be used for hormone-dependent tumors. In advanced cases where a cure is not possible, the main aim of treatment is to limit further growth of the cancer and offer relief from pain and other distressing symptoms. This is known as palliative therapy.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disorder meaning that it is due to unknown causes but is not related to any disease process. It is 2 to 3 times more common in women than men in Western nations which is in stark contrast to Asian countries like India where 70% to 80% of IBS sufferers are men. IBS is a condition marked by episodes of abdominal pain with changes in bowel habit broadly labeled as constipation or diarrhea. It is a chronic ailment that can cause severe discomfort and have a wide degree of psychosocial impact but is not life threatening and not associated with an increased risk of more serious diseases like colorectal cancer.
Red blood cells (erythrocytes) are the carriers of gas in the blood. Oxygen and carbon dioxide to a lesser extent are transported by attaching to these cells. The red blood cell’s main oxygen carrying structure is hemoglobin which is made up of iron among other components. Anemia is a condition where the number of red blood cells or hemoglobin is lower than normal. In iron-deficiency anemia, this is due to a deficiency of hemoglobin associated with low iron availability. The low oxygen supply also leads to less red blood cells being produced. Ultimately this decreases the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood and leads to a host of associated signs and symptoms.
The female voice is typically higher pitched than the male voice but there also differences in resonance and tone that allow us to differentiate between men and women. Simply, a women’s voice is said to be higher and ‘soft’ and whereas the male voice is deeper and ‘rough’ (gruff). Sometimes women may experience a change in the natural voice that is more gruff or hoarse than normal. Depending on the underlying condition contributing to this vocal change, the voice may even whittle down to just a whisper. The sound for the voice is created in the voice box (phonation) with the mouth including the tongue and lips allowing for formation of different words (vocalization or articulation). Changes towards hoarseness indicates a problem with the voice box and is broadly referred to as dysphonia.
Constipation is a symptom and not a disease. It can be a symptom of various diseases, not only those affecting the gastrointestinal tract. However, constipation can sometimes occur in a person with no underlying disease. Even more frustrating for some, particularly females, constipation can occur in otherwise healthy women who are health conscious and strive hard to maintain their fitness. It appears that constipation is not due to a single factor but rather several lifestyle and hormonal factors that makes it more frequent in females.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), also known as polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD) or Stein-Leventhal syndrome, is one of the common causes of infertility. It affects about 1 in 10 women in the United States and while not every women will experience difficulty in falling pregnant, early diagnosis and treatment can reduce the chances of infertility at a later stage. A large number cases of PCOS are only diagnosed when a woman seeks medical attention for difficulty in conceiving. However, early recognition of the signs and symptoms by the patient and an understanding of the diagnostic criteria on the part of the practitioner can drastically change the outlook.
Syphilis is a bacterial sexually transmitted infection that affects both men and women. It can be acquired, where it is contracted during life and most often through sexual intercourse, or congenital, where it is present from birth. Syphilis has been decreasing throughout most of the last quarter of the twentieth century. However, these has been an increase since 2000, particularly in homosexual men. It nevertheless remains one of the common sexually transmitted diseases, alongside gonorrhea and genital herpes.
Gonorrhea is one the common sexually transmitted bacterial infections that affects both men and women. For most of the 20th century, gonorrhea and was the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD). About 10% of males and over 50% of females infected with gonorrhea are asymptomatic however meaning that they will exhibit no signs or symptoms. This can make it difficult to identify an infected partner and without preventative measures, any sexually active person is at risk of contracting this disease. Gonorrhea can also be transmitted during childbirth (mother-child) where it more commonly causes an eye infection (opthalmia neonatorum).
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or immune dysfunction syndrome is an illness with nonspecific symptoms that often goes unnoticed, although the condition can become quite serious. Extreme tiredness or fatigue is the predominant symptom which cannot be alleviated by any amount of rest. When the tiredness continues, not for a few days or several weeks, but for more than 6 months and no apparent cause can be found, chronic fatigue syndrome should be suspected. Most people ignore the symptoms, attributing it to overwork or stress, until the condition becomes such that normal day to day functioning becomes difficult and even days of work have to be missed because of immeasurable fatigue and weakness.
