Women's Health
Women's health refers to health issues specific to human female anatomy. These often relate to structures such as female genitalia and breasts or to conditions caused by hormones specific to, or most notable in, females. Women's health issues include menstruation, contraception, maternal health, child birth, menopause and breast cancer. They can also include medical situations in which women face problems not directly related to their biology, for example gender-differentiated access to medical treatment.
- Heart Disease – Heart disease kills 500,000 American women each year – over 50,000 more women than men – and strikes women, on average, 10 years later than men. Women are more likely than men to have a second heart attack within a year of the first one.
- Depression – Women are two-to-three times more likely than men to suffer from depression in part because women’s brains make less of the hormone serotonin.
- Osteoporosis – Women comprise 80 percent of the population suffering from osteoporosis, which is attributable to a higher rate of lost bone mass.
- Smoking – Smoking has a more negative effect on cardiovascular health in women than men. Women are also less successful quitting smoking and have more severe withdrawal symptoms.
- STDs – Women are two times more likely than men to contract a sexually transmitted disease, and more likely to experience significant drops in body weight, which can lead to wasting syndrome.
- Anesthesia – Women tend to wake up from anesthesia more quickly than men – an average of seven minutes for women and 11 minutes for men.
- Drug reactions – Even common drugs like antihistamines and antibiotic drugs can cause different reactions and side effects in women and men.
- Autoimmune Disease – Three out of four people suffering from autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus, are women.
- Alcohol – Women produce less of the gastric enzyme that breaks down ethanol in the stomach. Therefore, after consuming the same amount of alcohol, women have higher blood alcohol content than men, even allowing for size differences.
- Pain – Some pain medications (known as kappa-opiates) are far more effective in relieving pain in women than in men.
Women's Health Advisory Council
The Governor's Women's Health Advisory Council was established by executive order in 2006. The mission of the Council is to improve the overall health and well-being of women and girls in New Mexico through consideration of the individual woman's experiences, using a woman-centered approach, and advocating for change in the health care system.
For more information or if you would like to request a speaker on women's health, contact our Women’s Health Policy Advisor, Giovanna Rossi at Giovanna.Rossi@state.nm.us or (505) 827-0548.
Resources and Links
The National Women's Health Information Center - NWHIC
