5 health issues affecting Kenyan women

Though men and women share some common health risks, women are more at risk for certain illnesses and injuries. Women experience unique health issues and conditions that touch on their physical and emotional wellbeing.

Various health issues affecting women

1. Menstrual irregularities

For most women, a normal menstrual cycle ranges from 21 to 35 days. However, there are women who have irregular menstrual cycles, meaning the cycles are shorter or longer than normal; are heavier or lighter than normal; or are experienced with other problems, like serious abdominal cramps.

Irregular cycles can be ovulatory, meaning that ovulation occurs, or anovulatory, meaning ovulation does not occur.

2. Uterine fibroids

Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths of the muscle tissue of the uterus. Fibroids can range in number and size from a single growth to multiple growths, and from very small to large.

They often appear during your childbearing years and cause severe abdominal pain and heavy periods.

The are 4 types of fibroids a woman can develop which are classified depending on their location in or on the uterus.

3. Pregnancy related issues

Some women experience health problems during pregnancy. These complications can involve the mother’s health, the foetus’s health, or both.Pregnancy can cause a healthy mother’s red blood cell count to drop, a condition called anaemia, or induce depression.

Other conditions that can make pregnancy risky include developing gestational diabetes, Rh incompatibility, ectopic pregnancy (when the embryo implants outside of the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube), pregnancy loss (miscarriage and stillbirth), preterm labour and premature birth.

4. Violence

Violence against women can cause long-term physical and mental health problems. Physical effects of violence can include minor injuries or serious conditions.

They can include bruises, cuts, broken bones, or injuries to vital organs and other parts inside of your body. Mentally a woman may experience effects such as fear, confusion, anger, shame or guilt.

Long-term mental health effects of violence against women can include depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

5. Fertility issues

Medically, infertility is defined as the inability to become pregnant after 12 months of regular sexual intercourse without birth control.

Common causes of infertility in women include ovulation disorders, damaged fallopian tubes or uterus, age, excessive weight, endometriosis etc.

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