Women’s
health is as complex as it is diverse. Some seemingly simple issues
actually have an
irreversible impact while others are clearly critical to our well-being.
irreversible impact while others are clearly critical to our well-being.
Women’s healthcare has come a long
way. From that first rudimentary caesarian section operation, various
technologies and treatments have since been discovered that make lives
better. Here are a few advances in women’s healthcare worth celebrating.
The ticking clock
They said women could not have it all and this seemed true until scientists found a way to keep women fertile for much longer freezing their eggs.
They said women could not have it all and this seemed true until scientists found a way to keep women fertile for much longer freezing their eggs.
Dr
Herman Sewagudde, an OBGYN at Seven Hills doctors, in simple terms
defines egg freezing as collecting a woman’s eggs, freezing them and
thawing them later so they can be used in fertility treatment. A woman
has less chances of conceiving naturally as she gets older because the
quality and number of her eggs drops.
It is advisable
to harvest the eggs when the woman is young and at their optimum
quality. This treatment has become popular among career women who want
to dedicate their early years to their careers and have children much
later in life.
The process is also recommended for
women who have a medical condition or need treatment for a medical
condition that will affect their fertility, have high-risk jobs that
easily cause injury or death (surrogate can carry the baby) or are yet
to find the right partner.
Today, women have options to choose how they want to deliver
their babies. Some women choose to have a natural birth while others
choose the C-section and anesthesia.
Gone are the days
of women going along with doing what they were told. Thanks to the easy
availability of information, mothers know what they want and how they
want it delivered without compromise. This shift in mentality has led to
a patient centered birthing experience.
Physicians are happy to collaborate with the mother to give them services that meet their family’s wishes and needs.
Physicians are happy to collaborate with the mother to give them services that meet their family’s wishes and needs.
Breast cancer treatment
Last year was an exciting time as far as breast cancer treatment advancement is concerned.
According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, two new drugs were found that could reduce the effects of breast cancer. It was discovered that adding the experimental drug tucatinib to a chemotherapy regimen consisting of the drugs trastuzumab and capecitabine could improve survival for adults with advanced HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.
Last year was an exciting time as far as breast cancer treatment advancement is concerned.
According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, two new drugs were found that could reduce the effects of breast cancer. It was discovered that adding the experimental drug tucatinib to a chemotherapy regimen consisting of the drugs trastuzumab and capecitabine could improve survival for adults with advanced HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.
Another experimental drug conjugate
called trastuzumab deruxtecan was able to substantially reduce tumour
activity in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.
“Both
studies are evaluating new drugs for HER2-positive breast cancer, which
represents about 15 per cent to 20 per cent of all breast cancers,”
said Dr. Eric Winer, chief of the division of breast oncology at
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and professor of medicine at
Harvard Medical School, who was the senior author of the tucatinib
study.
“It is the single area in breast cancer where we
have made the most dramatic progress and continue to,” he said. “For
individuals with advanced breast cancer, we can individualise therapy
more than in the past; it is no longer one size fits all,” Dr Winer
revealed.
Natural hair movement
We all know the chemicals and heat we constantly use on our hair are causing damage but we are not sure how bad it is. A study published in the International Journal of Cancer suggests that women using permanent hair dyes and chemical hair straighteners may be at a higher risk of developing breast cancer, compared to women who do not use these products.
We all know the chemicals and heat we constantly use on our hair are causing damage but we are not sure how bad it is. A study published in the International Journal of Cancer suggests that women using permanent hair dyes and chemical hair straighteners may be at a higher risk of developing breast cancer, compared to women who do not use these products.
Researchers also found a link between
chemical hair straighteners such as keratin treatments and breast
cancer. The study showed that using a chemical straightener was
associated with an 18 per cent increased risk of breast cancer and the
risk increased to 30 per cent for those who reported using a chemical
straightener every five to eight weeks.
That is why
the natural hair movement has been a welcome relief for most women
looking for an option. The trend has shifted from a few years ago when
relaxed hair was a sign of affluence to a more natural look for the
well-off.
What makes the switch possible is the
availability of quality products and skill. Charlyn Kentaro, the
proprietor of Kentaro natural products, is one of the many entrepreneurs
who were inspired to join the industry by the high demand. Kentaro
started mixing butters in her parents’ kitchen after failing to find
products that could work on her natural hair.
“The
products on the market were either of poor quality or cost beyond my
budget. I decided to look for products on the internet but they were
extremely expensive so I did a bit of research on the popular products.
Everyone was in love with this thing called Shea butter. I discovered
that Uganda is one of the leading producers of Shea butter. Determined
to find a lasting solution, I bought a bottle of peppermint essential
oil added it to the whipped Shea butter and was pleasantly surprised by
the result. It was smoother, had a good scent and was effective on my
hair,” she saying adding that soon people started complementing her and
she gladly shared hers.
She, however, continued doing research and saw how other people had embraced such ideas and benefited their communities.
Thanks
to the efforts of so many enterprising Ugandans, most women have since
gone back to their natural roots and are also able to manage their
daughters’ hair without resorting to relaxers.
Reproductive health apps
In 2015, Margaret Nanyombi, together with three friends, invented the BVKit, which a woman can use to self-test for Bacterial Vaginosis (BV), a bacterium that increases the chances of contracting HIV, Chlamydia, Human Papillomavirus (HPV, which causes cervical cancer), and Gonorrhea.
In 2015, Margaret Nanyombi, together with three friends, invented the BVKit, which a woman can use to self-test for Bacterial Vaginosis (BV), a bacterium that increases the chances of contracting HIV, Chlamydia, Human Papillomavirus (HPV, which causes cervical cancer), and Gonorrhea.
Glow was created for women who are trying to
understand their cycles and their fertility. It allows women using the
app to connect with their partners so the two can share the experience,
and collects information about a male partner’s fertility and health
factors, too.
Clue is first and foremost a period
tracker that helps women monitor and predict their monthly cycles as
well as the emotional and physical symptoms associated with menstruation
and ovulation.
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