3 Women’s Health Briefs for Friday, May 19

Young woman applying her makeup.

By Lisa Hayes

May 19, 2023

Women—staying healthy requires a lot of hard work. But taking care of yourself is the most important thing you can do. From your mental health to your physical well-being, prioritizing yourself allows you to live your happiest, healthiest, most rewarding life. Here are 3 quick briefs from women’s health news this week.

New mammogram guidelines alert! Women should now start getting mammograms every other year starting at age 40. That’s a change from age 50.

The change comes from new evidence by an independent panel of experts at the US Preventive Services Task Force.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women. Black women, in particular, are more likely to die from breast cancer.

“If all women followed our new recommendation, we could reduce mortality from breast cancer in the U.S. by about 20%,” said Dr. Carol Mangione, a co-author of the new recommendation.

During National Women’s Health Week, take time to speak with your healthcare provider to determine the best course of action for your personal health and history.

Want to learn more? Check out this detailed breakdown over at NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/05/09/1174167602/if-youre-40-its-time-to-start-mammograms-according-to-new-guidelines

Did you know that women are more likely to experience revenge bedtime procrastination? That’s because they often carry the emotional workload for their families—not to mention their work-workload, most of the household chores, and a heap of societal expectations. Bedtime procrastination becomes a way of getting “revenge” on daytime hours that offer little or no free time.

During National Women’s Health Week, consider whether you or a woman you care about might be delaying sleep in order to have just a few quiet minutes (which tend to turn into hours) at the end of the day.

“I’m fine!”

That’s what she said.

No, really. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the US, and can strike at any age—but only about half of women know that heart disease is their #1 killer. It might be because so many symptoms we associate with heart attacks are the symptoms that MEN get.

For women, symptoms of a heart attack can mimic the flu, acid reflux, sore muscles, or a rough night of sleep. Check out Elizabeth Banks’ short video, “Just a Little Heart Attack.” Of course, it’s a little funny—but it’s also deadly serious.

https://www.goredforwomen.org/en/about-heart-disease-in-women/signs-and-symptoms-in-women/just-a-little-heart-attack