Simple DIY Health Check Ups for Women
11-02-2017 | Posted By: Admin | 3468 View(s)
Postponing doctor visits is a common trait in most women, be it working women or homemakers. But one must know that regular health check-ups are essential for everyone. These check-ups can help in detecting various diseases and health conditions at their early stages. However, it’s understandable that sometimes it’s just the circumstances that make you skip your doctor visit. In such cases, self-checks or self-exams can be of great help. Simple DIY Health Check Ups for Women which you should also do in between your normal doctor visits as some of these can be real lifesavers. Moreover, it’s important for you to be aware of your usual and unusual body changes.
The general DIY Health Check Ups for Women
Detecting if You’re Suffering from Depression
Nowadays one hears a lot about depression. Unfortunately, women are more vulnerable to this condition than men.
Common symptoms and signs for its detection:
⦁ Fatigue and irritability
⦁ Weight gain or weight loss
⦁ Feelings of despair and hopelessness.
Contact a professional mental health counsellor (therapist) if you feel you’re suffering from depression.
Skin Self-examination for Skin Cancer Indications (Malignant Moles)
Examine your skin frequently for any unusual moles. If you cannot perform this self-check regularly, then do it once in six months, or else check your (own) birthday suit, at least, every year on your birthday.
Consult a dermatologist as soon as you see any spots or moles changing (colour, shape or size), bleeding and growing on any area of your skin. These can be indications of Melanoma or skin cancer. When detected such conditions should be immediately treated.
Ovulation Self-test
Today one can easily get an ovulation kit which is a test kit for home use. This helps one to know when it’s the right time for her, in her menstrual cycle, to conceive. It’s a urine test for detecting the increase in the levels of a particular hormone that gives signals to your ovaries for releasing an egg.
A 28-day menstrual cycle happens to be the average cycle. So in this case, one should do the tests on the eleventh day after she starts her period (that particular cycle). A Positive result indicates that ovulation will possibly happen in the (very) next twenty-four to thirty-six hours time. Detailed instructions of this test are given inside the ovulation kits.
Pregnancy Test
A pregnancy testing tool is available for purchase in nearly all medical stores. If you perform it in the right process, the results are normally correct. It measures a particular pregnancy hormone present in urine. You can get accurate results if you use it one week after you’ve noticed a missed period.
Checking and Monitoring Your Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
This common health issue in women not only invites various health complications but also increases their risk of heart disease. So, if you have hypertension, purchasing a blood pressure monitoring device is not a bad idea. And you can get these monitors at very reasonable prices. Normally the readings should be below or at 120/80.
Testing for UTIs or Urinary Tract Infections
If you have Urinary Tract Infection, you will have bothersome symptoms like:
⦁ A constant need/urge to urinate
⦁ Burning sensation while urinating.
When you experience such problems, simply buy a home (dipstick) test kit for detecting any infection in your urinary tract. These are non-prescription products; you won’t need a physician’s order to purchase these.
If the result is positive, immediately consult your doctor; you’ll be given antibiotics for treatment of the infection. And if you don’t go for, or postpone the treatment, the same infection might spread to your kidneys leading to further severe health issues. Even if you get negative results, but the symptoms persist, visit your doctor.
Checking the Heart Rate
Many women are vulnerable to Cardiovascular or heart diseases. If women keep a tab on their own heart and pulse rate, they might be able to detect anything unusual and help the doctor in early detection of such diseases.
Pulse can be easily checked (felt) by placing fingers on different places in one’s body, mainly at the wrist (underside), inside one’s elbow, at one’s groin area, on foot (at the top) and temple, on the side of one’s neck, behind the knees and close to ankle joint. You’ll need to count the pulse for one minute. The normal (resting) heart rate in adults is sixty-hundred beats per minute.
Self Breast Examination
This helps you to notice any unusual changes or lumps in your breast.
Following are the two general methods of this self-exam:
⦁ Stand in front of a mirror, remove the clothing from the upper portion of your body and carefully examine your breasts. Check every single inch of your breast to see if there are any changes like redness, dimpling, scaly or flaky skin, scaly nipples, and lumps. Also, check for any noticeable or unusual differences between your two breasts.
⦁ Lie down and lift up the right arm over your head. Then with your left hand’s three fingers feel your entire right breast and also the right armpit. This should be repeated with the other side of your breast.If abnormalities are noticed, you must inform your doctor without delay.
So these simple and effective DIY Health Check Ups for Women can be of great help in detecting problems early and avoiding future complications. Besides, they do not take much time and can be easily done at home and as such should be part of your schedule on a periodic basis. Should you face any issues do not hesitate to visit a doctor as early as possible.
