Women's Health Specialist

What are common women’s health concerns?

Women’s health concerns include issues that are unique to women as well as health issues that affect both men and women, but affect women differently. Common health issues that are unique to women include:

• Breast, ovarian, and cervical cancer
• Pregnancy
• Menopause
• Menstrual issues
• Uterine fibroids
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Pelvic floor disorders
• Endometriosis

What health issues affect women differently than they affect men?

Most health issues affect men and women, but many of those health issues affect women differently, more commonly, or more severely. At Associates in Family Medicine, our providers understand the unique health concerns of women in San Diego. Some of those concerns include:

Heart disease

Some symptoms and risk factors for heart disease and heart attack are different for women than they are for men. Also, more women die from their first heart attack than men.

Depression and anxiety

Women are more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression than men. In fact, women are more than twice as likely to get an anxiety disorder in their lifetime.

Autoimmune diseases

Women are at a higher risk of developing autoimmune diseases such as lupus and Hashimoto's disease than men.

Migraines

Migraines are disabling headache characterized by intense, throbbing pain. The vast majority of migraine sufferers are women.

Sexually transmitted diseases

Women suffer more serious complications from sexually transmitted diseases than men.

Alcohol abuse

The health hazards associated with alcohol abuse are often more serious for women, including an increased risk of breast cancer and heart disease.

How can women protect themselves against health concerns?

While you can’t eliminate risk, or prevent illness entirely, there are lifestyle choices you can make to reduce your risk against the biggest killers of women: heart disease, stroke, and cancer. These lifestyle choices include:

• Quit smoking or don’t start
• Eat a healthy diet filled with vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and lean protein
• Exercise regularly
• Limit alcohol intake
• Manage stress

What women’s health services and tests are important?

At Associates in Family Medicine, Dr. Hamidi and the staff focus on preventative care and promotion of healthy lifestyle choices to keep you and your family as healthy as possible. We offer breast exams, Pap smears, colposcopies, endometrial biopsies, IUD removal, and annual gynecological checkup with screenings for breast, cervical, uterine, and ovarian cancer.

To find out more about women’s health services at Associates in Family Medicine, call or make an appointment online.