Blog 9

What should a woman do if she has a friend whom she suspects to have an eating disorder?

Eating disorders are common among young women and can be triggered by social, emotional and biological factors in women’s lives. Pressure to “fit in”, a desire to avoid consuming food as a way of dealing with emotions and feelings of euphoria when skipping meals are behaviors that can undermine one’s health, self-esteem and sense of competency (Alexander, 2010). Talking about eating disorders with a friend or loved one can be a difficult subject to bring up, and I have had to talk to a friend about it before. A couple of years ago my best friend was going to get married and wanted to look good in her wedding dress. I knew that she was working out a lot at the gym but what I didn’t know is that she had become a bulimic in the process. She drastically started loosing weight, and I told her that maybe she shouldn’t exercise so much. One day I caught her in the bathroom getting rid of the lunch she had just eaten. I didn’t know what to say so I just jumped right in and asked her what she was doing. Of course she denied everything at first and we would get into fights about it frequently. I would tell her that I was worried, and I just wanted her to get help. Then one day she admitted it and started saying how she just wanted to look good in her wedding dress and it had just gone too far. She asked me not to tell her fiancé, and I wanted to keep her trust so I promised not to. She said she couldn’t stop because she liked the way she looked in clothes. At five feet four inches tall she now weighed 98 lbs. Pretty much all I knew about eating disorders at the time is what they can do to the heart. I do cardiac ultrasound for a living and frequently scan patients with eating disorders. I proceeded to tell my friend what she was doing to her heart and surprisingly it scared her. I also told her that she was probably hurting her teeth as well by frequently vomiting. The heart stuff scared her enough that I was able to talk her into getting some help. She checked into an outpatient eating disorder program and after a few months had gained all of her weight back that she had lost. Two years later she is happily married and doing fine. I often wonder what I would tell someone if I had to do it again. Pretty much all you can do is earn their trust and let them know that you are there for them and worried about them. You can also point out whatever facts you know about eating disorders and recommend counseling. I got lucky in that my friend trusted me enough to help her.

References
Alexander, L., et al. (2010). Nutrition, Exercise, and Weight Management. New Dimensions In Women’s Health. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Blog 8

Interview a woman who has or is going through menopause and has decided to take hormones.


Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) consists of medications that increase the levels of hormones in the body. Hormones are used to treat symptoms such as hot flashes that are associated with menopause when the body stops producing the hormones estrogen and progesterone (Alexander, 2010). I am not real familiar with menopause and hormone therapy since I am several years away from experiencing it so I decided to ask my Aunt for her view on it. She said that for a while she had been experiencing bad hot flashes. She would have sweat running down her face at work and the sheets would be dripping in sweat while she was sleeping. At first she did not want to take hormone therapy because she had always heard that it was associated with an increased risk of uterine cancer. For a while she tried natural and herbal remedies but they didn’t work. Finally she took her doctor’s advice and started taking Prempro, a pill that combines progestin and estrogen. Her doctor also told her that taking hormone therapy would help reduce the risk of getting osteoporosis. After taking pills for a few months now she says she has seen a dramatic difference. The hot flashes have subsided and she feels like a normal woman again. She said though that she does have some side effects such as breast tenderness and occasional spotting but these are much more manageable than hot flashes. I learned a lot about menopause and hormone therapy while talking with my Aunt. I feel so fortunate to have a great relationship with the women in my family where I can talk to them about anything or go to them when I need advice on women issues.

References
Alexander, L., et al. (2010). Menopause and Hormone Replacement Therapy. New Dimensions in Women’s Health. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Blog 7

What would you tell a friend or loved one who suspected that she might have an STD but was afraid to get tested?

I would tell a friend or loved one that it is very important they get tested to either confirm their suspicions or hopefully find out their suspicions were wrong. I actually had this talk with one of my good friends recently. She was worried about how people would perceive her if they found out. I told her it didn’t matter how she was perceived and that it important to find out early if in fact she did have an STD because it could be treated sooner if found early. If I had to talk to someone again about why they should get checked, I am much better prepared now after doing some research. Obviously anyone engaging in sexual activity can get an STD regardless of racial ethnicity, class or social standings. It is all in how we as women protect ourselves but if a women thinks she may have contracted a disease she definitely needs to get tested because most sexually transmitted diseases come with complications such as infertility problems, pelvic inflammatory disease, cervical cancer or even death. Pelvic inflammatory disease is the most frequent complication of an STD and affects over a million women each year causing infertility, ectopic pregnancies and even death (Alexander, 2010). Infections such as Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and Syphilis can be treated with high doses of antibiotics if caught very early. Others such as Herpes cannot be cured and there is still an infection remaining even between outbreaks when the sores have healed (Alexander, 2010). It is so easy to get an STD in today’s world because people tend to have multiple sex partners and do not always use protection. I would definitely encourage a friend or loved one to get tested as soon as possible if they feel they may have an STD before the complications get worse and the treatments are not as effective.

References
Alexander, L, et al. (2010). Reproductive Tract Infections and HIV/AIDS. , New Dimensions in Women’s Health (pp.174-191.). Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Blog 6

In your opinion, why should prenatal testing be routine for all pregnant women?

I think prenatal testing is extremely important and should be routine for all pregnant women. There are so many diseases and conditions that babies can be born with, and it is such a miracle when a baby is born healthy. If some simple prenatal tests can help bring a healthy baby into the world then those tests need to be performed. Most birth defects occur within the first trimester of pregnancy and risk factors that increase the chances of having birth defects include previous children with birth defects, certain medications used during conception, diabetes and women over age 35 when the baby is due (Alexander, et al., 2010). Simple tests such as lab tests and sonograms can help reveal abnormalities with a pregnancy or with the baby and some of these abnormalities may be treatable. Other advanced testing such as an amniocentesis can help detect more complex abnormalities such as Down's Sydrome. Hopefully the tests would be conclusive that the baby is going to be healthy but if results are abnormal then parents would need support to make important decisions regarding their baby's future. Prenatal testing can help give parents information on their baby so they can plan for the future. If a baby is going to be born with a syndrome then a least the parents can find out in advance and be prepared. There are even women's clinics that perform testing for free or low costs for those that have no insurance and can't afford to see a physician. With all of the medical advances that are available now there is really no reason not to have routine prenatal testing performed.

References

Alexander, L., et al., (2010). Pregnancy and Childbirth. New Dimensions in Women's Health(p.145.). Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.