A woman’s wellness depends largely on her menstrual health, and to a great extent on a disorder-free lifestyle that can impact longevity.
Given the slow and steady rise in breast and cervical cancer cases, the focus now turns to the absence of sustained measures to create awareness. While breast cancer is more popular, the malady affecting the genital tract is categorised into cervical cancer, endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer. The primary reason for the rise in cases is the general misapprehension that cancer occurs only in the later stages of life, but the instances of the disease attacking young women, including adolescent, unmarried women and lactating mothers, have shattered the myth.
Women Doctors’ Wing (WDW), a unit of Indian Medical Association’s (IMA), is working on a project to create awareness, prevention, screening and early detection of breast and cervical cancer. The project is named ‘SWAYAM’ as it encourages self-examination by women. “Breast cancer can be easily tracked by palpating every part of the breast and checking for painful/painless lumps, if any”, says P. Krishna Prasanthi, a national committee member of WDW. Similarly, cervical cancer can occur even without any perceptible symptoms like abdominal swelling, pain in the abdomen or altered menstrual cycle. In case of known indications, Dr.Prasanthi suggests women to approach a gynaecologist for proper diagnosis.
There is also not much awareness on the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine that prevents up to 90% of infection that can cause cancer or genital warts. “A few educated women are coming forward, but not those from rural areas have the faintest of idea. Apart from lack of awareness, it is the prohibitive cost that is a barrier”, observes B. Nirmala Devi, a senior obstetrician and gynaecologist of Tirupati. As the vaccine has to be taken before marriage, preferably in the adolescent age, the focus is on creating strong women and ensure a productive life.
Anaemia is another disorder that casts a shadow on women’s physical and emotional well-being. “The government is supplying iron tablets that reach the rural women through the ASHA network, but not many women take it seriously”, rues Dr. Nirmala.
eom
