Feminine wellness is an all-encompassing approach to women’s health that involves self-care, professional guidance and routine exams and screenings.
Your doctor will perform well-women visits to check for sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis as well as your cervical health, colorectal cancer screenings and offer clinical breast exams and mammographies as part of these appointments.
Self-care
Women’s wellness requires special consideration and holistic practices. Femininity includes unique physical, mental, and emotional needs that may go overlooked in discussions of overall health. But that shouldn’t make self-care seem like a luxury; in fact, it plays a critical role in overall wellness.
Physical self-care can be achieved through diet, exercise and supplementation as well as acupuncture or herbal treatments to decrease stress, which is the leading cause of hormonal imbalances. These methods can also support cognitive functioning.
Emotional self-care includes learning healthy ways of expressing emotions, building supportive relationships and practicing meditation or engaging in activities which stimulate the mind. Meditation or other techniques such as Yoga may also be used. Social support is another key aspect of female wellness as it improves mood and can build resilience when times get tough – making low effort connections such as sharing meals or joining online community support groups even more crucial than ever.
Professional guidance
Women may lose track of their health while juggling careers, caring for children and parents, household duties and housekeeping tasks. Women can forget the value of regular wellness exams like well-woman visits, gynecological tests and medical screenings that provide an accurate picture of one’s overall wellbeing as well as directions for future care.
An holistic approach to feminine wellness recognizes that women’s individual health needs change throughout their lifespan and addresses disruptions that impact quality of life, such as reproductive issues, hormonal imbalances and bone health issues.
Harvard Medical School Executive Education now offers an intensive six-week course that explores women’s health from both an academic and everyday wellness standpoint. The six-week program features self-paced modules, live sessions, and a capstone project aimed at improving and maintaining feminine wellbeing across its entirety.
Education
Women juggle many commitments in life: family, work and social engagement often come first. With education and guidance from healthcare providers, preventive health care can easily fall by the wayside – but women can avoid serious medical problems while maintaining an elevated quality of life.
Nutritional wellness is another vital aspect of feminine wellbeing, including eating a well-balanced diet with an emphasis on moderation and eating foods which nourish both mind and body. Regular Pap tests and HPV vaccinations are important tools to prevent cervical cancer – an unfortunately prevalent disease among women.
Wellness is of particular significance for young women navigating the physical and emotional changes associated with adolescence. At Dana Hall, girls receive tools necessary for becoming confident, empowered leaders through wellness education and self-care training. Furthermore, Dana Hall promotes advocacy for both their own mental health as well as that of others’ in order to build resilience against mental health challenges while making informed decisions regarding their own wellbeing.
Routine exams and screenings
Routine exams and screenings are an integral component of female health. By early detecting issues before they worsen, regular exams and screenings provide essential tools that help identify any emerging problems or potential threats to female wellness – like the well-woman exam – which focuses on gynecological health. Most commonly conducted by an Ob/Gyn, though primary care providers who specialize in women’s wellness can also administer this exam.
A typical well-woman exam typically entails a pelvic exam, breast exam and Pap test (or cervical cytology) to screen for precancerous growths, discussion about sexual health and family history as well as vaccinations/screenings such as Hepatitis C vaccination and mammography screenings; The Women’s Preventive Services Initiative and United States Preventive Service Task Force have even developed a Well-Woman Chart which summarizes age-based preventive services recommendations.
