Women’s health is a contested area of science due to a historical lack of research, feminist struggles with the medicalization, and policing of women’s bodies. Despite this, here are five interesting facts about women’s health that you probably didn’t know!
1. Women are less likely than men to get CPR
A study has discovered that women are less likely to get CPR from a bystander because of reluctance to touch a woman’s chest. This results in higher mortality outcomes for women who collapse in public due to cardiac arrest. CPR can double or triple survival odds, so it’s really important that everyone gets over women having breasts immediately so that we can stop dying. Thanks!
2. Vulvodynia
Vulvodynia is formally defined as vulva pain lasting three months or longer that is not caused by an infection, skin disorder or medical issue. It can be general or localised pain, come on suddenly or slowly progress. It can go undiagnosed for years due to a lack of awareness surrounding the condition but can make sex or using a tampon really painful. Apparently, 16% of US women have suffered from this at some point in their lives.
3. Women’s body composition changes on the pill
Studies have demonstrated that women on the pill gain less muscle, become more pear shaped and retain more water. Specifically, women can gain up to 40% less muscle following an identical workout regime when on the pill. Also, the fat women carry in their thighs, hips and breasts contain a lot of hormone receptors, and thus respond to hormones from the pill. This creates a more hourglass figure. Last, and probably most familiar, is cellular swelling commonly referred to as “bloat.” Bloat is often responsible for the increases in breast size women commonly associate with the pill. Overall, the pill probably has more effects than you would expect!
4. Women’s brains change during the menstrual cycle
During their period, women actually have better spatial skills, although this time also comes with more anxiety than usual. After their period, women can experience improved imagination, perception, memory and social abilities. Starting around ten days after, women feel calmer for around two weeks. On the day of ovulation, a woman’s brain experiences its peak in sexual desire. Three weeks after ovulation, women become better communicators. What a rollercoaster! Naturally, not every woman will experience these effects, and those who do will experience them to different extents, but it’s interesting to know nonetheless.
5. Women are more affected by alcohol than men
Women are more prone to the effects of alcohol than men for two reasons. First, women produce smaller quantities of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), an enzyme that breaks down alcohol in the body. Second, women have higher levels of body fat, which retains alcohol, and lower levels of body water, which disperses alcohol. Overall, this culminates in a more dramatic physiological response to alcohol. Ladies—next time you try to go drink for drink with a guy friend just know that it’s not a fair battle!
Overall, women’s health is complicated, with many topics yet to be adequately explored, but it is certainly an interesting domain. I hope you learned something about women from this article. And just a side note—if a woman collapses in the street and she’s not breathing, give her CPR! A life or death situation should trump your weirdness about breasts.
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