Focusing on Good Health for Women

Women's bodies are constantly changing. From the childbearing years to the golden years, women are affected by a whole range of health issues. Houston Healthcare has launched a new program, Women's HealthWatch, specifically designed to increase awareness among women of health issues such as cancer, breast health, heart disease, osteoporosis, menopause, urinary incontinence as well as prenatal care and childbirth, all with a special emphasis on prevention, early detection and healthy lifestyle.

"We chose HealthWatch' as the name of this new program because that is exactly what we want women to do – take a close watch of their health," said Michelle Lee, coordinator of the new program. "Depending on the time of a woman's life, there are changes that occur, and women need to know when to look for changes, when to have a specific screening such as a mammogram, a bone density scan or a colonoscopy and when to expect certain things to happen."

Created by a special task force of medical professionals dedicated to women's health, the Women's HealthWatch program will offer educational seminars to the community as well as provide educational materials to women on a variety of topics through distribution in doctor's offices, health fairs and direct mail. Seminars, taught by registered nurses with special training in women's health, will provide information on an array of topics such as urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, abnormal bleeding and endometriosis. Drs. T.G. Sekhar, Victoria Shirley and Elisabeth A. Wagner, all obstetrician/gynecologists, provide physician leadership to the task force.

"Our main goals in Women's HealthWatch are to encourage women to get basic health screenings, practice good health and live a healthy lifestyle," Lee added. "One in 20 women will develop a gynecological cancer, whether it be ovarian, cervical, uterine, vulva or vaginal. While some of these cancers are difficult to detect early, getting annual pap smears is a woman's best chance for early diagnosis and treatment."

Heart disease will be another area of focus for the program. According to Lee, the majority of women perceive cancer to be their greatest health threat, when in fact one in two women will die of heart disease or stroke, compared with one in 27 who will die of breast cancer. "We as health care professionals have done a relatively good job overall in educating women about cancer, especially breast cancer, and the importance of early detection. However, we have not been as strong in educating women about their risk of heart disease and helping them become knowledgeable about the symptoms and warning signs of heart attack and stroke," Lee added.

Living a healthy lifestyle will also be a strong focus for Women's HealthWatch. "Many diseases are preventable. We can change our lifestyle and reduce our risk if we stop smoking, exercise, eat nutritious foods, maintain a healthy weight and control our blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose," Lee added. "The only risk factor we cannot control is our age, but we can make sure to have the appropriate health screenings and exams at certain times in our lives whether it's a breast self-exam monthly, a pap smear annually or a baseline mammogram at 40."

In addition to Women's HealthWatch, Houston Healthcare is a partner with 13 WMAZ-TV in the Friend for Life campaign, encouraging women and their friends and neighbors to practice good breast health. Houston Healthcare is a satellite site through Emory University for the national Women's Health Initiative study by the National Institute of Health, focusing on strategies for preventing major diseases unique to women.