A doctor explains why women have an increased risk of contracting some diseases

Dr. Olga Olankina, a gynecologist, points out that women and men suffer from diseases differently, and even the symptoms of the same diseases may differ significantly. There are diseases that affect women more.

The doctor says: “Female sex hormones - estrogen - dilate blood vessels, so blood pressure in women of childbearing age is usually lower, as well as the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, but the situation changes at the time of menopause, as the amount of estrogen decreases.” “The risk of contracting some serious diseases becomes higher.”

According to her, another disease associated with blood vessels is atherosclerosis, that is, blockage of the lumen of blood vessels with cholesterol plaques. Estrogen protects blood vessels, because it does not allow cholesterol to accumulate on their walls, but with age, the possibility of developing atherosclerosis increases.

According to statistics, iron deficiency anemia is diagnosed more often in women. Anemia may be caused by heavy menstruation, blood loss during childbirth, and a strict diet. Women are also three times more likely to suffer from migraines than men. It can be accompanied by dizziness, fever or, conversely, chills, nausea and photophobia. The hormone estrogen is “responsible” for it. Hormonal fluctuations during menstruation, ovulation, or pregnancy can cause severe headaches.

It indicates that diabetes is diagnosed in women almost twice as often as in men. The reason for this is excess weight, nutritional errors, low physical activity, high arterial blood pressure, polycystic ovary syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases. The risk of developing the disease is also higher in women who have had gestational diabetes, which is a pregnancy complication in which the level of glucose in the blood rises.

According to her, gestational diabetes is a relatively common phenomenon, diagnosed in 5 percent of pregnant women. However, 50 percent of women who suffer from this disease and obesity develop into type 2 diabetes.