The Female Athletic Triad

After reading about this disorder the first person that came to my mind was my 18 year old niece. She has run competitive track for the past ten years. She has received full scholarship offers from colleges like Kansas State and Michigan, and TCU. With that type of pressure to compete I asked her had she ever heard of this disorder and if she had ever any of these symptoms. Thankfully she said she had not. I gave her a run down of what to look for as her training will greatly increase once she enters college.

Hormone replacement therapy

Interview a woman who has or is going through menopause and has decided to take hormones. Allow her to share with you the reasons she has chosen to take them and how she feels it is beneficial for her health

I chose to interview my 55 year-old cousin. She started experiencing menopausal symptoms at age 48, and currently has stopped experiencing menstrual symptoms. She stated she experienced constant hot flashes, night sweats and severe depression. She stated that the depression was her primary reason for starting the hormone replacement therapy. Initially she did not think that her depression was related to menopause, and did not want to mention it to her doctor. She actually did not want any medication for any symptoms, and thought that she could withstand the hot flashes. After several months of mood swings she finally consulted her Dr. initially prescribed an estrogen only pill .Her Dr. explained that the estrogen helped reduce the risk of colon cancer which was a concern of hers as she got older.

STD Myths

Many people equate STDs with immorality, promiscuous behavior and low social status. What are you thoughts on this statement?

I think by simply viewing this weeks film assignment one can see how untrue this statement is. AIDS is not the only STD that effects all levels of society, but it is one with truly devastating effects. I think that the above statement is the type of thinking that leads to the spread of STD's in every level of society. As portrayed in the film A Closer Walk, many women do not have a choice in the matter of who they have sex with leading to unwanted disease and pregnancies. STDs should be screened for frequently , and education provided at these screen ings in order to help prevent widespread infection.

Prenatal Testing

In your opinion, why should prenatal testing be routine for all pregnant women? Please be very specific and provide examples.

I believe that some prenatal testing should be required. For example, the screening for anemia, STD’s and blood pressure elevations. These tests can detect early problems with the mother and can be managed or corrected early in pregnancy to help insure a healthy baby and mother.
However, some prenatal test should be optional. For example, an Amniocentesis, in which a needle is inserted into the mother abdomen penetrating the amniotic sac and amniotic fluid is withdrawn from the womb for testing of genetic defects such as Down’s Syndrome. There is a 1 in 400 chance of miscarriage if this test is performed
Far to often doctors recommend risky tests based on data without informing the patient of the potential risks.

Family Interview

I choose to interview my sister-in-law who choose to have a partial hysterectomy at age 34. She is unmarried and no children. She based her decision on medical diagnosis of Fibroids. The doctors gave her the options of removal of the fibroids and try to save her uterus for future children. She decided against this due to her lack of wanting any children. She took the outlook that if she were to marry in the future, she and her spouse would adopt. After four years she has no regrets in her decision, and still has no marriage prospects.
I can respect her decision due to her current age and the risks associated with having children after age 40. However, at age 34 I would have not chosen a hysterectomy. Having already had children I know how much of a blessing children can be. I believe my desire for a family would have outweighed the health risks.