Women's Health Package

Over 300,000 words, organized under six main topic areas. The selection of materials compiled by the editors of Harvard Health Publications, focuses on health and wellness issues specific to women including: reproductive health and pregnancy, nutrition, exercise and management of diseases most-common to women.

BREAST HEALTH
GYNECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS
SEXUALITY AND REPRODUCTION
MENTAL HEALTH IN WOMEN
EXERCISE, NUTRITION, AND WEIGHT LOSS
JUST FOR WOMEN: COMMON HEALTH CONCERNS

MENTAL HEALTH IN WOMEN
 

DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

Anxiety: When Anxiety is Overwhelming
Because anxiety is such a common emotion, general anxiety disorder — excessive anxiety about everyday problems — often goes unrecognized. Learn how to spot it, what causes it, and what to do about it.

Light Therapy for Winter Depression
Exposure to the right kind of light may go a long way toward reducing seasonal affective disorder symptoms.

When Thoughts Become Obsessions
What separates obsessive-compulsive disorder from more common behaviors? A description of OCD and common treatment methods.

Questions & Answers: Are Antidepressants Safe During Pregnancy?
Antidepressants, once considered safe during pregnancy, may cause birth defects. Women are warned of the effects and given alternatives.

Women and Depression
Covers how biology and society may make women more vulnerable to mood disorders. Includes research on therapy options.

What are the Real Risks of Antidepressants?
The antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are also used to treat anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and many other psychiatric conditions. They are remarkably safe and effective, but no medical treatment is without risk.

Psychotherapy at Midlife: Worth the Trouble
One avenue to change is talk therapy. At any time of life, successful psychotherapy can heighten a woman’s awareness and insight into her behaviors, thoughts and feelings and help her learn and practice more effective ways to think and behave.

Could you Benefit from Talk Therapy?
Psychotherapy — often referred to as talk therapy — addresses troubling symptoms and emotions using psychological techniques rather than, or along with, medication or other physical approaches.

HARVARD COMMENTARIES/COLUMNS

• Is a Man in Your Life Depressed?
• A Widow's Grief
• Controversies Surrounding Accutane
• Ecstasy, Genetics and Depression
• The Postpartum Period: Your "Fourth" Trimester
• Managing Emotional Eating

ASK-THE-EXPERT

• I recently heard about a condition called PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). How does this differ from PMS (premenstrual syndrome)?
• Is it common to develop depression during pregnancy?
• I am 15 and have recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I am on mood stabilizing drugs. I have been looking into birth control for future reference. Are there any pills or contraceptive methods that will not interact with my other medications?

HARVARD INTERACTIVE TOOLS
Depression Self-Assessment

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SLEEP

Good Night's Sleep Elusive for Many Women
Why we may not be getting enough sleep and what we can do about it.

Searching for a Good Night’s Sleep
If lifestyle approaches don’t help relieve insomnia, you may want to talk to your clinician about sleep medications.

Six Reasons Not to Scrimp on Sleep
Sleep loss can have wide-ranging and sometimes surprising effects, from cardiovascular health to safety and quality of life.

By the Way, Doctor: Are Sleeping Pills Addictive?
It is possible to become psychologically dependent on sleeping pills. A guide to medications on the market and other, non-medicinal ways to improve sleep.

Sleeping Pills Without Regrets
While long-term use of sleeping pills has been regarded as potentially hazardous in the past, they are now beginning to be seen as viable long-term solutions.

Questions & Answers: Sleep Problems and Lunesta
I have chronic problems sleeping. I have heard about a new sleep medicine called Lunesta. Does it have any advantages over other sleep drugs?

By the Way, Doctor: Is Snoring Bad for my Health?
I'm told I snore at night. I was completely unaware of it. Is snoring unhealthy?

In Brief: One More Reason to Get Enough Sleep
Several recent studies show a link between obesity and sleep loss.

HARVARD COMMENTARIES/COLUMNS

• Women and Sleep
• Sleep as Downtime

ASK-THE-EXPERT

• After undergoing a complete hysterectomy a few years ago, I find it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep during the night. Is this common? I have been using different types of HRT, but it hasn't helped. Is there anything else I can do without having to take sleeping medicines?
• After coming off HRT about three months ago, I have had a great deal of trouble sleeping well. My doctor has prescribed clonazepam to help. Is this a normal reaction to stopping HRT? How effective is clonazepam for the problem?
• I have been talking in my sleep every night for the past few weeks. I take Zoloft for depression, but have been taking it for some time so I don't think it's related to that. Is there some factor that triggers this activity?

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STRESS

Research Reveals Biology of Harmful Stress
Discusses the research study that found a relation between the stress of being a caregiver with serious health problems. Also included is advice on how to reduce chronic stress.

Women, Work and Stress
The growing presence of women in the labor force brings with it an increased risk for occupational stress and its health consequences. New research offers some insight into the harm caused by job stress. We offer ways to take the pressure off.

Reducing the Burden of Stress
Our three resolutions for reducing stress. These resolutions won’t solve all our troubles; nor are they the only ways to ease stress. But they may lessen the damage it can cause.

Five Reasons to Forgive
Examines the role of forgiveness in personal health and happiness, ranging from reduced stress to improved relationships.

The Benefits of Mindfulness
An overview of mindfulness, or how to focus your mind, and the research showing how it can improve both physical and mental health.

In Brief: How Women Handle Stress. Is There a Difference?
Psychologists at UCLA have described what they say is a common but little noted way of responding to stress that is more available to women than to men.

HARVARD COMMENTARIES/COLUMNS

• The Myth of Stress and Hair Color
• Broken Heart Syndrome

ASK-THE-EXPERT
Does stress interfere with a woman's ability to become pregnant?

HEALTH A-TO-Z
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

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ANOREXIA NERVOSA AND BULIMIA NERVOSA

In Brief: Anorexia Treatment. When Less is More
Women suffering from anorexia nervosa may benefit more from general support than in-depth therapy, according to a recent study.

Questions & Answers: How Does Anorexia Nervosa Affect Intellectual Functioning?
The physical, emotional and family problems of people with anorexia nervosa are pretty well-known. Do people with this disorder have problems with their intellectual functioning?

HARVARD COMMENTARIES/COLUMNS

• Eating Disorders
• Managing Emotional Eating

ASK-THE-EXPERT

• What are the long-term effects of eating disorders?
• I am the mother of a 10-year-old daughter. My daughter does not like the way she looks. She has been caught hiding food or skipping meals. She has had a lot of stomach problems but no one has been able to find a medical reason to explain it. Could she be anorexic at that young an age?