Ladies, contrary to popular belief, lifting weights will not turn women into a female Schwarzenegger! On the contrary, weight or strength training can be extremely beneficial for women in a variety of ways.

Most women steer clear of weight training, fearing they will end up looking like female hulks. Just so you know, weight training, also called resistance or strength training, is a boon for a woman, as it will only help her gain a strong, firm and well-sculpted body.

Benefits of weight training for women

Builds physical strength, sans a bulky physique:

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Researchers have found that the offspring of obese mothers may be spared health problems linked to obesity, while their own children then inherit them.

A new study suggests that health problems linked to obesity – like heart disease and diabetes – could skip an entire generation.

Currently, concern about the obesity epidemic is mainly focused on the health of obese women and their children, rather than the wider family.

The University of Edinburgh study has shown that moderately obese mothers can make an impact on the birth weight and diabetes risk of grandchildren, in the apparent absence of effects in their own children.

Experts said that rates of obesity are at an all-time high. Among the associated health problems are breast and colon cancer and stroke.

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This Women’s Day, make it a priority to get a complete physical check up.

In the following article, we explain to you, what a typical check up includes and what each test is for.

A well-woman check up should be made a priority

In today’s world, a woman not only plays many roles, but she also makes the process seem effortless! However, amidst trying to achieve a 100 things at the same time, it’s important to pause now and then to focus on your health and wellbeing. Starting from age 40, an annual woman’s health check up is a must. If a woman has serious medical illnesses or a family history of conditions like breast cancer and diabetes, check ups should begin even earlier.

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Whether you’re studying or working or just hanging out, city life can take a toll on your health. Here are some easy ways to stay fit and healthy.

Ladies! This one’s for you. For all of you living the city life, here’s how you can stay fit and healthy and not let the toll of everyday life get to you.

Top 10 health tips for city women

1. Exercise – From auto rickshaws who’ll take you anywhere to shops and restaurants that’ll deliver anything, it’s almost like cities are designed to make a person inactive. Plus, it’s really easy to just spend all your time in the daily chores of life. That’s why it’s important to make exercising a priority and take an hour out at least 5 times a week for a workout. Exercising not only keeps you in shape, but it also releases pheromones, which are known to have a positive effect on your mood.

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What is female impotence?

Female impotence deals with difficulties women face with sex. It is also referred to as sexual dysfunction. As against men, for whom impotence means an inability to get an erection or maintain it for the desired period of time, impotence in women includes low sexual desire, low arousal, difficulty or inability to reach orgasm and problems with lubrication.

More than 40% of adult women encounter sexual dysfunction at some point in their life. These dysfunctions could be in the form of:

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Dr. Sejal Desai, an infertility specialist and high risk obstetrician, is the Director of Sarla Hospital, Mumbai.

Dr. Sejal specialises in In Vitro Fertilization, gynaecological endoscopic surgery, reproductive medicine and HIV medicine. She is a pioneer of Gynaec-Cosmetology & Laser which includes post pregnancy reshaping/augmentation/tightening of the vulva, breast and stomach.

She is also a visiting consultant at Health Care Clinic, Lokhandwala, BCJ Hospital and Asha Parekh Research Centre.

Dr. Sejal took time off her busy schedule to answer Sify readers’ questions on IVF, infertility and other gynaecological issues. Read the complete chat transcript here.

I was on OCP for 7 months immediately after marriage,i got off the pill but no periods for 3 months,preg test negative.Met a gyn and induced periods and give metformin 1000mg per day.another 3 months over still no periods.
You need to see you gynaec and need to take medications like progestrone or OC pills to get your periods.

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Symptoms like irritability in women are often unfairly blamed on their period when other factors like stress or a lack of support may be behind it, researchers say.

According to Canadian researchers, premenstrual syndrome in women has been over-estimated and may not be the cause of women’s bad moods at certain times of the month.

In a new study, researchers at the University of Toronto assessed a wealth of research relating to premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

They concluded that it ‘failed to provide clear evidence in support of the existence of a specific premenstrual negative mood syndrome’.

The problem is we tend to dismissively blame everything on PMS, disregarding other reasons why women may be angry or upset.

“The idea that any emotionality in women can be firstly attributed to their reproductive function – we’re sceptical about that,” the Daily Mail quoted lead researcher Dr Sarah Romans as telling The Atlantic.

“I think most would assume that PMS is much more firmly evidence-based than in fact it is,” Romans said.

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Have you been struggling with skin problems of late, coupled with irregular periods? Do you also find yourself depressed often? Your symptoms could point to a rather common condition – polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD).

PCOD, also called polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS, is one of the most common disorders caused by hormonal disturbances among women. And it does more that trigger a range of unpleasant symptoms mentioned above. In its severe form it can even result in infertility.

Excess insulin production
The main characteristic of PCOD – which also gives it its name – is the occurrence of cysts in the ovaries. Under normal circumstances, women develop about five follicles (sacs containing the eggs) during their menstrual cycle; at least one of these releases a mature egg at the time of ovulation. However, in PCOD, a surplus number of follicles are formed. These fail to develop normally – so that they are never released – and instead go on to form cysts in the ovary.

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The menopause is clearly a defining moment in the biology of any woman and can lead to unwanted side-effects, including weight gain. However, the menopause doesn’t have to spell an end to your hard-earned fitness. Instead, here’s our guide to exercising through the menopause and beyond.

Despite the huge emotive significance that menopause has in our society – the turning of the corner, the slippery slope towards old age, the passing of femininity – put simply, the menopause is the signal of the end of reproductive potential. There is no longer enough of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone to facilitate or sustain pregnancy.

The average woman reaches menopause at 52-years-old, but the changes associated with the menopause can begin as much as a decade earlier. During this ‘peri-menopause’ stage, levels of the female hormones are depleting, influencing everything from mood to fat distribution, and causing unwelcome affects such as hot flushes.

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Experts say post-menopausal women who have Type 2 diabetes may be at greater risk of developing breast cancer.

An international team examined 40 separate studies looking at the potential link between breast cancer and diabetes. These studies involved more than 56,000 women with breast cancer.

Being obese or overweight has been linked to both conditions. But cancer experts say there may be a direct connection between the two.

The researchers found that post-menopausal women with Type 2 diabetes had a 27 percent increased risk of breast cancer. But there was no link for pre-menopausal women or those with Type 1 diabetes.

Writing in the British Journal of Cancer, the researchers have suggested that a high body mass index (BMI), which is often associated with diabetes, may be an underlying contributing factor.

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