12 Symptoms Women Shouldn’t Ignore

With the rush of everyday life, noticing if something is not going well in our body becomes more difficult. Severe cramping can be relieved with pain relievers, while tea helps reduce the burning sensation or distended abdomen. However, did you know that these can be signs of more serious illness and that affect women frequently?

Therefore, knowing the main symptoms of the most common conditions and diseases for women is essential to ensure a better quality of life. See below 12 symptoms that may indicate health problems that women should not ignore:

1. Changes in the appearance of the nipple

Know examine and analyze the appearance of the breasts is one of the essential steps in the prevention and identification of breast cancer. After all, this is the kind of cancer that kills the most women in the world. Therefore, it is important to note if there has been any change in the appearance of the breasts and nipples, especially after the age of 50.

“We have to pay attention to the presence of a lump or lump in the breast, especially when it doesn’t hurt, to the color of the nipple, whether secretion comes out of it or not, whether there is notable asymmetry between the breasts, swelling and if the veins are very visible”, he says. Erika Kawano Machado Ferreira, gynecologist, obstetrician and mastologist at Clínica Mantelli, which has specialized care for women’s health.

In addition, the specialist explains that intense itching in the nipple and hardening of the skin, along with an “orange peel” appearance, are other examples of breast changes that can indicate breast cancer.

2. Abdominal distension and discomfort

You know that one feeling of discomfort, pain, and abdominal distention? It can often be related to gastrointestinal problems such as irritable bowel syndrome and gastritis. However, these are also symptoms of Ovary canceras explained by Erika.

“This pain can be accompanied by cramps, both in the pelvic region and in the back. This happens because the ovaries are located a little back, radiating this pain to the lower back. In addition, there may be weight loss and loss of appetite”, says the gynecologist.

This type of cancer can occur in any age group, but mainly affects women over 50 years old. Its frequency is low, however. its lethality is high. This happens because the disease is asymptomatic in its initial stage, making the diagnosis difficult, which is often made at an advanced stage.

3. Burning and shortness of breath

Acute myocardial infarction is a condition that most often affects men. Although, symptoms are different in women and, therefore, it is very important that the female audience knows how to correctly identify the signs of a heart attack.

According to cardiologist Pedro Mekhitarian, from the São Camilo Hospital Network in São Paulo, the The disease is more common in women over 55 years old., but it can affect any age group. Its main symptoms are chest pains that resemble burningaccompanied by shortness of breath, nausea, weakness, back, arm and neck pain and feeling of dread.

It is important that, when noticing the signs, the woman seeks medical attention and does not underestimate these symptoms. “We say that ‘time is muscle’, that is, the longer it takes to go to the emergency room, the more heart muscle is lost”, emphasizes Mekhitarian, in a previous interview with MinhaVida.

4. Vaginal bleeding after menopause

When a woman has already gone through menopause, stopped menstruating and suddenly starts having vaginal bleeding, it is necessary to light the warning sign. This because this is a common symptom of uterine body cancerwhich mainly affects women over 60 years of age.

“When the patient has already gone through menopause and has vaginal bleeding, it is necessary to investigate the endometrium, which is the lining of the uterus”, says Erika. However, the specialist does not rule out the possibility of cases in younger women or those who still have menstrual flow.

Know more: Menopause symptoms: find out what they are and how to treat them

“If this menstruation becomes more abundant, more intense, with cramps, pelvic pain, pain in sexual intercourse and difficulty urinating, it is also necessary to carry out an investigation”, says the gynecologist.

In addition, bleeding outside the menstrual period, such as exhausts, or prolonged menstruation are also signs of cervical cancer, which is induced by the HPV virus. In more advanced cases, where there is metastasis, the patient may also experience swelling in the legs and difficulty urinating and evacuating.

5. Sudden loss of strength

Women are at greater risk of having a stroke than men, according to a study by the American Heart Association. Therefore, it is important that the female audience knows the main symptoms of the condition, among them, the sudden loss of strength, especially in the face, arm or leg, affecting one side of the body.

In addition to this sign, there are other common symptoms of the disease, such as tingling of the face, arm or leg on one side of the body, sudden loss of vision, speech disturbance, sudden headache and imbalance accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

6. Severe menstrual cramps

Severe cramping, which can often be disabling, is a sign of endometriosis. The disease, characterized by the growth of the endometrium outside the uterine cavity, affects one in ten women in Brazilhaving reached more than 26 thousand Brazilians in 2021, according to data from the Unified Health System (SUS).

The incidence is highest among women aged 25 to 35 years, but it can start in the first few months after menstruation. “Pain during intercourse, especially when there is a deeper penetration, is also a common symptom, along with a swollen and swollen belly even after the menstrual period, fatigue, tiredness and malaise”, completes Erika.

7. Persistent body aches

Intense and generalized pain, that is, that affect different regions of the body, are the main symptoms of fibromyalgia. The syndrome can affect people of all ages, but it is more common in women, especially between 30 and 60 years old – in every 10 patients with the disease, seven to nine are female.

Therefore, if you experience persistent pain throughout your body, accompanied by insomnia, difficulty with memory, concentration and intestinal changes, it is important to seek medical help.

8. Irregular menstruation

Irregular menstruation, characterized mainly by long periods without bleeding, can be an important sign of polycystic ovary syndrome. “A woman menstruates in a month and then goes two or three months without menstruating. This is a tendency that may be associated with the syndrome”, explains the gynecologist.

As it is a metabolic syndrome, it is important to note whether there are other diseases that accompany polycystic ovaries, such as pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes. like hypertension”, concludes Erika.

Read more: Menstrual cycle: what is it, phases and calculation of the fertile period

9. Discharge with an abnormal color or smell

It is normal for a woman to have discharge. However, you need to keep an eye on the color and smell of this secretion. “If the discharge has a yellow color, has a bad smell and itches, it is necessary to investigate to see if it is not a sexually transmitted infection (STI), such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, ureaplasma, mycoplasma, among others”, explains the gynecologist.

The earlier the STI is identified, the easier it is to treat and the better the woman’s reproductive and sexual health in the future.

10. Thyroid nodules

The presence of thyroid nodules can be benign, but in women who have a history of previous irradiation in the neck or have family members with thyroid cancer, it is necessary to investigate whether it is not something malignant.

It is interesting to note if other common symptoms of the disease are not accompanied by the lump, such as increased size of lymph nodes in the neck and hoarseness. According to the National Cancer Institute (INCA), thyroid cancer affects three times more women than men, being the fifth most common tumor in women in the Southeast and Northeast regions.

11. Dark or bloody stools

Changes in the appearance of stool, such as a darker color or the presence of blood, are signs of colorectal cancer. Also according to INCA, after breast and lung cancer, this is the tumor that most affects women.

In addition to this symptom, other indications that should serve as an alert to seek medical help are changes in bowel habits (diarrhea or constipation), frequent abdominal discomfort, feeling that the intestine does not empty completely, weakness or fatigue, nausea and vomiting and loss of weight for no apparent reason.

Know more: 7 steps to keep your gut healthy

12. Burning when urinating

About 30% of women will present urinary infection mild or severe at some point in life. This is because women are 50 times more likely to have the disease than men. So, if you are feeling burning when urinating, it is interesting to make an appointment with a doctor and see the possibility of having an infection.

Other important symptoms are: frequent urge to urinate, even having just gone to the bathroom, dark urine, with blood or with an intense odor, pelvic pain, especially in the “foot of the belly”, pain in the rectum and urinary incontinence. If left untreated, urinary tract infection can cause recurrent infections and permanent damage to the kidneys and, in more severe cases, death.