10 DIYs Health Checks Every Woman Should Do

Living for today’s woman is obviously more mobile and fast-paced, but it is also much easier. When it comes to health matters, the information-age is rich with simple how tos and DIYs. For obvious reasons, good health remains a top priority for every woman.

Find below 10 simple DIY’s to keep you monitoring basic aspects of your health as you live to see all those fond dreams come true. Bear in mind if you do find any problems during your regular self checks, not to give in to self-denial. The whole point is to have yourself checked out early enough to beat deadly diseases.

1. Your Pulse Rate:

Other women and even experts have at different times warned that heart attack feels completely different for women and may not be accompanied by a crippling chest pain as commonly envisioned. Weight and cholesterol watching are all in a bid to protect the heart. Checking your pulse rate often means a lot. You can do this simple test right away.

hold up the index and middle fingers of your right hand together, place them both on the inner wrist of your left hand, just at the base of your thumb. You should be able to feel your pulse which indicates your heartbeat. Count the number of beats you feel per minute. A healthy heartbeat for an adult should be between 60 and 100 beats. If you consistently count more or less than that, go see a doctor.

2. Your Blood Pressure

The dreaded high blood pressure is another major killer of women. The risk of high blood pressure increases with age, it used to be known as a disease for the aged or the middle-aged at best but hypertension now occurs among young people in their late twenty’s and early 30’s! What can you then do so the disease does not quietly creep into your life? Invest in a high blood pressure self-check kit. There are a number of brands out there and they are also quite affordable.

READ ALSO: The Twitter Thread On Heart Attack Every Woman Needs To Read

Low blood pressure is another silent killer, some experts define low blood pressure as readings lower than 90 mm Hg systolic or 60 mm Hg diastolic. For both cases, ask your doctor what is normal and if your usual range is compromised, visit the hospital immediately.

3. Self Breast Examination

Breast self-examination can be an important way to detect breast cancer or other benign lumps early enough. Bare your breasts and candidly face the mirror. What are you checking for? Any form of scaliness in either breast on your nipples, redness, dimpling, or even any difference at all between the two breasts, minus the normal occurrence of most women having one breast slightly bigger than the other.

Next, lie down flat on your back. Raise one hand above your head. With the first three forefingers of your other hand, start to feel all over and around your breasts for any lumps. Start from your armpit, feel down to your breasts, do same for the other breast alternating your hands. If you notice anything, it’s time to see your doctor. Not to worry though, not every lump is cancerous.

4. Check for Malignant Skin Tissues

The skin is the largest human organ and it is also a huge component of beauty for women. Lately, there’s a surge in skin cancer cases amongst women – this could be due to the growing popularity of harmful skin products. Make a habit to look and feel all over your skin for any discolorations, moles, bleeding, and growth. If you do spot anything that gives you concern, a dermatologist is the expert to talk to on skin matters, he/she will carry out appropriate tests to determine what your symptoms indicate and subsequent treatment.

5. Check For Slack Vaginal/Urinary Muscles

One of the more common problems of childbearing and old age is a weakness of the urinary muscles. This challenge presents itself in the form of incontinence. Once this muscle starts to slack, a woman may begin to leak urine when she laughs, sneezes or unconsciously makes a move that exerts some pressure that reaches her nether region.

How to test? While peeing, attempt to hold your pee in for about 60 seconds. If you find it difficult, it means your kegel muscles are slack and need tightening. Note that weak vaginal/urinary muscles also affect your sex life. Doing kegel exercises will however fix the problem.

READ ALSO: 7 Lessons Every Woman Can Learn From Michelle Obama

6. Nail Check For Kidney Malfunction

Kidney diseases are rampant now more than ever. If white horizontal lines appear at the base of your nails, and you feel fatigued simultaneously with the appearance of white discoloration, you should see your doctor ASAP because those symptoms may be signs that your kidney is not filtering out protein adequately from your urine. That translates to your kidney losing proteins and potential risk of kidney failure.

7. Armpit/Nail/Groin Check For Diabetes

A sudden patch of rough dry skin in your armpit or groin may be an indication of diabetes. HEre’s why; e.xcess insulin in the body can cause skin cells to multiply leading to an abnormal build-up of tissue and melanin. If you notice any of that, go see a doctor for a simple insulin test.

8. Scalp Check

The condition of the scalp can be an indication of the broader situation of one’s health. If you find your scalp shedding or scaling, it may not be your shampoo brand. It could in fact be your body’s signal for excessive stress, which doctors say can cause your body to produce excess amounts of a hormone called Cortisol. Cortisol according to experts messes up with your immune system and causes your scalp to shed lots of embarrasing skin. If you notice any of those, it’s time to cut yourself some slack and manage your schedules better.

9. Genital Self Checks

Doctors advise that women take time to know their bodies. That way it is easy to notice any strange appearances when they do occur. To do this self-check, sit, squat, or stan over a mirror. Look for any white, reddish areas around the vulva as well as any new moles, lesions, sores or lumps. Any regular white or cloudy discharge, anything strange really, aside from normal changes due to age.  Consult your doctor ASAP with any findings. You may be saving yourself from cervical cancer or other related cancers.

10. Self Check For Clinical Depression

Do you always feel sad or irritable and have suddenly lost interest in the things that you typically enjoy? Have you gained or lost much weight and are dealing with terrible mood swings? General anxiety and feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, or you find yourself meditating on suicide and death a whole lot?

If you answered yes to more than half of those questions, it’s time to book an appointment with a mental health doctor.