Black-girl magic is real.
Here are eight health conditions black women should be especially aware of, plus how to best prevent them.
These conditions often occur together or exacerbate each other, and they’re striking black women hard.
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A group of risk factors known asmetabolic syndromeincreases a person’s chance of getting these diseases.
Those first two are particularly lethal,killing one woman about every 80 seconds.
The black community’s obesity crisis is a symbol of just how at-risk this segment of the population is.
Graphic by Jordana Roat
It stands at36.2 percentfor white women.
Its the foods we eatmany communities dont have easy access to healthier options," Dr. Hutcherson says.
But clearly, that’s sometimes easier said than done.
Graphic by Jordana Roat
Unlike breast cancer,cervical canceris absolutely preventable in this day and age, Dr. Phillips says.
In 2017, no woman should be diagnosed with cervical cancer.
TimelyPap smearsare also wonderfully effective at preventing full-blown cervical cancer.
A number of barriers exist for proper follow-up, and African-American women may be more vulnerable.
Another potential factor, though, may be racial disparities in cervicalcancertreatment.
Differences in care may contribute to racial disparities in outcomes for women with cervical cancer."
A 2016 study in theJournal of Obstetrics and Gynecologyreached a similar conclusion.
Fibroids are largely genetic, and there’s no known way to prevent them.
When fibroids do make themselves known, the first sign is oftenheavy bleedingorpelvic pain, Dr. Hutcherson says.
To tackle heavy bleeding and pelvic pain, your doctor may recommendhormonal birth control.
It can also lead to deaththe earlier a baby is born, the higher this danger becomes.
Unfortunately, black women are particularly susceptible to going into labor too early.
Sickle-shaped red blood cells can get destroyed in the blood stream, so patients may becomeanemic.
These cells can also clog blood vessels, which can lead to infection, chest pain, and evenstroke.
Black women who are considering children should get screened for sickle cell no matter what, Dr. Phillips says.
There was a similar downward trend with gonorrhea, which declined 4 percent in that time frame.
This problem also extends toHIV/AIDS.
Its not like black women are having moresexthan anyone else, Dr. Hutcherson says.
In 2017, we still face a lot of economic insecurity and racism in general.
I wish we could make it more acceptable to talk about this and seek care.
But its very important for women topractice self-careand not forget about themselves when trying to be so strong.
If you or a loved one is struggling with mental health, help is out there.
Watch: What Everyone Gets Wrong About Eating Disorders
