Now increased attention is being focused on issues of women's health and wellness. The medical community is taking a much closer look at how certain diseases affect women differently than they affect men. In the late 1980s, a congressional report revealed that women were virtually left out of the government sponsored clinical trials on cancer and cardiovascular disease. In addition, little was known about osteoporosis, which affects mostly women. We are only beginning to gather data on how and why these diseases affect women differently than men.
Many people think that heart attacks and strokes afflict mostly men.
As a result, many women seek help only when the disease has progressed to a more advanced stage. Recognizing the symptoms and receiving immediate medical attention for a possible heart attack or stroke are crucial to recovery and possibly to life. If your physician suspects cancer, he or she will sample tissue and send the specimen to a pathologist for analysis. A pathologist is a doctor who specializes in laboratory medicine. Through this examination, the pathologist will recommend proper treatment and follow-up to your physician.