Jock itch is a skin disorder, caused by the fungus Trichophyton rubrum which belongs to the ringworm family of Tineas. Also known as Tinea Cruris in medical terms, jock itch in women appears as itching rashes in the groin areas, which if left untreated, can spread to the entire body. It thrives in damp, closed and warm areas, and infects the dead cells of the upper skin layer.
Causes of Jock Itch in Women
Women who sweat a lot, wear tight synthetic underwear, swimwear or other athletic clothes are more prone to get infected by jock itch. Heat, humidity, damp skin areas due to sweating, friction between the skin folds, and a weak immune system are some other causes of jock itch. Women having a history of atopic dermatitis are also at a high risk of this fungal infection. Intimate contact with objects that harbor the fungus also invites the fungi. It is contagious and can spread by contacting the spores that survive on the dead skin cells or objects for a long time.
Symptoms of Jock Itch in Women
Jock itch normally appears as a red, itchy, flat skin rash on the inner side of the thigh area where the fold of the groin area joins the leg. It usually spreads outward and downward in a circular formation with slightly pinkish brown color center area. The outer area is slightly raised, scaly and bright red in color. In severe cases, the area may enlarge and may develop blisters or sores that may start oozing. In such cases, it is important to seek a doctor’s care as soon as possible. Chafing, itching and burning sensations are also commonly experienced by women suffering from jock itch.
Diagnosis for Jock Itch in Women
Proper diagnosis for jock itch is essential to separate it from other skin diseases like psoriasis or dermatitis. Diagnosing the actual cause for the fungal infection helps in providing the right treatment to the patient for immediate cure. Normally, doctors can detect the cause of infection by just looking at the rash, but for confirmed diagnosis, there are different tests that can be performed. The most commonly conducted test is the KOH test in which the doctor will do a skin scrapping, place the skin cells on a glass slide and put few drops of potassium hydroxide (KOH). The reaction between the skin cells and the KOH secretes the hyphae (fungus), which when colored with a stain can be easily identified.
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The Pap smear test or the Pap test examines the cells collected from the cervix. Cervix is the lower narrow end of the uterus. Non cancerous conditions such as infection and inflammation, abnormal cells that may lead to cancer or the cancer of the cervix can be detected by the examination of the cells collected. A doctor can find out from a pelvic exam whether there are any abnormalities in the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, vagina, bladder or rectum. Such abnormalities can lead to cervical cancer.
Pap smear is named after its developer George Papanicolaou. During last 50 years, there has been a noteworthy drop of fatalities arising out of cervical cancer. This was possible because of the popularity of Pap smear test. In the U.S., about 55 million Pap tests are performed every year and about 6% (3.5 million) are found abnormal. The patients, diagnosed with abnormalities require medical follow-up so that the doctor will know about the abnormal Pap smear causes and can decide about the appropriate treatment. If you want to know what causes abnormal Pap smear, here is the list of the causes.
Abnormal Pap Smear Causes
Sexually transmitted diseases like herpes or gonorrhea
Human Papillomavirus infection
Sex with more than one partner
Family history of cervical cancer
Sex without using any protection
Excessive smoking or use of tobacco
These are the main causes for abnormal Pap smear. But what do abnormal Pap smears mean? The patient has to undergo a few more tests to detect the exact reason behind the change observed in the collected cells. Colposcopy or biopsy may be recommended to decide about the abnormal Pap smear causes. In some cases, cryotherapy, conization, laser therapy, hysterectomy or loop electrosurgical excision procedure(LEEP) can be recommended.
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Whilst most women are aware of the negative effects smoking whilst pregnant can have on their developing baby, many still cannot give up. The good news is that researchers believe that taking vitamin C can counteract some of these effects.
Smoking during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery of the baby, poor growth, and in some instances, is implicated in fetal deaths. It can also affect the way the infant’s lungs develop, as nicotine can cross the placenta. As a result, babies may have less lung function and develop more respiratory illnesses.
But a group of researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University found that in baby monkeys given both nicotine and vitamin C, the flow of air in the lungs was close to normal. There were three groups of pregnant monkeys in the study – one group was given only nicotine, one given neither nicotine nor vitamin C, and one group given both. The nicotine given was comparable to that which a pregnant mother would smoke. The group given nothing acted as the control group.
Whilst this study was done on monkeys, the team behind the study believe that the results are very relevant to humans. But more work needs to be done to determine how much vitamin C is needed for smoking pregnant mothers to get similar benefits. And to ensure that higher amounts of vitamin C during pregnancy doesn’t cause other unwanted effects.
The researchers did stress that despite the positive benefits of vitamin C during pregnancy, it did not counteract all of smoking’s negative effects on the fetus. For example, lower body weight and nicotine’s effect on brain development were still a potential issue.
Another benefit of taking vitamin C during pregnancy is that it may decrease the chance of their waters breaking too early. This is true for all women irrespective of whether they are smokers or not. This research was done by a team in Mexico at the National Institute of Perinatology, this time on humans. The women in this study were either given a placebo or 100mg of vitamin C per day. And the group who received the vitamin C had a lot less instances where their waters broke early. This meant less premature births with the associated risk of infections.
The women in the study received the vitamin C from the 20th week of pregnancy until they gave birth. Vitamin C helps maintain the collagen in the membranes that hold the amniotic fluid in place.
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Movies and TV often portray a sultry woman as a chain smoker. Smoking was a way they showed sex appeal. Rita Hayworth was often pictured with a cigarette in hand. Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct smoked like a chimney in that famous interrogation scene. Bad girls that men went crazy over smoked. Sultry beauty and cigarettes or cigars went hand in hand.
The reality is far from what is portrayed in movies. Smoking causes your skin to age prematurely and gives it a sickly coloring. It discolours your teeth, gives you an unsexy cough and bad breath. That is just the tip of the iceberg.
Did you know that cigarettes contain more than 4,000 chemicals, many of them are toxic. Not to mention nicotine, the drug that gives smokers their high, is very addictive. Many people want to quit but are unable to do so because of the withdrawal symptoms that take hold once they try to stop. Even if they succeed in weathering through the withdrawal symptoms, the craving for just one stick is still very strong. One stick leads to another and before you know it, you’re hooked again. That’s the addictive power of nicotine.
Let’s start with how smoking ages you prematurely. There’s so much talk about the anti-aging properties of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants work by neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals are created through oxidization and in the body’s normal processes. Under ordinary circumstances, the body can easily get rid of the free radicals it creates. If too many free radicals are created, then you’ll have a problem. Free radicals steal electrons from other cells. This stealing of electrons damage the cells, affecting the cell membranes and even the DNA of the cells. That would affect the reproduction of cells and may even cause cells to malfunction. That speeds up the aging process. Read more…
Ugly facts of smoking in women
It’s essential that each and every woman takes care of her own health and well being. Giving up smoking is an important way to begin this approach and is strongly recommended by doctors to decrease the chances of serious health problems for women later in life. Some smoking related health problems can cause infertility as well as fatal diseases like cancer.
How does smoking affect women?
Women smokers suffer short term repercussions such as yellow teeth, bad breath and premature wrinkles, which can be seen early on in life. Research has shown that women are more susceptible to the dangers of nicotine as they have a slower metabolic cleansing system than men have. Women are 12 times more prone to death due to lung cancer than non-smokers are and have an increased risk of other cancers such as larynx, pharynx, mouth, kidney, esophagus, pancreas, kidney and bladder cancers. They are also 10 times more susceptible to death due to bronchitis and emphysema.
Side effects of smoking in women
Women smokers experience unusual vaginal discharge, bleeding, and an increased frequency of secondary amenorrhea, absence of menstruation and irregularity of periods. Women are at more risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes during the use of estrogens. Women who smoke are 72% more likely to suffer from infertility as compared to non-smokers. Read more…