Women's health with Dr Rasheedah

'She Stands' is a series  I have created to help shine the spotlight on inspirational female survivors who have battled through, are living with or creating awareness on different health conditions in Nigeria.  I started this blog to create an awakening in Nigerian women to become more conscious of their health and to also serve as a reference point and perhaps an online resource for health issues relating to women. My journey has been interesting and I have E-met so many wonderful women. Perhaps one of the ladies who have inspired me the most is our first Subject.  I met 'Sister Ngozi' as I call her from clicking on a hashtag on Instagram and the rest is history. I sent her a few questions but she sent me a prose which I have left unedited so you can read "Her Story' . (Are you following the blog on Instagram? @womenshealthwithdrrasheedah ) My name is Ngozi Ejedimu. I like to call myself the 1 boob chic. I was 41 in April. I grew up in Lagos, Ni...

If you know me  then you know this is a very personal topic! Do you ever wonder what that headache is? What’s caused it? Why you? Or Why won’t it go away? Here are the facts: Headache disorders  according to the WHO are among the most common disorders of the nervous system. It is estimated that nearly 50% of adults have a headache disorder  Headache on 15 or more days per month affects 1.7 to 4% of the worlds Adult population. Headaches formed the 3rd highest cause worldwide of years lost due to disability! The long term effort of coping with headaches have been found to predispose people to other illnesses such as anxiety and depression. So quite alarming figures above, but often headaches are not taken seriously and most importantly the burden of its effect on sufferers can be ignored and under treated. Types of Headaches   Migraines - Now this is the most commonly talked about  primary type of headache(often times wron...

This week I thought we’ll change gears a little bit and discuss water infections (UTIs). The term ‘water infection’ is used to describe infections of the urinary tract or bladder. Infections occur when bacteria from the anus travel up the urethra into the urinary tract and cause infections at various sites. Water infections are quite common particularly in women, it is estimated that 1 in 4 women will experience a urinary tract infection at some point in their lives and women are 10 times more likely to have a water infection compared to men. The reason women are more prone to these infections is due to anatomy. Close proximity of the female urethral meatus(opening of the tube that connects the bladder to the external genitals) to the anus, shorter urethra, and sexual intercourse(bacteria can travel up the urethra during sexual inter course)have been reported as factors that influences this higher prevalence in women. Urinary tract infections can affect women of all age groups in...

This is the final post in the infertility series. Thank you so much for joining the conversation ladies, the feedback has been amazing and I'm glad that you've found the series and other posts useful. This week we will be discussing tubal factor infertility-basically this is infertility caused by damaged fallopian tubes. The fallopian tubes are a pair of tubes leading from the ovaries to the womb, they enable the passage of released eggs to the womb, it is in this tube that the egg is usually fertilized by the sperm. Tubal factor infertility is estimated to affect about 20- 25% of couples seeking fertility treatment worldwide. In Sub-Saharan Africa, tubal factor remains unofficially one of the leading cause of infertility due to pelvic inflammatory disease- a complication of sexually transmitted infections. Infertility or sub fertility can occur when the Fallopian tubes are blocked(one or both), scarred or damaged in other ways. Tubal damage prevents the ovaries from...

This is a continuation of the Infertility series and this week we will be discussing Endometriosis. The recent increase in awareness surrounding endometriosis and it's challenges has been a welcome change to the norm. A lot of celebrities have come out to share their battles with endometriosis and infertility and I applaud their courage.   What is Endometriosis? Endometriosis is a gynaecological disorder that occurs when endometrial tissue (normal tissue that lines the womb)grows outside the womb most commonly the ovaries but in reality can be found anywhere! It is estimated that Endometriosis affects nearly 176 million women worldwide regardless of their ethnic and social background. Many remain undiagnosed and are therefore not treated. In developed countries, it occurs in up to 20% of women of reproductive age and is a common cause of pelvic pain and infertility. In sub-Saharan Africa, data on endometriosis among African indigenous women are sc...