In the age of Google, bad medical advice is just a couple of clicks away. But common misconceptions and myths about women鈥檚 health sometimes persist even in doctors鈥� offices.
CTV鈥檚 medical consultant, Dr. Marla Shapiro, debunked some of those myths Tuesday. She listed four common misconceptions women face:
1. Heart disease is a man鈥檚 disease. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a myth and perception that (heart disease) is really male-dominated,鈥� Dr. Shapiro told CTV News Channel. 鈥淚n and around the time of menopause, we begin to see those numbers reversing with women catching up.鈥�
According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death for Canadian women. The foundation urges all women to be
2. Women who are done having children don鈥檛 need regular checkups.鈥淭he advice that we don鈥檛 need an annual health exam is probably right, but women still need targeted exams based on where they are in age-related events,鈥� Dr. Shapiro said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e finished having your children? We still worry about gynecological health.鈥�
Dr. Shapiro said women should always stay on top of their breast health, Pap smears and other potential gynecological issues. Heart health, of course, also needs to be monitored, she said.
3. Low sexual libido is just 鈥渋n your head.鈥�That鈥檚 not sound advice because 鈥渙ne in 10 women have a desire deficit, if you will, called hypoactive sexual desire disorder,鈥� Dr. Shapiro said. 鈥淯p until now, we haven鈥檛 had any focus on women on their libido and sexual health 鈥� the focus has been all on men. Don鈥檛 be afraid to bring this topic up with your physician, who may not initiate it.鈥�
4. If a cold-related cough is keeping you up, take over-the-counter medicine to fall asleep. 鈥淭he reason you鈥檙e coughing is to help clear a lot of the fluid and the mucus that鈥檚 there and often, cough suppressant will sedate you, decrease the drive to breathe and that isn鈥檛 necessarily a good thing,鈥� Dr. Shapiro said. She advises the use humidifier and a raised pillow for better sleep when dealing with a bad cold or the flu.
