Frequently Asked Questions

Women's Health

Where can I get information about women’s health promotion?
What are some tips for a healthy pregnancy?
Where can I get information about reproductive health care in general?
What are some topics dealing with women’s health and aging?
Where can I get information about minority women’s health issues?
What are some issues regarding women’s health as it affects children’s health?
Where can I get information about mental health?
Where can I get information about HIV/AIDS, and services in my community?
What can I do about poor accessibility and poor quality of health care for
    women and children in Missouri?
Where can I get more information on specific diseases and illnesses affecting
    women such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer?
What are some statistics about women’s health in Missouri?

Where can I get information about women’s health promotion?
The Office on Women’s Health (OWH) in the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) offers a website with great information and useful links to websites. Also, the OWH published a Strategic Framework that identifies areas related to women’s health within the state that need improvement and makes suggestions about how to make those improvements. There are also guidelines to increase health promotion in general.
OWH website: http://www.dhss.mo.gov/WomensHealth
Strategic Framework: http://www.dhss.mo.gov/WomensHealth/SetngWeb.pdf

What are some tips for a healthy pregnancy?

1. Visit your doctor regularly for prenatal checkups. Become a partner with your doctor to manage your care. Keep all of your appointments — every one is important!
2. Keep yourself healthy. Good nutrition, including a lot of fruits and vegetables, is very important.
3. Take a multivitamin with 400 mg of folic acid per day.
4. Be physically active every day – try to get in at least 30 minutes per day.
5. If you smoke or drink alcohol, quit! Long-term damage to the baby can occur from smoking or alcohol usage.
6. Consult your doctor before taking medications.
7. Don’t take baths that are too hot, and stay away from saunas.
8. Avoid x-rays.
9. Avoid contact with cat feces – don’t clean out the litter box!
10. Avoid undercooked meat and fish.
11. Avoid toxic chemicals. Usually, there will be a warning on the label, but if you’re unsure, check with your health care provider.
12. Limit your caffeine intake.
13. Become informed! Take a class, or read books on being pregnant.

Source: http://www.womenshealth.gov/Pregnancy

Where can I get information about reproductive health care in general?
For statistical information regarding Comprehensive Family Planning in Missouri, visit: http://www.dhss.mo.gov/FamilyPlanning/index.html. Also see http://www.mfhc.org/, the website for Missouri Family Health Council. MFHC is a not-for-profit family planning agency dedicated to providing access to reproductive health care to uninsured and underinsured populations in Missouri.

The American Society of Reproductive Medicine publishes a great deal of literature on all topics of Reproductive Medicine, including fertility/infertility, adoption, cancer and the reproductive system, birth defects, recurrent pregnancy loss, in vitro fertilization, and sexual dysfunction. These fact sheets can be found at http://www.asrm.org/Patients/FactSheets/fact.html. The home page of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine is http://www.asrm.org, and it contains links to websites and publications dealing with reproductive health care.

What are some topics dealing with women’s health and aging?
One big issue that seniors deal with is nutrition. During the senior years fewer calories are needed, but activity also impacts this need. Because less food is consumed to maintain a healthy weight, more care must be taken to choose low-fat and nutrient-rich foods. As the years pass by, lean body mass (muscle) is lost, metabolic rate slows and calories are burnt more slowly. Successful aging and good nutrition go hand in hand. Source: http://www.dhss.mo.gov/Nutrition_Seniors

Another topic seniors must face is the rise in the cost of prescription medications. Missouri’s Senior Rx program can help cope with these increasing costs. For more information on the Senior Rx program, visit:http://morx.mo.gov/index.htm.

Another issue facing seniors is independent living. Missouri has many home and community based services to help seniors live independently within their homes. To find out more about the availability of services, visit: http://www.disabilityinfo.mo.gov/housing.shtml.

Where can I get information about minority women’s health issues?
“As a group, [racial and ethnic minority women] are in poorer health, they use fewer health services, and they continue to suffer disproportionately from premature death, disease, and disabilities. Many also face tremendous social, economic, cultural, and other barriers to achieving optimal health.” Visit this website: http://www.womenshealth.gov/minority.

What are some issues regarding women’s health as it affects children’s health?
“A woman’s ability to become pregnant and bear children has profound implications for every aspect of her life. Moreover, women are the major health decision makers for their families—from the groceries they buy and the food they prepare, to setting up regular preventive health care visits for their children and husbands, to encouraging their families to be physically active and not allowing tobacco use, and on and on. Further, evidence is emerging that the healthier women are before they conceive, the healthier the pregnancy and birth outcomes.”
Source: http://www.dhss.mo.gov/WomensHealth/SetngWeb.pdf
For more information on maternal and child health, visit: http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/; http://www.dhss.mo.gov/babyyourbaby; http://www.dhss.mo.gov/HealthyChildren.

Where can I get information about mental health?
There are many resources for mental health, both on the state and federal levels. The following websites can give you resources regarding mental illness, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse. Also, the NIH website can give current information based on biomedical research.
Missouri Department of Mental Health:http://www.dmh.missouri.gov/index.htm
National Mental Health Information Center: http://www.mentalhealth.org
National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov

Where can I get information about HIV/AIDS, and services in my community?
“The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act is federal legislation that addresses the unmet health needs of persons living with HIV Disease PLWH) by funding case management, health care and support services. The Ryan White CARE Act has provided discretionary funding for eligible metropolitan areas, (Title I), states (Title II), and other community-based grantees (Titles III and IV) to offer health care and support services for individuals living with HIV Disease and who lack health insurance and/or financial resources for their own care. Though Ryan White CARE Act funded programs are critical to people with no source of health care insurance, other state and federal health insurance entitlement programs (Medicaid, Medicare, VA) provide the majority of funding for HIV care and treatment. Thus, Ryan White-funded programs fill gaps in care and are the “payer of last resort” for services not covered by these other resources. In Missouri, there are at least 10 distinct entities directly receiving Ryan White (RW) funds through the various Titles for the provision of services.” Ask your health care provider if these services are available for you.
Source: http://www.dhss.mo.gov/HIV_STD_AIDS/Data.html

For more information about the nature of HIV/AIDS, prevention, current research, and treatment options, visit: http://www.womenshealth.gov/hiv/index.cfm.

What can I do about poor accessibility and poor quality of health care for women and children in Missouri?
The first step to improving your access to quality care (or someone you know) is to get informed about programs that are available. One example is the Access to Benefits Coalition, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding the most affordable prescription costs for Medicare beneficiaries. Find more information on their website at http://www.accesstobenefits.org/default.aspx. Also, the United States Department of Health and Human Services has a website that provides information on improving health care quality. For more information, visit http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/qntlite. The Missouri Primary Care Association has a locator for community health centers on their website that would be a good resource for those seeking care. Their website address is www.mo-pca.org.

Where can I get more information on specific diseases and illnesses affecting women such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer?
There is a plethora of information on the Internet about diseases affecting women’s health. However, sometimes it’s difficult to ascertain whether or not the information is valid. For current, reliable, and up-to-date information, check out the websites of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and their pages on women’s health. Visit these websites: http://www.dhss.mo.gov/Health/index.html; http://www.womenshealth.gov.

What are some statistics about women’s health in Missouri?
For current, reliable, and up-to-date statistics on women’s health, visit the United States Department of Health and Human Services website at http://www.womenshealth.gov/quickhealthdata/. 

Another resource is www.statehealthfacts.org, which includes data on women's health-related Medicaid information, state insurance mandates, refusal clauses, emergency contraception policies, abortion policies and statistics, and mammogram and pap smear screening. There is a broad array of additional relevant information listed under other categories.

Also, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau published nation-wide statistical information on women in the United States.  They cover many topics, including health behaviors (such as nutrition and physical activity), health indicators (such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease), as well as information on maternal health and special populations.  For the full report, see http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/whusa%5F07/.