Introduction
Women's health#1 is an integral and indispensable part of advancing overall population health, and encompasses a broad spectrum of health issues. Assigned by nature the physiological duty for survival of the species, women have the unique privilege of maternity, alongside specific health issues relating to their sexual and reproductive functions, such as menstruation, pregnancy and lactation. The reproductive system of women is vulnerable to dysfunction or disease, and may interact with diseases of other body systems or their treatments.2
Meanwhile, women are subject to the same diseases of other body systems that can affect men. Because of genetic constitution and hormonal environment, the prevalence, symptoms, clinical evolution and prognosis of some diseases, as well as responses to treatment often differ from those of men. For example, since oestrogen shows protective effects on bone, post-menopausal women are at higher rates of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture.3 During pregnancy, physiological increases in circulating placental hormones cause marked insulin resistance; Pregnant women with pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and consequent inadequate insulin secretion may develop hyperglycaemia (i.e. gestational diabetes mellitus), which adversely affects fetal outcomes and significantly increases future risks of developing diabetes mellitus.4,5
Moreover, the WHO emphasises the unique health challenges faced by women and girls globally due to discrimination and restrictive sociocultural norms.6 These challenges manifest as unequal power dynamics, limited educational and employment opportunities, excessive focus on reproductive roles (e.g. such as childbearing responsibility and domestic tasks to care for and maintain their family), and the threat of physical, sexual, and emotional violence.
To safeguard health and well-being of women, a thorough understanding of the unique biological, psychological and social health challenges faced by women across lifespan is crucial. More importantly, primary healthcare providers must be equipped with knowledge and skills for delivering evidence-based preventive care measures that can optimise a woman’s physical, psychological, sexual, and reproductive health across different life stages, and allow detection and management of health problems in a timely manner.
# The Hong Kong Reference Framework uses the terms “woman” and “women” to refer to people who is/are born biologically female. Specifically, this reference framework focuses on preventive care pertinent in the primary healthcare settings for the optimisation of women’s health, which is defined by the WHO as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
Life Course Preventive Care Plan - Women
