Taking a little care to be carefree

If you are a girl in your twenties, it is difficult to imagine suffering a dangerous disease. Your twenties are supposed to be carefree. The good news is that for the most part, it is. We eat what we want, we sleep at odd hours, and we do not go for regular medical checkups. Why should we? We are healthy and we were vaccinated when we were in school, so we do not need to care.

Here’s the news: you should care.

There are a multitude of reasons why. First of all, prevention is always better than cure. While rare, there are cases reported around the world of girls getting breast cancer even before they are in high school. Now that we are in our twenties, a healthy dose of paranoia and regular checks will help in the long run to spot diseases such as breast cancer while they are still in their early stages.

Secondly, we are in the prime of our sexual experiences. Many of us are beginning to get into physical relationships for the first time and we need to be educated on actions that can help us prevent sexually-transmitted diseases and pregnancy.

Another factor that many people find surprising is that some vaccinations do not provide immunity indefinitely. Vaccinations against rubella and hepatitis, for example, last for around five to seven years. After which, we are again susceptible to these diseases.

So what should girls in their twenties do to take care of themselves? “Preventive medical checkups are more important than many people think,” Dr Colita Lee of Poliklinik Kumpulan City said.

If you think that going to the doctor when you are not sick is expensive, think again. Most doctors provide consultation for less than RM15 per visit. Compare that to treatments for major diseases, which can cost up to hundreds of thousands of ringgit.

“A couple of simple blood tests can help doctors determine whether your vaccinations are still effective and whether you have any sexually-transmitted diseases,” Dr Colita adds. “It is much better to spot problems at the beginning stages, as diseases such as hepatitis B can be very difficult to deal with if discovered late.”

She also strongly advocates monthly breast self-examinations. Most lumps found in young adult women are benign, but as said before, prevention is much preferred to a cure. Pap smears on the other hand are encouraged to check for early signs of cervical cancer.

“If nothing else, the easiest, most basic thing sexually active young women can do to protect themselves is to always ask their partners to use a condom. This will help prevent many diseases that can affect young women.”

As you can see, these are all relatively inexpensive actions that do not take up a lot of time at all. Taking a little care of yourself now will help you make it through your twenties worry-free, and hopefully, help you live a long and happy life.

(By Alia Ali)