5 “Women’s Diseases” Men Can Get Too

By Vicki Santillano, DivineCaroline

It’s hard to escape the flagrant gender labeling in our society. Dolls and the color pink are associated with girls, while guys are assigned GI Joes and the “manly” color blue. And the trend doesn’t stop at childhood, either. Even the medical industry tends to ascribe certain diseases to men or women, even when both sexes run the risk of developing them. Recently, there’s been a successful campaign push to educate women about the dangers of heart disease, a condition previously associated with men only. By the same token, there are quite a few health problems facing guys that warrant attention. Men may be less likely to get these diseases than women are, but that doesn’t mean the danger–and the need for preventative measures–isn’t there.

1. Breast Cancer
All of us are born with breast tissue. Women tend to have more of it, thanks to hormones, which is one reason why their breast cancer rates are higher. But men are at risk, too. In 2009, the American Cancer Society determined that 1,910 men would be diagnosed and 440 would die from invasive breast cancer. The potential causes are similar between men and women–excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, high estrogen levels (in men, this could be the result of Klinefelter’s syndrome or cirrhosis), genetic predisposition, and so on. Breast cancer is most common among men aged sixty to seventy.

Doctors used to believe that men were less likely than women to survive breast cancer, but their survival rates are about the same. The National Cancer Institute thinks the mistaken belief was due to men’s not being screened for the disease earlier in life (as women are with mammograms), which means their diagnoses often happen at later, and more terminal, cancer stages.

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Read more: Cancer, Conditions, Health, Men's Health, Osteoporosis

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Sheri P.

8:32PM PDT on May 8, 2011

Good info...thanks!

send a green star

Ald O.

12:10PM PST on Nov 8, 2010

TO AVOID CANCER: COMPLETELY AVOID ANY animal products: chicken, pork, eggs, beef, eggs, milk, cheese.

as a nations consumption of animal products increase, so does its cancer rate..as well as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis.

gerlinde p.

7:07AM PDT on May 13, 2010

very interesting thanks

Nellie K A.

11:35AM PDT on Apr 2, 2010

Didn't know about breast cancer. I know they get almost all the disease when get but not this one.

Helen L.

11:35AM PDT on Mar 20, 2010

Wow, I was only aware of breast cancer..

Judith C.

2:43PM PDT on Mar 19, 2010

informative article

Cheryl B.

11:10AM PDT on Mar 17, 2010

thanks for some very helpful info

Linda M.

9:45PM PDT on Mar 16, 2010

thanks for the article

9:43PM PDT on Mar 16, 2010

interesting

Elizabeth S.

1:25PM PDT on Mar 15, 2010

You forgot a really important one: YEAST INFECTIONS!!!!! It happens I have seen this first hand. Men can get yest infections too and it's a pain in the neck....er rather "crotch". lol