Why We Do What We Do: Answers to womens FAQs about men

There is no specific teaching in traditional Islamic sources forbidding images of the Prophet Muhammad, and in fact one can find representations of Muhammad and other prophets in different periods of Islamic history. What scholars warn against is the worship of such images, which in more recent times has led some groups to promote the idea that it is forbidden to represent the Prophet Muhammad. Why did some Muslims respond with protest and violence against portrayals of Muhammad in cartoons and film?

This question refers to protests, sometimes erupting into lethal violence, as in the recent attack in Paris, against cartoons published in a French satirical weekly and against the film The Innocence of Muslims. These protests raise the question of freedom of expression, and the instances of violence clearly violated the principle of respect for life. The great majority of American Muslims and many Muslims elsewhere affirm freedom of expression even for material that is offensive.

Muslim leaders and organizations worldwide, even in countries that restrict the publication of such offensive material, vigorously condemned the instances of violence. Violent reaction to these images was almost certainly fueled by political issues rather than purely by anger at the offensive images. Libyan President Mohamed Magariaf insisted that the Benghazi attack, claimed to be a spontaneous response to caricatures of Muhammad published in Denmark, was in fact long planned by militants, while the Paris atrocities were the work of militants who may well have been striving to recruit French Muslims to al-Qaeda by creating an incident that would isolate them from other French people.

In either case, the images served only as a pretext. Jesus was a non-violent reformer while Muhammad fought in wars. Why is there a difference between Jesus and Muhammad in terms of their approach? In his book Jesus through the Centuries , church historian Jaroslav Pelikan depicts and analyzes the varied views of Jesus at different times and in different cultures.

The representations of Muhammad are likewise multiple. Even when one considers Jesus and Muhammad as historical figures, it is important to keep in mind a significant difference between their positions. Jesus founded a community of believers that was politically powerless and had to function in the shadow of the overwhelming power of the Roman Empire.

Muhammad, on the other hand, eventually found himself at the head of a new political community in Medina and was therefore called upon to function as a political and even military leader. Whatever differences one may find between Muhammad and Jesus should not obscure the fact that, in our vision of Islam, both Christianity and Islam uphold the principle of respect for life. Why did the Prophet Muhammad marry so many women?

• Psicoterapia do paciente psicótico - A teoria da técnica (Portuguese Edition);
• Women & Men – Different but Equal?.
• .
• Dark Guardian: The Dark Carpathian Series: Book 9: Number 9 in series (Dark Series)?

Polygamy was common in 7th-century Arabia, as it has been in many other cultures, especially for a political leader; for instance, the patriarchs in the Hebrew Bible are shown as having multiple wives, and the kings of Israel are described as having harems numbering in some cases into the hundreds. In light of the time and place, there was nothing unique or unusual about Muhammad marrying several women. Why did the Prophet Muhammad marry a nine-year old? If she was not nine, how old was she? The actual age of Aisha at the time of her marriage to Muhammad is disputed, but, the marriage could not have been consummated until she reached puberty.

In many cultures, women are or were married years before a marriage is consummated. The custom of early betrothal and marriage continued until the late 19th and early 20th century in much of the world, including Europe and North America, where there are still many states that allow for underage marriage. What do Muslims believe about Jesus? Muslims overwhelmingly revere Jesus and believe that he was born to the Virgin Mary through an act of God, just as Adam is believed to have been created by God without a father or mother. What do Muslims believe about Mary? Muslims generally believe that she is the Virgin Mother of the Prophet Jesus.

Why is it that Muslims do not celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas? While Muslims greatly revere Jesus, Christmas is generally considered a Christian holiday and not a part of Muslim cultures except where there are Christian minorities. However, some Muslims celebrate Christmas as part of an American cultural observance like Thanksgiving or Independence Day. What are the different kinds of prayer that Muslims practice? Prayer among Muslims can take many forms. How long does each prayer Salat take? In large groups women pray behind men. The separation of men and women in prayer is not universal among Muslims.

In some mosques women pray in balconies above the prayer hall for men, and in some American mosques women pray parallel to men while in others they pray behind the men. The reason usually adduced for this practice involves notions of modesty. The Muslim ritual prayer is very physical in nature, involving standing, bowing, and prostrating oneself. While in congregational prayers, Muslims are supposed to stand side by side and shoulder to shoulder with those next to them.

Many Muslim cultures have considered it distracting or immodest to have men and women praying side by side or to have women prostrate themselves in front of men. How do very busy students or professionals e. Depending on their schedules, Muslims probably will not need to perform all five prayers while on the job since the prayers are spread throughout the day. In addition, each of the five prayers has a window of time during which each prayer can be performed. This time frame extends from about one hour to as long as four hours depending on the specific prayer and the time of year, since the times shift depending on the season and length of day.

Throughout most of the year, the prayer time for the noon prayer does not end while students are at school, so they can perform it when they return home. During the time of year when the prayer time ends while students are still in school, they can take a few minutes during recess or lunch to pray.

Students can ask their teachers if they can pray in the classroom or library. In the case of Muslim firefighters, if they are in the midst of fighting a fire and are unable to take a break to pray, they will perform the missed prayer as soon as they are able to, along with the next prayer. How will God determine who goes to heaven and hell? We also believe that God will judge human beings according to His complete justice on the Day of Judgment based on both their beliefs and actions, taking into account the opportunities and abilities that He gave them. We believe that God rewards whoever behaves righteously in this life and that God knows the innermost secrets of human hearts and will judge everyone with absolute justice.

Therefore, whatever actions people commit are based on their free will, for which they are held accountable. How does Islam view other religions? Moreover, we believe that the salvation of all people, Muslims included, lies with God alone. We strongly believe that people of other faiths should be treated with love and respect, affirming the Islamic principle respect for freedom of religion and conscience. According to recent polls by Pew Research, strong majorities of Muslims in every country support the right of non-Muslims to practice their religion freely.

Is that not equivalent to anti-Semitism? These passages speak to the specific historical circumstances in which they were revealed. They are not condemnations of Jews and Christians in general but of the behaviors of specific people— including, as noted, some Muslims. We hold that respect for freedom of religion and conscience is basic to our vision of Islam. Does the Qur'an teach the hatred or subjugation of non-Muslims? The existence of old churches, temples, and synagogues throughout the Muslim world in places like Egypt, Turkey, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, India, and Bosnia and the presence of minority religious populations in those areas demonstrates that this command was historically followed by many Muslim societies.

Do Muslims believe in the Bible and Torah? The completed transcript was then copied and distributed across the growing Islamic empire. The same may have been true of founders or major figures in other religious traditions. What is the difference between the Nation of Islam and the religion of Islam?

The Nation of Islam is a nationalistic movement that began in the early 20th century, whereas Islam is a religion that was revealed in the 7th century. The original Nation of Islam was also a single, hierarchical organization. Muhammad disbanded the organization and moved his followers towards traditional Islam. The Nation of Islam was revived within a few years by various individuals, with the organization headed by Louis Farrakhan being the most prominent of these.

Today, followers of his organization number less than , people, far fewer than the number of African-Americans who follow Islam. In ideology the Nation of Islam differs from the beliefs of the majority of Muslims in two major ways: Fard, is considered God incarnate, and Elijah Muhammad is considered a prophet. How did Islam spread throughout the world? It varied depending on the location and period of time. Islam in its early years unified the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula, and this new unity led to conflict with the nearest major powers, the Byzantine and Persian empires.

The result was a major spread of Muslim rule and the establishment of a Muslim empire; but Muslim rulers in this empire did not force, and often did not even encourage, conversion to Islam. Conversion to Islam, even in areas under the control of Muslims, was a gradual process fostered through interaction, intermarriage, and missionary efforts emphasizing spirituality Sufism. In areas like Indonesia now the largest Muslim-majority country and other parts of Southeast Asia, Islam spread mostly through traveling merchants and Sufis. In sub-Saharan Africa mostly West Africa, but also parts of Ethiopia , Islam spread mostly through trade and commercial relations.

Rulers would sometimes adopt Islam while much of the population continued to practice their traditional religions. In many areas currently or formerly ruled by Muslims, large segments of the population have maintained their ancestral religions. For example, Christians are a significant minority in largely Muslim Lebanon, and Hinduism remained a majority faith through centuries of Muslim rule in South Asia.

Today we believe that forced conversions or violating the religious rights of people of other faiths are as much a violation of Islamic principles as the forced conversion of the Germanic tribes under Charlemagne or the forced conversions of some Native Americans or African slaves under colonial rule are seen as violations of Christian principles in the eyes of most modern Christians.

The main differences between them today are their sources of knowledge and religious leadership. Historically, the difference originated from the question of succession after the death of the Prophet Muhammad and is related to differing views about appropriate leadership for the Muslim community. Sunnis believe that the Muslim community was free to choose the most qualified person as ruler. In contrast, Sunnis believe that Muhammad did not appoint any particular person as his spiritual or political successor.

The people of Iraq regretted their failure to support Hussein that resulted in his death. Subsequently they began a political movement to overthrow the Umayyads, who were not only responsible for his death but had also become corrupt and dynastic rulers. Attempts to overthrow the Umayyads were unsuccessful until the Abbasid revolution in C. After the Abbasids came to power, however, the people who supported rule by the descendants of Hussein were increasingly suppressed. Does the conflict impact American Muslims?

In three Arab Spring countries Syria, Yemen, and Bahrain , the sectarian divide has also been among the many factors playing a role in the conflicts, but the conflicts began for the same political and social reasons that they erupted in other Arab Spring nations. So while the two sides appear to be divided along sectarian lines, the conflict there is more a fight between an oppressive dictator and his historic allies than a specifically religious conflict. How do Muslims define modesty? For some Muslims, modesty also includes humility towards God and other people.

Modesty is described by the Prophet Muhammad as an important virtue. Some Muslim women wear hijab while others do not and expressions of hijab vary greatly by culture, individual taste, and conviction. Do Muslim women have to wear hijab cover their hair? The wearing of hijab is, however, a matter of free choice by women in most Muslim-majority countries.

Women who choose to wear it do so for a variety of reasons: Why do some Muslim women cover their faces?

The voices of Weinstein’s accusers have torn the fabric of patriarchy | Naomi Wolf

Women in some Muslim cultures understand modesty to require covering not only their whole body and head but also their faces. Therefore, when in public, they wear a burqa a loose garment which covers the body and face or niqab a covering for the face that leaves the eyes exposed. Why are standards of modest dress different for men and women? The answer again depends on whom you are talking to. One understanding of modest dress for men in some Muslim traditions requires them to cover from the navel to knee and to dress modestly in loose-fitting clothing.

The traditional clothing worn by Muslim men in such places as South Asia, where they wear a loose shirt and pants, or in some Arab countries, where men wear what looks like a long dress jalaba and a headscarf kuffiyah , differs little in the extent of covering from the traditional dress of Muslim women. While it is not as common to see this type of male dress in America, many Muslim men grow a beard and wear a head covering that resembles a skull cap, as do observant practitioners in some other religious traditions.

Are men and women equal in Islam? Many Muslims, in America and elsewhere, advocate and demand complete equality between men and women. Women hold and have held many positions of authority and leadership in the American Muslim community. In Muslim-majority countries women today work as physicians, businesswomen, engineers, and lawyers and have served as heads of state. In other Muslim communities, depending on social, historical, and cultural conditions, the position of women is very different and is not equal either in theory or practice.

Men, you want to treat women better? Here's a list to start with

They include the following:. Equal responsibilities and reward: You are from each other. Right to earn money: Rights of a daughter: Rights of a wife: How are women treated in Muslim countries? There are some 50 Muslim-majority countries in the world. So, for example, in many Muslim-majority countries women are involved at the highest levels of education, employment, and politics, with many female physicians, engineers, lawyers, and other professionals. Do Muslim women have to stay at home or can they work? In fact, in most Muslim communities, Muslim women work outside the home.

Increasing numbers of Muslim women throughout the world are employed in various highlevel professions, including those that are male dominated, such as medicine and engineering. This is true even in countries known to have a conservative understanding of Islam, such as Saudi Arabia.

How does Islam view domestic violence? Domestic violence and spousal abuse violate the Islamic principle of respect for human dignity; if severe enough, they may even violate the principle of respect for life. According to classical Islamic law, spousal abuse is grounds for a Muslim woman to initiate divorce. The extant biographies of Muhammad record him as never having hit a woman or even a child and as condemning those who did. Are there any examples of Muslim women rulers or leaders? In recent decades women have been heads of state in several Muslim-majority nations:.

While most rulers in Muslim history have been male, as in most societies, there have been a few female Muslim rulers in past centuries and in modern times. This is a misconception concerning Islamic history. According to historians, there have been thousands of female Muslim scholars throughout Islamic history, many of whom were teachers of renowned male scholars.

Some notable examples include:. There are many hadith prophetic sayings encouraging the seeking of knowledge that have led numerous Muslim women in history to become scholars, writers, and teachers of both men and women, as noted in the previous question. Individual Muslims follow differing guidelines in this matter. Are Muslims allowed to marry people of other faiths? Today there is great diversity in both thinking and practice on this question. In this case, a Muslim husband must guarantee the right of his Christian or Jewish wife to worship God according to her religious beliefs.

Therefore, for the protection of her freedom of religion, a Muslim woman has traditionally been required to marry a man who will give her the right to practice her faith—that is, a Muslim. This view is based on the patriarchal assumption that the man wields the dominant power in the household and has, therefore, been called into question by some contemporary Muslims, who also cite the absence of a specific text prohibiting such a marriage.

How do Muslims get married? Marriage ceremonies among Muslims, like marriage ceremonies everywhere, vary widely in different locales and cultures. The ceremony includes the marriage proposal and acceptance and the presenting of a gift called mahr by the groom to the bride. The wedding celebration after the ceremony varies widely from culture to culture, but generally involves food, special clothing, and some form of celebration.

In some societies, there may also be several days of celebration leading up to or after the wedding. Are arranged marriages condoned in Islam? Is it true that Muslim men can marry more than one woman? It depends on the conditions. In countries where polygamy is illegal, which is the case in the United States and other Western as well as in many Muslim-majority countries, Muslims should not engage in this practice. Polygamy was not peculiar to the Arabian Peninsula; it was widespread in many cultures, including that of ancient Israel as portrayed in the Hebrew Bible, where many of the Patriarchs are described as having multiple wives and Israelite kings had harems numbering in the hundreds.

Can women marry more than one man? Since polygamy was only permitted to provide for widowed women and their children, this purpose would not be served by polyandry, i.

What is the Islamic view of divorce? However, if these attempts fail, divorce as a last option is allowed and may, in some situations, be the best outcome. Can women initiate a divorce? In some Muslim-majority countries, a woman can get a divorce relatively easily while in other countries the continuing influence of patriarchy makes this much more difficult.

Is Islam opposed to modernity? If by modernity one means science, the scientific method and technological advances, then we know that scientific exploration and technological innovation flourished in the Islamic cultures of the Middle Ages, commonly known as the Golden Age of Islam. And today, millions of Muslims are involved, often in leading positions, in the fields of science, mathematics, medicine, engineering and other scientific fields. If by modernity one means democracy and individual rights such as freedom of thought, expression religion, and conscience, then Muslim attitudes vary.

While some Muslims view these rights as secondary to religious principles conveyed by Islam, others, including, as we explain in the introduction to these questions, consider these rights to be fundamental principles of Islam; a Pew poll of Muslims worldwide taken in showed substantial majorities in favor of democracy and religious freedom.

Some Muslims cite the tradition of ijtihad independent thinking as an essential aspect of Islamic scholarly tradition that fosters reform, reinterpretation, and the exploration and advocacy of new ideas. However many Muslims, like members of other religious groups, are concerned about the devastating effects that modernity and its accompanying technological advances, when influenced only by factors relating to economic profit and short-term gain, have had upon our environment and the world. What does Islam say about democracy? On this as on other questions, there is no monolithic Muslim position.

Pew polls in and have shown that a substantial majority of Muslims worldwide favor democracy. And as we have witnessed during the Arab Spring and beyond, people throughout the Arab world in countries like Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, and Syria have risked their lives, and in some places are still risking them, in their struggle for freedom and democratic change in their countries.

Do any such states exist today? Generally, the concept is defined as a nation-state that has adopted some version of Sharia as the ideological foundation for its political institutions. Nor does Islamic history offer an example of a purely Islamic state, but instead presents various monarchies that developed shortly after the beginning of Islam and continued until the early 19th century. Throughout most of Islamic history, secular power was invested with the rulers while religious doctrine was determined by Muslim scholars.

The latter were often at odds with and even persecuted by the rulers, and feared the corrupting influence of power. In this way, Muslims practiced a form of separation of church and state for much of their history. Does Islam support individual rights? Muslims differ on this as they do on other questions, and are in more agreement about some rights than others, such as the right to life, or freedom from persecution and oppression.

There is precedent for such affirmation of individual rights in Islamic tradition. The agreement laid out certain rights and responsibilities between the Muslims and the major tribes in Medina and guaranteed the security and religious freedom of the diverse religious and tribal groups who made up the new community. In the context of its time, it embodied a remarkably strong affirmation of human rights. Some rights s such as freedom of expression and freedom of religion which some Muslims view as fundamental Islamic principles, have been challenged in recent times by other Muslims or groups who see limits to these rights.

The question of how to deal with material that offends religious sensibilities is a particularly contentious issue, not only for Muslims but for many others also. A Pew poll taken in showed a substantial majority of Muslims worldwide in favor of democracy and of freedom of religion. While the poll did not ask questions specifically about freedom of expression, it is likely, in view of their answers to the aforementioned questions, that a substantial majority would favor these rights as well. There is, nonetheless, a minority among Muslims that does not embrace, or does not embrace fully, the affirmation of individual rights that we consider basic to Islam.

The term Sharia is used by Muslims to refer to the values, code of conduct, and religious commandments or sacred laws which provide them with guidance in various aspects of life. What are the sources of Sharia and how is it interpreted? Fiqh is an interpretation of Sharia and, like halakha or Jewish law, is an ongoing effort and process.

Because much of Sharia is interpretative, it has a degree of flexibility that allows it to function in different societies and cultures. Thus, Islamic law or fiqh has historically functioned in diverse areas in the world, generally with a demonstrated record of tolerance and pluralism towards different cultures and religions.

Men, you want to treat women better? Here's a list to start with | Life and style | The Guardian

What issues does Sharia address? Sharia addresses both personal and communal aspects of life. For the most part, Sharia is concerned with personal religious observances such as prayer and fasting. It can be further divided into three more specific areas, some of which apply to American Muslims and some of which do not:. What types of Muslims follow Sharia? Any observant Muslim would consider him or herself to be Sharia-adherent. It is impossible to find a Muslim who practices any Islamic ritual and does not believe himself or herself to be complying with Sharia.

How does sacred law such as Sharia interact with secular law? Almost all religions have some kind of sacred law. Secular law also provides parameters or limits on following sacred law, to ensure that the public interest is protected e. How do American democracy and Sharia relate to each other? American democracy is based on the Constitution. The Constitution protects rights such as religious freedom, privacy, and private property. American Muslims can follow Sharia Islamic values and way of life in the same way that adherents of other religions follow their sacred laws, values, and lifestyles.

The basic parts of Sharia rituals, marriage and family life, charity and ethical business practices are private and voluntary. Is Sharia being substituted for the U. However, the First Amendment clearly provides protection for the free exercise of religion, which includes protecting the rights of Muslims, as of observant Jews and Christians, to observe their own laws in matters of faith, including the observance of rules regarding personal worship and of some family laws. However, no religious law can supersede state or federal law. Moreover, Sharia commands Muslims to observe the law of the land in which they reside.

What is a fatwa? Since these opinions are non-binding, Muslims are free to choose whether or not to follow them. What happens to a Muslim who does not follow one of the pillars? We believe that acts of worship should be done for the sake of God and that God alone will judge each person according to his or her intentions and actions. There is no monolithic Muslim view on this question. Any answer must take into account the differing interpretations of Islam in different historical and cultural contexts.

The severe punishments listed in the question known as a special class of penalties called huddud were practiced years ago in the tribal society of Arabia and even then were only rarely imposed because the conditions for imposing them were so strict. For instance, the punishment of stoning for adultery could be carried out, according to the Hadith, only at the testimony of four eyewitnesses—a virtually impossible condition.

Jews today, even the most strictly Orthodox, do not practice these punishments, and Christians generally regard them as superseded by the ethic of Jesus. Today, most Muslim-populated countries do not practice these punishments, and where they are practiced, such as under the Taliban or ISIS, the required due process that makes many of these punishments nearly impossible to enforce are not followed, which is why many scholars have condemned their use.

Does Islam encourage honor killings? First, they violate the sanctity of life, which is considered sacrosanct; second, they fail to respect the right of due process for anyone accused of a crime; and, third, they contradict the principle that each individual is responsible for his or her own actions and that no individual or family member should be held responsible for the behavior of another. How do Muslims view terrorism? The vast majority of Muslims unequivocally condemn terrorism. Terrorism, defined as the use of violence and threats to intimidate, coerce, or exact retribution, especially for political purposes, flagrantly violates at least three interrelated Islamic principles: The principle of respect for life prohibits the targeting of innocent civilians even during a state of war.

Is there anything in Islam that leads to suicide bombings or terrorism? Not based on our reading. They also ignore principles of the interpretation of texts followed by legitimate scholars of religion, above all the principle that a text must be understood with reference to the time, place, and situation in which it was given. The specific cannot be made to apply universally, while the universal always informs the specific. Ignoring this principle leads to arbitrary interpretations tailored to fit political agendas. Most of the terrorism committed by people claiming Islam as their motivation is justified by a methodology that bypasses the bulk of classical scholarship.

Various legal issues that pertained to the majority of the Muslim community were often left to the discretion and judgement of qualified scholars. ISIS and other similar groups, however, discount the role filled by traditional scholars. In Islam, is it ever justifiable to kill innocent civilians? We believe that Islamic teachings clearly prohibit killing innocent civilians. While there are obviously extremist Muslims who disagree with this stance, the position of the Muslim majority is clear, as demonstrated by repeated condemnations by Muslim scholars and leaders across the world.

For many health risks, but especially for heart disease and stroke, there are steps women can take to try to prevent these threats to their health, according to the HHS:. Talk to your physician for more information about health threats for women and what you can do to help prevent them. Click play to watch the video or read the transcript. All women should consider themselves at risk for heart disease. Heart disease is still the number one killer of women over the age of Smoking is a huge risk factor for heart disease. Diet, low cholesterol, and those things we think about every day as we are eating.

We need to eat fruits and vegetables and not eat those high sugar high fat foods. Exercise is extremely important. Trying to get that average of 30 minutes every day. We need to be thinking about it every day if we want to live those long healthy lives. All women should consider themselves at risk for heart disease because heart disease is the leading cause of death in women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC.

While some risk factors, such as family history, cannot be changed, there are risk factors women can choose to control. According to the CDC, risk factors of heart disease that women can choose to improve include:. Even if you have your blood sugar levels under control, having diabetes increases your risk of heart disease. Having diabetes makes it two to four times more likely that you will also have heart disease, according to the AHA, which includes diabetes as one of the heart disease risk factor that you can control.

Another risk factor of heart disease that you can control is obesity. Central obesity — which means having extra weight around your waist — increases your risk of heart disease, according to the National Institutes of Health NIH. This is because stomach fat increases LDL cholesterol, which is bad cholesterol that builds up inside the walls of your blood vessels.

The better you can control risk factors like diabetes and obesity, the more you can reduce your risk of getting heart disease. Even with that increase, only about half of women know the heart disease is their No. Sometimes, heart disease has no symptoms in women. To find out more about how women are being made aware of their risk of heart disease, talk with your physician.

Bone health is really important for women because as they get older the impact of having poor bones can dramatically affect how they function as an older woman. For example, if a woman were to sustain a hip fracture when they are older, only 30 percent of those people will go back to the way they were functioning before.

Thirty percent will be in a nursing home afterward and remain there for the rest of their lives. And about 30 percent will die from it or actually complications. So, it has a tremendous impact on your life as an older woman. Women are at higher risk of breaking bones and developing osteoporosis, which means a weakening of the bones, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation [Link to http: It is estimated that about 8 million of the 10 million Americans with osteoporosis are women.

When women age and reach menopause, the hormone estrogen, which protects bones, quickly decreases, according to the NOF. The decrease causes bone loss. If women do not get enough calcium to strengthen their bones when they are young, their bones are more likely to become weak as they age. The lack of calcium can lead to osteoporosis, and the weakening can lead to broken bones, especially hips, the spine and wrists, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics AND. It is very important for younger women to focus on bone health because building strong bones at an early age can help prevent bone weakening later in life, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation NOF.

While exercise and being active are beneficial to bone health, it is important not to overdo it, according to the National Institutes of Health NIH. Women who exercise too much, who have very strict weight loss diets, and who focus on being very thin rather than fit are putting themselves at risk of health problems, including bone problems, according to the NIH. If you recognize some of these behaviors in yourself, you can choose to eat a more healthy diet that includes enough calories to support your activity level, according to the NIH.

It is important to find that balance between food and exercise. Alappatt discusses low peak bone mass and how it relates to osteoporosis. Your peak bone mass occurs about age 28 to So if it starts out low at its highest point, then you will be at risk when you get older. Mostly things that affect that low peak bone mass are severe deficiencies so some type of cancer, anorexia which is a severe nutrition deficiency, things that have a huge impact on your nutrition are going to impact that low peak bone mass.

Peak bone mass is the maximum strength and density of bones, which is reached around age 30 in women, according to the National Institutes of Health NIH. At the point you reach your peak bone mass, you want it to be as high as possible, to give you the best change of reducing your risk of bone health issues later in life, according to the NIH. Most peak bone mass, up to 90 percent, is built by age 18 in women, according to the NIH.

That early cutoff is why it is so important for women in their teen, then into their 20s, focus on a healthy diet, appropriate exercise and getting enough calcium and vitamin D. A woman with a low peak bone mass when it stops growing will be at higher risk of developing osteoporosis during menopause, when bone experience a rapid loss of bone mass, according to the NIH. The loss continues after menopause, increasing the risk of osteoporosis even more.

Clinical Nurse Practitioner Amanda Fox discusses puberty and when girls experience it. So it starts at typically between age 11 and Some girls even explain it between eighth and ninth birthday. The way that you can tell that girl is in puberty is the sex characteristics do start to develop. They become very moody at times, they withdraw from family, they tend to put their friends first, a lot of emotional conflicts.

And it's very difficult for girls to experience this and not be able to verbalize. So it's very important to support your daughter or a family relative that is going to that age. Very important to acknowledge their feelings and give them hugs at times. Just sit and listen to them because they are going to kind of withdrawal from you a little.

Puberty is a time in life when the body starts changing from childhood to adulthood, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics AAP. Hormones cause many changes in the body, including the growth of breasts, pubic hair, pimples, menstruation, and more, according to the AAP. For girls, puberty usually starts between age 8 and 13, but there is no correct time for it to begin, according to the AAP.

Every person experiences puberty differently and changes in their own way, at their own pace. As women age, they go through several changes, not only in their physiology, but also in their psychology and adaptation to their environment. I think as young teens then move into the later teen years and early adulthood, again, now we begin thinking in terms of the female body getting ready to potentially have a child, and the issues that go with that.

As women then approach what we call the post-childrearing stage, or premenopausal, again, the body begins to change. We do know that there are no screening tests for ovarian cancer. One of the most important changes I think that is occurring in the menopausal stage of women though is identification of cardiovascular disease.

Many women do not complain of chest pain as initial presentation for cardiovascular disease. In fact, many women present with fatigue and shortness of breath. So, you can see, there are a lot of changes that are significant to women that are very much different than men. While aging, women tend to have more health concerns than they did when they were younger. Women change physically, psychologically and emotionally.

These changes can affect the way they interact with their environment and daily lifestyle. Women going through menopause may need to take vitamin supplements, such as Calcium, Vitamin D and Magnesium. Hormone Therapy is also a treatment many menopausal women are interested in to help balance their hormones and control their emotions.

As women move into the post-menopausal stages, the risk of cancer and heart disease increases. It is important for women to get screenings for breast and other cancers, as well as heart disease. Talk to your physician about his or her recommendation for supplements and screenings that might be right for you as you move through life. Clinical Nurse Practitioner Amanda Fox discusses perimenopause and when women experience it. Perimenopause is the transition between where a woman is going into menopause. The transition typically starts between the early 40s. Some women do experience it in the late 30s, so there's a lot of signs and symptoms involved to know if you're entering into perimenopause.

There's a lot of hormonal imbalances that women go through that time. So the way to know that you're going out of perimenopause is no periods or no menstrual cycles for one year and at that point you have considered to cross the finish line - you're in menopause at that point. Perimenopause is a time before a woman goes through menopause. Symptoms of perimenopause can include vaginal dryness, menstrual cycle changes, decreased bone density, skin changes and breast tenderness, according to the ARHP.

Amin discusses how perimenopause or menopause can cause mood disorders. During perimenopause, there are a lot of things happening. Most importantly there are hormonal changes. And this can cause a lot of symptoms like acne, weight gain, it can also cause insomnia, and all these things combined can lead to someone feeling depressed and anxious.

Perimenopause causes hormonal changes which lead to menstrual irregularities as well as a lot of symptoms, like acne and hot flashes and it can also cause increase in weight. All these things combined can cause a person to feel depressed and anxious. The hormonal changes women experience can cause various symptoms, according to Premier HealthNet physicians, including:. Talk to your doctor for more information about how perimenopause and menopause can cause anxiety and depression. Amin discusses what women can do to alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety during perimenopause or menopause.

Medications can help perimenopausal symptoms; you can talk to your doctor about several different types. There are antidepressants, there are anti-anxiety medications and then there are hormonal replacement therapies. I see quite a few women on a daily basis with these symptoms. But my first goal is to rule out organic causes and then I can educate them about perimenopausal symptoms. Once your healthcare provider knows how you are feeling, he or she can work with you to find the best treatment option.

To learn more about treating symptoms of depression and anxiety caused by perimenopause or menopause, talk with your doctor. Amin discusses difficulty in connecting symptoms of depression and anxiety with perimenopause and menopause. When you are having these symptoms it is important to discuss it with your doctor because sometimes when you anticipate these symptoms you can bring those symptoms on, however there may actually be an organic cause that needs to be evaluated by blood tests. It can be difficult to connect depression and anxiety symptoms with perimenopause and menopause, according to Premier HealthNet PPN physicians.

Before healthcare providers can diagnose menopause or perimenopause as the cause of depression and anxiety, they must rule out other health issues as the cause, including hypothyroidism, according to PPN physicians. Talking with your doctor and detailing symptoms can help make sure that you get the treatment you need for your depression or anxiety.

Sign up for Jessica Valenti’s weekly newsletter on feminism and sexism

For more information about depression or anxiety symptoms related to menopause or perimenopause, talk with your doctor. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation NOF , women are more likely to get osteoporosis, though it is still possible for men to have the bone-weakening disease. Talk to your physician for more information about diseases that women are at higher risk for than men.

Block discusses how stress can affect women and men differently. We are talking about dealing with early identification of cardiovascular risk in women as we have done in men. Men oftentimes will develop chest pain as their first symptom for underlying cardiovascular disease. Oftentimes, they identify fatigue and shortness of breath as their first symptom related to cardiovascular disease.

And, oftentimes, women will subscribe to stress as simply being very fatigued. The other thing that I think is different between men and women and stress, has to do with hormonal changes. Menopause creates a significant drop in hormones for both men and women. In women, we see significant amount of depression and depression-like symptoms when they go through hormonal changes.

I think that as we move forward in the next several years, you will begin to see that the identification of women undergoing different patterns of stress and identifying different symptoms may improve in the identification of early signs of depression, early signs of cardiovascular disease and overall early signs of poor functionality that women have long been forgotten and have been undertreated for by the medical profession.

There are many differences between women and men, one of which is how they are affected by stress. Women tend to have more physical symptoms when faced with stressors. Women also tend to deal with stress differently than men. Women are more apt to talk about what is causing their stress. Talk with your physician about what might be causing stress in your life and the best ways to help manage that stress. Fibromyalgia syndrome is a common, chronic disorder that causes widespread pain throughout the body.

People with fibromyalgia feel enough pain and fatigue that it interferes with their daily life, according to the National Institutes of Health NIH. Fibromyalgia is not a form of arthritis, but it is considered an arthritis-related condition. It is rheumatic, like arthritis, by impairing the joints and tissue and causing chronic pain, according to the NIH. Oftentimes, people with fibromyalgia have tender points on the body that hurt when pressure is put on them.

Those points include the arms, back, hips, legs, neck and shoulders, according to the NIH. Currently, there is no specific testing used to diagnose fibromyalgia, according to the National Institutes of Health NIH. The pain and tiredness caused by fibromyalgia also are symptoms of many other conditions, according to the NIH.

Because of that, it can take some time to diagnose fibromyalgia because doctors have to rule out the other possible causes before making a diagnosis. Patients should not let themselves feel frustrated, however.