 Hello, I'm Dr. Mukthapal. I'm a consultant in obstetrics and gynecology in Manipal Hospital, Skaradi, Pune. Happy Women's Day in advance. Today I'm going to talk about common health issues that women face, especially in the age group of 20 to 52 years. One of the main problems that these women face are related to periods. It's either it's irregular periods or heavy cycles. Now first we should talk about what are normal periods. Normal periods range from 21 days to 35 days and mostly they last for 2 to 7 days. So a common reason for irregular cycles includes something called as polycystic ovarian syndrome or polycystic ovarian disease. What is PCOD? It is basically a hormonal imbalance that can affect your periods, fertility, hormones and aspects of your appearance. These ovaries are slightly larger on sonography as they have more number of follicles. They don't have any cyst even though the name suggests polycystic. These are fluid filled spaces which has eggs in it. Symptoms of PCOD include irregular cycles or low periods at all, difficulty in conceiving, more weight and difficulty losing weight, acne and herceutism which is excessive hair growth in facial region. This condition cannot be cured but it can be managed either by lifestyle changes like losing weight especially for people who are overweight and regular exercise as well as medication which is mostly hormonal. Second thing we talk about is heavy periods. Now there are many causes for heavy periods. It can either be a hormonal cause or it can be a non-hormonal or structural cause like fibroids or endometrial polyps or it can be some sinister causes like cancer as well. We will talk about fibroids and polyps. Now fibroids and polyps are commonly seen most of the time they are seen on incidental sonography and do not need any treatment. But if they are causing heavy periods and they are not managed by using medication then they will need surgery. Especially with endometrial polyps these are small outgrowts seen in the lining of the uterus that needs to be removed even if you have gone through menopause because sometimes there is a small chance of cancerous growth which is happening inside the polyp. This surgery can be done under hysteroscopic guidance with no incision on the tummy region. Another frequent problem that women face in this age group is premenstrual syndrome which is a vast area of psychological problems like depression, anxiety, mood swings, physical symptoms like bloatedness, breast heaviness which is seen typically cyclically premenstrually and the symptoms go away once the period starts. It is a very common symptom, 40% of women face it and out of these 5-8% suffer from severe symptoms which needs even psychiatric help. Again it can be managed with hormonal and non-hormonal medications and regular exercise and medication. One last problem that I would like to discuss that women face is recurrent valvo vaginal fungal infections or candidiasis. Now what is recurrent infections which means that more than 4 episodes within 1 year. Management includes anti-fungal measures which is required for longer duration if it is recurrent infections but general measures like avoiding douching, avoiding soap below and avoiding tight fitting garments especially during an episode of infection works well. Also you should avoid harsh chemicals to clean the undergarments. Treatment also includes ruling out risk factors like broad spectrum antibiotic usage, local irritants, iron deficiency, thyroid disorders and vitamin D deficiency and diabetes also should be ruled out. With these I would conclude my talk today. Happy women's day again. Thank you.