Why are Women at Higher Risk for Gallstones

Although the exact causes of gallbladder stones are not known yet certain factors may lead to a person's risk of developing gallstone.

Despite the fact that gallbladder problems affect both the genders alike which can  lead to the need for surgical removal, you will be surprised to know that women are most likely to be affected by gall bladder stone formation.

If you are suffering from either, check with a specialist immediately and get surgery done by the best gallbladder surgeon in Kolkata. 

Below, we take a closer look at why gallstones tend to affect women more often than men, and what you can do to lower them.

Development of Gallstone in Women

Diet plays a crucial role in the development as well as the prevention of gallstones in women. It is said that women are more conscious about their diets than men, but women are still at more risk of suffering from gallstone.

The main reason behind this  is due to the differences in hormone production between the two genders. There are two main hormones at play that factor into this difference, and they are oestrogen and progesterone, which are produced by women.

The presence of oestrogen increases the amount of cholesterol in the liver and cholesterol is a key component in gallstone formation. In fact, gallstones are solidified cholesterol, so if there is more of it in your liver, there’s a greater chance that it could clump together and form a stone.

The presence of the hormone progesterone involved in the menstrual cycle slows down the process of emptying the bladder. If your gallbladder cannot release bile as quickly as normal, it’s possible that gallstones can get stuck in a bile duct.

How to reduce the risk of Gallstone in Women

Since  there’s nothing that can be done about hormone production one can only check with the doctor and control excessive production or less production via proper medication.

Apart from the production of hormones, there are other two factors that may increase your risk of gallstone formation. The factors are obesity and diabetes. Hence eating a healthy diet and working out to lower the risk of diabetes can cause low risk of gallbladder stone formation. In case it is already formed the only procedure to get rid of this is surgery.

Signs and Symptoms of Gallstone

Gallstones lead to pain in the right abdomen or the middle of the stomach. The gallbladder pain occurs from time to time and after you eat food that is high in fat, such as fried food.  

If gallstones are not diagnosed and left untreated the symptoms may increase to include:

• a high temperature

• rapid heartbeat

• Skin  and whites of the eyes turning yellow which is also called jaundice 

• itchy skin

• diarrhoea

• confusion

• severe  loss of appetite

Conclusion

While the gallbladder is a small and not so important organ for life, gallbladder stones can often lead to gall cancer if not diagnosed and treated. If you are suffering from the above mentioned symptoms then check with gallbladder surgeon in Kolkata.