Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring all people who identify as moms! While some countries have centuries worth of history celebrating mothers, the American version of the holiday dates back to 1907. A year later, in 1908 Congress rejected a proposal to make Mother’s Day an official holiday. Activists continued to push for recognition, and slowly states started adopting an official Mother’s Day. President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making Mother’s Day an official U.S holiday in 1914.
Each year on the 2nd Sunday in May, mothers everywhere are celebrated! In the United States, Mother’s Day is one of the biggest day for sales of flowers, greeting cards, and chocolate. Mother’s Day is also the biggest holiday for long-distance telephone calls.
Mothers are responsible for many tasks, like raising children and running a household. Due to their duties as mother’s many women were exposed to asbestos from doing their children or spouses' laundry. Women make up about 25% of mesothelioma cases across the United States. Women account for a greater proportion of peritoneal mesotheliomas (mesothelioma that forms in the lower abdomen) than pleural mesotheliomas (mesothelioma that forms in the lung). The opposite is true for men. This may be due to the way women are more commonly exposed to asbestos. Many women are exposed through vaginal dusting with talcum powder *link talc page* , which presents a greater risk to the lower abdomen.
Women with mesothelioma tend to have better survival rates than men with mesothelioma. This is because many females are diagnosed at an early point allowing for earlier access to treatment. Additionally, peritoneal mesothelioma, which accounts for many of the female cases, has higher survival rates than pleural mesothelioma. Some researchers also theorize that estrogen may affect mesothelioma prognosis.
Symptoms of mesothelioma in women can vary based on many factors. Women experiencing pleural mesothelioma commonly reported symptoms that included a cough and chest pain. In addition to the symptoms experienced by men, women diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma expressed a number of symptoms including:
- Fluid in the abdominal cavity
- Pelvic pain
- Abdominal swelling and/or bloating
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Swelling of the lymph nodes above the collar bone
- Fever
- Fatigue
Women with peritoneal mesothelioma have experienced substantial rates of misdiagnosis in the past. If you are a woman with known asbestos exposure, you should report your history to your physician. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma or lung cancer, help starts here. Fill out a free case evaluation today.
