Knowing where to go and how to get what you need out of the health system can help you be an equal partner in your care.

• Make sure you have Medical Services Plan health insurance coverage if you are a resident of British Columbia to access public health care services.
• Find a primary care provider (e.g., family doctor, nurse practitioner).
• Ask your healthcare provider questions about your symptoms, condition or treatment and if they might be different in women than men.
• Ask for an interpreter to attend your healthcare appointments if you need one.
• Look for women-centered health services, such as BC Women's, that provide a woman-oriented approach to health issues.

Visit Navigating the health care system for more information on these topics.

‎The Internet is an important source of health information. Ensure that the information is accurate, up-to-date and trustworthy:

• Start your search at a reliable Canadian-based health information database site like Healthlink BC, College of Family Physicians of Canada or the Public Health Agency of Canada.
  
• Look for government, hospital or other non-profit educational (e.g. Heart & Stroke Foundation) or medical organizations (e.g. Society of Obstetricians & Gynecologists of Canada) web sites.
  
• Check to see if the information is current (less than 3 years old).
  
• Check to see if the website uses research articles in medical journals or other research databases to back up its health information.
  

Visit Navigating the health care system for more information on evaluating health info and resources.

Our health is the result of the complex interaction between:

• where and how we live, work, study and play - these are where we spend our time and they create the conditions for our daily lives
  
• our social and ‎economic resources - people with more resources tend to have better health
  
• the physical environment - it is difficult to be healthy when the water is not safe to drink, the air is filled with smoke, or the land is too contaminated to grow food
  
• our genetic endowment - we each come with a set of genes that will shape our lives but whether they lead to health or illness is not always inevitable; there are things we can do to reduce risk or enhance wellbeing.
  

Eating a balanced diet helps you feel and function better. Canada's Food Guide recommends you eat plenty of vegetables and fruit, some whole grains, and milk and meat or their alternatives.

• Limit your intake of saturated fats, sugar and salt.
  
• Eat a wide variety of foods from the different food groups.
  

Visit Eating well for more information.

‎Exercising reduces stress levels, keeps your heart healthy and helps you manage your weight.

The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology recommends adolescents (10-18 years) get 60 minutes a day and adults (19+ years) get 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous physical activity in 10-minute bouts.

• Participate in aerobic activity like running, dancing, brisk walking or team sports to keep your heart healthy.
  
• Incorporate weight or resistance training into your activity 2 times a week to build strong muscles and bones.
  
• Find exercise that meets your needs, budget, preferences and fits your lifestyle.

Visit Physical activity for more info.

Practicing safer sex will help you maintain healthy sexual relationships.

• Use condoms or other barriers to stop the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STI) during oral, anal or vaginal sex.
  
• Get tested for STIs with each new sexual partner
  
• choose low-risk sexual activities such as hugging, massage or masturbation.
  
• Talk to your healthcare provider to find the right contraception for you to protect yourself from an unplanned pregnancy.
  
• Get emergency contraception (Plan B or morning after pills) if your contraception fails or you have unprotected sex.
  
• See your healthcare provider if you experience itching, burning sensations, pain or other discomfort in and around your vagina and uterus.
  

Women smoke for many reasons, but since tobacco is an addictive substance, once you start, it can be hard to stop. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable deaths in Canada.

You gain health benefits as soon as you stop smoking.

Get help to quit smoking.

• Healthlink BC: quitting smoking
• Quit Now

‎Drinking large amounts of alcohol on a regular basis impacts your health and well-being. Alcohol affects women differently than men. Canada’s low risk alcohol drinking guidelines recommend women drink no more than:

‎Relationships filled with threats, control and violence harm our health and mental well-being. Relationship violence is a common experience for many women.