Vaginal infections such
as yeast
infections are fairly common and nothing to be ashamed
of. The most common vaginal infections include bacterial
vaginosis, yeast infection
and trichomoniasis. One of the key signs of an infection
is vaginal discharge, though itching or burning are
not uncommon.
Yeast infections or candida vulvovaginits are one of the most common gynecologic complaints women bring with them to the doctors office. A fungus called Candida albicans is responsible for most of your signs and symptoms of yeast infections.
If you decide to undergo an abdominal hysterectomy it is vital you discuss the pros and cons with your doctor. You want to be clear about the risks and advantages of removing all or portions of the reproductive organs. .
Herpes is one of the most common forms of viral infection or sexually transmitted diseases transmitted among people today. There are two kinds of Herpes: oral herpes, which results in cold sores or fever blisters and genital herpes.
Genital warts are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) a sexually
transmitted diseases. Genital warts are actually 'benign' or non-cancerous tumors that form on the skin's surface in the genital area. The most common symptom of genital warts is a raised or cauliflower like bump or cluster of bumps in the genital area.
Of the women using a form of contraception in the United States, 40% are using a form of permanent sterilization, 27% are using an oral contraceptive, 20% using condoms, 3% are using the progestin injection, and less than 1% are using the IUD.
The words ‘breast cancer’ alone are enough to invoke terror and anxiety
in the hearts of women the world over. More than 200,000 women in the United
States alone are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Some women are more
likely to develop breast cancer than others during their lifetime.
Everyone knows that a
healthy diet helps maintain a reasonable weight. However,
more and more research is providing information that
shows how exactly your diet may impact overall health
and well being. There is a large body of growing evidence
supporting the notion that a relationship exists between
diet and women's health outcomes.
Most women will experience breast pain at some
point or another. Breast pain may be due to normal physiological
changes related to hormone fluctuations, or may be the
result of a more serious complication such as breast
cancer. Breast pain is a common reason women will
visit their health care provider.
Could a vaccine help
protect women against and eliminate the threat of cervical
cancer? A vaccine is under development that targets
the Human Papilloma Virus, or HPV,
the sexually transmitted disease that causes genital
warts. Two particular forms of HPV cause cervical
cancer. The vaccine would not only protect women against
one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases
but also prevent cervical cancer.
The federal government
just released new dietary and exercise guidelines with
the intent of helping you lower your risk for chronic
disease and promoting optimal women's
health. The U.S. government’s new guidelines
now emphasize more than ever the importance of managing
your weight with physical exercise as a method of weight
control and health maintenance, in addition to stressing
nutritious eating habits.
The Pap Smear may be unnecessary
after having a complete hysterectomy. If you are one
of the millions of Americans that have undergone a complete
hysterectomy,
you may be unnecessarily submitting to annual Pap smears
according to a new study. More than 10 million women
each year have a complete hysterectomy. Despite this
many are still receiving their annual Pap smear for
screening of cervical cancer. However women who have
had a hysterectomy are no longer at risk for acquiring
cervical cancer.
Osteoporosis is a potentially
devastating progressive bone disease that results in
decreased bone density and mass. Osteoporosis affects
more than 28 million people in the United States alone,
the vast majority of whom are women. Osteoporosis results
in a condition where a woman’s bones become thin,
weak and more susceptible to fractures, particularly
those of the hip, spine and wrist
Obesity is one of the big hurdles in
women's health. Women who want to
lose weight must stick with their dieting plan.
Success with dieting is not a factor of which diet plan
you use, but rather whether or not you can stick with
the program. Women who continue their diet plan for
one year or more lose more weight and reduce their body
mass index (BMI) more than short term fad dieters.
Premenstrual dysmorphic
disorder, or PMDD for short is a chronic condition that
can severely impact a woman’s life. Not to be
confused with premenstrual syndrome or PMS, which often
causes physical and behavioral symptoms during the menstrual
cycle, PMDD is a much more severe form of the condition
that requires medical evaluation and treatment. PMS
is a much more common condition, affecting as much as
75% of women.
This is a topic directly
related to women's sexual health.
Sexual dysfunction is a problem that can affect women
of any age at any time. Women who are between the ages
of 35 to 65 however are more likely to suffer from sexual
dysfunction. It is at this time of life that women describe
a pattern of sexual response that is perceived as a
problem by the woman and/or her sexual partner.
No one wants to hear
that their Pap smear results have come back abnormal,
but it happens all the time. The fact of the matter
is early detection of precancerous changes can prevent
potentially life threatening cervical
cancer. A Pap smear test that comes back abnormal
should not cause widespread panic. In fact, such a finding
may simply improve your chances for a positive health
outcome.
Most
young women will submit to a Pap smear test to screen
for cervical cancer on an annual basis.
Such practice for women's
sexual health has become ingrained in the hearts
and minds of young women from an early age. New studies
however suggest that a majority of women over the age
of 30 who have had at least three consecutive negative
Pap smears may safely forgo annual Pap smears.
Recently in the news
evidence has surfaced suggesting that women may have
the option of collecting their own vaginal samples for
cervical cancer
screening instead of at the doctor’s office. This
latest innovation may improve cervical cancer detection
rates by improving the number of women willing to to
be screened.
Hope exists for patients suffering from fibroids. Two new procedures are
rapidly becoming more widely available, called uterine artery embolization or
UAE, which cuts off the blood supply to benign tumors such as fibroids, and MRI-guided
ultrasound therapy which uses MRI images to guide a focused ultrasound wave to
destroy the fibroid tumor. The benefits of less invasive surgery for uterine
fibroids are welcome alternatives to hysterectomy.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS for short is a chronic condition in
women that is typically characterized by irregular or absent menstrual periods
(an-ovulation). Patients with PCOS may also have elevated androgens or male
hormones, which may cause symptoms including facial hair growth, acne and even
male pattern baldness.
Endometriosis
is a condition that affects 10-15 percent of women during
their reproductive years. More than 90 million women
globally will suffer from the condition during their
lifetime. Endometriosis is a complicated disease to
diagnosis, because it can only be confirmed via a surgical
procedure referred to as laparoscopy.
Some of the more common
diseases include genital
herpes, HPV, chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea.
In fact, one of the more common reasons women seek out
medical care is because they have an sexually
transmitted disease. More than 12 million new STD’s
are diagnosed each year. Those at highest risk include
women that have unprotected intercourse, in particular
those with multiple partners. The number one way you
can avoid or prevent STD’s is to avoid having
sexual intercourse with a partner that has an STD. How
do you do this?
Another topic in women's
sexual health. For women seeking out a safe, effective,
permanent and convenient form of contraception, surgical
sterilization may be a good option. The most common
form of surgical sterilization procedure used for women
today is called a tubal ligation, often referred to
as “having your tubes tied”. A tubal ligation
procedure prevents the egg and sperm from meeting and
prevents an unexpected pregnancy.
Urinary incontinence
affects women from every walk of life at any age. Though
an often embarrassing problem, there are fortunately
many effective therapies that are available to treat
urinary incontinence. Most women empty their bladder
every 3-4 hours during the day and may awake at least
once a night to void. It is not uncommon for some women
to leak a small amount of urine with strenuous movements,
during pregnancy and with
coughing or sneezing. If the loss of urine becomes frequent
and severe, it is called urinary incontinence and requires
treatment.
At some point or another
most women will experience the pain and discomfort associated
with a urinary tract infection or UTI. Urinary Tract
Infections are in fact one of the most common women's
health infections that occur in young women. More than
50 percent of women will report having a UTI at some
point in their life. A UTI can range in severity from
infection of the bladder (cystitis) to infection of
the kidney (pyelonephritis), a much more severe form
of UTI that may cause severe complications.
Despite known risks of cigarette smoking more than 23 percent of women still smoke, increasing their risk of cervical cancer, heart disease, respiratory problems and more. Smoking is a known killer, but hundreds of thousands of women will die each year from lighting up.
