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210 Results for search "Women's Problems: Misc.".

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It was eye-catching news in 2002 when researchers called a halt to a major government-run study of a hormone therapy used by millions of older women. Researchers stopped the study, one of a series of clinical trials under the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), after they found that long-term use of estrogen and progestin raised the risk of heart disease, stroke, blood clots, and invasive breast canc...

What are hot flashes? A hot flash (also known as a hot flush) is a sudden feeling of heat, usually on your face, neck, shoulders, and chest. You may begin sweating profusely, and your heart might start pounding. These symptoms can last for only a few seconds or minutes, or they can go on for as long as half an hour. The overheated sensation is sometimes followed by a slight chill, and hot flashes ...

Out of desperation, many people turn to the first fertility specialist they find in the phone book, or someone they've heard about from a friend. But it's important to find the right doctor for you, one who can come up with a treatment plan tailored to your needs and be sensitive enough to help you through the rough times. It's also crucial to educate yourself about infertility and its possible c...

What is ovulation? Ovulation is the fertile time of your menstrual cycle, which occurs when a mature egg -- or ovum -- is released from one of your ovaries. After the egg is released, it travels down the fallopian tube, where it can be fertilized if sperm are present. How do I know when I'm ovulating? It can be tricky to figure out when you're ovulating and even trickier knowing how to time int...

Recently, a friend was waxing philosophical about the luck of someone who had won the lottery. Suddenly, she stopped talking and furrowed her brow as she groped for the word she was looking for. "Random," I offered. "Yes! That's it!" she declared. After pausing again, she suggested that menopausal women would benefit from traveling in pairs just so they could finish each other's sentences. If you...

When Pamela Kragen* was going through menopause, she remembers a woman who became so enraged that she ripped the phone out of the wall. The woman happened to be Kragen herself. At times, menopause transformed Kragen into another persona entirely -- one that reminded her of a woman whose multiple personalities could not be controlled. "Normally, I may fly off the handle once or twice a year. But ...

Menopause, strictly speaking, is when you stop having periods, but it is usually identified once it has been a year since your last period. When you've reached menopause, your body's hormonal mix shifts. Both men and women produce the female hormone estrogen and the male hormone testosterone. At menopause the ovaries begin producing more testosterone and less estrogen, and their egg production shu...

If you are in your early to late 40s and trying to conceive a child, you are probably considering whether to use the eggs of a younger woman, known as donor eggs. Sometimes the donor is a relative or friend of the patient, but more often the donor is anonymous. In women age 42 or older, fifty-five percent of all assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles rely on donor eggs. For women older than...

What is endometriosis? Endometriosis gets started when tissue from your endometrium, the uterine lining that nourishes a developing fetus, begins growing outside the uterus. This misplaced tissue usually turns up elsewhere within your abdominal cavity, most commonly on or around the reproductive organs (which include the ovaries, the Fallopian tubes, and the outside of the uterus). It may also gr...

If you're old enough, you may remember all the hoopla about "test-tube babies" when the first child was conceived outside a woman's body in 1978. That original experimental procedure, called in vitro fertilization (IVF), is now just one of several fertility treatments available. IVF has since been joined by a host of additional procedures which together are known as assisted reproductive technolo...

From a man's point of view, starting a family is easy. While women are on the job for nine months, men can often complete the task in a single evening. When it comes time to try for a pregnancy, they just naturally assume that it will happen. But among the couples who try unsuccessfully for months or even years to get pregnant, about half the time the problem lies either with both partners or with...

What's so great about condoms? The condom, a thin rubber sheath that fits over your erect penis, traps your semen during sex and keeps you from impregnating a female partner or infecting your partner with a sexually transmitted disease. It can also protect you from picking up one of these diseases yourself by shielding your penis from your partner's secretions. Although they may reduce the sens...

In the early 2000's, women in New York and other U.S. cities got a less-than-gentle reminder about age and fertility: bus-size billboard ads trumpeting "Advancing Age Decreases Your Ability to Have Children. Infertility is a disease affecting 6.1 million people in the United States." Accompanying the ad was an unsettling image of an upside-down baby in the shape of an hourglass. The ad was part of...

The concept I describe most frequently to anyone interested in fertility is that of ovarian reserve, or the "egg factor." As of this writing we are quite capable of bypassing the problems of poor quality sperm, low sperm count, and problems stemming from dysfunction or disease of the female reproductive system such as endometriosis, or tubal disease. Still vexing, though, is the problem of women ...

For as long as people have been having children, they've been trying to understand the mystery of fertility. We've come a long way, but many misconceptions remain. Here's a look at the top modern infertility myths: Myth 1: Infertility is almost always a woman's problem. Fact: When there's an identifiable cause of infertility, about half the time men contribute to the problem, according to Resolv...

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) revolutionized treatment for male infertility. The procedure, introduced in 1992, involves taking single motile sperm and directly injecting the sperm into the egg to initiate the fertilization process. ICSI necessarily requires the in vitro fertilization (IVF) process to directly manipulate sperm and eggs. ICSI boasts a fertilization rate of 50 to 80 perce...

What are genital warts? Warts are never welcome, but finding them on your genitals is particularly disagreeable. Genital warts (also called venereal warts) are flesh-colored, pink, or grayish-white growths that appear on the genital and anal areas of the body. Like all warts, they're caused by a type of human papilloma virus (HPV). Skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity is what allows them t...

You've waited patiently for months to greet this little person, and now suddenly, here he is. Meeting your newborn for the first time is likely to be one of the most memorable moments of your life, so you may not even notice that immediately following your baby's birth, a nurse, midwife or physician will assess your baby to see how he is coping with life outside the womb. What are the doctors loo...

What is a hysterectomy? A hysterectomy is an operation to remove the uterus. Some or all of the other reproductive organs, including the ovaries, may be taken out as well. If you are a woman living in the United States, there's a one in three chance that you'll have a hysterectomy by the age of 60. Each year US doctors perform about 600,000 hysterectomies. Indeed, after cesarean section, hysterec...

How can my diet affect my premenstrual symptoms? What you eat and drink can have a big influence on both the physical and emotional symptoms you may have each month during the week or two leading up to your period. Most experts recommend that women with premenstrual syndrome start by avoiding caffeine and alcohol, which can exacerbate headaches, anxiety, and depression. It's also a good idea to d...

What is ovarian cancer? It's a cancer that strikes a woman's ovaries, the small almond-shaped organs that produce and release eggs. Unfortunately, the disease is characterized by symptoms so subtle that they often go unnoticed until the cancer has spread elsewhere. Most women who develop it, in fact, get a diagnosis only when the disease is far advanced. About 15 to 20 percent of ovarian cancer pa...

What are menstrual cramps? For decades, the medical establishment thought of menstrual cramps as an ailment that was minor at best. Doctors tended to deal with it by either dismissing the pain as a psychological problem or prescribing painkillers or tranquilizers. Today researchers have come a long way toward a fuller understanding of menstrual cramps and the pain they cause some 50 percent of wom...

What are ovarian cysts? Ovarian cysts are usually solid or fluid-filled sacs that result from fluid accumulated during ovulation. After the menstrual period, these cysts usually shrink or dissolve spontaneously, although they may reoccur in subsequent ovulatory cycles. Does a cyst mean I have cancer? No. Cysts are typically a part of the menstrual cycle; even if they continue to grow after they fo...

What is a hysterectomy? A hysterectomy is the surgical removal of a woman's uterus (and sometimes other reproductive organs) for medical reasons. The cervix, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and even part of the vagina may also be taken out. It's a common operation: About 600,000 hysterectomies are performed each year in the United States. Why are hysterectomies performed? If a woman has invasive cancer ...

Pregnancy is certainly not the easiest time in your life, and it's fine to indulge yourself occasionally. It's not unusual to crave specific foods when you're pregnant. In fact, studies say that up to 90 percent of expectant moms experience food cravings. If you happen to crave green beans or broccoli, that's great. But what if you have a constant craving for chocolate or potato chips? Keep in mi...

I'm so tired now that I'm pregnant. Is this normal? It's normal to feel absolutely dog-tired during pregnancy. In fact, most women find they need a great deal more sleep while pregnant, especially during the first and last trimesters. You may find your bedtime creeping earlier and earlier, and at the same time you may be hitting your snooze button more regularly. The good news is, some moms-to-be...

When you are expecting, your body goes through so many changes it's hard to know what's normal and what's cause for worry. Am I supposed to feel hot all the time? Why I am so forgetful? And what is this weird vaginal discharge? If you are noticing increased vaginal discharge as your waistline expands, you have plenty of company. During pregnancy, changing hormones and increased blood circulation ...

What is pelvic inflammatory disease? Pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID, is a serious infection of a woman's reproductive system. Every year it's contracted by about a million women in the United States. The disease is most likely to harm your Fallopian tubes, which may be badly scarred; this problem may lead to a life-threatening tubal pregnancy if you conceive. Left untreated, PID can cause ste...

What are uterine fibroids? Many of you may have first heard of fibroids when you found out a friend had them. They're generally benign tumors that grow inside your uterus and can be as small as a pea or as large as a cantaloupe. Fibroids are the most common type of growth in the pelvic region; most women who have them are between the ages of 35 and 45. Uterine fibroids contain fibrous tissue that...

What is vaginal douching? Vaginal douching is the ancient practice of rinsing the vagina for hygienic purposes. Millions of women around the world do it, and a recent survey found that in the United States nearly 30 percent of women between the ages of 20 and 40 douche regularly. Both store-bought preparations and homemade ones often consist of vinegar and water, although some women douche with w...

What causes vaginal dryness? Chronic vaginal dryness, which results from less-than-normal lubrication in your vagina, is usually caused by changes in your estrogen level. Your production of estrogen may drop while you're breastfeeding, for example; some women experience vaginal dryness all the time they're lactating, but the problem disappears once breastfeeding stops. And just before menopause, y...

What is bacterial vaginosis? Bacterial vaginosis, or BV, is an infection of the vagina that's often characterized by itchiness and excessive discharge. Although it's one of the most common vaginal infections, researchers don't yet know how it's spread. It generally affects women of childbearing age, but it's also been found in infants, children with no exposure to sex, and postmenopausal women. R...

What is preeclampsia? If you're ever tempted to skip one of your prenatal checkups, consider this: Checkups are often the only way to detect serious complications of pregnancy, such as preeclampsia, that show few outward symptoms. Preeclampsia is a toxic condition marked by increasing protein in the urine and hypertension (high blood pressure) which makes blood vessels tighten or constrict. The c...

Why should I be concerned about calcium? Calcium is important for both you and your growing baby. Your baby needs it to grow strong, healthy bones, teeth, nerves, heart, and muscles and to develop normal heart rhythm and blood clotting. If you don't get enough calcium in your diet, the fetus will leach it from your bones, which may impair your own health later on. How much of it do I need? All ad...

Should I try to eat a low-fat diet when I'm pregnant? It's easy to get confused and think that eating healthy means avoiding fat altogether. People who watch their weight avoid fat because it packs a high-calorie punch: Fat provides 9 calories per gram, more than twice the number in carbohydrates or protein. But the truth is, some kinds of fat are good for us. Our bodies need some fats in order to...

Once the nausea of early pregnancy wanes, many women look forward to enjoying their meals again. However, around the middle of pregnancy, heartburn and indigestion may spoil the party. These discomforts can happen at any time, but are more common in the second and third trimesters. Fortunately, they're rarely serious and are easily treatable. What are heartburn and indigestion? Heartburn -- whic...

Why is it important to get enough iron? Iron is used to make hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to your organs and tissues. When you're pregnant, your body makes extra blood for both you and your baby. Your body needs extra iron to make this blood and also to support your baby's rapid growth. If you don't get enough iron from your diet, your body gradually depletes its ...

A cold can be an annoyance or a major misery, depending on its severity. But if you catch a cold when you're pregnant, you may well wonder how the over-the-counter (OTC) cold remedies you usually reach for could affect your baby. Are they safe? Unfortunately, for many OTC medicines, we just don't know the answer. It would be unethical to use pregnant women as guinea pigs, so researchers rely on an...

What is vulvodynia? Vulvodynia is a puzzling syndrome in which women feel chronic pain in the vulva, which consists of the external genitals (including the clitoris, the pubic mound, and the labia). Women with the condition describe the pain as a burning, itching, rawness, or stinging, particularly during urination. This vulvar discomfort ranges from annoying to unbearable, and can be continuous o...

What is a yeast infection? At least once in their lives, most women have experienced the nearly intolerable itching caused by a vaginal yeast infection. The good news is that these infections are usually easy to treat and get rid of. Yeast (the scientific name is Candida albicans) is a fungus that flourishes in the moist areas of your body. It can grow in the digestive tract, the folds of the ski...

What is premenstrual syndrome? Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, is the common name for the collection of physical and emotional symptoms that many women experience seven to 14 days before their menstrual period begins. Most women have at least a few PMS symptoms at some point, and it's usually a minor inconvenience. However, up to 40 percent of women deal with PMS every month, and it's sometimes sev...

How do I know if I have a urinary tract infection? A urinary tract infection (UTI) isn't difficult to recognize: You'll feel a pressing need to empty your bladder every few minutes, though little or no urine may come out, and you'll feel a burning sensation when you do urinate. You may also have discomfort in your lower back or just above your pubic bone or pain during sex. Like any infection, it...

What is toxic shock syndrome? Toxic shock syndrome, or TSS, is a rare, life-threatening bacterial illness marked by high fever, lower blood pressure, rash and the shut-down of multiple organ systems. It became a household word only in the 1980s, after an epidemic of the disease was linked to tampon use. What causes it? The illness is caused by common staph bacteria that include Staphylococcus aure...

How can I prevent fractures? If osteoporosis has started to thin your bones, even a simple fall or twist can have devastating consequences. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 10 million people have osteoporosis, and almost 34 million more have low bone mass, which places them at risk for fractures. Indeed, one out of two women over 50 -- and one out of four men -- will suffer ost...

Let's face it, it's hard to find a woman in this culture who feels comfortable in her own skin. We're bombarded with so many images of thinness and perfection that women, regardless of their weight, are often unhappy with their bodies. They stand in front of their mirrors, pinching and judging, and they feel shamed. They feel fat. Their legs are too big, their breasts too small, their stomachs too...

He starts out with nothing but two cells. Nine months later, he has fingers, toes, eyelashes -- and an attitude. The transformation from an embryo to a fetus to a breathing, crying baby may be a human's most amazing accomplishment. How much do you know about your growing baby? Take this short quiz to find out. 1. Your baby's heart will start beating in the 6th week of pregnancy. How big is his h...

Many men and women are practicing birth control without even knowing it. They want to have children, but their lifestyle stands in the way. Fortunately, many people can greatly improve their chances of becoming parents by taking a few simple steps. How much do you know about the effects of lifestyle on fertility? Take this quiz to find out. 1. Which of these can threaten the fertility of both me...

Every day in the United States, more than 1,400 babies are born before their time, making premature birth the number-one cause of death and long-term disability among newborns. Small and underdeveloped, preemies face oversized challenges, but many turn out just fine. Take this short quiz to test your knowledge of premature birth. 1. Improvements in prenatal care have made premature births less c...

If you look carefully at liquor, beer, and wine bottles, you'll find a warning about drinking during pregnancy. But these cautionary labels don't tell the whole story. Alcohol has many effects on a woman's body -- effects that any mom-to-be should know. Take this short quiz to test your knowledge of alcohol and pregnancy. 1. What's generally considered to be the "safe" limit for drinking while...

Usually yeast is our friend, living in harmony with us, helping us make fluffy bread and hearty beer, even inhabiting our digestive system. But one particular fungus among us, Candida albicans, often grows beyond its normal stable levels, causing a yeast "infection" (also known as candidiasis or monilia). In the vagina, for example, an overgrowth causes itching, redness and other annoying symptoms...

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