Category Archives: Women’s Health

Gonorrhea. The G word.

Nuts-and-bolts about gonorrhea. Sexually transmitted. Symptoms are different for men and women.  For men, the most common symptom is pain with urination.  In women, less than ½ have symptoms.  When present, symptoms are vaginal discharge and pain with intercourse. 10 … Continue reading

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Breast screening guidelines have changed.

Breast cancer deaths can be reduced with effective screening.   Screening is based on age and risk factors. By age:  Women 20 years and older should be taught about breast self-awareness.    A woman should be aware of the normal feel and … Continue reading

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Decrease YOUR chance of breast cancer. . .

There are many things in life that we cannot change: our age, our gender, our family history. But, there are (what we physicians call) modifiable risk factors. To decrease your risk of breast cancer, follow these. . . . avoid … Continue reading

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The HPV vaccine is effective!

A study recently showed that HPV vaccine helped protect women against several types of cervical cancer for up to 7 years.   Seven years.  Pretty good. 2650 young women were vaccinated with quadrivalent HPV vaccine and there were no cases of severe … Continue reading

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What side effects to expect from your hormonal contraception?

Hormonal contraceptives are medicines (with hormones in it)that decrease your risk of getting pregnant.  This can be in the many forms: a pill, a patch, a ring inside the vagina, implants under the skin, or an intrauterine device. Most women … Continue reading

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IUDs

I was asked by a patient recently to discuss IUDs.  There are two kinds of intrauterine devices on the market.  One is hormonal, one is not. The hormonal IUD, a progesterone-secreting device, is called the Mirena.  It works for 5 years.  One … Continue reading

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PMS

PMS is real and if you have it (or live with someone with it) it can be really disturbing to everyone.  What is it? How can we treat it?  Read on. . . PMS is premenstrual syndrome.  It occurs the … Continue reading

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Hormone Replacement Therapy (And the Alternatives)

When I started med school, estrogen was a panacea—beneficial for nearly every postmenopausal ailment: mood, heart and bone.  Then in 2002 the Women’s Health Initiative clinical trial was published.  This showed that combined estrogen with progesterone increased the risk of … Continue reading

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Packaging Error Leads to Recall of Multiple Lots of Oral Contraceptives

A recent packaging error may make your contraceptive choice unsafe.  Please read the article to assure that your oral contraceptives are not among the recalled.  Read on. . . . Packaging Error Leads to Recall of Multiple Lots of Oral … Continue reading

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Abuse.

The Wichita Eagle newspaper ran recent stories regarding horrific domestic abuse.   As a family doctor, my focus is to keep my patients well, both emotionally and physically.  I routinely screen (meaning I ask everyone) at periodic visits like annual exams, prenatal or postpartum … Continue reading

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