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Stacey Barrie M.D. Offers Advice for Attaining and Maintaining a Healthy Weight Free At Free Seminar April 26 Learn more
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According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 5 women will suffer from excess menstrual bleeding during their lifetime. These women have been labeled “Silent Sufferers.” A study reported that only 5% women recalled that their doctor inquired about menstrual bleeding patterns as part of their annual physical exam; whereas 38% of these physicians reported doing so; Why the ...
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Cervical cancer is typically slow growing, and most cancers are found in women who have never been screened or who have not been screened in the past 5 years. Annual screening with PAP testing has been shown to lead to a very small increase in cancers prevented, but greatly increases the number of unnecessary procedures and treatments. Transient Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infections are common ...
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Most contraindications to oral contraceptives (OC) are due to the estrogen component in the pill. Clearly, there are women for whom OCs should not be prescribed. These include women who have a history of migraines with aura due to the increased risk of stroke. Women with uncontrolled high blood pressure or smokers older than age 35 should not be prescribed OCs because of increased heart disease ...
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Sometimes it’s the little things that can make a big difference. Here are 7 practical, evidence-based recommendations you and your doctor can implement now to improve contraceptive care: Do not require a pelvic examination before prescription of an oral contraceptivef Both the World Health Organization and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend doctors consider a ...
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Over the years we have been presented with pregnant patient’s concerns about something that a well intending friend or relative has warned them to be cautious about. We asked our staff to share with us their favorites. Here’s a brief, albeit entertaining, list: Reaching above your head will cause the umbilical cord to wrap around the baby’s neck. If you see something ugly when ...
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With the frequent use of transvaginal ultrasound, CT scans, and MRIs; the diagnosis of uterine polyps has increased. Endometrial polyps are small growth from the inner lining of the uterus. They occur in menstruating and postmenopausal women, and in some cases are thought to be related to unopposed estrogen and medications like tamoxifen. Some women are asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis; ...
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The discovery that persistent cervical infection by sexually transmitted high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) causes virtually all cervical cancer has led to revolutionary advances in cervical cancer prevention, including HPV vaccination for young women and HPV testing. A recent article published in the Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology found a number of disturbing patterns regarding overuse ...
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Perimenopause, also called the menopausal transition is a vaguely defined phase when a woman’s body progresses from previous predictable cycles of ovulation and resulting menstruation that concludes with menopause—the complete absence of menstrual bleeding for 12 consecutive months. While the average age of menopause is approximately 51, it can occur anytime in your 40’s and up ...
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This week the government demolished it’s well-known food pyramid. Criticized as too complex to understand, it is replaced with a new, simpler image of a plate divided into basic food groups, called MyPlate. It was conceived as a crucial part of the first lady’s, Michelle Obama’s, campaign against obesity, designed to remind consumers about the basics of a healthful diet. The ...
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Based on review of approximately one thousand published clinical studies (who has time to read that much?) the Institute of Medicine recently updated their recommendations for daily intake of vitamin D and calcium for bone health. They specifically desire to counter the widespread hype about an “epidemic” of vitamin D deficiency. Included in their recommendations is that a vitamin D ...
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A new study published in the journal Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology found that administering progesterone reduced the rate of preterm birth by 45% among women with a shortened cervix. A short cervix is known to increase the risk for preterm birth. The cervix is the part of the uterus that opens and shortens during labor. The study also found that infants born to women who had received ...
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Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a serious infection of the female reproductive organs—not vaginitis such as yeast. The infection starts in the cervix, which is the opening of the uterus into the vagina. It then moves up through the uterus and fallopian tubes, where it enters the abdomen. PID is most common among younger women who have sex, especially with multiple partners. Two common ...
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Too often couples who count on condoms for contraception feel they’re well protected against unplanned pregnancies. As financial investment disclosures warn, “Past performance is no guarantee of future performance.” Statistics show over the course of one year approximately 15% of these couples become pregnant. Whether the condom accidentally broke or was forgotten, it’s ...
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It is the little things that can make a BIG difference and this is so true with bladder control. As toddlers, we are potty trained. Ironically, as we grow old in the circle of life we often regress and revisit bladder control issues. For women this most commonly manifests itself as stress urinary incontinence and urge incontinence (AKA: Overactive bladder ). The embarrassment and humiliation keeps ...
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Menstrual migraines (MM) are one of the most common disabling conditions in women’s health as they tend to be more severe, prolonged, and more resistant to treatment than those that occur at other times. A menstrual migraine is defined as a migraine headache that has it’s onset within a five day window, beginning two days before and through the 3rd day of menstruation. Two of the ...
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Upfront costs of contraception may be misleading. Birth control pills (OCPs) range in cost from about $10 for generics to $45 for branded pills per cycle, yet 5% of couples conceive while using them. More astounding are the multitude of people who count on condoms for protection, which are extremely cheap at less than one dollar per use, yet they are unaware of a failure rate of approximately 15% ...
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We have previously covered common causes of heavy menstrual periods–fibroids, polyps, & hormonal dysfunctional bleeding–as well as treatments. Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most frequent inherited bleeding disorder, effecting up to 1% of women. The condition results from a deficiency, dysfunction, or absence of a protein in the blood aptly named after its discoverer, von ...
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Every type of contraception is safer than the condition it is preventing… pregnancy. Ironically many people believe the contrary. So this is a great starting point for contraceptive counseling. Recently there has been an onslaught of TV commercials, produced by lawyers, soliciting patients who utilize birth control pills containing the progestin drospirenone: Yasmin®, Yaz®, and the ...
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Hysterectomy, the removal of only the uterus, remains one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the United States; more than 600,000 operations are completed each year. Most patients undergoing hysterectomy, (approximately 90%) do so for benign conditions (eg. Fibroids). The surgical approach used to perform the procedure has evolved significantly and indeed continues to evolve. ...
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Traditionally gynecologists have been trained to recommend preventative removal of a woman’s ovaries (oophorectomy) if she is older than 45 when she undergoes a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) for benign disease. It has been recommended to prevent ovarian cancer and avert the potential for other ovarian problems, like cysts, that might require future surgery. There is general agreement ...
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The absence of menstrual periods for a minimum of one year is the hallmark of menopause. Premature ovarian failure (POF) is the term usually used to describe women entering menopause before the age of 40. Surprisingly, about 25% of these women may ovulate and some even conceive after the diagnosis is made, so some specialists suggest that it may be more appropriate to refer to this as ...
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Pelvic floor disorders, including urinary and fecal incontinence as well as prolapse, affect 1 in 4 non‑pregnant women. Not surprisingly, the incidence increases with age from 10% in their 20’s to almost 50% in their 80’s, and also with bodyweight. Specifically, 1 in 6 women report concerns about bladder control. A recent study reported that incontinent women spend on average $900 per ...
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Implanon® has been FDA approved for over three years and remains underutilized as one of the most effective hormonal contraceptives ever developed. It is a flexible plastic rod the size of a matchstick that is inserted under the skin on the inner side of a woman’s upper arm. Implanon® contains a progestin called etonogestrel, also found in some birth control pills. Implanon® ...
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In the United States the incidence of cervical cancer has decreased more than 50% in the past 30 years because of widespread screening with the Pap smear. Attributable deaths have undergone a similar decrease. The discovery of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) as a necessary factor in cancer of the cervix has resulted in the development of new screening technologies and vaccines. Consequently, ...
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