Women’s Health
SIDE EFFECTS OF HRT: MOOD SWINGS
Progestogens can cause profound side effects similar to those associated with pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), such as breast tenderness, abdominal cramps, fluid retention, weight gain, headaches, depression, irritability and tiredness. So not only are women experiencing these side effects, but they are also having a withdrawal bleed when the progestogen is finished for each cycle. Many [...]
TEENAGE PREGNANCIES REQUIRE SPECIAL SHAPE-UPS
Teenage mothers have greater nutritional needs than women who have already completed their adult growth. Dietary iron is usually low in young women, and the stress of pregnancy can lead to anemia. Also, teenage mothers often have low calcium levels, which, if uncorrected, can endanger both mother and baby. Because of nutritional inadequacies, teenage mothers [...]
HYSTERECTOMY: QUESTIONS OFTEN ASKED
My sex life has deteriorated since having a hysterectomy a year ago, partly bemuse I find it difficult to get interested in sex. I don’t feel comfortable talking to my surgeon about this and I’m wondering who else could help. Loss of interest in sex after hysterectomy may be due to reduced levels of sex [...]
FERTILITY PROBLEMS: SOME STEPS OF THE FOUR-MONTH PRECONCEPTION PLAN
Eating a Healthy Diet This is the most important step because good nutrition is the foundation on which your health is built and the key to increasing your chances of conceiving. Look at what you are eating and drinking, buy organic food where possible, eat a good variety of food (including fish, nuts, seeds, fresh [...]
BREAST CANCER: CHEMOTHERAPY AND HAIR LOSS
Sometimes hair begins to grow back before the end of chemotherapy. This does not mean that the drugs are not working! It is just more evidence that everyone is different. As your hair grows in, it will probably be curly (even if you have always had straight hair). It may straighten out as it gets [...]
BREAST CANCER/RADIATION THERAPY: RADIATION PLANNING
Before beginning radiation, you will have an appointment for radiation planning. This is a painless procedure, but one which many women find emotionally difficult because the environment is strange and the machines may seem quite intimidating. Ask questions if you wish. You will be asked to lie still, your hand up under your head and [...]
BREAST CANCER: SURGICAL CHOICES (LOCAL TREATMENT)
You may need to decide simultaneously about both local (mastectomy or lumpectomy/ radiation) and systemic (chemotherapy or hormone therapy) treatments. You will feel confused and overwhelmed. Again, remember that your best resources are your doctors, other women who have gone through this, and information from books, medical journals, and magazines. Again, it may be important [...]
BREAST CANCER/PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS: CONCERNS OF SINGLE WOMEN
Women who do not have life partners may experience special stresses and worries as they move through the experience of having breast cancer. Remember that being married or having a committed, significant other is no guarantee of receiving unconditional and constant support. Many single women have friends who serve as family during this crisis in [...]
BREAST CANCER: CHOOSE YOUR TEAM
In the immediate aftermath of hearing that you have breast cancer, you may find it is difficult to think clearly and make the choices that will influence the rest of your treatment. You may be completely satisfied with the doctor or hospital where you heard the diagnosis, or you may wish to consider other possibilities. [...]
ENDOMETRIOSIS: ADENOMYOSIS
If endometriotic tissue is stuck within the muscle wall of the uterus it is called adenomyosis. Adenomyosis is a condition related to endometriosis, but it typically affects older women (often in their forties) who have had pregnancies in the past. It may present as increasingly painful and heavy periods, which occasionally may be irregular. A [...]