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Seven known risks for UTERINE CANCER
by Jacqueline S. Thompson, MD, FACOG
Ann was right to be concerned about any amount of bleeding after menopause because bleeding is the most frequent early sign of uterine cancer – 90% of known cancer patients see some degree of bleeding.
It had been a tough week for me in my medical office, and I had already given out a cancer diagnosis earlier that same week. I was dreading the possibility of having to do that again. My next patient was seeing me to follow up on a test that I had done a few days earlier. I tentatively opened the chart to see the result before sitting down with her.
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Vaginitis: It’s not always what you think
by Karen A. Thomas, MD
Research shows that women frequently misdiagnose vaginal infections and in fact, one study revealed that only thirty-four percent of women who thought they had a yeast infection were correct.
Everyday, women call my office requesting prescription treatment for a presumed vaginal infection. Marcia, age fifty-one and struggling with menopause, is a typical example.
“Dr. Thomas, I’ve got another yeast infection,” she said when I returned her call. “I have that white discharge again and the itching is terrible. Can’t you just call something in to the pharmacy; I’m too busy to come to the office.”
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Hormone Replacement Therapy… is it the right choice for you?
by Charles R.B. Beckmann, MD, MHPE, FACOG
As you grow older, you expect to grow older better than did your mothers and grandmothers, and you want good information to know how to do just that, including the straight story about Hormone Replacement Therapy.
If you live without major illness to your 50’s, the odds in our times are that you will live into your 80’s. Because the average age of menopause in America is about 52, you can expect to live about 1/3 of your life in the menopause. And, it’s a gilt-edged certainty that you do not plan to spend the time rocking on the front porch in a shawl and headscarf!
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Where has my sex drive gone?
by Jacqueline S. Thompson, MD, FACOG
The question of what will help improve sex drive is one that millions of women across the country would love to have answered
Karen is a 30-year-old, happily married woman with a three-year-old child; she works at least 40 hours a week, tries to stay in reasonably good health, and just had a normal routine annual gynecological check up. As I was walking out of the room, she stopped me with the classic “oh, by the way, doctor, I just want to ask you about this one problem.” That’s when I knew I was going to be dealing with something more than just a little skin rash that she forgot to mention.
“I have no interest in having sex anymore. Is there something you can give me for that?”
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When it comes to ovarian cancer screening we’re not there, yet
by Jacqueline S. Thompson, MD, FACOG
Ovarian cancer is truly a devastating disease and is one of the leading causes of cancer death in women.
Until fairly recent times, hardly a week would go by when I did not receive an email, forwarded multiple times as a rule, that implored me to “ask my doctor” to order a CA-125 test for ovarian cancer. Usually, the email would detail the life and tragic death of comedian Gilda Radner and how her life could have been saved if only she had taken this little blood test. The messages would invariably end with a request that I forward the email to as many female friends and relatives as I could and thus save their lives. I only wish it were that easy.
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Hysterectomy
by Jacqueline S. Thompson, MD, FACOG
when is it right for uterine fibroids?
While walking through my office recently, I took a moment to reflect on a wall poster that touted alternatives to hysterectomy. “Ask your doctor,” it proclaimed, but I had a tough time recalling a patient bringing this up with me unless I first broached the subject. Still, the poster reminded me of how important it is to explore the reasons for considering removal of the uterus and to weigh those against the potential risks.
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New Advances in the fight against Cervical Disease
by Jacqueline S. Thompson, MD, FACOG
Who would imagine that a virus was the cause of certain types of cancer? It’s beyond conjecture now because research has shown that the connection is definite. Human papilloma virus, or HPV for short, has been identified as the major player in cervical cancer, and women all over the world can benefit from new knowledge about this most common sexually transmitted disease. For many years, medical researchers have known about the HPV – cancer connection, but until recently there was little ability to affect the disease process. Now, with a newly released vaccine to target the specific strains of HPV known to be most responsible for cervical cancer, there is finally a weapon with which to fight. But what is this virus exactly, and why will a vaccine decrease the incidence of cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancers?
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