Jennifer Gunter, MD

This doctor won’t prescribe Addyi, the “female Viagra.” Here’s why.

Meds

January 9, 2016

Addyi (flibanserin), the drug to increase female libido had a timid entry into the market with very few prescriptions considering the “hype.” Bloomberg Business reported 227 prescriptions in the first month. That’s a pittance considering Valeant paid $1 billion for the drug.

I am unlikely to help Valeant recoup their investment, because the more I read about this drug, the worse it looks. Here’s why:

It barely works

One of the study endpoints (meaning …

The HPV vaccine is safe. Now will that stop shoddy reporting?

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Meds

November 22, 2015

Last year, there was a rash of ill-researched articles in the press claiming a connection between the HPV vaccine and POTS (postural orthostatic hypotension syndrome) and CRPS (chronic regional pain syndrome). Toronto Star, The Independent, Daily Mail I’m looking at you.

These articles read like propaganda for anti-HPV vaccine groups. They all followed such a similar format that I wondered if they …

Don’t make yourself look like Barbie to fit into yoga pants. Please.

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Conditions

November 15, 2015

The New York Post is reporting that women in New York are getting labiaplasties to look and feel better in tight athletic wear. They quote a patient, Veronica R., as wanting to “look like Barbie.”

According to the Post, on the Upper East Side in New York there are apparently “a large number” of women who want to look “sleeker in so-called athleisure wear, made from Lycra-like fabrics that often …

After a drug overdose: Is it malpractice or murder?

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Physician

September 15, 2015

Is a doctor guilty of malpractice or murder or is the patient responsible for his or her actions when there is a death by overdose?

This is the question that a jury in Los Angeles will have to decide as they are presented the facts in the case of Dr. Lisa Tseng.

The prosecution’s version is that Dr. Tseng handed out opioids like candy without any regard for standard of care. …

Kim Kardashian’s first trimester nausea: The truth behind Diclegis

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Meds

September 2, 2015

It was only a matter of time before Kim Kardashian posted a picture on her Instagram account with a bottle of Diclegis, basically announcing her brand partnership with Duchesnay, the manufacturer of the prescription medication for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Duchesnay had been tweeting for ages that they were so relieved Kim had found help with Diclegis — so much so that I was wondering if Ms. …

What happens when you can’t find a skilled doctor to do a D&E

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Physician

August 26, 2015

“Dr. Gunter, I think, uh, there’s a fetal skull in the abdomen,” my resident said with that hesitancy that says I want you to tell me I’m wrong. The first time you diagnose something that is very bad you actually hope you are mistaken and want someone more senior to reassure you that you are overreacting and tell you that this is just an odd presentation of something benign.

“I’ll be …

Please, don’t eat your placenta. Here’s why.

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Conditions

August 14, 2015

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Every few news cycles placenta-eating seems to make the rounds. I’ve already seen it a couple of times this year, so I figured the Internet is trying to tell me something.

Some women, but mostly those who recommend and/or prepare placenta for them, think that ingesting placenta can cure/help postpartum depression and possibly a host of other postpartum ills and issues. Some …

What to do when your doctor says you can’t have an IUD

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Conditions

July 12, 2015

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I hear this fairly often: Women telling me they asked their GYN for an IUD and were told that they couldn’t because they had never had children. Their GYNs are wrong and unfortunately it’s not just a few who think this way.

A study from last year tells us that 32 percent of OB/GYNs think that women who have never …

Are we ready for a single-dose HPV vaccine?

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Meds

June 29, 2015

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A new paper in the journal Lancet Oncology evaluates outcomes after vaccination with Cervarix, which is the HPV vaccine that is effective against the 2 most oncogenic (cancer-causing) strains: HPV 16 and 18. The paper is actually a compilation of results from two studies of Cervarix among women ages 15-25 and now has four years of follow-up data on more …

HPV vaccine after age 26: Should you get one?

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Conditions

June 14, 2015

Currently the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccines are approved in the United States up to the age of 26. This has nothing to do with safety but due to the fact that the studies submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) involved this age range. The HPV vaccines were primarily studied in women aged 26 years and younger because age …

She took Zofran and her son had a heart defect. Here’s why she’s not suing.

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Conditions

May 15, 2015

I suffered from extreme nausea during my pregnancy; I had triplets, and I’m pretty sure I had a triple dose. I never threw up, but you know how your mouth salivates the moment right before you vomit, that sensation that sends you running to the bathroom? I had that. All. Day. Long. For four weeks.

By day four or five I was …

Hillary Clinton’s hormones have nothing to do with her qualifications

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Physician

April 27, 2015

Time magazine published this article about why Hillary Clinton is the perfect age to run for president.

The author, Dr. Holland who is a psychiatrist, chose not to focus on Ms. Clinton’s vast political experience or her education but rather on Ms. Clinton’s menopausal status.

Yes, you read that right, when it comes to qualifications for president of the United States menopause trumps a …

The case of Purvi Patel: Scoring anti-choice political points

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Physician

April 1, 2015

Purvi Patel was found guilty of both feticide and child neglect in Indiana in February and now faces 70 years in jail. A jury deliberated for about 5 hours, even though there are no facts supporting either the feticide claim or the neglect, never mind the travesty that child neglect and feticide are incompatible charges. It’s hard to neglect a baby you have already been found guilty of killing as a fetus. …

Surprise! When it comes to a vaginal hysterectomy, this insurance company gets it right.

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Conditions

March 16, 2015

The preferred route for a hysterectomy is vaginal. This means the entire surgery is done through the vagina with no incisions in the abdomen of any kind. The joke among surgeons is that it is a bit like taking a car apart through the muffler. While doing surgery entirely through the vagina may sound highly complex, it’s really just like any surgery. A vaginal hysterectomy done correctly it is an …

No, you don’t need a vagina facial

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Conditions

February 20, 2015

I saw this little news item from Shape Magazine about “vagina facials.”

First of all, the post means vulva. The vagina is inside and the vulva is the outside (where your underwear touches your skin). The vestibule is in between.

This what Shape Magazine had to say about it:

Created by Lisa Palmer, the facial came about after she “looked downstairs” and realized her vulva …

Read more…

No, you don’t need a vagina facial

5 things to remember when considering vaccines

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Meds

February 12, 2015

The measles outbreak from Disneyland is a potent reminder of a) how infectious measles actually is; and, b) what happens when people don’t vaccinate.

However, despite a mountain of evidence that vaccination is safe and does not cause autism or immune dysfunction or really anything terrible at all people still refuse. I live in a county that is on the leading edge of this scientific ignorance, but we are not …

10 natural ways to treat menstrual cramps, backed by evidence

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Meds

January 20, 2015

Most women report some painful or discomfort with their period. However, some women have killer cramps (the medical term is severe dysmenorrhea) and for many of them life goes on a 3 to 5-day hold once a month.

Period pain is due to release of a substance called prostaglandins from the lining of the uterus during menstruation. Prostaglandins help the uterus contract …

Scared of the flu vaccine? Let’s see what’s really inside it.

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Meds

January 14, 2015

Dangerous ingredients, like toxins, antifreeze, and mercury, are touted by many as reasons to decline vaccination against influenza. However, toxin is an inaccurate term regarding vaccines (a toxin is a poisonous substance made by cells or organisms and is definitely not in any vaccine), mercury is a non-issue (see below), and there is no antifreeze in vaccines (although some contain propylene glycol, …

3 ways to use bacon as medical treatment

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Conditions

January 8, 2015

You might think of bacon, that thing of gustatory beauty that is salted, cured pork, as just pleasure for your taste buds. However, one of the first medical facts I learned in 2015 was that bacon has medicinal purposes (apart from making you feel better after eating it). With this new knowledge at hand, the time just seemed right for a …

The risks of water births cannot be dismissed

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Conditions

January 2, 2015

Water births, delivering a baby so it is born underwater, are controversial medically because while they are promoted as safe and natural by some midwives and lay midwives they are not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Congress of OB/GYN. (Laboring in a tub in an entirely different thing.)

The January 2015 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases is reporting the …