OB/GYN

Physicians should invest time in work-life balance: It’s priceless

Physician

January 19, 2016

“As a mom and a doctor, what advice would you give a third-year medical student trying to choose a specialty?” the bright-eyed med student asked me.

Her smile was ear to ear, and I didn’t want to burst her bubble. This is a complicated question to ask and the answers change as life changes. I chose OB/GYN because it was the only specialty I truly fell in love with. For me, …

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

Jennifer Gunter, MD

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 …

Physicians looking for a new job should beware these 4 red flags

Eve Shvidler, MD

Physician

November 26, 2015

Recruitment season is my favorite time of year. The CVs pile into the database, and we sift through the resumes, searching for candidates that would make a great fit for our organization. Next, I get on the phone and assess their level of interest and try to sell them on everything we have to offer. We fly them out for a live interview, and the negotiations begin.

Last year was a …

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 …

You have no idea what it’s like working in the ER as a pregnant physician

Archana Reddy Shrestha, MD

Physician

November 9, 2015

When I was pregnant with my first child, I worked full time as a physician in the emergency department. I worked mostly 9-hour shifts, but some 12-hour shifts as well. Days, evenings, nights, holidays and weekends were divided up amongst the entire group of physicians. I worked my share of those shifts as well.

I have worked in the ER while pregnant twice now, and while I am proud to be …

Maternity leave for physicians is a disgrace. It’s time to fix that.

Anonymous

Physician

October 22, 2015

Netflix listens to doctors. Google, Facebook, and Apple listen to doctors. The United States Navy and Marine Corps listen.

The above companies have updated their maternity leave policies — lengthening them all past 12 weeks. And all paid.

But yet, health care doesn’t listen to doctors. And let me tell you how.

I am pregnant. Which is a blessing in of itself. In fact, this is my 4th pregnancy, but I only have one child living. …

The time I was a 16-year-old standardized patient

Freida McFadden, MD

Physician

October 4, 2015

An excerpt from 11 out of 10: A Collection of Humorous Medical Short Stories.

When I was 16, I got a job as a “standardized patient.” My neighbor worked for a medical school, and they needed standardized patients for their medical students to practice talking to. Because apparently you can …

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. …

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 …

You might be missing a PCOS diagnosis. Here are 10 reasons why.

Poppy Daniels, MD

Conditions

July 31, 2015

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is becoming a significant problem in women’s health. Between 1 in 10 to 20 women have the condition, although more than 50 percent remain undiagnosed. PCOS is the leading cause of female infertility and women who do become pregnant have higher rates of miscarriage, preterm birth, and gestational diabetes.

Women with PCOS have a greater likelihood of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and endometrial cancer than women without …

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

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Conditions

July 12, 2015

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 …

You’ll be shocked to see what an emergency C-section is really like

Heather Rupe, DO

Conditions

July 7, 2015

The scalpel hits the skin immediately, splaying it open with one smooth swipe. Two more swipes through yellow globular fat and I hit the glistening white fascia layer. If this weren’t an emergency, I would stop to carefully cauterize the small bleeding blood vessels in the fat layer, but there is no time for that now. I nick the middle of …

10 reasons to have your baby at a birth center

Poppy Daniels, MD

Physician

June 5, 2015

1. Due to intermittent monitoring versus continuous fetal monitoring which is standard in the hospital, the patient has increased mobility and a wider range of laboring positions/options: sitting, standing, walking, water, birthing balls. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has agreed that there is not a medical benefit to continuous fetal monitoring compared to intermittent monitoring in low-risk women.

2. …

A medical student on her obstetrics rotation: Behind the scenes

Freida McFadden, MD

Education

May 23, 2015

An excerpt form Baby City: An Inside Look into Labor & Delivery.

I am going to make this medical student cry.

I don’t know how I know it, but somehow I can sense it. I know it the second she walks into the resident room on labor and delivery at Cadence …

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 …

Back pain during pregnancy: Advice from a neurosurgeon

Matt Ammerman, MD

Conditions

May 12, 2015

For many women, pregnancy is a wonderful experience. There are, however, many changes and challenges the mom-to-be can expect, and back pain is one of them. The good news for pregnant women is that the development of severe or debilitating low back pain is very rare.

The incidence of symptomatic low back pain that is severe is about 1 to 2 percent. …

Boarded to death: When will testing for doctors ever end?

Brian Levine, MD

Education

April 2, 2015

I am relieved and proud to report that I passed my boards: I am officially a diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. While the oddly formal “diplomate” is a term in common use with physicians, I didn’t understand what “diplomate” and its sister phrase “board-certified physician” meant until I undertook my own board preparation.

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a memorably stressful element of applying to …

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

Antibiotics during gynecological surgery: When are they necessary?

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Conditions

December 9, 2014

Preventing infection after surgery is very important as not only are these infections often uncomfortable and make you feel very sick, but they also increase the risk of more serious complications. For example, if you are less mobile because of an infection after surgery you are at higher risk for a blood clot or if you need a prolonged hospitalization because of an infection in your surgical wound you are …

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