Women’s health

869 articles · Since 2011

Articles, page 20

Giving birth during the COVID-19 pandemic: an obstetric anesthesiologist’s perspective

April 2, 2020Apr 2, 2020

“It’s a strange time to be having a baby,” my patient said as she sat alone in her labor room. The state order to shelter-in-place in California had left her family with few options as her husband had to stay home to take care of their toddler. She is one of many pregnant women who do not have the choice to even consider a home birth due to her congenital …

Physician voices

How struggling to breastfeed made me a better pediatrician

Priya N. Jain, MD

March 11, 2020Mar 11, 2020

"You're a pediatrician; you already know everything." "Full-term babies latch easily and basically breastfeed themselves." "I didn't have trouble breastfeeding, so you should be fine." I heard a lot of comments like this from friends and family when I was…

“You’re a pediatrician; you already know everything.”

“Full-term babies latch easily and basically breastfeed themselves.”

“I didn’t have trouble breastfeeding, so you should be fine.”

I heard a lot of comments like this from friends and family when I was pregnant. However, when I became a mom, I was woefully under-prepared to answer my own questions when it came to breastfeeding. I knew I wanted to breastfeed my daughter, and exclusively of course, …

Conditions and diseases

More is not always better with fertility treatment

Claire Jones, MD & Eileen McMahon, NP

February 18, 2020Feb 18, 2020

The fertility clinic waiting room is a space where many people will find themselves at some point in their lives. In spite of cheery music, shared success stories, infertility awareness weeks, and positive media campaigns, this can be a challenging…

About one in six Canadians experience fertility problems — these range from difficulties getting pregnant to difficulties staying pregnant and experiencing pregnancy loss.

As fertility specialists, we know that …

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Conditions and diseases

What happens when abortion services aren’t available

Anonymous

February 17, 2020Feb 17, 20209

In my very first job as a doctor — working in a London hospital in the 1980s. I always took a ridiculously detailed past medical history for every patient I saw. I started to notice how many elderly women had had septicemia, a life-threatening infection in which enormous amounts of bacteria enter the bloodstream.

The neighborhood surrounding the hospital had once been the worst slum in London. And it didn’t take …

Medical education

Patient bias may endanger both physicians of today and the future

Olamide Omidele

February 17, 2020Feb 17, 20202

The truth is: While physicians are not allowed to discriminate against their patients, patients are allowed to discriminate against their physicians. This is particularly true in the private sector, fueled by online physician profiles permitting patients to choose provider characteristics…

The truth is: While physicians are not allowed to discriminate against their patients, patients are allowed to discriminate against their physicians.

This is particularly true in the private sector, fueled by online physician profiles permitting patients to choose provider characteristics ranging from those as benign as Ivy League training background to those as problematic as racial ethnicity. In this setting, the U.S.’s free-market economy reigns supreme — freedom of choice is …

Conditions and diseases

Cervical cancer guidelines leaves women confused about annual pelvic exams

Lisa N. Abaid, MD, MPH

February 11, 2020Feb 11, 20202

There is good news and bad news in the world of women’s health. The good news is that women do not need annual Pap smears. The bad news is that, upon hearing the good news, many women incorrectly assume they…

There is good news and bad news in the world of women’s health.

The good news is that women do not need annual Pap smears. The bad news is that, upon hearing the good news, many women incorrectly assume they no longer need annual pelvic exams, either.

Historically, Pap smears were performed annually, and during the same time as pelvic exams, so it is understandable why women would conflate the two. But …

Physician voices

Doing extra for a patient or overstepping boundaries?

Jacques Balayla, MD, MPH

January 9, 2020Jan 9, 2020

I wanted to go the extra mile for my patient. The resistance I found was unexpected. She was young. Her life — an incredible journey in diplomatic circles — was crippled too soon by a recurring disease that would ultimately…

I wanted to go the extra mile for my patient. The resistance I found was unexpected.

She was young. Her life — an incredible journey in diplomatic circles — was crippled too soon by a recurring disease that would ultimately prevail. Day after day, I’d round on her in what seemed like a pointless exercise, waiting for the inevitable to come. Another round of chemotherapy would have to wait for her …

Drugs and prescribing

Hormone replacement therapy is still linked to cancer

Martha Rosenberg

December 31, 2019Dec 31, 20198

It is a fluke of the news cycle that if we don't hear a product warning frequently, we can "forgive" that product and think it has somehow become safe. While no one would "forgive" cigarettes, lead in drinking water or…

It is a fluke of the news cycle that if we don’t hear a product warning frequently, we can “forgive” that product and think it has somehow become safe. While no one would “forgive” cigarettes, lead in drinking water or mercury in tuna, the public has definitely softened on the danger of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopause. So it is noteworthy that a recently released …

Medical education

The excitement of clinical rotations: Not just learning medicine but doing medicine

Orly Farber

December 27, 2019Dec 27, 2019

The first time a woman went into the final stage of labor, I watched from a corner of the room. As a third-year medical student, I was on my six-week clinical rotation in obstetrics and gynecology, and it was day one of the two-week portion on the labor and delivery floor. As a loudspeaker announcement projected over the woman’s screams, and nurses and doctors rushed in response, I instinctively clasped …

Conditions and diseases

Stop FGM: female genital massacre

Pankti P. Acharya

December 15, 2019Dec 15, 20192

The Somalian government should be ashamed of condoning the widespread occurrence of female genital mutilation. According to UNICEF, 98 percent of women from the ages 15 to 49 have undergone FGM in Somalia from 2005 to 2014. As defined by…

As defined by the World Health Organization, FGM is a procedure that removes or injures female genitalia for a non-medical purpose. This procedure has absolutely no health benefits for women. …

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Stop FGM: female genital massacre

Conditions and diseases

Is it more dangerous for your baby to be born at home?

Christopher Johnson, MD

December 11, 2019Dec 11, 20196

The debate over the safety of giving birth at home, both for the mother and for the infant, has continued for years. I’ve written about the issue myself. From time immemorial until about 75 years ago or so, most babies were born at home. Now it’s around 1 percent in the USA, although it’s much higher than that in many Western European countries. The shift to hospital births …

Health policy

The climbing rates of maternal mortality in Black women

Shani R. Scott, MD

December 9, 2019Dec 9, 20192

To put it simply, I’m scared by news headlines and conversations about the climbing rates of maternal mortality among Black women. I’m not surprised, however. As an internist, I regularly marvel at the advances that have been made in Western…

The conversation about the state of Black women’s health has reached a …

Physician voices

There’s no place like labor and delivery for the holidays

Rakhi Dimino, MD

December 5, 2019Dec 5, 2019

It’s that time of year when the weather outside is growing colder, the evenings seem to kick off way too early in the day, and the decorations around town remind all of us all of the fast-approaching holiday season. But…

But for many of us obstetricians, this can often translate into anxiety over how often we’ll be pulled away from long-scheduled holiday activities to rush to the hospital

…

Conditions and diseases

Why abortion care is women’s health care

Ton La, Jr., MD, JD

December 4, 2019Dec 4, 20198

On January 22, 1973, Roe v. Wade established a woman’s fundamental right to abortion nationwide. Roe v. Wade should not be overruled because women having universal access to abortion services means women have the right to choose what is best for their health care. This is how health care should be in that if there is a viable medical option for the patient to pursue, the patient should have the …

Physician voices

I’m a surgeon and I don’t depend on narcotics

Lee Hammons, MD

November 27, 2019Nov 27, 20199

I recently had a conversation with a new patient who was referred for surgery. As it happens, she discussed me with people she knew before her appointment. I like patients to look me up, talk to friends, find out who…

I recently had a conversation with a new patient who was referred for surgery.

As it happens, she discussed me with people she knew before her appointment. I like patients to look me up, talk to friends, find out who I am, and come with an expectation of what they will get in my clinic. We had a normal new patient visit, and per my typical workflow, I explained the agenda: …

Physician voices

Choosing family over medicine: Why I decided to leave clinical medicine

Kelli Randell, MD

November 19, 2019Nov 19, 20192

When my obstetrician told me I was not going back to my clinic that afternoon due to severe preeclampsia, I was so indoctrinated that my first thought was of the inconvenience to my patients who would need to be rescheduled. Only a few minutes later did it register that I would be giving birth sooner than I had anticipated, and my new life as “working mother” would begin.

I was due …

Conditions and diseases

“I did not want a baby”: A medical student faces her hardest choice

Anonymous

November 2, 2019Nov 2, 20192

I did not want a baby. As a 26-year-old third-year medical student who had quite recently ended a far from ideal relationship -- of this, I was certain. On vacation, in New York City, walking in Soho carelessly, I laughed…

I did not want a baby. As a 26-year-old third-year medical student who had quite recently ended a far from ideal relationship — of this, I was certain.

On vacation, in New York City, walking in Soho carelessly, I laughed with my friend Noelle over the fragility of condoms. “Trust me,” I said. “They break.”

How many months in my sexually active life did I apprehensively count and recount the number of …

Health policy

What can be done to improve our maternal death rate?

Robert Pearl, MD

October 18, 2019Oct 18, 20196

Why does the most expensive health care system on the planet do such a poor job protecting the lives of pregnant women? More important, what can be done about it? The United States continues to lead the world in health…

Why does the most expensive health care system on the planet do such a poor job protecting the lives of pregnant women? More important, what can be done about it?

The United States continues to lead the world in health care spending yet it has the highest maternal death rate among wealthy nations. Researchers have found that maternal mortality in the United States increased by 26.6% from …

Physician voices

The medical illiteracy epidemic

Nicolai Hinds, MD

October 14, 2019Oct 14, 20196

This past August, I attended the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) District VI meeting in Wisconsin. The theme of this year's meeting was "Bringing it Back Home," with a keynote presentation focused on developing the emotional habits to…

This past August, I attended the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) District VI meeting in Wisconsin. The theme of this year’s meeting was “Bringing it Back Home,” with a keynote presentation focused on developing the emotional habits to influence others and “embody the inner attitude of a leader.”

After a day of much self-reflection, I decided to stop by the poster presentations during a break between the major talks. …

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The medical illiteracy epidemic

Women’s health

Articles, page 20

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