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The links provided are for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for visiting your doctor. If you need medical care or have any questions, please contact your healthcare provider.

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Diabetes: Gestational

Birth Control

Birth control, also called contraception, provides a way to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. There are several forms of contraception available, including barrier methods (diaphragm), IUD, or birth control pills. Talk to your doctor about the form of birth control that may be best fits your personal and medical needs.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding offers many benefits to both the mother and baby. Breast pumping can provide a convenient way to continue breastfeeding upon returning to work.

Breast Self-Exam

A breast self exam is done to detect changes that could lead to breast cancer. To learn what is normal for your breasts and to find any problems, you should perform a breast self-exam once a month.

Diabetes and Pregnancy

Pregnancy changes the way that a woman's body processes sugar. Some women develop gestational diabetes which results in excessively high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia). Women with gestational diabetes will be advised to follow a healthy diet and get sufficient exercise to keep sugar levels at healthy levels. If those measures are not enough, daily injections of insulin may be required. Women who were diagnosed with diabetes before pregnancy will require additional blood glucose level monitoring during pregnancy.

Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a common cause of pelvic pain in women. It occurs when the uterine lining (endometrium) starts to grow outside the uterus.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a common and chronic disorder that causes widespread muscle pain, fatigue, and multiple tender points. Fibromyalgia can interfere significantly with a person's ability to carry on daily activities. Fibromyalgia treatment options includes getting sufficient sleep and exercise, as well as medications that may be help to control pain.

Headaches

Headaches are very common, but can be very disabling for some. There are different types of headaches, but migraine headaches are the most common. Hormonal headaches ("menstrual migraines") are a type of migraine headache that are triggered by a woman's menstrual cycle. Headache treatments are available that can relieve and prevent headaches, including a class of headache medications called triptans.

HPV and Genital Warts

There are more than 100 different types of the human papilloma virus (HPV) virus. Most are harmless, but a few are responsible for causing genital warts (condylomata). Genital warts occur in both men and women and are the most easily recognized sign of HPV infection. There are a variety of treatment options for genital warts depending on their size and location, including imiquimod cream, podofilox solution, freezing (cyrotherapy), electrocautery, and laser treatment. Other types of HPV viruses may cause abnormal findings on a Pap smear and can lead to cervical cancer. There are HPV vaccines available (Cervarix, Gardasil) that provide protection against the HPV viruses most likely to cause genital warts and cervical cancer.

Infertility

Infertility is a term used to describe women of childbearing age who cannot become pregnant after at least one year of trying. A series of tests may be ordered to help determine the possible cause and whether treatment efforts should focus on the man or the women. Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are available that can offer many women a signficantly greater chance of becoming pregnant.

Menopause

Menopause refers to a natural stop in a woman's menstrual period and fertility. Menopause happens because the woman's ovary stops producing the hormones estrogen and progesterone.

Menstrual Irregularities

Sometimes women have problems in their menstrual cycle called menstrual irregularities. They may not experience their periods (amenorrhea), get their periods too frequently, have unpredictable menstrual bleeding, or have painful periods (dysmenorrhea). There are a variety of conditions that can lead to changes in a woman's menstrual cycle, including uterine fibroids, endometriosis, hormonal problems (low or elevated thyroid) and others.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that increases the risk of developing fractures (broken bones). It is defined as a decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) and bone strength. Osteoporosis is the major underlying cause of fractures in postmenopausal women and the elderly. A bone mineral density (BMD) test may be used to diagnose osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is largely preventable and people who already have osteoporosis can slow its progression and reduce their risk of developing fractures. In some cases osteoporosis medications, such as bisphosphonates, may be prescribed.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks, or just more than 9 months, from the start of the last menstrual period to childbirth. Prenatal care, including exercise and a healthy diet with sufficient folic acid intake, are important steps to ensuring a healthy pregnancy. Upon becoming pregnant, a series of prenatal tests are performed to follow the health of the mother and baby, including blood tests, urine tests, and prenatal ultrasound.

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