D. Ashley Hill, MD

Yeast infections are one of the most common infections occurring in women. Although they are rarely dangerous, they can be very bothersome and uncomfortable.

Genital warts, also called condylomata, is a common infection of the female reproductive tract.

Although genital herpes is common there are a lot of misperceptions about this sexually transmitted infection. Genital herpes is caused by a virus, called Herpes Simplex Virus, or "HSV" for short.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, or PID, is an infectious disease that affects millions of U.S. women and girls each year. Although usually surprisingly easy to treat, it can be hard to diagnose, and can lead to many long-term and troublesome complications.

Sexual desire is a normal and natural feeling for women and men. However, sexual desire can change over time, and can increase or decrease depending on the situation.

Painful sexual intercourse, called dyspareunia in medical terminology (pronounced "dis-pair-une-ee-ah"), is a common complaint among women seeking gynecologic care.

Planning to start a family is an exciting time. Many women and their partners wonder if there is anything they can do to help make this both successful and safe. In fact there are many things that can be done to increase the chances of a healthy mother and baby.

One of the most devastating events in a couple's life is the loss of their baby through a miscarriage or stillbirth. Even though magazines and other media sources have begun discussing this sensitive subject, most people are unaware that a high number of all pregnancies end in a miscarriage, usually during the first few weeks of pregnancy.

Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is a common and frustrating problem for up to 3/4 of all pregnant women. Although this is commonly called "morning sickness," many pregnant women report nausea and vomiting throughout the day. Surprisingly, even though the symptoms may make a pregnant woman miserable, morning sickness only rarely causes serious problems for the mother or her baby.

One of the most controversial topics in modern obstetrics is cesarean section. Cesarean section refers to a major surgical procedure where a baby is removed from the uterus by making a cut into the abdomen, then into the uterus.

About 25% of all babies in the United States are born by cesarean delivery, creating a situation where many women have to choose whether or not to have a repeat c/section, or to undergo an attempt at vaginal delivery for their next pregnancy. In medical terminology this is called a "vaginal birth after cesarean," or VBAC, and is pronounced "V-BACK."

An episiotomy is a surgical incision into the perineum, the area between the bottom of the vaginal opening and the anus, in order to increase the size of the vaginal opening during childbirth. If it is done as part of gynecologic surgery, it's called a perineorrhaphy.

Molar pregnancies are an uncommon and very frightening complication of pregnancy. The formal medical term for a molar pregnancy is "hydatidiform mole."

Pentalogy of Cantrell is a rare congenital anomaly associated with midline defects involving the chest, sternum, heart, diaphragm, and abdominal wall. This may include ectopia cordis, diaphragmatic hernia, and omphalocele.

Each year there are millions of unplanned, and often unwanted, pregnancies due to lack of contraception or contraception failure. We have all read about the epidemic of teen pregnancies in the United States and other countries.

Planning to start a family is an exciting time. Many women and their partners wonder if there is anything they can do to help make this both successful and safe. In fact there are many things that can be done to increase the chances of a healthy mother and baby.

Uterine fibroids are one of the most common medical conditions affecting women. Despite the fact that at least 1 out of every 4 women has fibroids, there is a considerable amount of misinformation regarding the effects of fibroids and their treatment. In order to fully understand these common uterine tumors, one needs to understand their cause, possible symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options.

Pre eclampsia, sometimes called toxemia, is a unique and often dangerous condition that only occurs during pregnancy. Most experts define PRE ECLAMPSIA as an elevation in blood pressure in a pregnant woman of 140/90, with protein in the urine, or swelling (edema) of the feet, hands, and/or face. The condition occurs more commonly during first pregnancies, with twins or triplets, in very young or older women, and when a woman has had pre eclampsia with previous pregnancies.

Laparoscopy, looking inside the abdomen through a tube placed through a small incision, is a procedure commonly used by gynecologists to diagnose and treat a number of medical conditions. Since the early 1900's when rudimentary laparoscopes were used to visualize, but not treat, abdominal diseases, advancements in this technique have led to the ability to perform complex surgical procedures through a few small incisions, rather than the larger incisions used in the past.

As our ability to look inside the uterus improves, many women are told they have a common abnormality of the uterine lining, called endometrial polyps. An understanding of these common growths that develop inside the uterine cavity will help patients decide which course of treatment best suits them.

Hysteroscopy is a gynecologic procedure that involves placing a small tube with a camera on one end and a light on the other into the uterus to tell if there are problems within the uterine cavity. This procedure has developed over the years to become one of the more common and useful gynecologic tools. The tube, called a hysteroscope (say “hyst-er-oh-scope”), is about as big around as one’s little finger, and is slipped into the uterus after slowly dilating the cervix. Once inside the uterus a gynecologist can diagnose a number of problems and can often treat them during the same procedure.

Laparoscopy, looking inside the abdomen through a tube placed through a small incision, is a procedure commonly used by gynecologists to diagnose and treat a number of medical conditions. Since the early 1900's when rudimentary laparoscopes were used to visualize, but not treat, abdominal diseases, advancements in this technique have led to the ability to perform complex surgical procedures through a few small incisions, rather than the larger incisions used in the past.

A patient of mine who regularly reads the forum recently asked me about board certification for Ob/Gyn doctors. She explained that there is a lot of confusion about this issue, and that many women's magazines and other media tell women to always seek out the services of an Ob/Gyn who is board certified. So, this looked like a good opportunity to review the board certification process.