Contraception

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Despite the wide range of contraceptives available, almost 50% of pregnancies in the United States are unintended, with the highest rates among women aged 18 to 24 years. Meanwhile, few studies have explored contraceptive responsibility and no studies since the 1980s have looked at female college students’ perceptions of such. Without this data, physicians and health educators are unable to adequately and effectively address STD and pregnancy prevention among this patient population.

A 30 y/o woman, P1001, sought a second opinion from me regarding the following situation: She just had her first baby, and has a history of symptomatic endometriosis including some difficulty in achieving pregnancy (but did so without medical intervention). She was advised by another physician that she should use either depo or the progestin only pill for the next 6-12 months (while she is breastfeeding) to prevent the progression of endometriosis.

Menopausal women treated with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor escitalopram have fewer, and less severe, hot flashes than women taking a placebo, according to a study published in the Jan. 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Q: A request for Information about Premenopause osteoporosis. I am a 31 year old woman and after the birth of my second child 4 months ago have had back pain. After an x-ray that showed a collapse in one part of my spine, I was sent for a bone density test. At the test they took my height and I was 2 inches shorter. I'm looking for information on pre menopause osteoporosis and can find very little. I would like to be informed on what can be done to help me before I go over my test results with my doctor and to better understand my options. Can you help?

This month's questions answered by:Harvey S. Marchbein, MD,Chairman, Editorial Advisory Board,Osteoporosis Section, OBGYN.netRonald Barentsen, MD, PhD,Member, Editorial Advisory Board,Osteoporosis Section, OBGYN.net

Question from Johanna: hormone replacement therapy My mother is 69. She had a total hysterectomy in her early 40's. She had to stop hormone treatment due to blood clots. She has not been on any HRT since. She now has bad Osteoarthritis, joint pains, muscle pains, etc. She had Lyme disease a few years ago also in severe stages (10 years ago.) She still feels better when ever they put her on any antibiotics for sore throats for instance. She had a bone density test done recently and her doctor prescribed Miacalcin. Mom has been on 1000 milligrams of Calcium with a combination pill of vitamin D and boron for years. She is becoming more and more bowlegged and has increasingly difficulty walking (it is painful) She does ride her bike since it is not a weight bearing activity. By the afternoon she is very tired. Is it too late for her to have hormone replacement therapy, what kind of doctor should she be seeing, med.'s etc.? Is there a way to reverse this process? Mom has allergies with sinus drainage and gets frequent bronchitis because of it during the winter months. She takes Allegra. Will this interfere with the Miacalcin? Any information you could possibly give me would be appreciated. Thank you very much, Johanna