All News

The benefits of using the patch for hormone replacement, with a few exceptions, are not significantly different from those when taken in a pill form. The choice should depend primarily upon the woman's preference, and for those choosing the patch there are a few small tricks for making it easier to use.

In the United States alone, it is conservatively estimated that there are between 10 and 20 million women suffering from the involuntary loss of urine! The large baby boomer population of the United States is now moving through the menopausal transition period when this involuntary loss of urine (urinary incontinence) often becomes worse, and consequently the number of women with incontinence will only increase.

If a doctor or health care professional recommends that a woman should have a hysterectomy and she elects to proceed, then there are certain decisions that need to made in planning the surgery. There are many reasons for deciding to have the uterus removed, and numerous articles and books have been written on this topic.

Progesterone is a natural hormone which is produced by the ovary during the second half of the menstrual cycle. It's biological function is to change the lining of the uterus so that the cells which line the uterus can provide nutrition to the developing embryo during the earliest phases of development after conception.

Hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus. This can be done through either an abdominal or a vaginal incision, and either with or without removal of the ovaries. Almost 600,000 hysterectomies are performed each year in the U.S. This makes hysterectomy the second most common major surgical procedure performed in this country, with the first most common being cesarean section.

All week, you would plan what to wear and think of how it was going to be. Your heart beat with excitement as you thought of what might happen that night... The day of the date arrived, you took special care with your hygiene. You placed perfume behind your knees, etc. made sure you wore your prettiest and cleanest lingerie, and you were ready.. So, was he, as he too planned for this special night. "Pleasurable Anticipation"

Losing your keys? Losing your patience? Losing your mind? If you are a midlife woman having difficulties, the solution may be increasing your estrogen level. More and more research studies are showing beneficial effects of hormone replacement on mental functioning. Women taking estrogen showed increased brain activation and reinstated patterns observed in younger subjects performing memory tasks, according to a recent study.

Adenomyosis is a benign disease of the uterus in which components normally limited to the endometrium (the thin innermost uterine layer) are found within the myometrium (the middle muscular layer of the uterus). The exact prevalence of adenomyosis is not known because the diagnosis can be made only by microscopic examination of uterine specimens obtained during surgery or, less often, during biopsy.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association asserts that 43% of American women are experiencing some sort of sexual dysfunction during a 12 months period. As a result, female sexuality has become the new mass media debate. With all that exposure many women are wondering if something is wrong with them? What’s going on?

I've been seeing a man regularly for the past year. We get along great and the chemistry is there – lots of love on both sides. However, I feel growing anger. I've been waiting for him to ask me to live with him or get married. I've been giving him plenty of hints but it's not working. I think he likes it the way it is. I don't want to lose him but the stress of waiting really affects my feelings. Why can’t I get him to act? How long should I wait?

I was a dysfunctional husband throughout my marriage because of my marijuana habit. After we separated, my father took ill and my Mom’s health was failing so I was back and forth to help her.

If you have just been told that you may need to have a hysterectomy, what are you feeling? Frightened, uncertain, vulnerable, angry, out of control -- don't panic. I don't think anyone could have had any more of a negative reaction than I did when I was told, "you should probably think about having surgery."

Post Op Tips

Talk w/your anethesiologist before surgery to let him know any concerns, fears and what to expect when you wake up. If pain or feeling sick are issues, he/she can help make this easier! It is possible to wake up feeling pretty good and able to eat afterwards!

More than 10 million American women suffer from excessive menstrual bleeding or heavy periods, a condition known as menorrhagia. In fact, more than 20 percent of the 600,000 hysterectomies performed annually in the United States treat menorrhagia. But because this health issue is so rarely discussed, few women realize that the condition can be easily treated during a 30-minute outpatient procedure as opposed to having a hysterectomy.

Designer estrogens, SERMS, are two terms currently being used to describe the actions of a medication that acts as an estrogen on one tissue and an anti-estrogen on others. The ideal estrogen medication would switch of or off the effects of estrogen at different sites in the woman's body.

It's 2:00 a.m. on a Friday. Your doctor is home in bed, where the rest of the world should be. But not you...you're online wondering whether this stomachache you have is life threatening or just a bad reaction to the steak you had at dinner. So where do you go? Do you rush to the hospital to wait 3 hrs. in the ER to be told to "go home and call your doctor," for the "small fee" of $1000 or so?

Entering the word ‘contraception’ into a search engine will result in over one million hits, from commercial sites to personal homepages and scientific sites. How can the physician find the information s/he is seeking in this overwhelming labyrinth? This review presents a guideline for quick access to practical professional information in the field of contraception and reproductive health care.

The source of chronic pelvic pain may be reproductive organ, urological, musculoskeletal - neurological, gastrointestinal, or myofascial. A psychological component almost always is a factor whether as an antecedent event or presenting as depression as result of the pain.

Endometriosis is a condition in which the lining of the uterine cavity (endometrium) grows outside of the uterus. Endometriosis can be found anywhere in the pelvic cavity, including all the reproductive organs as well as on the bladder, small bowel, colon, rectum, appendix, and vagina. However, endometriosis cannot be considered simply as misplaced endometrium, because it differs in hormonal responses and visual appearance.

The real cause of endometriosis remains unknown. The following theories represent current thinking of the etiology of endometriosis, but none of them can explains all cases of endometriosis. We do know, however, that endometriosis is not caused by anything that the patient has done.

Patients with endometriosis can have symptoms varying from constant excruciating pelvic pain to no symptoms whatsoever. Paradoxically, the extent of endometriosis has no correlation to the amount of pain a women will experience. Some women with severe endometriosis do not have any symptoms and may not know they have endometriosis until a pelvic mass is detected on a routine pelvic examination or a problem with infertility is discovered.

Advances in technologies have allowed conduct of many procedures by laparoscopy and hysteroscopy. These are the essence of our specialty. Most new technologies foster improved performance. In business term, they are called sustaining technologies. In fact, most technological advances in an industry are sustaining in nature.

ISGE July 2005 Volume 13

We are in the cyber-era. Many conventional “snail” mails have been replaced with emails. Electronic mails allow easy, fast and economical communication. It is ideal for short messages, and quick questions and replies. For ISGE with members from around the world, it is a convenient way to communicate; time-zone is not a factor anymore. You send your e-mail and the receiver replies at his or her convenience. It helps us stay connected.