MENSTRUAL DISORDERS Frequently Asked Questions
Published April 24, 2024 | 
(in 1999)
My period was about 2 or 3 days late this month but came without any signs, breast tenderness, cramping, etc. My flow was lighter at first, then heavier, with minimal pain. Could this be a side effect of stress, exercise, or pregnancy?
If you think you are (or were) pregnant, you should see a physician ASAP. If you are (or were) miscarrying, you will want to know your Rh type. If a miscarriage occurs and you are Rh negative, antibodies develop that can prevent you from carrying a future health baby to term. If Rh negative, you will receive medication to prevent these antibodies from forming. There is a limited time period in which you can do this, so call your physician or healthcare provider immediately. Continue reading
Headache FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Published April 24, 2024 |
(Year: 1999)
Q. I read in a recent journal about the use of botulinum toxin (botox) to prevent migraine headaches for up to 3 months. Botox is injected into the head in four places. Does your organization have any additional information on this treatment? I have from 1-4 migraines a week. Continue reading
ABOUT UTERINE FIBROIDS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Published April 24, 2024 | (Year: 1999)
After menopause, how does estrogen/progesterone therapy affect the growth of uterine fibroids?
In a menopausal woman who chooses not to take hormonal replacement therapy, existing fibroids usually shrink because the body is producing less estrogen. New fibroids are unlikely.
ABOUT ENDOMETRİOSİS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Published April 24, 2024 | (1999)
My doctor has recommended a biopsy for suspected endometriosis. I am assured this is not a major procedure, yet I am worried.
You are probably having a laparascopy. This way the physician can view and inspect the reproductive organs in the pelvic cavity (including the ovaries). He may take additional biopsies if he finds any abnormalities.
A laparascopy is an outpatient procedure. This means that you will have a general anesthetic and be discharged the same day as the procedure. Your past medical history and general health is the key to the laparoscope being a smooth procedure. Many women have these procedures on a Friday and are back to work on Monday. Continue reading
BILIARY ATRESIA
Published April 24, 2024 | In biliary atresia there is absence of the lumen (atresia) of the extrahepatic bile duct system, frequently including the gall bladder. Although considered for many years to be an embryologic malformation, recent evidence implicates a process of obliterative inflammation which may begin in utero or just after birth and which may progress for months, even extending the obliterative process to include the larger ramifications of the biliary duct system within the liver. The cause is unknown, but serologic evidence from recent studies suggest that the reovirus type 3 may be etiologic. Continue reading
Blastomycosis
Published April 24, 2024 | Blastomycosis is a chronic infection characterized by a granulomatous and suppurative lesion. It is caused by a single fungal species, blastomyces dermatitidis, which is a thick walled spherical yeast that usually produces single buds. The bud and parent yeast have a characteristically wide base of attachment. The infection is initiated by inhalation of the dimorphic fungus. Dissemination may occur to any organ from the lung, but preferentially to the skin and bones. Continue reading
CONVERSION AND SOMATIZATION DISORDERS
Published April 24, 2024 | Conversion disorder is a loss or change in bodily functioning that results from a psychological conflict or need. The bodily symptoms cannot be explained by any known medical disorder or pathophysiological mechanism. Symptoms of pain or sexual dysfunction are specifically excluded. Such patients are not conscious of the psychological basis for their symptoms and therefore cannot control their disturbances. Continue reading
DUODENAL ATRESIA AND STENOSIS
Published April 24, 2024 | Congenital obstruction of the duodenum was first reported by Calder in 1733. Duodenal obstruction is the result of atresia, stenosis, and duodenal web, annular pancreas, or peritoneal bands secondary to incomplete intestinal rotation. Intrinsic anomalies of the duodenum occur in several forms. There can be atresia with continuity of the bowel wall, atresia with a fibrous cord joining the segments, atresia with complete loss of continuity of the wall and of the blood supply, and all but complete diaphragm with a small fenestration, or a membranous ring within the duodenum which peristalsis from above forces into the development of a “wind sock”. The dilating effect of the wind sock may produce the appearance of obstruction distal to the actual annulus of the wind sock. Continue reading