Women's Health Conditions | OBGYN | Together Women’s Health

Women's Health Conditions

COMMON CONDITIONS AND CONCERNS

Women should consider regular checkups so that doctors can look for abnormalities. Issues can range from gynecological concerns — infertility, menopause, pregnancy, and breast health — to differentiations in other organs. There are several treatment options available to meet every need.

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The following conditions can be monitored and treated through our offered services.

  • Incontinence: A common complication in women during or following pregnancy, a lack of voluntary control over urination can include urine leaks when you exert pressure on your bladder — like coughing, sneezing, or laughing. Antidiuretics are medications that cause the kidneys to produce less water, thus decreasing the amount of urine produced.
  • Pelvic pain: Pelvic pain can be caused by an infection or inflammation. An infection doesn't have to affect the reproductive organs to cause pelvic pain. Pain caused by the bladder, bowel, or appendix can produce pain in the pelvic region; diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome, kidney or bladder stones, as well as muscle spasms or strains are some examples of non-reproductive causes of pelvic or lower abdominal pain. Other causes of pelvic pain can include pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), vaginal infections, vaginitis, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). All of these require a visit to your healthcare provider who will take a medical history, and do a physical exam which may include diagnostic testing.
  • Ovarian cysts: A fluid-filled sac on the surface of the ovary that can cause pain during the menstrual cycle, discomfort during intercourse, or irregular bowel movements. Birth control pills or surgery are treatment options if the cyst does not go away on its own.
  • Fibroids: A uterine fibroid is the most common benign (not cancerous) tumor of a woman's uterus (womb). Fibroids develop with the uterine wall or attach to it. They may grow as a single tumor or in clusters. Uterine fibroids can cause excessive menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, and frequent urination.
  • Abnormal bleeding: A normal menstrual period lasts from 2 to 7 days. The normal cycle patterns can range from 21 to 35 days. When bleeding occurs that is not part of the regular cycle; periods are longer or heavier than normal; occurs between periods; time between periods is longer than normal; or there is an absence of periods, this is called abnormal or irregular uterine bleeding.
  • Amenorrhea: The absence of menstruation, involving missing one or more menstrual periods consecutively. This is normal before puberty, during pregnancy, or after menopause. Birth control pills or hormone therapies are often used to restart menstrual cycles.
  • Menopause: Menopause is the time in a woman's life when her period stops. It is a normal change in a woman's body. A woman has reached menopause when she has not had a period for 12 months in a row (and there are no other causes, such as pregnancy or illness, for this change). Menopause is sometimes called, "the change of life." Leading up to menopause, a woman’s body slowly makes less and less of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. This change often happens between the ages of 45 and 55 years old.
  • Post-Menopausal Bleeding: Most of the time there is a reasonable explanation for a post-menopausal bleeding event, but any kind of irregular bleeding — particularly if you haven’t had a natural period for over a year — warrants investigation by your healthcare provider — just to rule out anything serious. Like so many symptoms that occur at this time of life, post-menopausal bleeding is often related to the same lifestyle issues that contribute to weight gain, emotional stress, and hormonal imbalance.
  • Hormone imbalance: Quite common during perimenopause (and later, menopause itself). Your hot flashes, night sweats, irregular periods, cravings for sweets, vaginal dryness and even insomnia, are simple signs that you have underlying hormonal imbalances or metabolic damage due to stress, poor nutrition, and other factors.
  • Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by the loss of the normal density of bone, resulting in fragile bone. Osteoporosis leads to literally abnormally porous bone that is more compressible like a sponge, than dense like a brick. This disorder of the skeleton weakens the bone causing an increase in the risk for breaking bones (bone fracture).
  • Vaginal irritation: Any itching, discomfort, or burning of the vagina, usually caused by an imbalance in bacteria. This is common in women of all ages and can be treated with antifungal medications or provider-recommended creams.
  • Menstrual problems: Complications during the menstrual cycle, including cramps and heavy flow. These problems can be helped with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, birth control, or hormone therapy.
  • Endometriosis: Endometriosis is a common health problem in women. It gets its name from the word endometrium, the tissue that lines the uterus (womb). In women with this problem, tissue that looks and acts like the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus in other areas. These areas can be called growths, tumors, implants, lesions, or nodules.
  • UTI: An infection occurring in the bladder or urethra, causing pelvic pain, urination pain, the urge to urinate, and blood in the urine. Antibiotics are typically prescribed to treat UTIs.
  • Cervical dysplasia: The growth of abnormal cells in a woman's cervix. This is not cancer, but is found through Pap testing. Mild cases can go away on their own, but more serious treatments can include surgery.
  • Pelvic organ prolapse: A very common condition, particularly among older women. It's estimated that half of the women who have children will experience some form of prolapse in later life, but because many women don't seek help from their doctor the actual number of women affected by prolapse is unknown. Pelvic organ prolapse occurs when the pelvic floor muscles become weak or damaged and can no longer support the pelvic organs.

Together Women’s Health is here for all of your female health needs. Please note that services may vary across practices and locations.

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