Though the recommendations have changed over the years, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) suggests women get pelvic exams when indicated by medical history or symptoms since 2018. These exams are designed to check for any signs of illness in your uterus, cervix, ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, and...
Sexual activity is a natural part of maturity, and with it comes the possibility of having children. But you may not be ready for children, and you wouldn’t be alone. Between 2017 and 2019 alone, 65.3% of women ages 15-49 in the US were using some form of contraception. Nearly...
A pap smear, or pap test, is an important part of your reproductive health because it tests for cervical cancer and other life-threatening conditions. The number of pap smear screenings usually starts every three years after you reach 21, but it varies for everyone. Most women get normal results (over...
In the U.S., a baby is born every 8 seconds, with over 10,000 born a day. And every child changes so much about how parents live their lives, which becomes most apparent right when you bring your bundle of joy home from the hospital for the first time. This special...
Menopause, the natural end of the reproductive cycle when your period ends and hormone production reduces drastically, begins as early as your mid 40’s and as many as 1.3 million women a year start to experience it. As you go through the stages of menopause, your body goes through many...
When it comes to caring for babies, there are a lot of things to consider to ensure they grow up happy and healthy. How you bond with them, how you dress them, what you feed them, all of it contributes to the overall health of your child. A very important...
The loss of bladder control associated with urinary incontinence is pretty common in older women. According to a 2018 report, nearly half of older women (43% in ages 50-64 and 51% in ages 65-80) reported dealing with this condition within the past year. About half voiced concerns about incontinence getting...
When it comes to deciding whether or not to have children, contraception is an important tool to have. Between 2017 and 2019, 65% of sexually active women used some form of contraception. This includes female sterilization (tubal ligation), birth control pills, long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), and condoms. With such widespread...
Stress is a part of everyone’s lives, and it affects us in many different ways. It helps us when it triggers the fight-or-flight response in troubling situations or when it focuses our attention on something that needs doing. But too much stress is bad for you. It can impact your...
Having a child is a time for many changes in the body that bring on their own challenges for women. Pregnancy sees changes in hormones, diet, mood, and many other things over the nine months women are carrying new life. Many external factors can affect how women deal with pregnancy,...
Yeast infections are very common, affecting up to 75% of women at least once in their lifetime. Also known as vaginal candidiasis, this fungal infection (the candida albicans fungus is the most common) causes itchiness, irritation, and different types of vaginal discharge. Most often it’s an unpleasant experience but not...
Women have been breastfeeding their newborn children since the beginning of time. Even the introduction of the feeding bottle in the mid-19th century couldn’t stray mothers from the traditional method. Today, half of all women opt to breastfeed their babies if possible. With all of this experience, you’d think we’d...
You likely learned about sexually transmitted diseases in school but never imagined you’d actually contract one. Testing positive for an STD like HPV, although an upsetting circumstance, doesn’t always mean you need to panic. In fact, catching it early enough can lead to early prevention and treatment of other serious...
Pap smears and mammograms are just a few of the many different procedures that can happen at your OB/GYN’s office. With so many options, you might not know exactly what each procedure is and whether you need it in the first place. 0At Women’s Health Services, we believe one of...
There are so many wonderful things about getting older. You have new experiences, perspectives, and milestones to hang your hat on. With these positive changes come a series of frustrating and embarrassing ones, especially when it comes to your physical health. Most women accept urinary incontinence as a part of...
Finding out you’re pregnant is one of the biggest moments in a woman’s life. Beyond the adorable onesies and baby showers is the business of actually carrying out a pregnancy. Knowing what’s ahead of you is essential, especially if you’re pregnant for the first time, At Women’s Health Services, our...
There are several health issues plaguing women, but none so common or frustrating as heavy periods. Heavy periods impact an estimated 10 million women in America every year. And are sometimes the result of thyroid issues. Fortunately, there are ways to treat your thyroid and ease your period symptoms. Our...
Pap smears. Uncomfortable to talk about but something every woman must go through. The worst part of a Pap smear is hearing you have abnormal results. Don’t let panic set it. Our experts at Women’s Health Services are here to guide you through what’s next. Pap smear basics During a Pap smear, a...
HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that 79 million Americans are infected with HPV. If you’re wondering if you should be tested, the simple answer is yes. Our team at Women’s Health Services specializes in...
Your OB/GYN may suggest a hysterectomy for many reasons. A hysterectomy — which is the removal of your female reproductive organs — can be used to treat many different conditions, including fibroids and endometriosis. Because a hysterectomy can dramatically improve the quality of your life — including relief from hard-to-treat...
Are you a new mom who’s concerned about breastfeeding – how to do it, how to do it well? When you have a baby, everyone wants to give you advice, but not all advice is created equal. There are a lot of myths about breastfeeding out there, and not knowing...
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal condition that affects about 5 million women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Due to the hormonal changes of PCOS, you might experience a wide range of symptoms over your entire body: acne, hair loss, irregular periods, and even increased...
While it’s not common to notice vaginal bleeding during pregnancy, it may not be a sign of trouble either. Understanding what’s normal and what isn’t can ease your mind or help you with the decision to seek urgent medical assistance. Doctor Joan Bergstrom from Woman’s Health Services in Arlington, Texas,...
There’s no shortage of options when it comes to preventing pregnancy — from on-the-spot condoms to longer-acting birth control methods like implants. Most women use some form of contraception at some point in their lives, so the wide array of options that fit almost every health care need and lifestyle...
Menopause has not so affectionately been called “the change” by women throughout the centuries, and it certainly does bring changes. The biggest biological change is the drop in production of the “female” hormones estrogen and progesterone; it can make you feel like your life just got completely upended by your...
Oh, boy, it’s summer in Texas. You know what that means: sweltering sun, sky-high temperatures, and horrible humidity. Anyone else feel like they’re swimming instead of walking? A Southern summer’s tough enough as it is, but when you’re expecting a new addition to the family, the heat can seem exponentially...
In the past, there used to be a “one size fits all” approach to medical care and treatment as well as what was considered to be “healthy.” Thankfully, times have changed and more and more people are acknowledging the differences between men and women when it comes to staying healthy....
Are you a new mom who feels like you’re one of the zombies from The Walking Dead? Are you desperate for anything—anything—to help you and your baby sleep through the night? Then rest easily; here are a few life hacks to help you make it through (http://www.parents.com/baby/new-parent/sleep-deprivation/sleep-saving-tips/). Create a nightly...
For years now the importance of proper diet and exercise has been pushed and promoted as much as possible. But as with anything, people can take the active fitness lifestyle too far. In the past, it was athletes turning to steroids for an extra push towards muscle mass. Now, it’s...
One of the most agonizing parts of having a baby is finally settling on a proper name. Some have to manage the minefield of family and friends who all want the baby named after them. Others worry about the impact of the name that will represent their child for the...
One of the biggest things we hear from new moms is that they can’t wait to get back to their “pre-baby” weight. When you deal with the massive hormonal issues associated with postpartum depression, the last thing you want to think about is losing weight. But, the feelings of low...
Childbirth and pregnancy can be an absolute blessing. But if you don’t take care of yourself and your child during the pregnancy, you can actually be setting yourself up for untold problems in the future. That’s why prenatal care is so important. Prenatal care all hinges on two aspects: getting...
The dreaded part of having a teenager is the uncomfortable feeling and general awkwardness when you have “the talk” about sex and sexuality. But there’s another talk that’s also important to have with your child. This second one involves the idea of body image. This is a time when kids...
One of the most annoying aspects of life for women is the regular problem with menstruation and especially menstrual cramps. You know how it is: sometimes the cramps and feelings of being bloated are so bad that you just want to curl up in your bed and not come out...
As more and more attention is being paid to women’s health, newer treatments are being developed to ease the pain and anxiety of childbirth. One of those areas that is being embraced is prenatal (during pregnancy) and postnatal (after pregnancy) massages. Anyone who regularly gets a therapeutic massage will tell...
In the past couple of decades, there has been a concerted effort to increase the popularity of breastfeeding as a parenting option (http://www.parents.com/baby/care/newborn/new-moms-faqs/). The benefits, such as healthier immune systems, have long been touted (http://www.llli.org/faq/enough.html). Now, with the social stigma of public breastfeeding seeming to be on the decline, it...
It seems like we’ve all been tricked. We were told that all of the new technology and advances in the world would make our lives easier. But it also seems that stress levels are getting more and more out of control each day. What you may not have realized, however,...
No matter what euphemism you call it—“The Change” being, of course, the most common—menopause is a major event in a woman’s life that can also be very emotional (http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/transcripts/1292_women-s-health-questions). Your hormones are thrown massively out of whack during this time and you’re ending a major stage in your adult life—one that...
No one will ever say that being a woman is easy. With all of the health concerns and procedures that we go through, it’s a testament to our strength. Unfortunately, one very painful and all too common health problem that women face is endometriosis (also called “endo”). For many of...
If you’re a woman, chances are you have been hearing for years about the importance of calcium in your diet as a means of fighting off osteoporosis when you get older. But, like a lot of women, the chances are also pretty high that you blew this advice off thinking...
It’s a term many women have been hearing about for years—the change of life. Although this euphemism may seem tired and clichéd, it nevertheless reveals a major truth: menopause is, indeed, a pivotal change in a woman’s life both physically and emotionally. However, what has received less attention than it...
If you have ever been the member of a gym or fitness club, you’ve probably seen this in action: On January 1st, all of the machines are packed and there’s a line to use the free weights. A week later, maybe one or two people have fallen to the wayside....
Heart disease is often referred to as “the silent killer.” Although it does not get as much attention as breast cancer has in the past few years, it is still a substantial health problem for women as they get older. However, in the U.S. 1 in 29 women will die...
For many women, pregnancy can feel totally unsexy. The swelling and discomfort as your body prepares for birth is not really conducive to romance, nor is the nausea and vomiting of morning sickness. Surprisingly, the hormone shifts that pregnancy cause can actually make some women desire sexual activity more and...
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It seems every year breast cancer becomes more prevalent right in our own homes. Whether it’s a friend or a family member, we see the devastating effects of breast cancer far too often. Although the screening processes and treatment options are better now...
Once you make the decision to try and get pregnant, there are several things that you can do to improve your odds of succeeding. When you are in your early 20s, the odds of conceiving within a year are 96 percent. That number gradually decreases to 78 percent by the...
Breastfeeding has long been lauded by the healthcare community for its many benefits, including the opportunity to allow mothers to bond more with their children. Now, even the stigma of public breastfeeding is starting to wane and the practice is becoming more accepted. Here are some of the top benefits...