Ovaries are the small, ovoid structures on either side of the uterus. Whenever we talk about cancers in women, we must be aware of masses or tumours – benign and malignant, of the ovaries. Although cancers of the ovary are the fifth most common cancer in women after breast, colorectal, lung and uterus; they are the most common cause of death in women due to cancer. Women with ovarian cancer have the least 5 year survival rate as compared to all other cancers. This is because cancer of the ovaries is a ‘silent killer’ – 70% of ovarian cancer is diagnosed in advanced stages, which means that the disease is already widely spread in the abdomen by the time it is diagnosed.
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Infertility and Fibroids – informed decision making
The association between fibroids and infertility has been controversial. With advances in infertility management like fertility drugs, ART (Assisted Reproductive Technologies like IVF, ICSI) and advanced surgical techniques like hysteroscopic and laparoscopic myomectomy (removal of the fibroid) there is considerable interest in the commonly asked questions: Do fibroids really cause infertility and which fibroids would require myomectomy?
The word hysterectomy has it’s origin from the Greek ‘ hysteros ‘ , meaning uterus , and ‘ ectomy ‘ meaning removal . Hysterectomy therefore refers to the surgical removal of the uterus (womb) . Such patients, naturally , do not have menstrual periods and cannot bear children. Today , hysterectomy is the commonest major gynaecological operation performed on women. About 600,000 hysterectomies are performed every year in USA . The statistics for India are not known but are likely to be more staggering because of the vast population .
The most traumatic situation for a woman can be an unwanted pregnancy when she has a very young baby. Since menstruation is often delayed during breastfeeding, a woman may not even realize that she is pregnant again till the pregnancy is advanced and too late to abort. Recognizing the special needs of breastfeeding women and their concerns about contraceptive methods available, the WHO Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use (WHO WHOSPR) released guidelines based on scientific evidence in 2004.
Dealing with problems inside the uterus – Hysteroscopy Case Capsules
There was a time when people would raise their eyebrows and ask” What is hysteroscopy and what good is it ?” Today, we cannot even think of a gyne examination and a satisfactory diagnosis without Hysteroscopy. When you can see inside the uterus directly through a small telescope introduced via the cervix (mouth of the uterus), why would anyone want to do a ‘blind’ Dilatation & Curettage (D&C) today? In fact, D&Cs are outmoded procedures and have absolutely no place in gyne practice. In April 2001, this was the comment in the prestigious journal, Fertility and Sterility : ‘D&C is an inadequate diagnostic and therapeutic tool for all disorders inside the uterus: it misses 62.5% of major intrauterine disorders.’
Safe alternative to hysterectomy for abnormal uterine bleeding – Uterine Balloon Therapy
Menorrhagia is a common problem affecting women in the age group 35-45 years.Technically, menorrhagia is defined as heavy periods lasting longer than 7 days, or a blood loss more than 60- 80 ml (4 – 5 tablespoons approximately) or presence of clots or when there is a chance of staining clothes. Heavy periods are not just an embarrassment , but they can seriously disturb a woman’s lifestyle , cause anaemia , ill-health and low morale .
Causes, Symptoms, & Treatment-
Q 1) Will Thrombocytopenia affect unborn baby?
There are several causes for Thrombocytopenia (Low Platelet Counts) in pregnancy. All have different implications for the mother and the unborn baby. The most common cause of Thrombocytopenia is called Gestational Thrombocytopenia (GT); ‘Gestational’ means due to the pregnancy itself, with no other cause for the platelet count to be low. GT is responsible for more than 70% of thrombocytopenia during pregnancy; is usually mild with platelet counts > 70,000/µL; disappears by one week after delivery and there are no symptoms of abnormal bleeding. The baby, while in womb and after delivery, is not affected by this condition and there are no complications or bleeding problems in the baby.
I am often reminded of an advertisement on television wherein the presenter asks the female audience how many of their children suffer from lethargy, weakness, irritability, repeated infections, poor concentration, and decreased capacity for work. More than 50% of the women raised their hands. Had the presenter asked the same women for these symptoms among themselves, the number of hands up would have been much more . The diagnosis in all these cases is probably anaemia which affects 40 % to 90 % of the women in developing countries like India. In women, not only is anaemia responsible for a poor quality of life but also
Calcium is a very important nutrient for the health, density and strength of bones. Decrease of bone density can lead to fragile bones called osteoporosis and ‘atraumatic’ fractures – fractures that occur with little or no trauma. Sometimes a small push with a foot to shut an open drawer, bending, lifting, falling from standing position or a big sneeze or a sharp turn of the wrist can cause the fragile bone to fracture. The most common fractures occur in the backbone. You would probably have seen some older women with a bent, humped back and a stooped posture.
How do babies get inside mummy?
Every baby starts life as a single cell, which is formed from the joining together or union of two cells called germ cells and this union is called fertilization. The germ cell from the mother is called the egg and the germ cell from the father is called the sperm. The egg and the sperm must meet to start a new baby.