Having an STD while you are pregnant is never a good thing.  If possible, STD’s should be cleared up as soon as possible or measures should be taken to ensure that the disease is not passed on to the baby.
When pregnant women go to their first prenatal visit, they are generally tested for STD’s.  Certain STD’s are more common than others in pregnant women.  Bacterial vaginosis and herpes simplex are he most common STD’s seen in pregnant women in the United States.  These two STD’s are treatable and Bacterial vaginosis is curable.  Other less common STD’s such as HIV/AIDS are more difficult to treat but with the proper birthing methods, the chance that the disease will be passed on to the baby can be reduced. (more…)

Anyone who travels a lot might find it difficult to continue exercising while on the road.  One of the best ways to ensure that you are still getting exercise while traveling is to make sure to leave adequate time in your schedule.  If you have the time, there are lots of creative ways to get a little bit of exercise while you are traveling.  Some of the best options are for different types of travelers, so take a look at the different categories of travelers listed below in order to find some of the most popular options for different types of travelers.  

The Youthful Traveler

One of the best options for great exercise for young people is to go to a club or some other place where you can dance all night long.  Although the air is not exactly healthy air to be breathing, what with all the smoking going on in some of these places, dancing all night long can be really healthy if paired with only moderate alcohol consumption.  On the upside, many such clubs and bars are going smoke free in recent years, so in a short amount of time, it should be possible to dance the night away in a smoke-free venue in no time.  If you are traveling in Europe, don’t count on this happening anytime soon.

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When hormone replacement therapy, also known as HRT, first hit the scene many doctors and women alike thought that they have found a cure-all for the unpleasant symptoms that are associated with menopause.

However, after further research, alarm bells began to sound. The results of some research studies into the effectiveness and safety of HRT seemed to suggest that HRT actually increased the risk of some of the conditions it was meant to keep at bay, including heart disease.

The news media picked up on this story and ran with it, sending many nervous women to their doctors to find out if their health was at risk thanks to their HRT. However, just how great is the risk associated with HRT, especially as it related to heart disease? Are women back to the drawing board when it comes to managing all of those menopausal symptoms, or is HRT not as scary as it has been made out to be? (more…)

Diets can seem like such a complicated matter, you know that you need to eat less and exercise more; however it can be so hard. One of the worst factors that hold you back from shedding pounds is the size of the portions that we eat.

Research in dieting has shown that if you can get control over the size of your meal portions, you will also be able to control your weight. There are tips that allow you to find the balance necessary for keeping your weight at a healthy level.

The unfortunate part is that there are times when it is hard to keep a handle on your portion size- generally when the amount of food given is out of your control. This tends to happen for example when you dine out for a meal.

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IUD or also called intrauterine device is a female contraceptive. It is a small t-shaped device, which is made from flexible plastic. IUDs are inserted into the female uterus and are only available by prescription.
IUDs get inserted into the uterus, where the prevent pregnancy through preventing the sperm to join with and egg. In the United States there are essentially only two types of IUDs available. The one is ParaGard, and the other one is Mirena. ParaGard contains copper in its device and can be left in place for up to 12 years. Mirena contains hormones, which are released in small amounts on a continuous base. Mirena releases the hormone progestin and is effective for up to five years.

The hormone in Mirena actually thickens the mucus in the cervix area and therefore prevents the sperm form entering the mucus. In some women, Mirena even prevents ovulation. Another way IUDs prevent pregnancy is through alteration of the uterus lining. This way, if an egg is released and sperm reached the egg, the alteration of the lining prevents the egg form implantation. (more…)

Menopause is a mind and body transition.  The physical and psychological symptoms that many women experience can be reduced by altering the way people look at this transition in life.

Yes, menopause is a change.  It is the point in life where your body stops the menstrual cycle that has been a part of your life for decades.  The absence of this sometimes troublesome couple of days of the month can seem like a great deal when we are younger but often, women are upset when this time in life arrives.  This is an interesting piece of information because this is not true for everyone that goes through menopause.  (more…)

PID is one of the most serious STD’s one can catch.  It is important to know how to avoid it. And what the options are if you catch it. PID stands for Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.  PID is a disease that infects he internal reproduction organs including the uterus, fallopian tubes, pelvic tissues and ovaries.  Because this disease infects internal organs it can be present without any noticeable symptoms.

The symptoms of PID are often unnoticed or are very mild.  The main symptom that women typically experience includes abdominal pain.  Of course, women are prone to abdominal pain so it can be hard to distinguish between cramps, bloating and the paint he comes with PID.  However there are some signs of PID that one can lookout for.  When there is pain during sexual intercourse or when pain is persistent, you should get to a doctor immediately. PID can also produce a number of other symptoms that are also symptoms of other STD’s. Heavy vaginal bleeding can be a sing of PID.  Especially when that bleeding takes place in-between periods.  Fevers, chills and vomiting can also be signs of PID.  Of course, those symptoms could also be signs of a cold as well. (more…)

If you have experienced painful sexual intercourse, you are not alone. Even though it is not often discussed, almost every woman has experienced pain during sex at one time or another. However, while painful intercourse may be a passing occurrence for some women, for other women, pain during sex is something that happens all of the time and that affects all of their intimate relationships. No matter if you have had pain during sex for the first time or if sexual pain is a major problem in your life, it is important to address the reason why it is happening, for the good of your sex life and your overall health.

Painful sexual intercourse, which is also known as dyspareunia, can happen for any number of reasons. The first question in narrowing down the exact cause for the painful sex is whether the pain is a new occurrence or something that has plagued you for a long time. If you have had pain free sex in the past and are experiencing pain during intercourse for the first time, the reason may come down to a related health problem. (more…)

The acronym HPV stands for Human papillomaviruses, which consist of a group of viruses.  Papillomas are benign tumors and some of the HPV viruses produce them.  These tumors tend to grow in areas such as the hands, feet, throat or genital areas.  The causes of the warts vary.  The HPV viruses that cause warts on the hands and feet differ from the ones that cause warts on the throat and genital areas.  Out of the 100 HPV’s that exist, there are some that are thought to lead to cancer.

Only 30 types of HPV are contagious.  Meaning that 70 types cannot be passed on from person to person.  HPV’s are transmitted sexually but the actual time of infection is generally unknown.  The majority of HPV’s run their course without treatment or cures.  They can exist in the body without altering any cells. Genital warts or condylomata acurninatum, are caused by two different types of HPV.  HPV6 and HPV 11 cause genital warts.  Typically people see warts a couple of weeks after they have sex with an infected partner.  Some people acquire HPV and warts do not appear for months or years.  Others never get warts. (more…)

Breast cancer is a real risk for any woman and especially for women where breast cancer runs in the family. To know as much as you can about a health risk and risk factors related to breast cancer should be important to any woman. Of course, the exact causes of breast cancer and any other cancer is not exactly known, but there are risk factors that can lead to a higher probability for a woman to get breast cancer. One thing that is for certain–breast cancer is not contagious. You cannot get cancer from a cancer patient and breast cancer is not caused through touching or bruising of the breasts.
Risk factors that increase the chance of breast cancer are many, so here are a few risks you should know about. Age is one of the risk factors related to breast cancer. Most breast cancer is detected in women over 60 and is rarely seen in women before menopause.

Family history is one of the bigger ones on the list. If the mother or sister, or even daughter of a woman has been diagnosed with breast cancer, it is more likely that the woman will also develop breast cancer, especially if the family member got breast cancer before she turned 40 years old. Also, other relatives can also increase the likeliness of breast cancer, such as women in the father’s side of the family.If your breast was diagnosed with a certain set of abnormal cells in it, you are more likely to have breast cancer. These cells are not cancerous yet, but these changes of the breasts can be indicators for breast cancer.

Also, if you were diagnosed with cancer in one breast you are more likely to develop cancer in your other breast. This as well as certain changes in genes can cause breast cancer that is related to your own personal history.Some studies show certain facts related to reproduction that is connected to a heightened risk of breast cancer. For example, if a woman is older when she gives birth to her first child, or a woman has had her first period before age 12, a woman who never has had any children and other such facts are connected to a higher risk for breast cancer. On the other hand, women that have had a miscarriage or an abortion as so many seem to believe, are not connected through those facts to breast cancer.

Also a factor for breast cancer is your race. More white women have been diagnosed with breast cancer than Asian, African American or Latin American women.Something to think about for many of women is the factor that women that are obese during and after their menopause are at a higher risk of getting breast cancer. Other health and lifestyle related issues have also been connected to breast cancer by some studies. For example, woman that did not work out throughout their life are a higher risk for breast cancer than woman that stayed fit. The more alcohol a woman drinks, the greater seems to be her risk of breast cancer.

Since nobody exactly knows all about cancer, many studies are still being worked on and some studies might even give a different opinion about some of the risk factors mentioned above. Before you panic because you and your family know one or more of these factors, you still might not get breast cancer. It is known that women that can show more than two of these factors still might not get breast cancer. Being at a heighten risk does not necessarily mean that you will get breast cancer. It is meant to keep you thinking and checking about it with regular checkups and breast self-exams.