Women's Health Now Popular Posts

Saturday, September 12, 2015

High-risk pregnancies in obstetrics today

Managing high-risk pregnancies in obstetrics today

By Dr Harini Narayan








Friday, August 2, 2013

Woman sues Marshall Obstetrics & Gynecology for HIPAA violations

Woman sues Marshall Obstetrics & Gynecology for HIPAA violations

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

When cancer isn't cancer at all

Overtested Americans: When cancer isn't cancer at all

By Jacque Wilson and Amanda Enayati



























Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Weird facts about Sex and Childbirth

5 questions you'd never think to ask about childbirth

By Robert Martin




1. Why are a man's testes located outside the body?


Descent of the testes has been explained in various ways.



2. How many sperm are needed to ensure fertilization?





3. Is it true that human sperm counts are declining?











Human birth is a challenging process usually lasting several hours, rather than just an hour or two as in monkeys and apes. This is because our newborns are unusually large -- twice as big as babies of great apes -- and have particularly large brains.

During birth, the human baby rotates in a complex manner, with the result that its head normally ends up facing toward the mother's back rather than to the front, as in other primates. Measurement reveals that the size of the newborn's head is pushed to the limit. Biological dimensions generally fit a standard bell curve, which statisticians call a normal distribution. But the curves are truncated at the upper end for the newborn's head and at the lower end the size of the pelvic canal.

In a process called "genetic pruning," natural selection has acted against over-large heads and small pelvic canals. The fit is still so tight that the human brain also has to grow an unusual amount after birth. In other primates, the newborn's brain is about half its adult size, but in humans it is only a quarter of adult size.

So, despite the large size of human newborns and their brains, additional rapid brain growth after birth is needed.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Union to meet midwives amid obstetrics closure


Monday, August 22, 2011

Study shows US women get too many Pap tests

Study shows US women get too many Pap tests

A new study from America's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that many American women are getting too many unnecessary Pap tests, the screening for cervical cancer.

A study published August 18 in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that many doctors are recommending annual Pap tests, even though guidelines in both the US and UK suggest that women over 30 years old and at average risk for cervical cancer wait at least three years between negative tests.

Researchers noted that over-screening adds up to extra costs, more hassle for women (arranging child care and/or taking time off work for doctor's appointments), and an increased risk of unnecessary treatment for false-positive test results, with no benefit to women in detecting more cancers.

Mark H. Einstein, MD, a gynecologic oncologist in New York City told WebMD News that "there is quite a bit of over-screening in women in the US, which ultimately leads to over-management and over-treatment."

Also the researchers stated that about 51 percent of doctors in their study ordered a recommended co-test for the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is a common cause of cervical cancer, in addition to a Pap test.

"If only half are using the co-test, there is a lack of understanding about the guidelines," says study researcher Katherine Roland, a behavioral scientist at the CDC in a statement. "Women should discuss with their provider whether they are eligible for extended intervals between testing or not based on the type of test that is ordered and their results."

The new findings appear in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology

Monday, August 15, 2011

Pharmacist Reveals 5 Trade Secrets You Don't Get 'Over-The-Counter'


Behind the glass at your national chain pharmacy exists a world of long periods of boredom punctuated by extremely busy periods of stress, angry and illogical patients in Xanax withdrawal, and screaming babies with fevers. The typicalpharmacist has grown accustomed to a mostly sedentary life of sitting in chairs and occasionally helping patients with problems of the insurance variety.

While we may think our job is to make time go by as quickly as possible, there are constantly issues that go unresolved and leave patients without medication. Placing too much trust in your local pharmacy can also be dangerous for your health and, though rare, errors are made that can compromise your health.
There are, however, simple steps that patients can take to ensure everything is done correctly every time you fill a prescription. Whether it's the pharmacy's fault or not, there are also ways to resolve insurance denials with little effort.

1. Do not trust the expiration date on your prescription bottle.
Unless you are given the exact bottle delivered to us by the manufacturer, you may as well be guessing as to when your medication actually expires. While expired medication may not be worrisome, the effectiveness of your medication decreases with each passing day that the tablet or capsule is expired. With hundreds of bottles of medication being delivered to pharmacies every week, it is easy to overlook the expiration date of medication.
Safety is our first priority for patients, but some things do slip through the cracks. If you have a condition which requires a precise medication and strength, ask the pharmacist to show you the bottle from which the medication originated. Self-verifying the expiration date only takes a few seconds, and gives you the confirmation that you need to trust the effectiveness of your prescription.

2. Do not pay full price for an insurance denial.
If an expensive medication is denied by your health insurance company, ask your pharmacist to perform aprior authorization while you wait. Waiting in the pharmacy is crucial for this process to be successful. A prior authorization is simply a form that is sent to your insurance company and doctor's office that can force your insurance company to pay for your medication. This process usually takes up to 10 days depending on the pharmacy. However, I have personally pushed this process to be completed in under 10 minutes. Make sure that your doctor or his/her staff is prepared to answer the call from your insurance company. Once your doctor or staff says the magic words, "medically necessary," you are on your way to paying your regular co-pay for your medication.
The alternative is waiting 10 days for a rejection from your insurance company for a prior authorization that may or may not have been done in a correct and timely manner. Some pharmacist may try to brush off this request, but the fact is we are legally required to assist you in getting your medication. Anything else can be considered unprofessional, irresponsible, and possibly grounds for malpractice. Do not get pushed around by anyone when it comes to your health.

3. All generics are not created equal.
Insurance companies push generics due to their low cost, but every person reacts differently to medication. There are some medications for conditions like epilepsy and thyroid issues that, for some patients, work differently than their brand-named counterparts. Even the same generic medication made by different manufactures can have a different effect on the same person. While the chemical structure of the medication may be the same, the way it is synthesized and concentrated differs from company to company.
Small differences between medications can make all the difference for a patient. If one generic does not work for you, ask for a different malefactor. If no generics work, you always have the option (under federal law) to substitute for the brand name version. Many patients experience a change in their health when a generic becomes available for their medication, but are unaware that they do not have to take the generic medication.

4. Ask for a loaner when needed.
If you for some reason run out of medication (that is a non-controlled medication such as Xanax or Hydrocodone) your pharmacist has the option to give you up to a three-day loaner supply to hold you over until your doctor is contacted for a refill. This loaner supply also goes for when you are out of town and forgot to pack your medication -- if you do have a refill somewhere in the United States -- though you may have to pay for the three-day supply in this circumstance. Many pharmacist do not extend the offer because they fear taking a loss for the pharmacy, but simply asking is often all a patient needs to do.

5. Take advantage of transfer gift cards!
We will give you a gift card for a transfer in almost any situation. If you are in a large national chain pharmacy, at least. When gift cards were popular for transfer prescriptions in 2005, there were many restrictions placed as to how they were to be given out. These restrictions no longer exist since we have been notified not to argue with customers in this situation. Instead of a pharmacy district manager personally replying to complaints on transfer gift cards, most pharmacies simply give them out. There may be nice pharmacy staff who will give you a gift card automatically, but most hope you don't ask. Ask for the card: Issuing $30 gift cards brings returns to the pharmacy that exceed their cost. The pharmacy makes a fortune from insurance companies, you shouldn't feel guilty or timid for taking advantage of a program created for the patient.