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Polycystic ovary syndrome

drswahsb — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 05:44:47 +0000

PCOS

POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS may have infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods or excess male hormone (androgen) levels. The ovaries may develop numerous small collections of fluid (follicles) and fail to regularly release eggs.

The exact cause of PCOS is unknown. Early diagnosis and treatment along with weight loss may reduce the risk of long-term complications such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

SYMPTOMS
Signs and symptoms of PCOS often develop around the time of the first menstrual period during puberty. Sometimes PCOS develops later, for example, in response to substantial weight gain.

Signs and symptoms of PCOS vary. A diagnosis of PCOS is made when you experience at least two of these signs:

• Irregular periods. Infrequent, irregular or prolonged menstrual cycles are the most common sign of PCOS. For example, you might have fewer than nine periods a year, more than 35 days between periods and abnormally heavy periods.
• Excess androgen. Elevated levels of male hormone may result in physical signs, such as excess facial and body hair (hirsutism), and occasionally severe acne and male-pattern baldness.
• Polycystic ovaries. Your ovaries might be enlarged and contain follicles that surround the eggs. As a result, the ovaries might fail to function regularly.

PCOS signs and symptoms are typically more severe if you’re obese.

Pap Smear

drswahsb — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 11:09:38 +0000

A Pap Smear is one of the most important things a woman could do to prevent cervical cancer. It is recommended to go for a yearly examination from the age of 23 or when you start sexual activity. Here are some information on what to expect.

What is a Pap Smear?

This is a test that is performed on the cervix (mouth of the uterus). It is performed by a doctor who inserts a speculum, which is a small instrument, into the vagina, sees the cervix, and with a small brush, gently removes some cells for testing.

Why?

The cells of the cervix can undergo changes without one noticing it or experiencing any discomfort or bleeding. It is important that we pick these changes up, as they can be precursors to cancer. These changes are mostly caused by a human papilloma virus (HPV) infection.

What can we expect?

We will inform you about the results of your pap smear, in case of any abnormalities or infection.

Read the following very carefully, as it is very important:

Abnormal atypical cells do not mean cancer. The cells of cervix undergo changes long before they become cancer. If you get a phone call saying you have abnormal cells on your pap smear DO NOT PANIC. It is not an emergency. All this means is that cells have been discovered which can be treated with a small procedure
and you can prevent further changes from occurring.

What results can I expect?

• NORMAL – in which case the pap smear should be repeated yearly.

• ASCUS (atypia) or LSIL (low grade dysplasia) or CIN 1 (Cervical Intra-Epithelial Neoplasia.)
In these instances, you will be asked to return for a pap smear in 6 months. The reason for this is that these cells can actually return to their normal state within this time. The question often asked is: “Is 6 months not too long?” The answer to this question is that changes, even if they get worse, happen over a period of 10 – 15 years. Therefore, we do have time.

• HSIL (High grade dysplasia) or CIN 11 or III
In this case you will be called back for a possible colposcopy. This is a small theatre procedure
during which the cervix is examined with a magnifying glass. It enables us to have a further look at
the cervix to identify these abnormal cells (which are not cancer cells). We may then treat them by
excising the abnormal cells. This is a small procedure. In this way we can prevent cancer of the
cervix developing.

These abnormalities of the cervix are usually associated with HPV (Human Papilloma Virus). We
know that HPV plays a role in the development of abnormal cells, but you need not be alarmed if
your doctor tells you that there is HPV present. Thirty five percent (35%) of the population has HPV
present and there is no need to be worried about it.

NOTE: THE PAP SMEAR ONLY SHOWS WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE CERVIX – NOT TO THE UTERUS OR OVARIES.

Summary:

The pap smear is a very useful preventative test performed on the cervix to alert us to atypical or abnormal cells which may or may not need treatment to prevent cancer from developing.

Stress Urinary Incontinence

drswahsb — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 14:57:39 +0000

Stress Urinary Incontinence: Tips on how to improve the symptons

Stress urinary incontinence is when you leak urine during episodes of increased intraabdominal pressure (sneezing, coughing and exercising. Here are a few tips on how to improve the symptoms.

Kegal exercises
Kegel exercises can help you prevent or control urinary incontinence and other pelvic floor problems.
Kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which support the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum. You can do Kegel exercises, also known as pelvic floor muscle training, just about any time.
Start by understanding what Kegel exercises can do for you — then follow step-by-step instructions for contracting and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles.

Why Kegel exercises matter
Many factors can weaken your pelvic floor muscles, including pregnancy, childbirth, surgery, aging, excessive straining from constipation or chronic coughing, and being overweight.
You might benefit from doing Kegel exercises if you:
• Leak a few drops of urine while sneezing, laughing or coughing (stress incontinence)
• Have a strong, sudden urge to urinate just before losing a large amount of urine (urge incontinence)
• Leak stool (faecal incontinence)

Kegel exercises can be done during pregnancy or after childbirth to try to prevent urinary incontinence.
Keep in mind that Kegel exercises are less helpful for women who have severe urine leakage when they sneeze, cough or laugh. Also, Kegel exercises aren’t helpful for women who unexpectedly leak small amounts of urine due to a full bladder (overflow incontinence).

How to do Kegel exercises
To get started:

• Find the right muscles. To identify your pelvic floor muscles, stop urination in midstream. If you succeed, you’ve got the right muscles. Once you’ve identified your pelvic floor muscles you can do the exercises in any position, although you might find it easiest to do them lying down at first.

• Perfect your technique. Tighten your pelvic floor muscles, hold the contraction for five seconds, and then relax for five seconds. Try it four or five times in a row. Work up to keeping the muscles contracted for 10 seconds at a time, relaxing for 10 seconds between contractions.

• Maintain your focus. For best results, focus on tightening only your pelvic floor muscles. Be careful not to flex the muscles in your abdomen, thighs or buttocks. Avoid holding your breath. Instead, breathe freely during the exercises.

• Repeat three times a day. Aim for at least three sets of 10 repetitions a day.

• Don’t make a habit of using Kegel exercises to start and stop your urine stream. Doing Kegel exercises while emptying your bladder can actually lead to incomplete emptying of the bladder — which increases the risk of a urinary tract infection.

When to do your Kegels

• Make Kegel exercises part of your daily routine. You can do Kegel exercises discreetly just about any time, whether you’re sitting at your desk or relaxing on the couch.

• When you’re having trouble

• If you’re having trouble doing Kegel exercises, don’t be embarrassed to ask for help. In some cases, vaginal weighted cones might help. To use a vaginal cone, you insert it into your vagina and use pelvic muscle contractions to hold it in place during your daily activities. As you relax and contract your pelvic floor muscles, a monitor will measure and display your pelvic floor activity.

When to expect results

If you do Kegel exercises regularly, you can expect results — such as less frequent urine leakage — within about a few weeks to a few months. For continued benefits, make Kegel exercises a permanent part of your daily routine.