Archive for the ‘Women's Health’ Category
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HYSTERECTOMY: QUESTIONS OFTEN ASKED
I am thinking about having a hysterectomy but I also need to work. How long will it take me to recover?
Your recovery time is influenced by many factors. The type of hysterectomy you have being the most important In general, women who have a vaginal or laparoscopic hysterectomy can return to work after three to [...]
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FERTILITY AND NUTRITION: LOW BIRTH-WEIGHT
Low birth weight is classed as any baby weighing under 2.5kg (5.51b) at birth. In my mother’s generation it was desirable to have a large baby because they were considered to be stronger. In baby competitions of that era, babies that won first prize were usually bigger and classed as ‘bonny babies’. The trend then [...]
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CHEMICALLY INDUCED MENOPAUSE: PRACTICAL TIPS
? One woman who had many intense night sweats kept a small cooler by her bed. During the day, she left two or three wet washcloths in the freezer and put them by her bed at night.
? There are good over-the-counter products to alleviate vaginal dryness. It makes sense to try several brands to see [...]
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BEAST CANCER/NONSURGICAL TREATMENTS: IF WOMEN CAN SAFELY AVOID CHEMOTHERAPY AT THE TIME OF DIAGNOSIS
Sometimes women wonder if they can safely avoid chemotherapy at the time of diagnosis, when it would be given adjuvantly, and receive the treatment only when/if the cancer recurs in the future. There is no easy way to say this. This is the time to do everything you possibly can to prevent any future recurrence [...]
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BREAST CANCER: LUMPECTOMY, OR BREAST CONSERVATION
Breast conservation, otherwise known as segmental mastectomy or lumpectomy or partial mastectomy, is the removal of only the tumor and a margin or border of normal tissue, and therefore only part of your breast. The malignant or cancerous tissue and a margin of healthy tissue (clean margins) are removed, along with some of the axillary [...]
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BREAST CANCER/PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS: HOW BEST TO HELP OUR CHILDREN
There are a few basic themes for how best to help our children cope during the time of our diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer.
? Never lie to your children. If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so.
? If your child/ren ask you if you are going to die from your breast [...]
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BREAST CANCER SUPPORTING: BAD NEWS
Remember that you may find it hard to like someone who is giving you so much bad news. Many women initially dislike their doctors, yet end up liking them enormously. Unless you have a really bad experience with someone, you probably should give him/her a second chance.
All of this sounds harder than it really is. [...]
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CANCER OF THE UTERUS: DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Diagnosis. A woman should have her history taken and an examination performed by a doctor. There may be nothing much to find, because usually the action is happening in the lining of the uterus.
Specific testing of the endometrium needs to be performed. This is usually a microscopic examination of samples collected from the endometrium. Sampling [...]
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PREGNANCY: WHAT SHOULD I DO AND NOT DO?
Illegal drugs and other drugs of addiction. The most widely used recreational drugs in our society are cigarettes and alcohol. Less commonly used is marijuana. It seems that research into the effects of this drug on foetuses is not yet as available as for the first two. Despite this, it is generally accepted that the [...]
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ABORTION
In an ideal world we would not need abortion. In an ideal world there would be no unplanned, unwanted pregnancies. However, abortion is a reality in the lives of many women; it is estimated that 65 million abortions are performed each year world-wide. We do not live in an ideal world.
Fortunately in Australia, where about [...]