I see women who have painful cycles all of the time.  Most are controlled with over the counter medications or some degree of rest, and after ruling out other causes of pelvic pain (ovarian cysts, for example) I can start my patients on pain medications or hormonal contraceptives that significantly improve their pain.  That’s the norm.  Every once in a while, however, I come across a patient who has REALLY ...

Angelina Jolie did the medical world and women all over quite a service by stepping forward last month and shining a spotlight on BRCA status and testing.  She revealed that she is a carrier of the BRCA gene, and that she had undergone a complete bilateral mastectomy.  For those who are not yet familiar, the BRCA gene stands for “BReast CAncer” and encompasses a hereditary genetic mutation that is passed do ...

As a gynecologist who takes care of a fair number of teenage patients, I sometimes find myself walking a fine line between patient privacy and parental information.  For example, I saw a young woman the other day who had recently become sexually active.  She had convinced her mother to bring her to me because she had painful cycles and wanted to control them with hormonal contraception.  The issue was twofo ...

Last month, a very near and dear member of my family was diagnosed with lung cancer.  The diagnosis was devastating to our family, of course, as was the stress of the subsequent lung surgery and recovery.  My family member was a longtime smoker in her youth, who quit over a decade ago.  I had the conversation with her about smoking for so many years of her life, and she said “I never thought that I would be ...

Well, it’s official.  The flu is now spread across all 50 states, and by all accounts, this year’s flu season is turning out to be a bad one.  Despite the overwhelming numbers of people that have become sick with this virus, I still can’t convince some folks to get a flu shot!  Reasons vary depending on the individual, and I have heard everything from “It doesn’t work for me” to “I hate needles” and my all ...