Pap is not an acronym. It is short for
Papanicolauo, the name of the doctor who invented the test. After
years of research and verification, the test came into general use in
the 1950s.
- How do I know if I am going through menopause?
Menopause is an expression used to describe the
end of menstrual periods. Some of the symptoms that go along with
menopause or predict menopause include irregular or unpredictable
menstrual periods, hot flashes, mood disturbance, sleep disturbance,
increased PMS symptoms and breast soreness or other breast symptoms.
The average age of menopause is 50, however it is considered normal
for people to go through menopause as young as 35. The age at which
your female relatives go through menopause is the best predictor at
what age you will also go through menopause.
- What are symptoms of osteoporosis?
Most women who have osteoporosis have no symptoms
at all. That is why it is important for people to be evaluated for
that before the symptoms develop. When osteoporosis does cause
patients to complain of symptoms, usually it has to do with shortening
of the spine because of subtle fractures of the spinal column or other
kinds of fractures such as hip fractures. There are a variety of
things that predict a person’s risk for developing osteoporosis, but
the most important ones have to do with family history and their
hormone status. We recommend bone density evaluation for all women
beyond 40, especially if there is osteoporosis in close family
members.
- Should I take hormone replacement therapy (HRT)?
Our current recommendation is for women to take
estrogen and progestin replacement products when needed for the relief
of perimenopausal symptoms for 4-5 years. A recent study of 16.608
healthy women ages 50-75 was stopped because of small but significant
increases in breast cancer, heart disease, stroke and blood clots to
the lung after taking a hormone replacement product (Prempro) for
greater than 4 years.
- Does taking birth control pills (BCP’S) increase
my chance of getting breast cancer?
Medical research has not identified an increase
in the risk of breast cancer in healthy women. This holds true
regardless of patient age, how long the pill is used, family history
of breast cancer or type of BCP. There are, if fact, many benefits
(other than effective contraception) to taking birth control pills.
Women on BCP’S generally have lighter, very regular periods, decreased
PMS symptoms and far less menstrual cramping as well as improvement in
acne. There is also a significant decrease in ovarian and endometrial
cancers in women who have taken BCP’S.
- I have read that I should request the “blood test
for ovarian cancer” when I have my annual exam.
The “blood test for ovarian cancer” is CA-125.
It is used to follow the progress of women who are being treated for
ovarian cancer. CA-125 is not specific for ovarian cancer and may be
elevated for other reasons (a benign ovarian tumor or the patient is a
smoker for example) making it a poor test for screening healthy
women. The test is used for certain patients at high risk for ovarian
cancer. Other blood tests are being developed to help with early
detection of ovarian cancer in the general population.
- What are uterine fibroids?
Uterine fibroids are benign (non-cancerous)
tumors of the uterus. They are very common, found in around 25% of
women in their 30’s and 40’s. Although not life-threatening, fibroids
can cause extremely heavy menstrual periods, severe menstrual cramps,
back pain, pain with intercourse and even urinary symptoms and
constipation.
- What is a TVT?
A TVT (Tension Free Vaginal Tape) is a procedure
that is used as a way of treating urinary incontinence (loss of
control of urine) that is related to the loss of support of the
urethra (the tube going from the bladder to the outside). The
operation consists of placing a piece of material underneath the
urethra through an incision just below the urethra in the vagina to
support the urethra.
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