Maternal Use of Estrogen Hormonal Contraception Just Before Pregnancy – A Risk for Childhood Leukemia?
In a well done and very interesting study in Lancet Oncology, Danish researchers have identified an association between use of estrogen-containing oral contraceptives in the three months prior to pregnancy or during pregnancy and the risk of childhood leukemia in the offspring of that pregnancy.
The study’s conclusions are strengthened by the fact that the data come from three reliable nationwide Danish databases – one registering births, one registering cancers and the other registering prescriptions – and included over a million children born between 1996 and 2014, with a median of 9 years follow up...
Source: The Blog That Ate Manhattan - October 3, 2018 Category: Primary Care Authors: Margaret Polaneczky, MD Tags: Best of Birth Control Posts Best of TBTAM Family Planning How to Get Pregnant birth control pills hormonal contraception Leukemia risks Source Type: blogs
Endometriosis , infertility, laparoscopic surgery and IVF.
Endometriosis is a very common finding in infertile women and is one of the most controversial topics. This is true for multiple reasons. For example, lots of patients with endometriosis have no symptoms at all, and this is an incidental finding either on a vaginal ultrasound scan, which picks up a chocolate cyst, or on a diagnostic laparoscopy done for checking infertility. Now, on an ultrasound scan or a laparoscopy, once the diagnosis is made, then doctors usually get itchy fingers and want to treat it. The treatment is usually doing an operative laparoscopy to remove the lesion, but whether this actually helps the pati...
Source: Dr.Malpani's Blog - August 23, 2018 Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: blogs
Who should NOT do the L. reuteri yogurt?
Because consumption of the L. reuteri yogurt made with the ATCC PTA 6475 and DSM 17938 strains work by raising levels of oxytocin (in addition to local probiotic benefits on reducing H. pylori and acid reflux, for example, unusual for its upper, not just lower, gastrointestinal benefits), there are people who probably should not consume the yogurt..
Oxytocin is a multi-faceted hormone whose levels decline as we age, much as does growth hormone and other hormones. But, among its many varied effects is the potential for causing uterine contraction. That is why oxytocin is administered to provoke delivery of a term infant: i...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - June 19, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Undoctored Wheat Belly Lifestyle anti-aging healing oxytocin probiotic reuteri skin wrinkles Source Type: blogs
Who should NOT do the L. reuteri yogurt?
Because consumption of the L. reuteri yogurt made with the ATCC PTA 6475 and DSM 17938 strains work by raising levels of oxytocin (in addition to local probiotic benefits on reducing H. pylori and acid reflux, for example, unusual for its upper, not just lower, gastrointestinal benefits), there are people who probably should not consume the yogurt..
Oxytocin is a multi-faceted hormone whose levels decline as we age, much as does growth hormone and other hormones. But, among its many varied effects is the potential for causing uterine contraction. That is why oxytocin is administered to provoke delivery of a term infant: i...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - June 19, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Undoctored Wheat Belly Lifestyle anti-aging healing oxytocin probiotic reuteri skin wrinkles Source Type: blogs
The mental health implications of infertility
While infertility may be a problem affecting nearly 7.3 million women in the United States between the ages of 15-44, it is a topic that women often don’t discuss. Rather, they suffer from the emotional pain that accompanies hormone injections, multiple procedures, and sometimes miscarriage. How is it best to treat this vulnerable population that rarely gets the attention it deserves? The answer lies in a team approach to medicine.
According to Dr. Michael Jacobs, reproductive endocrinologist and infertility expert, who is director of Fertility and IVF Center of Miami, “The best way to treat couples challenged with inf...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - June 6, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/samantha-saltz" rel="tag" > Samantha Saltz, MD < /a > Tags: Conditions OB/GYN Source Type: blogs
How over-reporting on ultrasound scans harms infertile patients
Vaginal ultrasound is an extremely useful tool when evaluating an infertile woman, but it often bothers me because there are some sonographers who over interpret the scan images. Now, I like the fact that they are careful and systematic, and document everything they see by taking lots of images. However, I hate the fact that draw clinical conclusions based on the black and white images they see on the screen - and they shouldn't be doing this.Their reports will say things like, " There are adhesions between the ovary and the uterus"; " There is a 3 cm endometriotic cyst"; the fallopian tubes are thickened."None o...
Source: Dr.Malpani's Blog - May 7, 2018 Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: blogs
Laparoscopy and IVF - before, after or never ?
Before referring a patient for IVF to an IVF clinic, many gynecologists will insist on doing a laparoscopy . They justify this using all kinds of pretexts. saying" We will get a chance to check your pelvis, so we can clip your tubes, if needed, or burn any endometriosis." Their justification is that doing this will improve the patient's chance of getting pregnant with IVF. This is false, but poor patients don't know any better. They feel that if they are going to spend so much money on IVF, they might as well spend a little bit more on the laparoscopy, if this will improve their IVF success rate !Removing small fibroids an...
Source: Dr.Malpani's Blog - April 5, 2018 Category: Reproduction Medicine Tags: diagnostic laparoscopy Endoscopy ivf operative laparoscopy Source Type: blogs
Medical marijuana
There are few subjects that can stir up stronger emotions among doctors, scientists, researchers, policy makers, and the public than medical marijuana. Is it safe? Should it be legal? Decriminalized? Has its effectiveness been proven? What conditions is it useful for? Is it addictive? How do we keep it out of the hands of teenagers? Is it really the “wonder drug” that people claim it is? Is medical marijuana just a ploy to legalize marijuana in general?
These are just a few of the excellent questions around this subject, questions that I am going to studiously avoid so we can focus on two specific areas: why do patient...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 15, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Peter Grinspoon, MD Tags: Complementary and alternative medicine Drugs and Supplements Health Pain Management Source Type: blogs
Poor quality IVF treatment
I received this tearful email from a patient.I have a very sad medical history . I used to get extremely painful periods (I got my first periods at the age of around 14-15 years) where medical help was always required by me. The doctors in my home town could not understand the problem and we were completely relying on the best doctors of our city. I was treated for depression, epilepsy, abdominal TB, hormones, etc. etc. because they believed that my symptoms were similar to any of these ailments.After years of treatment but no relief (around 11 years of treatment with no solid diagnosis, no reports nothing), I got ma...
Source: Dr.Malpani's Blog - December 1, 2017 Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: blogs
Women and pain: Disparities in experience and treatment
In August, The New York Times published a guest op-ed by a man named David Roberts who suffered from severe chronic pain for many years before finally finding relief. The piece immediately went viral, with distinguished news journalist and personality Dan Rather posting it to his Facebook page with the addendum that it could “offer hope” to some pain patients. However, for many of us in the chronic pain community, particularly women, the piece was regarded with weariness and frustration.
The first and most prominent source of annoyance for me regarding this piece was the part when the author finally discloses his pain ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - October 9, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Laura Kiesel Tags: Behavioral Health Pain Management Women's Health Source Type: blogs
Health 2.0 Fall Conference Startup Pitch Competition: Meet the Companies
This week, healthcare technology innovators, thought leaders, and business owners convene in Santa Clara, California for Health 2.0’s 11th Annual Fall Conference. While this year’s event runs from October 2-4, Medgadget was able to participate in the Sunday pre-conference and the annual Startup Pitch Competition.
Evaluating eight “Series A ready” companies, organized into professional solution (B2B) and consumer solution (B2C) tracks, were six judges. The diverse panel of judges included:
Anya Schiess from Healthy Ventures
Caroline Arenz from Healthbox
Alexander Hoffman from Merck Ventures
Gwyn ...
Source: Medgadget - October 3, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Michael Batista Tags: Exclusive Source Type: blogs
New treatment for endometriosis on the horizon
Let’s face it: managing your period is a hassle. There’s the cramping, the bloating, the bleeding, and the feeling a little cranky. Not to mention the need to remember to have tampons and ibuprofen on hand. There may also be the bad timing of a special occasion or a tropical vacation that complicates things further. But as aggravating as all this may be, for most women it’s just that: an aggravation, a nuisance that’s pretty easily dealt with.
But for about one in 10 women, their period, the week leading up to their period, and in some cases their entire month can be filled with severe cramps and pelvic pain that s...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - September 21, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Andrea Chisholm, MD Tags: Health Women's Health Source Type: blogs
The power of me too and “ There ’ s More to the Story ” by Mindy Bartleson
I’ve asked Mindy to share more about her upcoming book. With great pleasure, here she is with some of her story and more details about how you can connect with her. Thank you, Mindy, you’re wonderful!
I’ve greatly benefitted from the power of me too when it comes to diabetes. When other things popped up in my life, I wasn’t able to (and sometimes wasn’t ready) to apply this beneficial power.
When my dad passed away when I was 12, I didn’t know a lot of people who understood what it was like until I got older and found more people. I also wouldn’t talk about. I had to be strong.
When I was struggling...
Source: Scott's Diabetes Blog - September 7, 2017 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Scott K. Johnson Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs
