Sex, Women's Health
Testosterone for Sexually Frustrated Women
Three weeks ago my column, "Do you want better sex?" struck a resounding note with female readers. But also with many husbands who want their wives to have fewer headaches! The general response was, "Please write more about testosterone and how it can increase female libido". Testosterone, the male hormone, has been called "the hormone of desire". In males the "Big T" builds muscle for boys and ultimately turns boys into sexually well-functioning men. Women also produce testosterone during puberty, about one-tenth as much as males. Later in life they produce less, and this is why some authorities believe women lose interest in sex. How do women learn whether they have less testosterone and therefore "less tiger in the tank"? There's a...Read More
Women's Health
A New Computerized Technique To Detect Breast Cancer
What would I do if I were a woman and worried about breast cancer? I would hope that someone would devise a way to improve the accuracy of mammography. Now, a new computerized ultrasound technique can help to determine what breast lumps are benign or malignant. The result? Fewer sleepless nights waiting for biopsy results. Mammography has always been a questionable procedure. Dr. Peter Gotzsche, a leading Danish researcher, claims there is no convincing evidence that annual mammograms decrease the risk of death from breast cancer. To reach this conclusion Gotzsche and his colleagues analyzed international studies of half a million women. The cruel truth is that the benefits of mammography are modest. Experts say that 2,000 women have to be screened...Read More
Gynecology, Women's Health
What Partners Should Know About Wrong-Way Births
What's one of the worst things a baby can do to a mother (and her partner) at the time of delivery? It decides to be born feet or bottom first, rather than head first. Wrong-way birth is called breech birth, and it can have major health consequences for the baby and for family, lasting a lifetime. So women and their partners should never, ever make a hasty or emotional decision on whether or not to have a Cesarean section. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) recently stated that doctors should no longer opt for cesarean section for breech birth. They claim there is no difference in the complication rate between a right-way and wrong-way delivery. This decision is adding...Read More
Gynecology, Women's Health
Hey Guys! There’s Another Kind of Headache
"Not tonight dear". We all know what that message means. But there's a type of pain that isn't at all questionable and 99.9 percent of males haven't a clue about it. But can you blame them when so many people have no idea of their own anatomy? A recent report in the British journal BMC Family Practice is hard to believe. King's College researchers asked 722 patients where certain anatomical organs were located. Only 46 percent knew the location of the heart, 31 percent the lungs, 42 percent kidneys, and 38 percent had no idea where the stomach was located. Both sexes scored the same! No one apparently asked where the vagina was located. But in view of this report, it's...Read More
Gynecology, Women's Health
A Good Way To Detect Submarines, But Babies? – Ultrasound
"Will repeated ultrasound examinations (US) harm my baby?" This is a question readers often ask. It's a timely question since millions of obstetrical diagnostic exams are done every year in North America. As well many expectant families want to record this historic moment by obtaining a high-resolution 3-D video of it. How safe are these procedure? Ultrasonography was invented during World War II to prevent German submarines from sinking Allied ships. Later, Dr. Ian Donald, a Scottish doctor, used this technique to diagnose abdominal tumours. Its use quickly spread to pregnancies. Ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves that create images on a screen. This can be extremely useful in helping doctors to determine the cause of bleeding in early pregnancy, or in...Read More
Gynecology, Sex, Women's Health
Not Tonight Darling, I’m Pregnant – Sexual Myths During Pregnancy
Can the penis injure the fetus during pregnancy? Or can sexual intercourse result in premature labour and possibly fetal death? How will pregnancy affect sexual desire? And how soon after delivery is it safe to have sex? These are some of the many questions about pregnancy. There's one I'll never forget which should enter the Guinness Book of Records. Dr. Elias Bartellas, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, recently reported his findings on sex and pregnancy at the annual meeting of Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada. His report revealed that nine months is a long time to be ill-informed about sex. Today the majority of doctors are either too busy or embarrassed to bring...Read More
Gynecology, Women's Health
The Possible Hazards of Pill Substitution
A 22 year old student says, "I've been on the birth control pill (BCP) for several years. Now my pharmacist wants to give me a generic BCP rather than my regular one. What should I know about these other pills?" It's a good question, and parents should also be concerned about substitution. Brand name birth control pills are those produced by established pharmaceutical companies that have spent years of research and millions of dollars to develop the pill. But once their patent expires other companies can make a copycat version. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) reports that it welcomes the increased choice of less expensive options. But adds that to qualify as an equivalent to existing brands generic...Read More
Gynecology, Surgery, Women's Health
Gas and Cesarean Operations at Record Highs
Not only is the price of gas rocketing to high levels. A recent report by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) says that 26.3 percent of women now have babies delivered by Cesarean section. There are many different opinions of why this has happened in both Canada and the U.S. But William Shakespeare had the ultimate explanation. Not just North America has seen this increase. In Hong Kong the Cesarean rate is 27 percent and in Brazil 32 percent. And the rate in some private clinics in Brazil is an astounding 75 percent! These are hefty figures when the World Health Organization claims that a rate of over 15 percent is questionable. Years ago it would have been utter...Read More
Women's Health
What You Should Know About Generic Birth Control Pills
A 22 year old student at the University of Toronto says, "I've been on birth control pills (BCPs) for several years and have a tight budget. My pharmacist says that a new generic BCP, "Avaine", is available. Are these generic pills safe?" Another reader, who wants to be a grandmother rather than a mother, questions whether generic BCPs offer the same protection against pregnancy". These are good questions. Everyone wants to be sure they're getting the same protection and value for their dollar. Pharmaceutical companies, producing brand name products, have had patent protection from generic drugs, for several years. This allows them to recoup the millions of dollars they've spent on research to develop a drug. But, as you would suspect,...Read More
Gynecology, Sex, Women's Health
Chocolates and Sex, The Wrong Gift for Valentine’s Day
"What did your husband give you for Valentine's Day?" I jokingly asked a 55 year old patient. She replied, "He brought home the usual gift, chocolates, but that won't solve my pain with sex. Nor can my own doctor, as he never talks about sexual matters." This is a scenario I often see in my office and it's time to break the hush that so often surrounds this problem. This woman had started into menopause at 50 years of age, suffering from flushes, insomnia and increased irritability. These symptoms had gradually faded without any treatment over a two-year period. But slowly she noted that sexual intercourse was becoming increasingly painful. And by Valentine's Day this year it was causing problems in...Read More
Gynecology, Women's Health
If Estrogen Causes Cancer Where is the Epidemic?
What would I do if I were a woman at the age of menopause and read the headline, "Breast cancer drop linked to decline in hormone therapy". I'd be scared as hell if I was already taking estrogen and consider flushing it down the toilet. But what should menopausal women do if they have an whelming desire to kick the cat or their husband? In 2002, a study of 16,000 women aged 50 to 79 showed that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increased the risk of breast cancer by 26 percent, stroke by 41 percent, heart attack by 29, the risk of cardiovascular disease by 22 percent and it doubled the rate of blood clots. These figures make your eyes pop out, but...Read More
Cancer, Gynecology, Women's Health
Ovarian Cancer, Scaring Women Half-To-Death
It's been said that, "A little knowledge is an dangerous thing." A report from the Mayo Clinic shows that this is particularly true when the subject is ovarian cancer. And it illustrates how easy it is to both inform women and worry them at the same time. Mayo researchers have claimed recently that there are early symptoms of ovarian cancer. To prove this they reviewed the symptoms of 107 women, aged 38 to 96, in the two years prior to being diagnosed with this disease. The most common complaints were crampy abdominal pain, increased frequency, urgency or leakage of urine. And they urged women with these symptoms to seek medical attention. But there's a major problem. Doctors see hundreds of women...Read More
Cancer, Gynecology, Infection, Nutrition, Women's Health
Garadsil – A Vaccine To Prevent Cervical Cancer
Some patients you never forget. Years ago, a young talented pianist after years of dedicated study, was scheduled to give her first piano recital in Toronto. For months she noticed vaginal discharge and did nothing. Finally, due to abnormal bleeding she consulted me. Pelvic examination revealed an extensive cancer of the cervix. She died a few months later and never gave her recital. Now, a vaccine "Gardasil" will prevent these needless deaths. Worldwide cervical cancer strikes half a million women each year and 250,000 die from this disease. What causes these cancers was unknown for many years. Now, we know that the majority are due to infection with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). The Human Papillomavirus is an extremely common virus and there...Read More
