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Women's health

Definition

Women's health refers to the branch of medicine that focuses on the treatment and diagnosis of diseases and conditions that affect a woman's physical and emotional well-being.

Information

Women's health includes a wide range of specialties and focus areas, such as:

• Birth control, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and gynecology
• Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and other female cancers
• Mammography and other screening tests for breast cancer
• Menopause and hormone therapy
• Osteoporosis
• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Sexual health
• Women and heart disease
• Benign conditions affecting the function of the female reproductive organs

PREVENTATIVE CARE AND SCREENINGS

Preventative care for women includes the following services:

• Regular gynecological checkups, including a pelvic exam and breast exam
• Pap smear and human papilloma virus (HPV) testing
• Bone density testing
• Breast cancer screening
• Discussions about colon cancer screening
• Age-appropriate immunizations
• Healthy lifestyle risk assessment
• Hormonal testing for menopause
• Immunizations
• Screening for STIs

Breast self-exam instruction may also be included.

BREAST CARE SERVICES

Breast care services include the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, which may involve:

• Breast biopsy
• Breast MRI scan
• Breast ultrasound
• Genetic testing and counseling for women with a family or personal history of breast cancer
• Hormonal therapy, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy
• Mammography
• Mastectomy and breast reconstruction

The breast care services team may also diagnose and treat noncancerous conditions of the breast, including:

• Benign breast lumps
• Lymphedema, a condition in which excess fluid collects in tissue and causes swelling

SEXUAL HEALTH SERVICES

Your sexual health is an important part of your overall well-being. Women's sexual health services may include:

• Birth control (contraceptives)
• Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of sexually-transmitted infections
• Therapies to help with problems with sexual function

GYNECOLOGY AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES

Gynecology and reproductive health services may include the diagnosis and treatment of various conditions and diseases, including:

• Abnormal Pap smears
• Presence of high-risk HPV
• Abnormal vaginal bleeding
• Bacterial vaginosis
• Endometriosis
• Heavy menstrual cycles
• Irregular menstrual cycles
• Other vaginal infections
• Ovarian cysts
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• Pelvic pain
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
• Uterine fibroids
• Uterine and vaginal prolapse
• Vaginal yeast infection
• Various conditions affecting the vulva and vagina
• Menopause
• Urinary tract infections

PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH SERVICES

Regular prenatal care is an important part of every pregnancy. Pregnancy and childbirth services include:

• Planning and preparing for pregnancy, including information about proper diet, prenatal vitamins, and review of pre-existing medical conditions and medicines used
• Prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum care
• High-risk pregnancy care (maternal-fetal medicine)
• Breastfeeding and nursing

INFERTILITY SERVICES

Infertility specialists are an important part of the women's health services team. Infertility services may include:

• Testing to determine the cause of infertility (a cause may not always be found)
• Blood and imaging tests to monitor ovulation
• Infertility treatments
• Counseling for couples who are dealing with infertility or loss of a baby

Types of infertility treatments that may be offered include:

• Medicines to stimulate ovulation
• Intrauterine insemination
• In vitro fertilization (IVF)
• Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) -- Injection of a single sperm directly into an egg
• Embryo cryopreservation: Freezing embryos for use at a later date
• Egg donation
• Sperm banking

BLADDER CARE SERVICES

The women's health services team can also help diagnose and treat bladder-related conditions. Bladder-related conditions that may affect women can include:

• Bladder emptying disorders
• Urinary incontinence and overactive bladder
• Interstitial cystitis
• Prolapse of the bladder

If you have a bladder condition, your women's health specialist may recommend that you do Kegel exercises to strengthen the muscles in your pelvic floor.

OTHER WOMEN'S HEALTH SERVICES

• Cosmetic surgery and skin care, including skin cancer
• Diet and nutrition services
• Psychological care and counseling for women dealing with abuse or sexual assault
• Sleep disorders services
• Smoking cessation

TREATMENTS AND PROCEDURES

Members of the women's health services team perform a variety of different treatments and procedures. Among the most common are:

• Delivery by vaginal birth or Cesarean section (C-section)
• Endometrial ablation
• Endometrial biopsy
• D&C
• Hysterectomy
• Hysteroscopy
• Mastectomy and breast reconstruction
• Pelvic laparoscopy
• Procedures to treat precancerous changes of the cervix (loop electrosurgical excision procedure [LEEP], Cone biopsy)
• Procedures to treat urinary incontinence
• Tubal ligation and reversal of tubal sterilization
• Uterine artery embolization

WHO TAKES CARE OF YOU

The women's health services team includes doctors and health care providers from different specialties. The team may include:

• Obstetrician/gynecologist (ob/gyn) -- A doctor who has received extra training in the treatment of pregnancy, reproductive organ problems, and other women's health issues.
• General surgeons specializing in breast care.
• Perinatologist -- An ob/gyn who has received further training and specializes in the care of high-risk pregnancies.
• Radiologist -- Doctors who received extra training and interpretation of different imaging as well as performing different procedures using imaging technology to treat disorders such as uterine fibroids.
• Physician assistant (PA).
• Primary care doctor.
• Nurse practitioner (NP).
• Nurse midwives.

This list may not be all-inclusive.

References

Cameron J. Breast. In: Cameron J, ed. Current Surgical Therapy. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 12.

Freund KM. Approach to women's health. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 219.

Lobo RA. Infertility: etiology, diagnostic evaluation, management, prognosis. In: Gershenson DM, Lentz GM, Valea FA, Lobo RA, eds. Comprehensive Gynecology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 40.

Mendiratta V, Lentz GM. History, physical examination, and preventive health care. In: Gershenson DM, Lentz GM, Valea FA, Lobo RA, eds. Comprehensive Gynecology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 7.

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