Center cares for women through all stages of life

Banner Thunderbird Medical Center introduced an all-inclusive women’s health center Wednesday to cater to the reproductive health of women of all ages.

The center will enable patients to get all of their examinations, lab work, ultrasound and other procedures done in a centralized spot, instead of being shuffled around the hospital to different locations for each part of the process.

"The goal of the center is to provide comprehensive care to women who are preconception all the way through the life span, to help with her obstetric and gynecological issues," said Amy Warengo, a registered nurse and senior manager of the center.

The center offers Banner Health’s first three-dimensional sonohysterography, which allows doctors to see the inside of a uterus with clarity and detail not possible with a traditional ultrasound.

The pain-free procedure involves inserting a transducer and saline fluid through the cervix, then using ultrasound technology to see the uterus in 3-D form.

News Source : Center cares for women through all stages of life

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Best Healthy Exercising Tips for Women Health

Every Women want to look more beautiful, tends to have more fit body than others. They do several things in order to keep them fit. However, they forget that exercise is the best solution to keep you fit. It also helps in loosing weight, and getting a perfect figure. Every Woman wants a perfect and attractive figure in order to attract men as well as to posses a confident personality.

However, you should remember one thing that not all exercises are suitable for your body. You need to find out the best suitable exercise for you. Forcing yourself to jogging, cycling or swimming just because someone told you that it is beneficial for health is not a good habit. By doing so, you are causing more harm than good to your own body.

Finding a Suitable Exercise

It is very important to find a good exercise specific to your type of body. The best way to find a good weight loss exercise is consult a dietitian or women health expert. They will suggest you a better weight loss program comprising, a perfect weight loss exercise along with proper weight loss diet and other beneficial nutrition factors helping your dieting program.

An easy and popular way to keep you fit is active participation in games or other physical activities for women like sports. Do not decide your abilities or disabilities to play a particular game. First you begin, and then later you will notice that you are progressing in games as well as in health aspects you are being more successful after adopting this gaming strategy than just by doing exercises.

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Abortion - The Complete Picture Of Abortion!

To be or not to be! This has always been the burning question for ages. Like wise to abort or not to abort has been the question raging everyone since times in memorial.

What does abortion mean?

Abortion is usually delineated as the release or expulsion of the fetus or the embryo from a woman's body. It can be uncontrolled or involuntary as in the case with Spontaneous Abortions. On the other hand, a planned or voluntary abortion, also referred as Induced Abortion, may be further categorized into two distinct types: Elective Abortion and Therapeutic Abortion. Now, Induced Abortion is a woman's prerogative if she is not in favor of being pregnant or since the pregnancy may jeopardize her mental or physical health.

When questioning, "what is abortion all about", it is very vital to make clear the kind of abortion you wish to talk about. Miscarriage or Spontaneous abortion occurs naturally, as it is a body's way of eliminating something harmful from a pregnant mother. At times, this takes place due to genetic issues or because the fetus is abnormally formed. Medical practitioners normally propose Therapeutic Abortion in pregnancy cases that may cause harm to a pregnant mother.

Personal grounds are usually cited for opting for Induced Elective Abortion. The woman may be of the opinion that she isn't mentally or emotionally prepared for parenthood, or supporting a child would be difficult.

The query 'What is Abortion All About' encompasses various kinds of abortion procedures. Herbal, chemical, and surgical abortion options exist, although herbal abortion is not very dependable and is far more risky. Normally, herbal abortions, today, are not carried out. The most well known and widely preferred abortions are the Surgical Abortions.

Abortions can be carried out, in the first three months of pregnancy, by Electric Vacuum Aspiration (EVA), Dilation and Curettage, or Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA). EVA and MVA procedure employ suction to take out the embryo. EVA makes use of a pump, and MVA employs a syringe to take out the tissue. Curettage and Dilation entails opening up the cervix and a sharp curette is put in to scrape the walls of the uterus.

Afterwards, abortion can be carried out by Hysterectomy, Intact Dilation and Extraction (called partial birth abortion), as well as by means of Dilation and Evacuation. In Dilation and Evacuation, instruments and suction are used to take out the tissue after dilating the cervix. Intact Dilation and Extraction consists of a medical procedure in which the brain matter of the fetus is taken out, so that the head falls down, thus making it far easier to take out the fetus. The Hysterectomy abortion is fundamentally a cesarean section process.

Chemical abortions use drug combinations to effect a pregnancy termination or abortion. Use of Mifepristone or Methotrexate is combined either with Gemeprost, which is regularly used in Sweden and the U.K., or with Misoprostol, which is generally used in the U.S. Majorities of people are unable to obtain this important information when they inquire, 'What is abortion all about'.

'What is abortion all about' also has legal connotations. Many Western nations have made legal the initial period abortions in the initial three months of pregnancy. In the U.S., the Partial Birth Abortion Ban puts paid to the Intact Dilation and Extraction procedure being used in the last trimester of pregnancy, even though this law is at present before the Supreme Court of America, since it makes no provision for the mother's health in the case of Therapeutic Abortion.

About the Author

Abhishek has seen many childbirths in his huge family! Visit www.Childbirth-Guru.com and Download Abhishek's FREE Report "How To Dress And Look Your Best During Pregnancy!". If you are an expecting mother, or have just delivered, you can get some very valuable information about Pregnancy and Childbirth. But hurry, only limited Free copies available! www.Childbirth-Guru.com

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How Safe Is the Abortion Pill?

Most women can have a medication abortion safely. But all medical procedures have some risks, so safety is a concern.

Rare, but possible risks include

* an allergic reaction to either of the pills
* incomplete abortion — part of the pregnancy is left inside the uterus
* infection
* undetected ectopic pregnancy
* very heavy bleeding

Most often, these complications are simple to treat with medicine or other treatments.

In extremely rare cases, very serious complications may be fatal. The risk of death from medication abortion is much less than from a full-term pregnancy or childbirth.

Serious complications may have warning signs. Call your health care provider right away if at any time you have

* heavy bleeding from your vagina and are soaking through more than two maxi pads an hour, for two hours or more in a row
* clots for two hours or more that are larger than a lemon
* abdominal pain or discomfort that is not helped by medication, rest, a hot water bottle, or a heating pad
* a fever of 100.4°F or higher that lasts for more than four hours
* vomiting for more than four to six hours and you are not able to keep anything down
* an unpleasant smelling discharge from your vagina
* signs that you are still pregnant

You should start to feel better each day after the abortion. Feeling sick — having abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, or weakness — more than 24 hours after taking misoprostol could be a sign of serious infection. Contact your health care provider right away if you have any of these symptoms. Do not wait until your scheduled follow-up.

You may need another visit with your provider. Rarely, women need vacuum aspiration or hospitalization. Take your medication guide with you if you need to visit an emergency room, a hospital, or a health care provider.

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MENOPAUSE

Menopause is the point in a woman’s life when there is permanent cessation of menstrual periods. This is a natural event that occurs following the loss of ovarian activity. The average age of menopause in this country is approximately 51 years old, although women who smoke usually begin several years earlier.

The perimenopause is the time period immediately before and after the menopause. This is a time that marks the transition from the reproductive years to the postmenopausal years. The effects of the perimenopause are related to waning ovarian function and include: disturbances in menstrual pattern, vasomotor instability (or "hot flushes"), mood swings, and other physical symptoms.

Unfortunately, over the years, the menopause has been associated with negative symbolism, when in fact this should be viewed as a point in a woman’s life where she has decades of productivity and healthful living ahead of her. For many women hormone replacement therapy is the cornerstone of this transition.

Hormone replacement therapy (or "HRT") means the replacement of the female hormone estrogen in physiologic doses. Modern therapy involves daily oral estrogen tablets or weekly estrogen patches applied to the skin, with the addition of the hormone progesterone for women who still have their womb. Older therapies include estrogen injections, and sub-dermal pellets. HRT can alleviate most of the annoying effects of the menopause, such as hot flushes and mood swings. HRT also may provide some health benefits, although the recent Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study has demonstrated that it should be used with caution.

In addition to providing relief from hot flushes, other health benefits include a significant reduction in the occurrence of osteoporosis (brittle bones), and a 29% reduction in the risk of death from colon cancer. However, as I mentioned above, risks do exist. The WHI study (see my article "Warning on Hormone Replacement") demonstrated higher risks of breast cancer, stroke and heart disease, although these events were mostly seen after 5 years of treatment.

Another benefit of HRT was mentioned in a study by the National Institute on Aging, published in 2000 in the journal Neurology found that women who used estrogen reduced their risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 54%. Alzheimer’s disease affects twice as many women as men. Although the authors felt that further studies are needed on this issue, this is nonetheless important news.

In summary, the decision to take or not to take replacement hormones remains a very personal and complicated one. A woman should discuss this with her physician before reaching any conclusions. Although not for everyone, hormones may provide relief of some of the annoying symptoms of menopause, but all should be aware that potential risks exist. For those not willing to take the risks there are alternatives. These alternatives may not provide the same level of relief, buy do not carry the risk either.

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The Abortion Pills

It's the day after and you didn't take any precautions last night. A month passes and you realize that this is it. You're pregnant. Can the abortion pill be an option?

Medical Abortion

In this method, a pill is taken to induce abortion. The medicine mifepristone, known as RU486 in the US, was introduced in France almost a decade ago, and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) finally approved the "abortion pill" on 28th September, 2000 in the United States, after a decade of controversy.

Who can take the abortion pill ?

You may choose medical abortion if you are less than 49 days pregnant. If you have serious heart, liver, kidney problems, blood clotting disorders or HIV, you may not be able to take the medication.

How to take the pill ?

RU-486 can be taken at home or at a clinic. It opens the cervix, causes mild contractions, softens the uterus and causes it to dilate to help expel the embryo. Side effects like nausea, headache and weakness, and bleeding and deep cramps take place after the second, prostaglandin pill, is taken, a couple of days later. The embryo is expelled 4 to 24 hours later.

Side effects are normal, but you need to call your gynaec if you:

• Soak more than two pads an hour, more than two hours in a row
• Bleed heavily for more than 12 hours in a row
• Pass clots larger than lemons for two hours or more
• Run a temperature over 101.4° F for more than four hours
• Feel strong nausea or throw up for more than four hours
• Have an allergic reaction to the medicine

After studies were undertaken in developing nations like India, China and Cuba, which have legalized abortions, it was found that medical abortion was preferred to surgical abortion. The only complaint against medical abortion were the side effects and heavy bleeding.

Follow Up

You need to return a couple of days later to make sure the abortion is complete. The whole process may take about a week to 14 days, depending on the medication. If you are still pregnant after the medical abortion, you could take more medicine or may have to undergo a surgical abortion. Avoid alcohol, aspirin and anti-inflammatory painkillers during this period.

Is an Abortion Painful?

You'll be distinctly uncomfortable after a surgical abortion and may experience some cramping but it should not be very painful. A half an hour's rest in the recovery room and a painkiller should suffice. A medical abortion is more painful, but is preferred as it means avoiding a surgery. It's important you take care of yourself after an abortion, and report any feelings of discomfort and pain to your doctor.

Does the fetus feel pain?

At some stage during the pregnancy the fetus becomes capable of feeling pain but when exactly this happens is not known. It's a safe bet that the fetus may not feel pain before 10 to 12 weeks.

Risks

Incomplete Abortion occurs if part of the pregnancy tissue remains in the uterus after the abortion procedure. Symptoms include lack of post abortion bleeding and severe cramping. Infection can be caused by the retention of tissue in the uterus.

Hemorrhage or Excessive Bleeding can be caused by injury to the uterus during the abortion. Bleeding through more than one sanitary pad per hour indicates excessive bleeding.

Perforation or Injury to Uterus/Cervix occurs if an instrument used during the procedure injures the uterus or cervix. Injuries to the uterus heal by themselves but there is the risk of injuring other organs when perforation occurs.

Future Fertility can be adversely effected if complications such as injury to the cervix or fallopian tube arise during abortion. But if there are no complications, even several abortions have no effect on future fertility.

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Bleeding in Pregnancy

When a woman experiences bleeding in pregnancy, whether or not something can be done to help the baby depends on how far along the pregnancy is.

After the mid-portion of your pregnancy, if you experience premature labor there are medications that can be given in order to attempt to stop the process. Although there still needs to be improvement in these modalities, these treatments are sometimes effective.

Unfortunately, in the early stages of pregnancy these medications are usually not effective. When a woman experiences problems in the early part of pregnancy, such as pain or bleeding this could be a sign of problems.

Potential diagnoses include ectopic (tubal) pregnancy, miscarriage, or threatened miscarriage. An ectopic pregnancy is a potentially dangerous situation as this can lead to life-threatening internal bleeding.

Threatened miscarriage means that a woman is experiencing symptoms such as pain and/or bleeding, however, the pregnancy itself is unaffected. In fact, up to 20% of women who continue a normal pregnancy to the point of delivery will have experienced these symptoms of threatened miscarriage at some point earlier in their pregnancies.

In early pregnancy it is not always possible to make a speedy diagnosis. It is often necessary to observe a patient over several visits, including repeating blood work until the diagnosis can be assured.

The problem is that even if a miscarriage is suspected, there is no effective treatment to change the course of this condition in the early part of pregnancy. Later in the pregnancy, as mentioned above, medications can be given to prevent premature delivery but no effective medication is available to change the course of an early miscarriage. Hopefully this will not always be the case.

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