health
From the ovaries, outward, all about female-focused health and medicine.
Fibromyalgia is a Little Bitch
When I was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia, it felt like I’d come to the end of a long, winding, exhausting road. It had taken me years to get my diagnosis, during which I’d seen multiple primary care physicians, gotten multiple referrals, had multiple lab tests, and cried multiple tears. I’d been misdiagnosed with a variety of illnesses along the way – everything from depression to Lyme disease. I’d been advised to go gluten-free, carb-free, meat-free, sugar-free, and to try raw foods. To drink more water. To walk more. One doctor told me my issue was stress, and to take up tai chi, align my chakras, and “chill.”
By Christina Seine5 years ago in Viva
Using Sanitary Pads for Urinary Incontinence
Menstruation is becoming less and less a taboo topic and is considered normal for women to buy pads. If you live with incontinence, you’re not alone. According to research by National Centre for Biotechnology Information, in women, moderate and severe bother have a prevalence ranging from about 3% to 17%. Severe incontinence has a low prevalence in young women but rapidly increases at ages 70 through 80. In men, the prevalence of incontinence is much lower than in women, about 3% to 11% overall, with urge incontinence accounting for 40% to 80% of all male patients. The good news is, most cases of urinary incontinence are treatable, or at the very least manageable. The first step is getting informed.
By Blessing Akpan5 years ago in Viva
How Not To Do Yoga
I remember the old days when only hippies did yoga. People who looked like they smelled bad and had dirty feet. Swamis and whatnot. Kooks, weirdos. John Lennon. Ralph Nader, probably (I have not researched this). People who drove VW Bugs, and not the hip, cute VW Bugs that are out there now. These were Bugs that always had at least one fender scraping the tire.
By Bev Potter5 years ago in Viva
Coping With Period Pain
If you have ever experienced severe period pain, then you know first-hand how debilitating it can be. For some lucky few, the monthly bleed comes and goes with relative ease, and cramps might come once in a blue moon, if at all. For others, every month brings a jackhammer-like thudding in the pubic region, heavy bleeding, back and leg pain, nausea, and diarrhea.
By Jupiter Grant5 years ago in Viva
It's Time to Talk about Menstrual Cups
Pads. Panty liners. Tampons. Sanitary belts. When it's that time of the month, no option seems good enough. They all have to be changed multiple times a day and you end up shelling out a ton of cash just for something you'll throw away anyway.
By Rachael Dunn5 years ago in Viva
Then I realized I was the problem
I am ravenous for the voices of midwives and women. Every long drive to placement, everyday spent cleaning with my headphones in I consume every bit of perinatal content I can get my hands on. Anything even vaguely related to childbearing, from the memoirs of midwives to motherhood podcast and books on feminism or Montessori. I slurp it up, rewinding each time my vacuuming distracts me and I miss an important piece of information. I want to get inside the minds of the women I serve, feel what they feel so I can give them the care they actually need. There are deep rooted problems in maternity care. As my education and experience blossoms I find almost every piece of information I receive contradicting some other piece of information, meaning I am constantly trying to shove it into the jigsaw in some way it makes sense. Sometimes I've had to disregard some pieces, assessing the what is the most up-to-date evidence based piece. Generally it’s the things most people don’t talk about enough that are true. The things that turn sour in my gut when I see it in practice. When I heard the statistic about African-American women in the USA dying of pregnancy related complications at 5 times the rate of their white candidates (Center of Disease Control and Prevention, 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2019/p0905-racial-ethnic-disparities-pregnancy-deaths.html), I could scarcely believe it. When my teachers told me about racial discrimination in our own hospital system, I forced it to make some sense in my mind; perhaps they’re just talking about some highly remote country hospital, where they ‘accidentally’ use the wrong terminology, or serve them a culturally unsafe meal? Then I went on my first placement.
By Ellen Brady5 years ago in Viva
How Your Period Will Change as You Age
For people who menstruate, having a period can feel like both one of the most constant, and one of the most chaotic parts of your life. From the moment that you start your first period as a teenager, right up until the menopause—normally in your late 40s and 50s—having your period becomes a normal part of life. So why is it they often catch you off guard? Just when you think you've grown accustomed to your monthly cycle and you know exactly what to expect, you get a little older and another big change in your menstrual cycle throws you. The most straightforward advice when it comes to navigating a lifetime of menstruation is simply, "expect the unexpected," but today, we're going to give you some guidelines, so you can find out what you can expect from your period in different stages of life.
By Alicia Walker5 years ago in Viva
Why is the gallbladder inflamed in women more often? Where do new stones come from after removing it? What medications can provoke cholecystitis?
Female cholecystitis Why is the gallbladder inflamed in women more often? Where do new stones come from after removing it? What medications can provoke cholecystitis?
By ROBINSON JAMES HERBERT5 years ago in Viva
