For many women, it may be difficult to relax during a pelvic exam, but it can be a traumatizing experience for survivors of sexual abuse. Although a pelvic exam can help screen for various gynecological conditions, including fibroids and cancer, the procedure may feel intrusive or triggering for some trauma survivors, said Rebecca P. Walker, M.D.,…
Period cramps can be annoying or painful, but not everyone experiences uncomfortable menstrual symptoms. If you don’t get period cramps, you shouldn’t be concerned. An absence of discomfort could be a sign of a healthy period. What causes period cramps? Cramps in the lower abdomen and bloating are very common, and most people experience them…
Hormonal changes after menopause can cause women’s bones to weaken so much that they can break easily, but there are several ways to increase bone density and overall health while aging. Estrogen levels drop significantly during menopause, causing bone loss that can lead to osteoporosis. “Even though it is impossible to recover the bone density…
With your health provider as your co-pilot, you can navigate perimenopause and menopause. Perimenopause, also called the menopausal transition, describes the months or years leading up to menopause, when the body goes through vast changes. This transition can be more difficult for some than menopause due to dramatic fluctuations in reproductive hormone levels. During perimenopause,…
Norton Women’s Care, with childbirth services at Norton Hospital and Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital, has been recognized as High Performing in Adult Maternity Care (Uncomplicated Pregnancy) by U.S. News & World Report. This is the first time U.S. News has published a list of Best Hospitals for Maternity Care. To be recognized among the…
Laura Chamberlin first noticed a lump in her breast when she was a graduate student living in Seattle, Washington. She mentioned it to her primary care doctor, who told her not to worry. “She said, ‘You’re young. You just have dense tissue,’” Laura recalled. After moving to Louisville a year later to work as an…
In 2017, Kimberley Marek received a call after her mammogram, letting her know that something had come back abnormal. It wasn’t the first time this had happened. Since she has dense breast tissue, she had experienced this call before, but the follow-up had always produced a normal result. Not this time. This time it was…
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is more common than you may realize, affecting 6% to 12% of adult women. But were you aware that diet plays a role in insulin resistance, one of the main causes of the hormone imbalance? Infertility is just one of many possible complications. Patients with PCOS usually have higher than normal…
Lesbians can get human papillomavirus (HPV), which can lead to cancer, and may be at higher risk because of historical health care barriers that may have caused reluctance to get preventive screenings. Making matters worse, much of the discussion around sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has focused on heterosexual couples. “Providers and patients alike need to…
This publication is also available in English Si estás embarazada o planeando un embarazo, es posible que te preguntes cómo el coronavirus/COVID-19 podría afectarte a ti y a tu bebé. Los obstetras y ginecólogos, parteras y otro personal que brinda atención obstétrica en Norton Healthcare están monitoreando de cerca la pandemia de COVID-19. A medida…
Norton Women’s Care soon will offer a new doula program that aims to improve the long-term health of new mothers. The program, which will begin this fall, will be made possible thanks in part to a $250,000 gift to the Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation from Aetna Better Health of Kentucky. While doulas are welcome in…
Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are an increasingly popular form of birth control. The devices offer long-term, reversible birth control that can last from three to 10 years depending on the IUD type. The copper IUD is gaining in popularity as a nonhormonal IUD option and can be inserted for up to 10 years. What is a…
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