Comprehensive guide to female reproductive health, including menstrual cycle management, pregnancy wellness, and common hormonal disorders.
At one time or another, most women will experience doubt or concern about maintaining genital hygiene, especially during menstruation. The stigma persists that the menstrual cycle renders female genitals unclean. While this is untrue, good personal hygiene includes appropriate cleansing during menstruation.
Read more →
Water retention occurs when fluid builds up in the body. In most cases, fluid retention does not cause serious problems. But sometimes, fluid retention causes dangerous effects on the body.
Read more →
Once a woman starts menstruating, she should expect to have a period every month or so. However, each woman's body, and therefore period timing, is unique. Once a woman is having regular periods, however, it is not normal to go six months between menstrual cycles. Consult your doctor for medical advice.
Read more →
The reason for morning sickness hasnโt quite been determined, but many pregnant women with the condition know itโs not necessarily limited to the morning hours.
Read more →
Most women who plan to get pregnant want to do everything they can to ensure that they're as healthy as possible prior to conceiving. This helps to provide for a healthy pregnancy. Neural tube defects, the second most common group of debilitating birth defects, can be reduced with adequate folic acid intake.
Read more →
Many layers of anatomy behind the left breast can cause pain during exercise. The breast sits on top of the pectoralis major and minor muscles. Than there is the rib cage with bones, cartilage, intercostal muscles and nerves.
Read more →
The menstrual cycle involves changes in hormone levels and the shedding of blood. The average length of a menstrual cycle lasts 28 days. Hormones produced during the menstrual cycle, such as estrogen and progesterone, are needed to maintain health.
Read more →
Estradiol is a form of estrogen produced in the ovaries and released from the ovaries, adrenal cortex and placenta during pregnancy. Abnormal estradiol levels can indicate a problem with the reproductive organs or the adrenal glands. An estradiol test is a blood test most commonly used to evaluate ovarian function.
Read more →
Your menstrual cycle is a bodily process that is healthy and normal; unfortunately, it is not always painless. Cramps, bloating, headaches and muscle stiffness are just some of the possible side effects of menstruation. Regularly eating a balanced diet can greatly improve these symptoms.
Read more →
The World Health Organization recommends pregnant women take a daily iron supplement to reduce the risk of iron deficiency, anemia and low-birth weight. Even during pregnancy, though, you can have too much of a good thing. Too much iron may have a negative effect on your body and put your unborn baby at risk.
Read more →
Exercise is no longer blamed for causing longer periods, increasing blood clots or increasing the risk of cramping. In fact, exercise is now understood to be the perfect antidote to each of these common complaints during menstruation.
Read more →
It is not possible to confirm or rule out pregnancy on the basis of one or even several symptoms. Until your doctor detects a fetal heartbeat, any pregnancy symptoms you have experienced are merely indicators that you may be pregnant, says the American Pregnancy Association, or APA.
Read more →
Water retention and stomach bloating are two uncomfortable symptoms that everyone experiences from time to time. Their causes range from premenstrual syndrome to a poor diet, but the solution is the same. Simple lifestyle changes are all that's usually needed to beat bloating and fluid retention.
Read more →
Your kidneys filter water and other substances from your blood to produce urine. Urine production enables your body to rid itself of waste products and other potentially harmful substances, while also regulating water balance.
Read more →
If you have an unpleasant vaginal odor, it can be very embarrassing, and it may be a sign of some sort of infection, or even poor personal hygiene. One of the most common vaginal infections that is associated with a fishy vaginal smell is called bacterial vaginosis, which is caused by gardnerella bacteria.
Read more →
Water retention signifies the accumulation of excess fluid in the body cavities and tissues. This is not a medical condition, but a symptom of an underlying medical problem. In some cases, water retention occurs as the result of medication use. Seek medical advice for water retention that does not improve on its own.
Read more →
The menstrual cycle is a normal monthly occurrence for women from puberty until menopause. The cycle prepares a woman's body for pregnancy. Menstruation begins each month when the egg is not fertilized, causing the shedding of the extra lining of the uterus that would otherwise nourish the growing embryo.
Read more →
Human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, is a hormone made by the placenta to help support the growth of the fetus during pregnancy. During normal pregnancy, hCG levels generally double about every 48 to 72 hours and can be detected by a blood test about 3 weeks from the last menstrual period.
Read more →
During pregnancy, your body needs extra nutrition to support your developing baby's growth, and drinking whole milk can be a way to meet some of those needs.
Read more →
Surgical removal of both ovaries is medically known as bilateral oophorectomy. Since the ovaries manage hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle, including estrogen and progesterone, removing the ovaries causes surgical menopause.
Read more →