Blog Archive
Around the world, approximately 89 million women and girls suffer from a condition called endometriosis. The normal endometrium is a blood-filled tissue that lines your uterus and thickens in preparation for a baby each month. If your egg isn’t fertilized, the endometrium sheds from your uterine walls through your vagina,...
Birth control is a personal choice that comes with another set of choices. What type of birth control do you want? Something easily reversible? Permanent? Or portable? Portable birth control refers to barrier methods that include condoms, birth-control sponges, diaphragms, and cervical caps. Like all contraception, each barrier method has...
A simple, 5-minute test called the Pap smear has saved the lives of countless women since it was first introduced into gynecological practice in 1943. The Pap smear detects changes in the cells that line the cervix — the opening to the uterus — and therefore acts as an early...
Although human beings have probably delivered newborns surgically throughout most of our history, a cesarean section seems to have been named for the ancient Roman emperor Julius Caesar. During his reign, full-term pregnant women who were dead or dying had their children delivered surgically, to ensure the increase of the...
Despite the fact that about two million women enter menopause ever single year in the United States, few doctors talk to them about what’s going to happen during that stage of their lives. Few women are prepared for it. Menopause and the changes it brings to your hormonal balance starts...
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a fact of life, especially in the modern world. Every year in the United States, about 26 million new cases of STIs are reported. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that approximately one in every five adults...
Pap smears have saved the lives of countless women over the last century. These simple, fast tests identify early changes in the cells that line your cervix to reduce the chance that they develop into cervical cancer. Most of the time, when you get a Pap smear test, your results come back...
You’ve narrowed down your birth control choices to an intrauterine device (IUD). An IUD is a great selection for women who want long-term, safe, and effective birth control without the need for frequent follow-up doctor appointments or daily pills. Your doctor inserts the IUD — a tiny T-shaped plastic device...
Nobody wants to hear that they have a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or sexually transmitted disease (STD). Practicing safe sex and getting screened regularly helps reduce the odds of getting or suffering complications from STIs and STDs. Nevertheless, every year, there are about 26 million new cases of STIs and...
Whether you’re looking for birth control for the first time in your life, or whether you’ve been using it for a while, you have a lot of options. How do you choose from all the different types of methods and feel confident that you’ve made the right choice? Your birth control needs...
Unless you enjoy exploring the outskirts of sexuality, perhaps inspired by Fifty Shades of Grey, pain probably doesn’t enter into your idea of a romantic encounter and sexual intercourse. Nor should it. Intercourse should be pleasurable, exciting, and joyous for both you and your partner. But what if it’s not?...
Unfortunately, poorly designed and executed studies at the turn of this century unnecessarily frightened millions of women and their doctors away from hormone replacement therapy (HRT). That’s millions of women who could’ve enjoyed the life-improving benefits of more balanced hormones before, during, and after menopause. In follow-up analyses in 2020,...
You’re in menopause after the cessation of your monthly menstrual period for a year. But menopause stops more than your period. It also pauses — or at least puts a severe damper on — the hormones your body produced plentifully when you were in your fertile years. One consequence of...
The Pap smear was introduced in 1943 by George Nicholas Papanicolaou. He developed the test to catch cervical cancer in its early stages, when it can be cured. This simple test is often performed as part of an annual well-woman exam, which makes it easy to incorporate into your self-care...
Your hormones are chemical messengers that regulate just about every process in your body. Hormones help you grow from babyhood to adulthood, control your appetite and metabolism, and are responsible for your reproductive capabilities. Estrogen and progesterone are the two main hormones associated with the female reproductive system. When you...
In 2020, nearly 32% of live births in the United States were delivered through cesarean section (aka C-section). Although vaginal birth is usually preferable, sometimes it’s not medically possible. In the past, once you had a C-section birth, all subsequent births had to also be by C-section. That’s not the case anymore. In...
The birth control you chose as a younger woman might not be right for you today. As your life evolves and your relationships change, you may find that you need to change the type of contraception you use, too. The right birth control for you depends on many factors, including...
When you notice something different “down there,” your first impulse may be to ignore it. Or Google it. Strange sensations, smells, or lesions may make you worry that you have a sexually transmitted disease (STD). And yet, you’re afraid to book an STD test and afraid of what the test...
Every year, about 1.3 million women in the United States enter menopause, usually at around 51 years of age. Many more are in the state leading up to menopause, known as perimenopause. Once you’re in menopause (you’ve had no period for at least 12 months), you stay there. That’s a lot of...
Although everything varies by individual, the healthier you are, the more fertile you’re likely to be. A Goldilocks weight — not too heavy and not too thin — increases the chance that you’ll easily conceive. So does eating the kind of diet that supports your body, rather than stresses it....
Up to 18% of women around the globe experience pain while having sex at some point in their lives. Depending on the type and location of the pain, painful sex can be known as: Vaginismus (involuntary spasms in the outer third of the vagina) Dyspareunia (pain in the genitals) Vestibulodynia (inadequate lubrication)...
A Pap smear is a fast, simple test that detects early cellular changes on your cervix that could indicate cancer or a precancerous condition. Pap smears have helped saved the lives of millions of women since it was first introduced in a book published in 1943. In fact, thanks to increased screenings with...
Menopause is a natural stage of life, but it’s not always comfortable. Or healthy. When your body reduces the production of hormones like progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone, almost every organ and system is affected. As you approach menopause in your 40s, you go through a stage called perimenopause, when you...
Your vagina is a living tissue filled with muscles that get stretched when you give birth. In fact, all of the muscles in your pelvic floor — a muscular sling that supports your vagina and other reproductive organs — are stretched and elongated during childbirth. After childbirth, or with increased...
The only fail-safe method to prevent pregnancy is 100% abstinence. However, few women make that choice. Not many decide to rely on “natural” forms of birth control either, such as male withdrawal or the “rhythm method,” in which you time sex to the least fertile times in your menstrual cycle....
Whether your doctor tells you that you have a sexually transmitted infection (STI) or a sexually transmitted disease (STD), it’s not a happy day. Nobody wants either, even though some STIs and STDs can be cured. Both STIs and STDs are on the rise though, with about 26 million new...
As wonderful as childbirth is, it takes a heavy toll on your body, particularly if you delivered your baby via C-section. A C-section is major surgery because your OB/GYN must cut through skin, muscle, and your uterus itself to deliver your child, and you may require up to eight weeks...
A Pap smear is the gold standard test for detecting cervical cancer or precancerous changes in cervical cells. Most cervical cancer is caused by a virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV). More than 79 million women and men in the United States are infected by HPV, but most aren’t aware...
Whether you’re sexually active, in a monogamous relationship, or haven’t had intercourse yet, you can develop a sexually transmitted infection (STI), also called a sexually transmitted disease (STD). An STD may take time to develop and may never create noticeable symptoms. And yet, it could severely impact your health and...
Although about 30% of American women over the age of 30 have uterine fibroids, when you get the diagnosis, you’re not happy to join that team. You may have never even heard of fibroids before. What did you do to get them? And what should you do now? Rafiq Mian,...
About 75% of women in the United States start prenatal care before the end of their first trimester, but even if you’re further along in your pregnancy, it’s not too late. Getting regular exams and adjusting your lifestyle to your growing baby’s needs increases your chances for a healthy delivery...
If you’re like the average woman, one third of your life will take place after you reach menopause, which occurs 12 months after your last period. Whether you’re currently in those postmenopausal years, or whether you’re in the stage of “change” known as perimenopause, your hormones have downshifted drastically since...
Choosing the right birth control is essential not only to your sexual health but also to your future. Our warm and compassionate staff at Mian OB/GYN & Associates understands how incredibly important birth control is to so many people and can give you close and caring guidance. For anyone who...