Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is a serious condition where a female’s reproductive organs become infected and inflamed. It can spread from one organ to the rest of the reproductive organs and affect the tissues around the organs as well.

Many women do not know about PID but it is quite common. It affects 1 million women in the United States a year and 250,000 are hospitalized due to the infection.

Causes

PID is most commonly caused by gonorrhea and Chlamydia, two bacterial sexually transmitted infections. The bacteria are transmitted through bodily fluids. Therefore, young sexually active women are the most at risk. However, women at any age can develop this infection. Also, women with multiple sex partners are at a higher risk as well as those that use an intrauterine device as a form of birth control.

Symptoms

PID is not easily diagnosed because the signs are not always apparent in many patients. These symptoms include:

• Severe pain in lower abdomen
• Fever, nausea and vomiting
• Irregular period
• Discharge from vagina
• Back pain
• Painful intercourse and urination

These symptoms are worse at the end of the menstrual cycle and the first few days after the cycle is over.

Why is PID so dangerous?

PID is an infection and infections get worse over time if not treated. The infection can destroy the tissue that makes up the female reproductive organs. This can cause severe scarring and chronic pain in the pelvic region. This infection can also make a woman infertile. The reproductive organs become inflamed. Therefore, eggs cannot move through the fallopian tubes efficiently and the sperm cannot fertilize it.

In some horrible cases, women have become pregnant. Unfortunately, the egg can become trapped in the fallopian tube or in another part of the reproductive area that it should not be. The sperm can sometimes get to the egg and it becomes fertilized. A small embryo will begin to grow in the small space and not survive the conditions. This is called an ectopic pregnancy. This can potentially rupture the fallopian tube and cause severe issues. It can cause internal bleeding and even death. Women cannot reproduce in this condition and are infertile.

PID needs to be treated as soon as possible by a healthcare professional. It is a serious disease and needs to be taken care of before it causes permanent damage to a woman’s reproductive organs.

Prevention

Since the infection is caused by bacteria that are transmitted through bodily fluids, the best prevention is abstinence.

However, if abstinence is not a person’s first choice, the use of protection, such as condoms, during sex is another option. Trying to prevent the spread of the bacteria will work as well, however, it is not 100 percent effective.  THE PILL DOES NOT PREVENT SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES!

 How important do you think it is for young women to be aware of PID as well as other reproductive infections?

An IUD (IntraUterine Device) is a small, T-shaped plastic device that is inserted into a woman’s uterus by a healthcare professional that is used to prevent pregnancy. The IUD’s available in the U.S. release a hormone called progestin, which prevents ovaries from releasing eggs. The IUD affects the way the sperm move, which makes them unable to join with an egg. It also thickens the cervical mucus making it difficult for sperm to pass through the cervix to the egg.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

The IUD does not protect against sexually transmitted infections and should not be used as a means of protection.

An IUD can be used for 5 years and sometimes more depending on the brand.

ParaGard and Mirena are the only two IUD brands offered in the US.

Less than 1 out of 100 women will get pregnant each year while using an IUD.

Never attempt to remove an IUD yourself. A healthcare professional can remove or replace an IUD for you. Attempting to remove an IUD yourself can cause severe damage.

You should not use an IUD if you are pregnant or have a sexually transmitted infection. Discuss with your physician whether or not an IUD is right for you.

Have you or someone you know had an IUD? Share your experiences. The lessons from your story may answer another person’s questions.

Heart attacks are the #1 killer of both men and women. It occurs when there is a blockage in the heart, generally caused from a buildup of plaque lining the coronary artery. The blood cannot flow through the heart while there is a blockage. That means that oxygen is not getting to the heart and the heart muscle becomes damaged and then begins to die.

Causes of Heart Attacks

There are multiple causes of heart attacks.

Coronary Artery Disease is the number one cause. It is the buildup of plaque along the inner wall of the coronary artery. The plaque consists of fat and cholesterol as well as other items found in your blood.  Once the plaque builds up enough to block the blood flow, a heart attack occurs.

Another cause is a severe spasm of the coronary artery. This can occur from drug usage, emotional stress or pain and smoking cigarettes. The spasm closes up the artery and induces a heart attack.

Symptoms/Signs of a Heart Attack

Heart attacks can either come suddenly or build up slowly in a person. That is why it is important to get help immediately. Every second that a heart attack is occurring more and more of the heart muscle is being destroyed.

Chest Pain or discomfort

Shortness of breath

Pain in the arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach

Fainting

Nausea/vomiting

Cold sweats

Lightheadedness

When experiencing these symptoms, you or someone else needs to call 9-1-1 immediately to get medical attention as fast as possible.

Tips for a Healthy Heart

The best way to start preventing a heart attack is to begin eating a low fat diet. You need to increase your fruit and vegetable intake and reduce your salt intake. This eating pattern will help reduce your blood pressure and cholesterol level. It will also help you lose weight, which also benefits your heart.

Quitting smoking is also a great idea. It will not only help your heart, but your lungs as well.

Finally, take time to work out. Exercise strengthens all of your muscles, including your heart.

In what ways are you working on your heart health? Have you or someone you know survived a heart attack? If so, tell us about your/their recovery and lifestyle changes.

What it is and how it works

The birth control patch is a small, square patch that sticks to your skin. The patch releases hormones through the skin that enter the blood stream. These hormones prevent ovulation, or releasing of an egg to be fertilized, from occurring. The patch makes the mucus produced in the cervix thicken. The thick mucus makes it difficult for sperm to pass through the cervix to the eggs.

Studies have suggested that the patch is as effective as the birth control pill when used properly.

How to use the patch

The patch should be applied to the skin once a week for three weeks. On the fourth week, a patch should not be worn to enable the menstrual cycle to occur. Once the menstrual cycle is complete, a patch should be placed on the body once again.

The patch should be placed either on the abdomen, upper arm, upper torso or buttocks. The patch should never be applied to the breasts.

While wearing the patch, you can swim, shower and exercise. The patch is able to get wet and still remain in place on the body.

Things not to do with the patch

When reapplying the patch, never place it on the same spot as the old one. It can cause skin irritation. A patch should never be placed on red, irritated or cut skin.

Never place more than one patch on your skin at a time. Make sure to always remove the old patch before the new one is placed on the body.

Never remove the patch and place it back on the skin because it will lose the important stick factor. Never trim or tape the patch to your body.

Do not apply the patch over makeup, lotion or any other skincare products. It will not stick as well.

Dangers of wearing the patch

There are some health risks associated with the patch. The most serious are blood clots, heart attack and stroke. The chance of these health risks occurring increase with smoking cigarettes.

The patch also releases more hormones than the pill.

Have any of you had an experience with the patch?  Would you recommend it to other women?

June 1^st is the first day of hurricane season for the Gulf and Atlantic Coast areas.  That means a few months of waiting and watching for possibly devastating tropical storms and hurricanes.  This also means a few months of added high stressors that compound our normal, everyday stresses.

Stress is feeling overwhelmed or having to deal with more than you are used to physically and emotionally. Stress speeds up your heart rate and breathing. In many situations, these symptoms can actually be helpful, allowing you to speed up your normal reactions in.

Unfortunately, stress is unhealthy when it is frequent and/or lasts too long.  Stress can affect you both emotionally and physically. Physically, stress can lead to back pain, headaches, an upset stomach and restlessness. It can lower your immune system making it difficult to remain healthy and can affect weight gain. 

Stress can also affect you emotionally. People suffering from stress can become moody, irritated and depressed, and can even lower your self-confidence.

Hurricane season does not help New Orleanians relax. That is why it is important to know the signs and symptoms of stress disorders and to learn use little tricks and tactics to help deal with added stressors.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder      

Many people don’t realize that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is actually an anxiety disorder.  People who suffer from OCD use obsessive thoughts about patterns and numbers to distract themselves from actually feeling the uncomfortable emotions surrounding stressful situations.  OCD causes people to spend hours of their day performing “rituals” that distract them from dealing with the world around them.

Some symptoms include fears and phobias such as a fear of germs, need for order and exactness, constant counting, eating foods in a specific order and constantly repeating words or phrases. 

OCD can be treated by a psychiatrist or mental disorder specialist.  The treatment process can be long and slow, but can allow many OCD sufferers to lead productive lives.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) materializes as exaggerated anxiety over normal, everyday things.  People who suffer from GAD generally can’t stop worrying about things like health, money, family and friends.  People who suffer from GAD generally are restless, irritable, constantly worry and experience headaches, nausea, trembling and insomnia.

GAD can sometimes be helped by some medications and psychological treatment.

Panic Disorder

Panic Disorder is one of the more common anxiety disorders.  Panic Disorder can usually be diagnosed by the frequent experience of panic attacks.  A panic attack occurs when the patient suddenly feels an overwhelming sense of fear.  Symptoms of a panic attack include difficulty breathing, chest pain, the fear of death, the sensation of choking, terror, dizziness, sweating and trembling.

Panic disorder can be treated by some medications and through psychological treatment.

Tips

Some helpful tips to reduce stress in your life include:

·         Figure out where the stress is coming from

·         Reduce the amount of stressors in your life

·         Find healthy ways to alleviate your stress (exercising, writing, etc…)

·         Make sure to get enough sleep

·         Be positive

·         Eat healthy, nutritious meals

These are just a few tips to help you relax during this hurricane season.

What has helped you alleviate your stress in the past?