Pregnancy Archive

An estimated 7% of Americans have an autoimmune disorder, and these tend to disproportionately affect women. Expert guidelines can help with questions about the best birth control options for people with lupus and other autoimmune diseases.

A 2022 study found that pregnant women who ate a diet rich in foods typical of a Mediterranean-style eating plan were significantly less likely to develop the potentially serious pregnancy complication pre-eclampsia.

A 2022 study found that women are more likely than men to have "generalized" stroke symptoms such as weakness and confusion, in addition to classic signs such as speech or movement problems.

Pregnancy and childbirth effects on the body can linger or develop years or decades after the birth. Muscles, ligaments, and nerves in the pelvis can be damaged, leading to urine or stool leakage or sagging pelvic organs. Treatment approaches include a pessary, various surgical procedures, or pelvic floor physical therapy. Women can protect their pelvic floor from weakening further by maintaining a healthy weight, preventing constipation, and managing conditions that contribute to chronic cough.

A 2022 study found that women with long COVID showed more symptoms than men, including shortness of breath and fatigue.

Inflammatory bowel disease is commonly diagnosed at a point in life when many people are planning families. People who have been diagnosed with IBD are likely to have questions and concerns regarding fertility, conception, pregnancy, delivery, and breastfeeding.

A 2022 study found that women with overactive bladder showed significant improvement in urinary symptoms, such as urgency and leakage, after they engaged in a type of telehealth care.

Mammograms are still the gold standard method for breast screening, but additional imaging tests can help detect cancers that might otherwise be missed in women with dense breasts or other breast cancer risk factors. Ultrasound is inexpensive but has a high false-positive rate if used alone. MRI is expensive but very accurate for tumor detection. Three-dimensional mammograms are highly accurate but have a 50% false-positive rate over a decade of yearly screening in women ages 40 to 79.

Reaching menopause many years before the average age may be linked to a higher risk of developing dementia later in life.