Urinary incontinence Archive

While ovarian cancer is not always inherited, family history is the top risk factor for the disease, which is diagnosed in 20,000 American women and kills 13,000 annually. Symptoms, such as bloating, pelvic pain, bowel or bladder habit changes, and unusual vaginal discharge or bleeding, are often vague and subtle until the disease is advanced, making it hard to detect and cure. No standard screening test is available for ovarian cancer. Women with symptoms can ask for a pelvic ultrasound. Women with a family history should seek genetic counseling and testing.

This year, results from a review of literature on plant-based diets and prostate cancer risk concluded that apart from having advantages for cardiovascular health, quality of life, and environmental benefits, plant-based diets have the potential to improve prostate cancer outcomes.

Hormonal therapy is a cornerstone of prostate cancer treatment, but it has burdensome side effects. Doctors and patients alike are highly motivated to use this therapy only for as long as necessary. But how long is long enough? A recent study provides needed clarity.

A 2022 study found that women ages 35 to 69 who ate vegetarian diets were significantly more likely to break a hip than peers who ate fish or meat. Vegetarians need to be sure they get adequate amounts of dietary protein, calcium, vitamin D, and other micronutrients to maintain bone health.

Bladder problems in women can increase due to childbirth, menopause, and aging. Additional contributors to bladder symptoms include weight gain, pelvic organ prolapse, and the types of beverages people drink, as well as how much and how often. Women should see a doctor about increasing leakage, urgency, frequency, or nighttime urination; cloudy or strong-smelling urine; pain or burning while urinating; pain during sex; or lower abdominal pain.

By age 40, one in five women has dealt with an eating disorder, twice the proportion of women known to be affected by age 21. Risks for anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating can rise at midlife due to job stressors, an empty nest, and dating again after divorce or widowhood. Health effects can include bone loss, heart problems, lung conditions, gastrointestinal issues, diabetes, and skin breakdown. Signs of an eating disorder include dramatic weight fluctuations, excessive exercising, and preoccupation with weight, calories, and body size and shape.

Over-the-counter supplements touted to support prostate health are popular, and supposedly help prevent and manage symptoms of an enlarged prostate (benign prostate hyperplasia). Some of the ingredients are said to protect against prostate cancer or slow its growth. While research has explored supplements' role in prostate health and some had positive results, the findings are far from conclusive. A better dietary option for prostate health is to follow a plant-based diet like the Mediterranean or DASH diet.

New guidelines released in 2022 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network advise women at average risk for breast cancer to begin undergoing annual mammograms at age 40. However, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that women and their doctors make a shared decision to start routine mammography before age 50.

Unhealthy lifestyle habits, chronic diseases, and genetic conditions can damage the kidneys and reduce their ability to do their many jobs. But many precautions can help protect the kidneys. Examples include controlling diabetes; lowering high blood pressure; moderating intake of salt, alcohol, and protein; limiting intake of oxalate-rich foods such as spinach, almonds, or cashews; losing weight; stopping smoking; exercising regularly; staying hydrated; limiting the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); and getting annual kidney function tests.

When prostate cancer spreads beyond the gland, it has been treated with hormone therapy, but there are challenging side effects. A new study shows that a different treatment option involving radiation can allow some men to delay or avoid hormone therapy.