Urinary incontinence Archive

Women who are hoping to become pregnant want to do everything they can to ensure that their babies will be as healthy as possible, which means following recommendations to minimize the possibility of birth defects.

When should you see a clinician about excessive or unexpected bleeding?

Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) is a common problem for women of all ages, accounting for up to one-third of gynecologic office visits. The two main types are heavy bleeding that occurs at an appropriate or expected time, such as a heavy menstrual period (menorrhagia), and any type of bleeding that occurs unexpectedly (metrorrhagia). The absence of regular menstrual periods for several months (amenorrhea) is also considered an abnormal bleeding pattern. AUB can be tricky to identify, because what's normal depends on a woman's reproductive age.

New research again links increased breast cancer risk to longer use of hormone therapy.

The link between hormone therapy and breast cancer has been recognized for years. But an analysis published Aug. 29, 2019, in The Lancet has added some additional information to the discussion. The analysis looked at 58 studies that included information on the type and timing of hormone use in individual women, and their body mass index. Researchers began gathering the studies in 1992 and continued until 2018.

We asked Dr. Wendy Chen, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, to help us sort through both the old and new information on hormone use and breast cancer and what it means for women considering starting hormone therapy.

Research we're watching

Doing genetic tests on all women with breast cancer, as compared with the typical practice of just testing those with a family history of the disease, is worth the extra cost, according to a study published online Oct. 3, 2019, by JAMA Oncology. The study authors say their findings should prompt the expansion of genetic testing to all women diagnosed with breast cancer. It's clear that testing breast cancer patients for genetic variants that raise breast cancer risk (such as BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2) would enable doctors to identify more women who carry these variants and who might benefit from preventive strategies. But researchers wondered whether doing so would be too costly. To answer that question, they used a computer model to analyze data from more than 11,000 women. They found that not only would the cost of testing all American women with breast cancer be balanced out by later savings on health care services, but also that just one year of testing could prevent an estimated 9,700 new cases of breast and ovarian cancer and 2,400 deaths.

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On call

Q. I've noticed blood streaks in my semen twice over the past 10 days. Is this a sign of something serious?

A. When a man sees blood in his ejaculate, his initial thought is cancer. But the reality is that bloody semen rarely is a sign of cancer.

Undergoing treatment and managing the condition can lower libido and lead to erectile dysfunction.

Considerable emotional and mental processing comes with a prostate cancer diagnosis. "Prostate cancer strikes a personal part of a man's body, and for most, it is a glaring sign of aging and a reminder they are not as young as before," says Dr. Mark Pomerantz, an oncologist with Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Then there is the stressful decision about treatment. Yet many men don't realize how much their choice may influence their sex life.

In the journals

A study published online Sept. 4, 2019, by the International Journal of Cancer showed a possible connection between regular mushroom consumption and a lower risk of prostate cancer.

The researchers recruited more than 36,000 men ages 40 to 79. They recorded various health information, such as physical activity, family and medical history, and diet. Information on diet included 39 foods and beverages. The men were then followed for a period ranging from 13 to almost 25 years.

This symptom is common in menopause, but frequent or persistent episodes could be a sign of higher risk for heart attack or stroke.

Researchers have begun to pay more attention to cardiovascular risk factors that are unique to women, such as early menopause (before age 40) and certain pregnancy complications. Recently they turned their attention to a common menopausal symptom that affects up to 85% of women: hot flashes.

Study results presented in September 2019 to the North American Menopause Society from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) found that women who experience frequent or persistent hot flashes may be more likely than women who don't to experience a heart attack or stroke or other serious cardiovascular problems. (Researchers defined "frequent" hot flashes as having them six or more days in the previous two-week period. Women with "persistent" hot flashes reported those frequent hot flashes at 25% or more of study visits.)