Women's Health Archive

In recent years, many studies have suggested that we take much more vitamin D than we do now — especially those of us living in northern climes who may get too little sunlight to produce adequate amounts in the skin. Many scientists have advocated vitamin D doses of 1,000 to 2,000 international units (IU) a day — much higher than the present recommended dose — to prevent a host of chronic conditions. But the report of an expert panel convened by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded in November 2010 that high doses of vitamin D aren't necessary and might even be harmful. Many people — including many clinicians and researchers — were taken by surprise.

The IOM panel, which included Harvard Women's Health Watch advisory board member Dr. JoAnn Manson, reviewed nearly 1,000 studies, representing more than 15 years of scientific findings. The panel decided that vitamin D's importance for bone building and the prevention of bone disease was well substantiated, but the evidence for its role in preventing other conditions was inadequate to justify its use at much higher doses. Thus, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for vitamin D was set on the basis of bone health alone: 600 IU a day for everyone through age 70 and 800 IU a day for those 71 and older. (In setting these standards, the panel assumed no access to vitamin D through sun exposure.)

Q. What do you know about taking extra folic acid to boost the immune system?

A. Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, a B vitamin that occurs naturally in some foods, including vegetables, fruits, and dried beans and peas — and is essential for health. Folate is vital for the production and maintenance of our bodies' cells, especially during rapid periods of growth, such as pregnancy and infancy. It's needed to make DNA and RNA, the genetic material that dictates cell functions, and it helps prevent changes to DNA that may lead to cancer.

Q. In your article about blepharitis, you didn't say anything about the best way to remove eye makeup. Are oil-based products bad for this condition?

A. Oil-based removers are not recommended for people with blepharitis. This inflammatory condition of the eyelids can affect the Meibomian glands, which line the inner edge of the eyelid and secrete the oily part of the tear fluid that lubricates the eyeball and helps prevent tears from evaporating. Blepharitis may diminish or change these secretions, causing clogged glands and predisposing the eyelid to infection. Oil-based eye-makeup removers could worsen the problem by contributing to clogging.

Include some of these proven health checks among your New Year's resolutions.

We often see headlines that announce new or potential screening tests — most recently, for Alzheimer's disease, lung cancer, and pancreatic cancer. Although these tests may sound promising, their value can take years to sort out. Will they really save lives and improve health? Who should have them? What costs and harms are involved?

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.

Pelvic floor strengthening exercises, also known as Kegel exercises, are known to be effective for stress urinary incontinence in women, with cure rates of up to 80%. Now, in the largest trial of its kind, Norwegian researchers have found that pelvic floor strengthening can also improve pelvic organ prolapse and alleviate its symptoms. This condition develops when supporting structures of the pelvic area become lax and allow one or more pelvic organs (bladder, urethra, rectum, or uterus) to protrude into the vagina.

Surgery is the only definitive treatment, but pelvic floor exercises are often recommended to women who have mild symptoms or want to avoid surgery. The Norwegian study concludes that pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) under the supervision of a physical therapist can not only help prevent the condition from worsening but also correct some of the underlying defects. Results were published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (August 2010).

To perform a Kegel, you first need to find your pelvic floor muscles and then repeatedly contract and relax them.

Locate your pelvic muscles. Pretend you are trying to avoid passing gas; in addition, you can pretend to tighten your vagina around a tampon. Both actions involve the pelvic muscles. You will feel a correct contraction more in the back than the front, like you are pulling the anal area in or stopping gas from escaping.

My colleagues at Harvard Health Publishing and I have a mission: to provide accurate, reliable information that will help readers live healthier lives. We work hard to fulfill that mission, and the feedback we get from folks who read our newsletters, Special Health Reports, books, and online health information indicates we are on the right […]

Vitamin D has been talked about as the vitamin — the one that might help fend off everything from cancer to heart disease to autoimmune disorders, if only we were to get enough of it. “Whoa!” is the message from a committee of experts assembled by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to update recommendations for vitamin D (and for calcium). […]

Only one in six Americans meet recommended targets for physical activity. If you aren’t one of them, identifying your barriers to exercise can help.