Midwives, nurse practitioners and doctors perform pelvic exams during an early prenatal visit for several reasons. This manual examination of a woman's reproductive organs can yield information about the pregnancy. It also provides an opportunity...
Taking care of your reproductive health is important. If you are a woman, this means getting your annual pelvic exam and PAP smear, practicing safe sex and avoiding high-risk behaviors that put you at risk for an unplanned pregnancy. It is...
Trich, also known as trichomoniasis, is a vaginal infection that is caused by small parasites called trichomonas vaginalis. This sexually transmitted disease is most commonly identified during a pelvic exam. As Women'sHealth.gov explains,...
Women take birth control for a variety of reasons. The primary reason is to prevent pregnancy, but there are also many health conditions that are treated with oral and other types of contraceptives. Most women get their birth control from their...
Don't worry when you hear or read that uterine fibroids are tumors. While fibroids are indeed lumps of tissue and muscles cells which doctors refer to as tumors, they are completely benign. If fact, there is no evidence whatsoever that links...
When a woman becomes sexually active, or by about the age of 16, she should begin having regular annual exams with a gynecologist to protect her health. During an annual exam, a full pelvic exam, including a pap smear, is typical. Pap smears...
Cervicitis is a very common gynecological disorder that affects nearly half of all women at some point in their lives. It is identified by inflammation of the cervix. You can tell whether you may have cervicitis in part by checking your symptoms....
Cervical cancer is the result of cells of the cervix (located at the back of the vagina) developing genetic abnormalities that result in them growing abnormally quickly and spreading to other tissues. The purpose behind cervical cancer screening...
The goal of an annual Pap smear is a test of a sample of the cervix using a swab or smear that is sent to a clinical lab for testing. The test looks for abnormal cells of the cervix that may be precancerous. If detection of precancerous cells...
The American Cancer Society recommends getting yearly pap smear tests done at age 21 or within three years after you become sexually active, whichever comes first. The pap smear test, done alone, will not test for HPV (Human Papillomavirus) but...
The uterus is a muscular organ located between the bladder and rectum in the female pelvis. The uterus contains the endometrium, which sheds during menstruation and nourishes the developing fetus if a pregnancy occurs. The uterus enlarges...
Although quite rare, primary vaginal cancer can occur. The vagina, the connector between the genitals and uterus, may get cancer in the lining. This only occurs, according to the Mayo Clinic, in 2 to 3 percent of the diagnosed gynecological...
If you haven't been to see your primary care practitioner or gynecologist in the last year for a pelvic exam and pap test, you should make an appointment ASAP. Cervical cancer usually goes undetected until there's an abnormal pap test. For most...
A Pap smear is a routine laboratory diagnostic test used by gynecologists to detect cell changes in a woman's cervix that might indicate a precancerous or cancerous condition. Until 2003, when the American College of Obstetricians and...
Vaginal dryness is a common complaint for women. Normally, a layer of moisture lines the walls of the vagina, but changes in the body may cause this lining to become thin and dry. Hormonal changes, medications and medical conditions can increase...
An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fertilized egg attaches somewhere other than the lining of the uterus. The Mayo Clinic explains that ectopic pregnancy nearly always occurs in one of the two fallopian tubes that deliver eggs from the ovaries...
It is natural to have a few drops of blood following a pap smear. The Center for Young Women’s Health states that a woman usually has her first pap smear around 21, unless there is a special risk such as immune problems, HIV disease, early...
Spotting during pregnancy is a frightening event for most women, but it doesn't always mean there's something wrong with the pregnancy or that miscarriage is inevitable. Women spot during pregnancy for several reasons. Spotting is most common in...
Ultrasound is commonly used during pregnancy to provide information about the developing baby. During an ultrasound, reflected sound waves are used to form a visual image of the baby in the womb. While several types of ultrasounds are available, a...
Birth control pills are available by prescription, which can only be given by a qualified health professional. Typically before you are prescribed the pill, your physician or nurse practitioner will perform an annual pelvic exam to identify any...
The Pap smear, named for its creator, Dr. George Papanicolaou, is a medical screening test health care providers use to check for changes in the cervix that indicate cancer, precancerous conditions or infection. The cervix is the lower part of the...
Warts are skin lesions that are typically numb to sensation, raised above the surface of surrounding skin, and flesh-colored or gray. Genital warts are most commonly associated with the the human papilloma virus but can in fact be manifestations...
Uterine cancer, also called endometrial cancer, led to almost 8,000 deaths and more than 40,000 new cancer diagnoses in the United States in 2009, reports the National Cancer Institute. The cancer develops due to abnormal cell proliferation of...
Fibroid tumors, also called leiomyomas or fibromyomas, refer to a growth of abnormal cells in the uterus. According to the Mayo Clinic, they are benign (noncancerous) tumors that occur in three out of every four women in the United States.
The ovaries are part of a woman's reproductive system, and are where eggs are formed. When cancer forms in the tissues of these organs, it is called ovarian cancer. The majority of ovarian cancers are epithelial carcinomas, which means the cancer...
Pelvic pain is any pain located below your belly button and between your hips. If it lasts six months or more, it is considered chronic. Locating the exact area of the pain can be difficult, and the pain may be a symptom of a disease or a specific...
An intrauterine device, or IUD, is a birth control device that is implanted in the uterus. Your health care provider will perform a pelvic exam and make sure that you are not pregnant before inserting the IUD.
Overview Understanding your sexuality and sexual health is important during your teenage years. More than 12 million cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)...
There is no specific test to diagnose polycystic ovary disease. This disorder, also called polycystic ovary syndrome, is believed to be linked to genetic causes and high insulin levels. The illness is often identified via a process of...
Uterine cancer is a major problem in women's health. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments for cancer of the uterus in this video.