Menstruation, also known as your period, is a 28-day cycle that fertile women usually experience every month. Such female hormones as estrogen and progesterone dictate this cycle each month. Other hormones such as follicle-stimulating hormone and...
The endometrium is the medical term for tissue that lines the uterus. When the endometrium grows in other areas of a woman's body, the condition is called endometriosis. This abnormal overgrowth of tissue is referred to as implants and may...
Endometriosis occurs when the tissue lining your uterus grows somewhere else in your body, such as your ovaries, intestines or bladder. This condition can cause pain, heavy periods and infertility. Natural treatments, including herbal medicines,...
A bruise is the result of blood that has leaked out of blood vessels and into your skin. Although the blood is red, it appears bluish when seen though the layers of your skin. Bruises can be small and totally unnoticeable, or they can be large and...
Menstruation is caused by hormones that tell your ovaries to release an egg cell, which later becomes planted in the lining of your uterus; if the egg is not fertilized, it, along with your uterine lining, will leave your body during your period....
Heavy menstrual bleeding, also known as menorrhagia, affects most women at some point in their lives. MayoClinic.com states that, in some cases, heavy bleeding and cramping during your period may impair your ability to perform your usual and...
The length of a normal menstrual cycle generally ranges between 21 and 35 days in adult women and 21 and 45 days in teenage girls, the National Women's Health Information Center explained, with most women experiencing abnormal bleeding at some...
Women may wish to stop a period if it is unusually heavy or prolonged, or for various other reasons. Although no over-the-counter (OTC) methods can completely stop a menstrual period, some medicinal herbs may temporarily stop or slow the release...
Women who have unprotected sex can limit their risk of becoming pregnant by taking an emergency contraceptive called Plan B. This prescription medication contains the synthetic hormone levonorgestrel, which prevents pregnancy by disrupting egg...
It has been estimated that as many as 75 percent of women have uterine fibroids at some point in their lives. Many women will never know they have them, however, because they do not always cause symptoms. When they do, the symptoms can vary...
Following an exercise regimen is beneficial before your menstrual cycle, as it can help relieve pain associated with your period. Any kind of breakthrough bleeding can be scary, but light spotting after exercise is common and usually no cause for...
Nolvadex is a brand name for the medication tamoxifen, which is commonly used for the treatment of breast cancer. Nolvadex commonly comes in both 10 and 20 mg tablets. Tamoxifen blocks proteins that bind to estrogen, which is useful for cases of...
Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis is a thyroid disease more commonly referred to as Hashimoto's disease. This condition is most frequently diagnosed in women and affects up to 5 percent of adults in Western countries, such as the United States,...
Each year over 10,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, a type of cancer that affects the female reproductive tract, explains the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that women who...
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a common name for a group of viruses. There are low-risk types of HPV and high-risk types of HPV. It can be transmitted through any type of sexual contact, but it is most often transmitted via vaginal or anal...
Vitamin K is an important part of the body's blood clotting mechanism. It is also important for bone health, helping to keep bone density high and maintaining the strength of your bones. Deficiency in vitamin K is a serious risk factor for...
Vitamin K helps the blood clot. Some studies suggest vitamin K deficiency may increase the risk of developing certain cancers, such as prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Bacteria in your intestines produce vitamin K and a...
The cervix is a small opening at the base of a woman's uterus. Benign or noncancerous tumors that grow along the cervix are called cervical fibroids. Cervical fibroid symptoms in women typically mimic those experienced by women with uterine...
Both fish oil and warfarin are anticoagulants, decreasing the formation of blood clots. Because the prescription medication and the supplement have the same effect, people considering combining fish oil and warfarin should take extreme caution....
In traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, herbalists and midwives hail the medicinal herb dong quai as a panacea for women's health. Historically healers have believed that dong quai can ease women's complaints ranging from menstrual cramps and...
Platelets are blood cells that help the blood to clot. Blood clotting disorders, such as thrombosis, hemophilia and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura can cause too many blood clots or make it difficult for the blood to clot normally. These...
Endometrial tuberculosis, also referred to as uterine or genital tuberculosis, is a medical condition in women. This infection is caused by the abnormal presence of a specific type of bacterium, called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, within a woman's...
Abnormal or unusual non-cancerous (benign) tumors or growths that develop within the uterus are called uterine fibroids. Approximately 75 percent of women develop fibroids on the uterine wall at some point during their lives, report doctors at The...
Polycystic ovary disease or syndrome is a female medical condition in which small, fluid-filled sacs form along the ovaries. Approximately 5 million women within the United States have polycystic ovary disease, according to estimates provided by...
Fibroid tumors in the uterus, or uterine fibroids, are small, noncancerous growths that develop within the uterine wall. African-American women or women with a family history of uterine fibroids are at an increased risk of developing these...
If a patient's body produces unusually low levels of thyroid hormones, a doctor may diagnose her with a condition called hypothyroidism. Women over the age of 60 are at the highest risk of developing an underactive thyroid. Patients who develop...
The thyroid is a small gland located at the base of the neck that produces hormones important in regulating specific body functions, such as metabolism and the sleep-wake cycle. In the United States, more than 27 million people--the majority of...
The female menstrual cycle is largely controlled by the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen causes the lining of the uterus, the endometrium, to thicken each month, to be ready to implant an embryo. Progesterone causes the lining to be...
Our nails can tell us a lot about our health. They can be used as a sign to determine if we have an underlying disease or condition. Thin, brittle nails can also be caused by external factors. Brittle, thin nails is, however, a common patient...
