Blood clots are the way the body stops bleeding when an artery or vein is damaged within your body or on your skin. Sometimes, however, clots form when they aren't needed. These clots are considered abnormal, and blood clots during periods fall...
The choice to have an abortion is not one women make easily. Ending a pregnancy can be both physically and mentally uncomfortable, with emotions vacillating between sadness and relief. A woman might walk into an abortion clinic certain she is...
Gynecologic procedures are used to help diagnose and treat gynecologic problems or if your physician notices anything abnormal during your pelvic exam. Some procedures can be done right in the physician's office, while others are done in a clinic...
Ovulation is usually at the midpoint of a woman's menstrual cycle. It takes place when the right mixture of hormones reach a certain point. Pregnancy occurs when a woman ovulates and releases an egg from the ovaries. The egg than travels down...
When faced with an unwanted pregnancy or a pregnancy that requires termination due to medical issues, abortion is a safe option available around the world. Despite its controversial nature, women are choosing this option daily. Understanding the...
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 850,000 abortions occur every year in the United States. There are many reasons a woman may decide to terminate a pregnancy. The type of abortion performed will vary...
A D&C, also known as a dilation and curettage, is a surgical procedure used to scrape and collect tissue from the inside of the uterus. Women undergo this procedure for many reasons including an elective abortion, to diagnose uterine cancer,...
Electively terminating a pregnancy, called an abortion, can be done several different ways. The options for a woman depend on how far along she is in the pregnancy. Typically, the earlier the decision to abort the pregnancy is made, the more...
Heavy periods, clinically known as menorrhagia, are caused by many factors. They usually occur when the lining of the uterus becomes thicker than it should each menstrual cycle. As it sheds, a heavy flow occurs. Many women wonder if their periods...
The Mayo Clinic defines abortion as a procedure that uses various medications and instruments to end an established pregnancy. An abortion, as with any medical procedure, can seem frightening if unsure of what to expect. Though the specific...
Approximately 15 percent to 20 percent of diagnosed pregnancies end in miscarriage, usually within the first 13 weeks. Miscarriages can be threatened, where bleeding occurs but miscarriage doesn't occur; incomplete, meaning not all of the tissue...
How much you are allowed to do after a D&C, or dilation and curettage, depends on several factors. Exercise activities after minor surgical procedures vary depending on your individual health, the situation surrounding your surgery and your...
The term "missed abortion" refers to an inevitable miscarriage in a woman who has not yet experienced any vaginal bleeding or uterine cramping. In a missed abortion, the pregnancy will not progress because, although the woman retains embryonic...
If detected early enough by a Pap smear, there is a greater chance of a successful cure of cervical cancer. A pap smear essentially entails microscopic examination of cells scraped off your uterus to check for any unusual signs or abnormal...
According to The National Cancer Institute, the vast majority of cervical cancers can be prevented. Since the most common form of cervical cancer starts with preventable and easily detectable pre-cancerous changes, there are two ways to prevent...
Fibroids are benign tumors that can invade the uterus. They range in size from very small such as the diameter of a golf ball to extremely large as in the size of a cantaloupe or greater. Often these tumors, even the larger ones, are asymptomatic....
Excessive menstrual bleeding, also referred to as menorrhagia or hypermenorrhea, may disrupt normal daily activities for a woman. Symptoms of excessive menstrual bleeding include soaking a pad or tampon hourly for two to three hours and bleeding...
Approximately 1.3 million women in the United States have an abortion to terminate a pregnancy, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The abortion pill, also referred to as RU-486, is a combination of two...
Endometrial carcinoma starts in the cells lining the uterus and includes endometrial adenocarcinomas. Once endometrial carcinoma is diagnosed, it is staged. Staging involves using a standardized classification to describe the spread and extent of...
Abortion is defined as the premature exit of the products of conception. Every state has its own definition of what constitutes a late term abortion. The average seems to include the twenty first week of pregnancy, when it is suggested that a...
Gestational trophoblastic tumors develop in a woman's uterus, but these tumors aren't considered uterine cancer. These tumors develop only in women of childbearing age, because the genesis of the tumor comes from the earliest union of a sperm and...
What is a Pap Smear (or a Papanicolauo's Test)? Pap smears, also called cervical smears, are very important for women who start having sex in their early teens. This may be because the young cervix is more vulnerable to cancerous changes when...
