If you’re living with an autoimmune disorder, you’re certainly not alone. An estimated 7% of Americans have an autoimmune disease such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or multiple sclerosis — there are more than 80 . For reasons that remain mysterious, autoimmune disorders tend to disproportionately affect women. Often, they begin before or during potential child-bearing […]
Embryo donation: One possible path after IVF
For decades, in vitro fertilization (IVF) has enabled countless people to have children, often after years of disappointment. It’s a complex process, medically and emotionally. Those embarking on an IVF cycle are often laser-focused on the baby they long for. Most hope a cycle will yield several embryos, because it frequently takes more than one […]
Does my prostate cancer increase my risk for other cancers?
Q. I was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Does the occurrence of one type of cancer indicate a danger of developing other types of cancer? A. It can, but it depends upon the type of cancer and the treatment. In general, prostate cancer that occurs after age 60 probably does not increase the risk of […]
Straight talk about Peyronie’s disease
While erectile dysfunction (ED) remains the top sexual issue for older men, another condition that can affect their sex life is Peyronie’s disease, a disorder marked by significant curvature of the penis. Peyronie’s disease, named after French surgeon François Gigot de la Peyronie, who first described the condition in 1743, affects about 3% to 10% […]
Short on slumber
If you use an alarm clock to wake up, it’s a good bet you’re sleep deprived. But what if you feel fine when that buzzer, bell, or blast of music rouses you? You’re probably still not getting all the sleep you need — the fundamental definition of sleep deprivation — or you wouldn’t have required […]
Gyn Care 101: What to know about seeing a gynecologist
When should you see a gynecologist? The answer is simple in some ways, more complicated in others. If you’re a woman or a person with female reproductive organs, experts recommend that you start seeing a gynecologist when you become sexually active, or at least once before the age of 21 . Good gyn care, as […]
Irregular sleep patterns linked to atherosclerosis
Go to sleep at 11 p.m. one night, and 2 a.m. the next? You may want to rethink that pattern. A study published online Feb. 15, 2023, by the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests that sleep irregularity — night-to-night variations in sleep duration and timing (when you sleep) — are linked to atherosclerosis […]
Preventing ovarian cancer: Should women consider removing fallopian tubes?
Should a woman consider having her fallopian tubes removed to lower her risk for developing ovarian cancer? Recent recommendations from the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA), endorsed by the Society for Gynecologic Oncology, encourage this strategy, if women are finished having children and would be undergoing gynecologic surgery anyway for other reasons. Why is this […]
Paths to parenthood: Receiving an embryo donation
Embryo donation — the process by which a family donates their “extra” embryos to a couple or individual — is a viable path to parenthood. In a previous blog post, I addressed some of the reasons why people who consider their families complete after in vitro fertilization (IVF) might choose to donate embryos. Who, then, […]
The dark side of daylight saving time
On March 12, most Americans will observe the start of daylight saving time (DST) and “spring forward” by setting their clocks one hour ahead. (The exceptions are people living in Arizona and Hawaii.) DST lasts from mid-March until early November when the clocks turn back an hour and return to standard time. During DST, people […]