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Circle May 26-June 1 for the 51st annual meeting of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City. Sessions will include a primary care update, a workshop on endometrial biopsy indications and techniques, and information on advanced billing and coding.
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Consider the many treatment options when presented with the following cases: the perimenopausal woman with prolonged menstrual bleeding due to uterine leiomyomas; the young woman with significant pain from spreading endometriosis; and the mother with menorrhagia. Which options will you choose?
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Access to emergency contraception (EC) has been expanded. Shipments of the new dual-label version of Plan B, the levonorgestrel-only EC drug, are now hitting pharmacy market shelves.
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When using contraception to delay or stop menstrual periods, return to fertility is important to patients. Results of a national survey indicate 58% of women worry that menstrual suppression will affect their ability to have children.
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When is "that time of month" a problem for some women? When symptoms such as depression, wide mood swings, breast tenderness, or muscle pain enter into the picture, a diagnosis of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) may be in order. However, when symptoms are more severe, clinicians may consider a diagnosis of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
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The next patient in your exam room is in her mid-40s. She notes that her last monthly period was 11 months ago. She continues to use condoms for pregnancy prevention. She has a thin body and a small bone frame, and she smokes 15-20 cigarettes a day. Her medical history indicates a family history of osteoporosis. What is your next move?
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Access to Gardasil (Merck & Co., Whitehouse Station, NJ) continues to expand as the shot has been added to the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) program for young women ages 9 to 18. The program is administered at the national level by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through its National Immunization Program.
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You have just written a prescription for an adolescent female to treat a chlamydial infection. When you close her file, what are the chances it will reappear in your inbox in the next month or two?
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Your patient is a 29-year-old mother of three active young children. She has had limited success with using birth control pills and says that the daily dosing schedule is a challenge. She shakes her head "no" to the contraceptive patch and vaginal ring, and she doesn't want to limit her options with the choice of tubal sterilization.
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Do you remember Enovid, the first oral contraceptive (OC)? Introduced in 1960 by GD Searle in Skokie, IL, the pill was formulated for 21 days of active hormones, followed by seven hormone-free days. During the pill-free interval, the superficial portion of the endometrium was sloughed, producing a withdrawal bleeding episode that simulated menstruation.
