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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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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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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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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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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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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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Scientists are preparing to take the next step in the search for a spray-on contraceptive, with a Phase II trial scheduled for the second half of 2006.
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While the decision to make emergency contraception (EC) available over the counter remains in a holding pattern at the Food and Drug Administration, advocates are moving on the state level to allow pharmacists to dispense EC without a physicians prescription under certain conditions.
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While no microbicide has yet moved from the research pipeline to the pharmacy shelf, progress is going forward on several fronts to develop female-controlled physical and chemical barrier methods to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
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The next patient at your STD (sexually transmitted diseases) clinic is a young man with a mucoid/purulent anal discharge and a lymph node enlargement in the groin area.
