Women's Health Conditions

If you're like most women, you spend so much of your time taking care of others, you forget about your own health. That's why it's important to recognize the warning signs of common health conditions for women. It may be something small, like pressure in your stomach, or perhaps incontinence and constipation. Maybe even abnormal bleeding or soreness of the breasts.

Whatever symptoms you're having, early detection of a problem is always a good thing. If you're feeling any symptoms, and think you may have a women's health condition, it's important to talk with your doctor. Monthly breast exams and annual pap smears can help catch serious problems early, so you can do the most to prevent and treat them.

If you've seen your doctor, your doctor may have diagnosed you with:

• Uterine Fibroids
• Endometriosis
• Uterine prolapse
• Cancer – Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer, cervical cancer, or endometrial cancer
• Abnormal uterine bleeding

Treatments for these various women's health conditions can range from changes in lifestyle and exercise to medication. Eventually, however, surgery may become necessary. If your doctor recommends surgery, it's important to know that you have options. Even if immediate surgery is needed, you should try to learn as much as you can about the approach your surgeon will use to treat you. In many cases, minimally invasive techniques are available, which offer unique advantages. These have been proven as effective as traditional "open" surgery, which requires a large incision.

In a minimally invasive procedure (MIP), sometimes referred to as a laparoscopic procedure, no large incisions are made. Instead, your surgeon makes several small incisions and performs the surgery using advanced devices and a specialized video camera called a laparoscope, which allows the surgeon to see inside your body. These procedures traditionally cause less pain and scarring after surgery and may promote faster recovery – so you can get back to life again, quicker and easier.