Gynecologist on Shine

And now the guidelines for cervical cancer screenings have changed. What's going on?

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While the well-publicized controversy over revised recommendations for the onset and frequency of mammograms is still being batted around by women, their doctors, government officials, and cancer organizations, more news has been released about changed guidelines for another popular cancer screening for women.

Waiting Too Long To Conceive

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Would I tell my daughter to take the same odds on her fertility that I did by waiting until I was 35? I doubt it. I was about 28 when a friend of a friend in her mid-20s told me of an alarming visit to her gynecologist. It was a routine check-up.…

User Post: Gynecology Q&A

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BettyConfidential.com's women's health expert answers your most pressing concerns, starting with the dreaded PMS

-Lissa Rankin, M.D., BettyConfidential.com

I'm a…

Kissing off caffeine: My scary wake-up call

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What in the world do your boobs have to do with drinking -- or not drinking -- your favorite morning beverage? A lot. Some might even say, twice as much as you'd think.

For the last month, I've been fighting being frantic over a lump in my breast. It hasn't been easy. I've been examined, mammogrammed, and examined again. I still have another mammogram to get through next week -- this one an ultrasound, rather than the traditional boob-on-a-shelf variety -- and hopefully it will confirm what the other checks have shown.

User Post: Pregnancy On The Pill AND Condoms?? Dr. Kate responds

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Dear Dr. Kate,

After I started having sex with my boyfriend, my first period afterwards was incredibly light, just one day of spotting. The next month, however, my period was much heavier, 4 days worth of tampons (light ones) accompanied by body aches, cramps and nausea the likes of which I've never experienced. My usual period requires 1 day of light tampons, then pantyliners for the final 3 days. I assumed it was from stress, but someone mentioned the possibility of a miscarriage, which scares me because I'm on the pill plus we used a condom every time.

Be honest: Do you track your periods?

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You know that dreaded moment when you are sitting in your gynecologist's office? No, not stepping on the scale. Not stripping down to your socks and the ill-fitting gown, and not the shiver of the inevitably frigid speculum.

You know the moment I mean -- the one when the just-nice-enough nurse asks you to tell her the first day of your last period.

Insider Tips From Medical Specialists

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What your doctor doesn’t have time to tell you in an all-too-brief appointment.

The Oncologist Says

Edward T. Creagan, a professor of medical oncology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, in Rochester, Minnesota

Turn down…