We are committed to providing intelligent, skilled, compassionate and gentle health care to women of all ages. There are several interesting developments in gynecology recently. Click our LINKS section on our home page for several informative and useful websites.

Periods….Who Needs ‘Em?? — The FDA has approved extended-cycle packaging of oral contraceptives (for 4 periods per year) and a continuous estrogen/progestin pill without any placebos, to avoid periods altogether, validating what gynecologists have done for years “off-label.” Continuous pill use has many advantages--the convenience of no periods or lighter bleeding, menstrual cramp control, lessening of PMS symptoms by creating a steady hormone level rather than the usual “roller coaster”, and eliminating the need for surgery in some women with problem periods. It is not unhealthy to skip menses in this way, and there is a natural precedent for it in the amenorrhea of pregnancy and breastfeeding, when the endometrial lining is kept in a similar quiet and stable state. Endometrial ablation techniques like Hydro ThermAblator (HTA) are also available for women with heavy periods who wish to avoid hysterectomy. Click here:  The HTA System for Menorrhagia.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine — this is an exciting development in the fight against cervical cancer and precancerous dysplasia, and is currently FDA-approved for young women between 9 and 26 years old. Click here to visit our Gardasil Link from our home page for more information.

Postmenopausal hormone replacement — I remain a proponent of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in the early years after menopause as a useful quality of life enhancer for many women. There are risks, of course. An interesting repeat look at the data from the WHI study that torpedoed HRT a few years ago showed some flaws in its design and conclusions.

Breast Cancer Risk Reduction in menopausal women — There are lifestyle choices which may decrease cancer risk, such as maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, following a low fat, high fiber diet with many fruits and vegetables, and limiting alcohol intake. Recently, the STAR study showed Evista to decrease the risk of breast cancer by about half in high-risk postmenopausal women. If your personal risk is greater than 1.7%, consider a consultation to discuss risk reduction with Evista. To measure your own risk, http://www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool/

Bone Health/ Osteoporosis Prevention — Fractures are silent killers of many older women and can be prevented. Recent evidence shows that Vitamin D deficiency is common in adults, and inadequate levels can have many health ramifications. We offer bone density screening at our office with a mobile unit, which has been very well received by our patients.

Laser Hair Removal — we can treat a few problem facial hairs or an entire region in an effective manner using our Elos laser, which combines laser and electrical energy in a one-two punch to the undesired hair follicles. Visit our Laser Hair Removal link on our home page for more information and promotions.