RESOURCES
Traditionally information on women's issues such as sex, menstruation, contraception, abortion, childbirth, etc. came from friends. How about information on menopause? According to Anna Quindlen of the New York Times, in her article entitled, "As Conversation Stopper, It Has Few Equals," menopause is not the topic of conversation among friends. Tina Brown writes in her editor's note for The Silent Passage, "The very word is a room emptier." Anna Quindlen knows the reason: "The life span of women in our society is divided into three: pre-Babe, Babe, and post-Babe... there is nothing so hopelessly un-Babelike as menopause." In the same issue of the New York Times, a CBS News Poll showed only 13% of women were getting information from their doctors. We hope you can find answers to your questions here.
Newsletters
Here we provide subscription rates and contact information for several newsletters published and circulated nationwide. Topics include women's health, menopause, and other midlife changes.
Organizations
Healthcare organizations offer a variety of public information, often available at no charge. Our list includes researchers and associations which are dedicated to the study of menopause, osteoporosis, heart disease, sexuality and birth control in midlife, mental health, urogenital health, and female cancer.
Glossary
Do you know the difference between hysterectomy and hysteroscopy?
Our glossary can help with definitions of some obstruse medical terms.
Web Links
For your reference we have compiled a list of links to other medical sites
which provide information about gynecology, women's health,
and other healthcare issues.
Search Medline
A free link to the National Library of Medicine's search engine.
GLOSSARY
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Abscess: An infected wound that has pus in it.
Abdomen: The part of the body below the ribs and above the
pelvis.
Adhesions: Places where tissue grows together in an abnormal way;
internal scar
tissue.
Benign: Not cancer (noncancerous).
Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy: The removal of both fallopian tubes
and both
ovaries.
Biopsy: A minor surgical procedure during which a small tissue
specimen is removed and
examined for the presence of disease, often cancer.
Bladder: A sac-like organ in the pelvic region where urine is stored
before it leaves the
body.
Cancer: A disease of the body's cells. Cells become abnormal and
grow out of control.
They can
also spread to other parts of the body.
CAT scan: A special kind of body imaging that is processed by a
computer and displayed
on a
screen for viewing. Also called a body section radiograph (x-ray).
Cervix: The lower, narrow end (or neck) of the uterus.
Cesarean section: Surgical delivery of a baby through an incision
(cut) in the abdomen
and
uterus.
Chronic condition: A condition that lasts or keeps coming back over
a long period of
time.
Cystectomy: Surgical removal of an ovarian cyst, usually done along
with laparoscopy
(see
"Laparoscopy").
D & C (dilation and curettage): A surgical procedure that
involves dilating
(opening) the cervix
and scraping the uterine lining (endometrium).
Dysfunctional uterine bleeding: Abnormal uterine bleeding that is
not associated with a
tumor,
inflammation, or pregnancy.
Dysplasia: The growth of abnormal cells. Dysplasia is a
precancerous condition that may
or may
not turn into cancer at a later time.
Electric cauterization: The destruction of tissue with a special type
of electric current.
Endometrial ablation: A surgical procedure in which lasers and
electrical currents are
used to
remove the endometrium.
Endometrial biopsy: A sample of endometrial tissue is removed and
examined for
abnormal
cells. (See "Biopsy.")
Endometriosis: A condition in which the same kind of tissue that
lines the walls of the
uterus
grows outside the uterus in the pelvic cavity or some other area of the body.
Endometrium: The tissue that lines the inside of the uterus.
Estrogen: A hormone produced in the ovaries that affects the
growth and health of
female
reproductive functions and organs.
Fallopian tubes: Tubes located on either side of the uterus that carry
eggs from the ovary
to the
uterus.
Fertilization: The moment at which sperm penetrates an egg and a
baby begins to
grow.
Fibroids: Noncancerous growths that occur most often in the walls
of the uterus.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH): A hormone sometimes
prescribed to shrink
fibroid
tumors.
Hormone: A chemical produced by the body that regulates certain
bodily functions.
Synthetic
(man-made) hormones are used in birth control pills and in medicines to treat certain
conditions.
Hyperplasia: An overgrowth of the uterine lining, probably caused
by excess estrogen.
This is
sometimes considered to be a precancerous condition, particularly in women who are near or
through menopause.
Hysterectomy: Surgical removal of the uterus. Sometimes, the
cervix and/or ovaries and
fallopian tubes are also removed.
Hysteroscope: A thin, lighted tube that is inserted into the vagina to
examine the cervix
and
inside of the uterus.
Intrauterine device (IUD): A device inserted by a physician in a
woman's uterus to
prevent
pregnancy. Two types of IUDs are used in the United States. One releases a hormone and must be
replaced each year. The other type is not medicated and can be left in place for up to 6 years.
Kegel exercises: Special exercises to tighten the pelvic muscles.
These exercises are one
method
used to treat uterine prolapse and urinary incontinence (losing urine when you don't want to).
Laparoscopy: A surgical procedure that allows the doctor to look
inside the pelvic cavity by
inserting a tube-like instrument through a small cut in the abdomen.
Leiomyoma: The technical term for a fibroid tumor.
Ligaments: A band of tissue that can stretch and that supports other
parts of the
body.
Menopause: "The change"; the time when a woman stops having a
period
(menstruating).
Menstrual cycle: The 4-week period each month when an egg
develops in the ovary, the
lining of
the uterus thickens, and the egg is released. If the egg is not fertilized, the cycle is completed
when the lining of the uterus is shed through menstruation (a woman's "period").
Menstruation: The shedding of the lining of the uterus that occurs
each month when a
woman
does not become pregnant. A woman's "period."
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): An imaging technique that
allows the soft tissues of
the
body to be seen.
Myomectomy: An operation to remove fibroid tumors.
Oophorectomy: Surgical removal of an ovary.
Ovaries: Small organs that produce hormones, such as estrogen, and
eggs. One ovary is
located
on each side of the uterus.
PAP test: A painless procedure in which cells are removed from the
cervix during a
vaginal exam,
placed on a slide, and examined through a microscope to look for cancer or precancerous
conditions.
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID): An infection caused by bacteria,
usually from a
sexually
transmitted disease (see "Sexually transmitted disease," below). PID can affect the uterus, ovaries,
and/or fallopian tubes. PID can cause persistent pelvic pain and, if not treated, can lead to
infertility (the inability to become pregnant). Sometimes, the infection that causes PID is spread
through use of an intrauterine device (see IUD, above) or during childbirth or abortion.
Progesterone: The hormone that prepares the lining of the uterus
(endometrium) to
receive a
fertilized egg. The man-made form of this hormone may be used to treat very heavy menstrual
bleeding and other conditions.
Prolapse: To fall or tilt, as a uterus or bladder might if the ligaments
holding it in place
become
stretched.
Rectum: The bottom portion of the large intestine.
Reproductive system: The organs of the body that allow a woman
to become pregnant and carry
and give birth to a child. These include the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and vagina.
Sexually transmitted disease (STD): A disease that can be given
from one person to
another
during sexual contact; for example, syphilis, gonorrhea, or AIDS.
Sonogram: An imaging procedure in which echoes from sound waves
passing through tissues
create pictures of structures deep within the body.
Speculum: A metal or plastic instrument the doctor inserts into the
vagina to help
examine the
vagina and cervix.
Uterus: The organ where babies grow; the womb.
Vagina: The tube-like opening leading away from the uterus to the
outside of the
body.
von Willebrand Disease: A bleeding disorder that runs in families.
Call the National Hemophilia
Foundation 1-800-424-2634 for more information.
Watchful waiting: The doctor sees the patient regularly to keep
track of the condition,
talk
about any changes in the condition, and make sure symptoms are being relieved.
Womb: Another name for the uterus.
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