Women's health

Women’s health refers to the branch of medicine that focuses on the treatment and diagnosis of diseases and conditions that affect a woman’s physical and emotional well-being.

Information

Women’s health includes a wide range of specialties and focus areas, such as:

PREVENTATIVE CARE AND SCREENINGS

Preventative care for women includes the following services:

  • Regular gynecological checkups, including a pelvic exam and breast exam
  • Pap smear
  • Bone density testing
  • Breast cancer screening
  • Discussions about colon cancer screening
  • Age-appropriate immunizations
  • Healthy lifestyle risk assessment
  • Hormonal testing for menopause

See also: Breast self exam

BREAST CARE SERVICES

Breast care services include the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, which may involve:

  • Breast biopsy
  • Breast MRI scan
  • Breast ultrasound
  • Genetic testing and counseling for women with a family or personal history of breast cancer
  • Hormonal therapy, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy
  • Mammography
  • Mastectomy and breast reconstruction

The breast care services team may also diagnose and treat noncancerous conditions of the breast, including:

  • Benign breast lumps
  • Lymphedema, a condition in which excess fluid collects in tissue and causes swelling

SEXUAL HEALTH SERVICES

Your sexual health is an important part of your overall well-being. Women’s sexual health services may include:

  • Birth control (contraceptives)
  • Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of sexually transmitted illnesses
  • Therapies to help with problems with sexual function

GYNECOLOGY AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES

Gynecology and reproductive health services may include the diagnosis and treatment of various conditions and diseases, including:

PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH SERVICES

Regular prenatal care is an important part of every pregnancy. Pregnancy and childbirth services includes:

  • Planning and preparing for pregnancy, including information about proper diet and prenatal vitamins
  • Prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum care
  • High-risk pregnancy care (maternal-fetal medicine)
  • Breastfeeding and nursing

INFERTILITY SERVICES

Infertility specialists are an important part of the women’s health services team. Infertility services may include:

  • Testing to determine the cause of infertility (a cause may not always be found)
  • Blood and imaging tests to monitor ovulation
  • Fertility treatments, including:
    • Medications to stimulate ovulation
    • Intrauterine insemination
    • In vitro fertilization (IVF)
    • Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) – injection of a single sperm directly into an egg
    • Embryo cryopreservation - freezing embryos for use at a later date
    • Egg donation
    • Sperm banking
  • Counseling for couples who are dealing with infertility or loss of a baby

BLADDER CARE SERVICES

The women’s health services team can also help diagnose and treat bladder-related conditions. Bladder-related conditions that may affect women can include:

If you have a bladder condition, your women’s health specialist may recommend that you do Kegel exercises to strengthen the muscles in your pelvic floor.

OTHER WOMEN’S HEALTH SERVICES

  • Cosmetic surgery and skin care, including skin cancer
  • Diet and nutrition services
  • Psychological and counseling for women dealing with abuse or sexual assault
  • Sleep disorders services
  • Smoking cessation

TREATMENTS AND PROCEDURES

Members of the women’s health services team perform a variety of different treatments and procedures. Among the most common are:

  • Cesarean section (c-section)
  • Hysterectomy
  • Hysteroscopy
  • Mastectomy and breast reconstruction
  • Pelvic laparoscopy
  • Procedures to treat precancerous changes of the cervix (LEEP, Cone biopsy)
  • Procedures to treat urinary incontinence
  • Tubal ligation and reversal of tubal sterilization
  • Uterine embolization

WHO TAKES CARE OF YOU

The women's health services team includes doctors and health care providers from a variety of different specialties. The team may include:

  • Obstetrician/gynecologist (ob/gyn): A doctor who has received extra training in the treatment of pregnancy, reproductive organ problems, and other women’s health issues
  • Perinatologist: An ob/gyn who has received further training and specializes in the care of high-risk pregnancies
  • Radiologist: Doctors who received extra training and interpretation of different imaging as well as performing different procedures using imaging technology to treat disorders such as uterine fibroids
  • Primary care doctor
  • Nurse practitioner (NP)
  • Nurse midwives

This list may not be all-inclusive.

References

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services web site. Womenshealth.gov. Available at: www.womenshealth.gov . Accessed March 23, 2010.

Update Date: 3/29/2012

Reviewed by: Susan Storck, MD, FACOG, Chief, Eastside Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Redmond, Washington; Clinical Teaching Faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

Notice: The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 1997-2012, A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.