by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN………………………………… I’ve heard it from my friends, “I’m not giving my daughter the HPV vaccine. She’s never had sex.” Okay, I hope your daughter isn’t having sex at 11 years old. But, I promise you she will likely have sex at some point in her life. What my friends are not saying is, “I don’t want to think about my daughter having sex,” or “if I give her the vaccine, she w Read more
Easy Ways to Reduce PMS
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN………………………………… Women often come into our office complaining of premenstrual symptoms that start approximately 1 week or so prior to their periods. These symptoms may include both physical and emotional changes, such as bloating, breast tenderness, irritability, sleeplessness or mood swings. We have often recommended lifestyle changes such as exercise, and even in more extreme cases we mi Read more
Moms Coping with Depression and Anxiety
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN…………………………………. Over the past week, I have been overwhelmed by media reports addressing women’s usage of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications. This month’s Parenting magazine article entitled Xanax Makes Me a Better Mom highlighted several mothers and their usage of medication to manage anxiety and depression. The article sparked enough controversy that Katie Couric Anderson Cooper Read more
The Next Generation Condom
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN………………………………… Bill Gates announced a new grant for the invention of the Next Generation Condom. As many of you know, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation works to improve global health. One of their main priorities is to reduce the incidence of HIV. Condoms are the best method for preventing the transmission of HIV. However, despite condom availability they are underut Read more
Who is binge drinking in the US?
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN…………………………………. I must admit, I was surprised by who is most likely to be binge drinking on a regular basis. When I think about binge drinking, I think about a college fraternity party with a bunch of guys standing around with plastic cups. Take a minute to think about what you imagine as binge drinking… Binge drinking is defined as 4 alcoholic drinks in one occasion. More and more Read more
Folic Acid Reduces the Risk for Autism
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN…………………………………. A new study released from Norway, suggests a forty percent reduction in the risk for autism when women start taking folic acid supplementation at least 4 weeks prior to conception. This study looked at 85,000 women and the effect of taking folic acid supplementation starting 4 weeks prior to conception and through at least the first 8 weeks of the pregnancy. The study hig Read more
Attention Pregnant Women: Let’s talk about Whooping Cough
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN…………………………………. In 2012, new cases of whooping cough (pertussis) reached epidemic levels. The CDC reported 41,000 new cases of whooping cough in 2012 with at least 18 deaths. The majority of deaths are infants less than 3 months of age who are too young to be vaccinated. Whooping cough causes severe and life threatening complications in infants. One in 5 infants with pertussis are Read more
Is my IUD giving me vaginal infections?
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN…………………………………. Patients in monogamous relationships and at low risk for sexually transmitted infections are good candidates for intrauterine devices. Infections occurring while an IUD is in place are most commonly related to the exposure to sexually transmitted infections, not the presence of the IUD. Please see the related Center for Disease Control Web site below. If you have an Read more
Mirena vs Paragard
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN…………………………………. You might be like some of our patients who have decided they want a lower maintenance birth control option. Women choose an IUD (intrauterine device) for a variety of reasons. Some of our patients do not plan to have children and want a long term birth control option. Other patients with children may want a dependable birth control method that enables ti Read more
Is any amount of discharge normal?
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN…………………………………. When women complain of discharge – it can come in many different varieties. Vaginal discharge may cause an odor, itching or may just be a change in color or consistency. Some vaginal discharge is normal – it helps with lubrication for intercourse and protects the vaginal mucosa. Physiologic or normal discharge is typically clear and odorless. We are concer Read more
