By Dr Richard RobbinsThrough July 21st, over 400 pregnant women in the USA (not including US territories where there are another 400) contracted the Zika virus. As best we know, ALL of these patients got their Zika in a Zika zone of transmission. Please refer to the CDC for active Zika territories http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/active-countries.html. Zika symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain or eye redness. However, Zika often has no symptoms at all. Not pregnant?If you travel to a Read more
Do I still need to see my gynecologist every year?
Yes! It’s not easy for us to keep up with the pap smear guidelines, so we can’t expect our patients to know them. The confusion surrounding the frequency of gynecology appointments stems from the changing pap smear guidelines. Although you may not receive a pap smear every year, you still need a gynecology check up. Our practice has agreed to pap smear guidelines that are more conservative than those recommended by the US Preventative Health Task Force. The Task Force g Read more
How to Reduce Your Risk for C-Section
According to the 2014 CDC data, approximately 32% of all deliveries are performed by c-section in the United States. Many of our first-time moms want to know how to reduce their risk of delivering by c-section. Consider speaking to an Alpharetta gynecology specialist at Roswell. We recommend talking with our midwives to learn more to put your mind at ease and answer questions such as why you can't be induced earlier than your due date. While our midwives don’t manage all our labor p Read more
Will getting my tubes tied reduce my risk for ovarian cancer?
Risk reducing bilateral salpingectomy (aka removing the fallopian tubes). Guest Blogger Dr Richard Robbins discusses the benefits in reducing ovarian cancer by removing the fallopian tubes.Removing Fallopian tubes to prevent ovarian cancer? Why? And who should have it done?Here’s the general premise. Ovarian cancer as you know is generally a terrible disease, often found as stage 3-4 at first diagnosis. And so many studies have looked for ways to find earlier stage ovarian cancer (using Read more
What should I be doing to prepare for my baby’s delivery?
Our guest blogger, Laurie Braswell, is a certified nurse-midwife delivering babies with Roswell OB/GYN since 1999. As a part of our caring and dedicated midwife practice, Laurie shares her insights into a successful delivery with working with our Alpharetta high-risk obstetrics. The most important thing is to know that you can do this. Every woman has doubts about if she has the ability and strength to actually deliver her baby. Just know that you are no different than al Read more
How to lower your risk for breast cancer
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN………………………………… Caucasian women are at higher risk for developing breast cancer over their lifetime in comparison to Asian and Black women. Researchers in the United Kingdom designed The Million Woman study to investigate the factors that increased Caucasian women’s risk for breast cancer. The study enrolled over one million women in the UK between 1996 to 2001. The goal of the st Read more
I’m so miserable, why won’t my doctor induce me a little early?
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN It’s your last month of pregnancy and you are over it. Your back is killing you, your varicose veins – even those in unmentionable places- are aching, your legs are swollen, you haven’t slept a full night's sleep in weeks, and you want this baby out! We can definitely empathize with you as Alpharetta gynecology specialists. The final month of pregnancy can be so uncomfortable. It is typically right around th Read more
Obesity Increases Risk for Preterm Delivery
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN………………………………… In a recent study published in the Journal of American Medical Association, Swedish researchers revealed the link between obesity and preterm delivery. Preterm delivery is the leading cause of infant death, prolonged hospital stays and long term disability. The study identified an association between obesity and preterm delivery rates. Researchers analyzed data fro Read more
When to start mammograms?
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN………………………………… A new study released last week in the Journal Cancer suggests early screening mammograms may save lives. The study analyzed 7301 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1990 and 1999. There were 609 documented deaths from breast cancer. Of those who died from breast cancer, 71 percent had not been screened in over 2 years. Half of the cancer deaths Read more
The Flu Vaccine: Pregnant Women and their Families Need It!
Thank you to this week’s guest blogger, Dr Richard Robbins! Flu vaccine will be available VERY soon. Our first shipment is due at our office in 2 weeks! If you are pregnant, flu vaccine is important both for you and your unborn child. Why? Pregnant women naturally have weakened immune systems for the duration of the pregnancy. National statistics confirm pregnant women have more risk of severe infection and even death from flu. Plus, severe flu infection can trigger preterm labor. Read more
