by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN………………………………… A recent decision by the American Medical Association recognized obesity as a diagnosable illness. Previous obesity was just a description or symptom. As a diagnosable illness, insurance providers may be more willing to cover costs of weight loss interventions. In our practice, we see overweight and obese patients struggle with weight loss. I am hard pre Read more
I’m having hot flashes. Does it mean I’m starting menopause?
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN………………………………… We all know hot flashes and night sweats are very common symptoms of menopause. But, a new study by The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) suggests many young premenopausal women have hot flashes too. I often have women in the thirties and forties complain of night sweats or hot flashes. Typically, they come to our office concerned their hot Read more
Do you feel your baby clock ticking? Can we buy more time? Egg freezing – is it really an option?
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN………………………………… I recently read the Wall Street Journal article written by Sarah Elizabeth Richards who explains why she decided to freeze her eggs. I thought it was excellent for several reasons. As a women’s health care provider, I am acutely aware of women’s ticking fertility clocks. As we all know, our eggs age with us. At age 30, the chance each month of getting pregnan Read more
How much exercise is safe in pregnancy?
A recent article published by fitbie highlights the benefits of staying physically fit during pregnancy. The article suggests that healthy pregnant women may continue a regular exercise routine. During pregnancy, exercise may help to reduce the patient’s risk for developing diabetes as well as facilitate an easier delivery. In our office, our Alpharetta high-risk obstetrics doctors consider pregnancy a state of health. We encourage our healthy pregnant women to contin Read more
Should I get tested for the breast cancer gene?
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN………………………………… I cannot thank Angelina Jolie enough for going public with her decision to have a double mastectomy after discovering she carries the BRCA1 gene. I can only hope that greater awareness helps us to identify women at greatest risk for breast and ovarian cancer. However, I do want to use this forum to provide some more information about who should get tested for the gene. The CN Read more
Real Beauty – the New Dove Commercial
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN………………………………… I don’t get a chance to watch too much TV these days. By the time we’ve had dinner, put the kids to bed and finished cleaning up the house, we are exhausted. Half asleep, my husband and I might catch the opening monologue of John Stewart before we collapse into bed. So, I’m not very up to date on pop culture topics. But since multiple people have asked me Read more
Bras make your Breasts Sag
by Rachel Burt, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Roswell OB/GYN………………………………… A little note to lighten your week… a recently published study from France evaluated the effects of bras on the breast in 320 women over a 15 year time span. They concluded that bras actually make breasts more saggy! Go figure… I must admit, the headline caught my eye for several reasons… I couldn’t imagine how the funding was established to perform th Read more
Why should my kids get the HPV vaccine?
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
