Showing Stories tagged with: Women’s Health
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November 21, 2019
Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Quitter?
Every year thousands of Americans make the decision to cut back on their smoking or – even better – quit smoking entirely. Today is the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, when we celebrate the people who have put in the time, effort and shown the willpower that it takes to be a quitter. Between
November 21, 2019
“It wreaks havoc”: Five things to know about smoking during pregnancy
1. Vermont has one of the nation’s worst rates of smoking while pregnant. In a 2018 report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 15.5 percent of Vermont women smoked during pregnancy. The only states with higher rates were West Virginia (25.1 percent), Kentucky (18.4 percent) and Montana (16.5 percent). Missouri rounded out the
November 11, 2019
The Truth About Overactive Bladder
It’s Bladder Health Awareness Month, so we talked to Gillian Stearns, MD, urologist, about a topic we get a lot of questions about: overactive bladder. What is overactive bladder? Overactive bladder (OAB) refers to a group of urinary symptoms associated with urgency and urinary frequency. We also associate OAB with incontinence without another explanation (such
October 17, 2019
Peripartum Depression: More Common Than You May Realize
In pregnancy, we pay much attention to the physical health of expectant mothers. Healthier mothers tend to give birth to heathier babies. Did you know that maternal mental health can be as important as maternal physical health for the development of newborns? Peripartum Depression: What is it? Peripartum depression (depression during pregnancy or in the
August 1, 2019
How Can I Get Breastfeeding Off to a Good Start?
It seems like breastfeeding should be instinctive and natural. While it is on some levels, it is also something both mothers and babies learn to do. While most parents have not grown up yet seeing babies breastfeed all around them, babies are born with reflexes to help them breastfeed. Here are some hints on how
May 23, 2019
Preeclampsia: What Pregnant Women Need to Know
Preeclampsia is a condition in which a woman develops high blood pressure during the second half of pregnancy. It can be life-threatening for mother and baby and may necessitate early delivery. Preeclampsia: Diagnosis and treatment We diagnose preeclampsia when a woman with previously normal blood pressure develops high blood pressure. She also begins to pass protein
April 25, 2019
Infertility Awareness Week: When to See a Specialist to Become Pregnant
It’s National Infertility Awareness Week. How do you know when you need help getting pregnant? Couples who are trying to get pregnant but are not succeeding can be under tremendous stress. On average, 80 percent of heterosexual couples will become pregnant within a year of starting to try. So, if you’ve been trying for a
April 19, 2019
"The Phone Call That Changed Our Lives."
Providing education, advocacy and support of organ donation isn’t just part of my professional role, it’s part of my personal life as a wife, mom and daughter. My personal story Eleven years ago this month, just months after the birth of our first child, our family received the phone call that would not only change
April 18, 2019
One Heart, Two Families: A Story of Organ Donation
For Donna and Mike Andre of Brushton, NY, numbers define the moments leading to their son Ben’s tragic death. It was March 17, 2015 – St. Patrick’s Day, Mike’s birthday. Ben had gone to a friend’s house to wait for his girlfriend to get off work at 11. It was classic North Country March weather:
April 17, 2019
Motherhood and Marijuana
With the legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational use in Vermont and other states, I thought this week I would smoke out some concerns about its use in pregnant mothers, and mothers who breastfeed. Recently the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a clinical report on the implications for infants and children of marijuana
April 9, 2019
The Greatest Gift — The Gift of Life
April is National “Donate Life” month, an opportunity to celebrate life-saving organ and tissue donors and the recipients whose lives they save. Most often, transplant surgery relies on altruistic generosity. For those waiting with end-stage organ failure, their lives and future are in the hands of strangers, and they wait, not knowing if they will
March 18, 2019
What is Endometriosis & How Do We Treat It?
One in ten women is affected by endometriosis, and though the cause of it is uncertain, it does appear to run in families. What is Endometriosis?
March 6, 2019
Healthy Diets and Habits During Pregnancy
Mothers to be have been cooking up lots of questions about what they should eat to ensure a healthy baby. Dr. Lewis First provides some food for thought on this topic.
February 14, 2019
Remembering Those Who Gave the "Gift of Life"
It’s fitting that National Donor Day is February 14, a day we already associate with love. On this day, we raise awareness about organ donation and celebrate the lives of organ and tissue donors. Most people will eventually be affected by donation in their lives. They will either know someone who needs, or has received
January 29, 2019
Folic Acid: Why Is It So Important?
Many women have heard that they should be taking folic acid before and during pregnancy, but are not sure why or how much. Here are some of the most important things you need to know about folic acid, and how to make sure you are getting enough. What is folic acid? Folic acid is a