Most women can use Depo-Provera. However, it is not recommended for women who have: Unexplained vaginal bleeding Liver disease Breast cancer Blood clots Are There Side Effects Associated With Depo-Provera? Depo-Provera c

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HC can be taken safely by most women, but is not recommended for women who are over the age of 35 and smoke. If you don't smoke, you can use HC until menopause. In addition, you should not take HC if you have had: Blood clots Serious he

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What Is a Female Condom? The female condom is a lubricated polyurethane (plastic) tube that has a flexible ring at each end. One end of the tube is closed. How Is the Female Condom Used? Before sexual activity begins, the woman inserts the cond

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How Is Trichomoniasis Diagnosed? To diagnose trichomoniasis, a doctor must perform a physical examination and laboratory test. Laboratory tests are performed on a sample of vaginal fluid or urethral fluid to look for the disease-causing parasite. T

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Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a small organism called Trichomonas vaginalis. Women are most often affected by this disease, although men can become infected and pass the infection on to their partners through sexual conta

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  Most people infected with genital herpes have very minimal or no signs or symptoms of their disease. The first attack of herpes usually follows this course: Skin on or near the sex organ becomes inflamed. Skin may burn, itch or be pai

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Genital herpes is a highly contagious infection usually spread through intercourse with a person with infected sores, but it can be passed through oral or anal sex as well. It may also be spread even when sores are not visible. Genital herpes can a

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Is the Pap Smear Painful? A Pap smear is not painful, but the pelvic exam may be a little uncomfortable. When Will I Know the Results of the Pap Smear? It may take several weeks to get the test results. If you haven't heard from your doctor's o

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What Is a Pap Smear? A Pap smear is a way to look at a sample of cells taken from a woman's cervix. The test is used to look for changes in the cells of the cervix that show cervical cancer or conditions that may develop into cancer. All women wh

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What Tests Are Taken During the Pelvic Exam? A sample of cells may be taken as part of regular test called a Pap smear, or Pap test, to screen for cervical cancer or cells that look like they might lead to cancer. The sample is placed in a solution

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  You can expect to feel a little discomfort, but you should not feel pain. The exam itself takes about 10 minutes. If you have any questions during the exam, be sure to ask your doctor. How Is the Exam Performed? During a typical pelvic ex

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A pelvic exam is a way for doctors to look for signs of illness in organs in a woman's body. The word "pelvic" refers to the pelvis. The exam is used to look at a woman's: Vulva (external genital organs) Uterus (the womb)

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What is amenorrhea? Amenorrhea (say: ay-men-or-ee-uh) is when you don't have menstrual periods. You can have primary or secondary amenorrhea. Primary amenorrhea is when you haven't had a period by 14 to 16 years of age. Secondary amenorrhea is when

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  It's important that you follow your doctor's instructions about caring for your pessary. Most pessaries can be worn for many days to weeks at a time before they have to be taken out and cleaned with ordinary soap and water. You may be able to

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  A pessary is a plastic device that fits into your vagina to help support your uterus (womb), vagina, bladder or rectum. The pessary is most often used for "prolapse" of the uterus. Prolapse means that your uterus droops or tends to

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  The treatment can depend on one or more of these factors: the size of the cyst, how painful it is, if it's infected and your age. In some cases, a small cyst can just be watched over time to see if it grows. In other cases, the doctor can per

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  The Bartholin's gland is a tiny organ on each of the labia (vaginal lips), near the opening of the vagina. If the vagina were the face of a clock, these glands would be found at about 4 and 8 o'clock. Normally they are invisible. They make a

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You can exercise almost anywhere and any time--while driving in a car, at your desk or watching TV. To exercise these muscles, just pull in or "squeeze" your pelvic muscles (as if you are trying to stop urine flow). Hold this squeeze for ab

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  Pelvic muscles help stop the flow of urine. For women, pregnancy, childbirth and being overweight can weaken the pelvic muscles. For men, prostate surgery can weaken pelvic muscles. Weak pelvic muscles can cause you to leak urine. Fortunately

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  The early signs of an ectopic pregnancy are like those of a normal pregnancy. You may have missed periods, sore breasts, and nausea of pregnancy ("morning sickness"). A home pregnancy test may be positive. More serious signs

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  In a normal pregnancy, a fertilized egg implants in the uterus ("womb"). In an ectopic (say: ek-top-ik) pregnancy, the fertilized egg does not make it to the uterus and implants somewhere else (see drawing below).&nbs

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what are fibroids? Fibroids are benign growths (not cancer) in the muscular wall of the uterus. These growths can be very tiny or as large as a cantaloupe.   Do fibroids cause problems? Many women with fibroids don't have symptoms. In othe

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  Doctors don't know what causes PCOS. If you have PCOS, you may have a problem with the way your body uses blood sugar (glucose). Because of this problem, the hormones that control your ovaries and menstrual periods can become abnormal.  

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  If your hormones don't work in the normal way, your ovaries might make too many eggs. Those eggs turn into many cysts. The cysts (say: "sists") are like little balloons filled with liquid. Polycystic ovary syndrome is called PCOS

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What is an ovarian cyst? An ovarian cyst is a fluid-filled sac in the ovary. Many cysts are completely normal. These are called functional cysts. They occur as a result of ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovary). Functional cysts normally

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  Your doctor will ask you questions about your past and present health, and about illness or health-related problems in your family. You may be asked to describe the kind of pain you have, where it is and how strong it is. Tell your doctor any

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  Chronic pelvic pain is pain in your pelvic region, which is the area below your bellybutton and above your hips, that lasts for at least 6 months. The pain may be a steady or it may come and go. It can feel like a dull ache, or it c

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  Your doctor will diagnose endometrial cancer by performing one or more of the following procedures: Endometrial biopsy is usually done in your doctor’s office. It involves inserting a narrow tube into the uterus through the vagin

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  Cancer of the endometrium, or lining of the uterus (sometimes called the womb), is called endometrial cancer. The most common sign of endometrial cancer is unusual bleeding from your vagina, especially bleeding after menopause. Endometrial c

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  The word "endometriosis" (say: "end-oh-me-tree-oh-sis") means a problem with the lining of the uterus. The lining is called the endometrium. Normally, every month when you have your period, the lining (which is also called

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