Advances in Women's Health

Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Guest: Laura Berman, PhD How can doctors make their female patients more comfortable talking about sexual dysfunction in the clinical setting? It could be as easy as adding a question to patient intake forms or posting a sign in the waiting room. Host Dr. Lauren Streicher and guest Dr. Laura Berman, an assistant clinical professor of ob/gyn and psychiatry at the Northwes...

Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Guest: Kim Lebowitz Women are twice as likely as men to experience depression, and that statistic holds true for female cardiac patients. Linking heart disease and depression, the American Heart Association recently recommended that all cardiac patients be screened for depression. Dr. Kim Lebowitz, director and founder of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwester...

Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Guest: Lorie Chaiten, JD For the past 25 years, the U.S. government has funded abstinence-only sex education in public schools. Still, 47 percent of high school students report having had sexual intercourse and 70 percent are sexually active by age 19. Lorie Chaiten, director of the Reproductive Rights Project for the Roger Baldwin Foundation of the ACLU of Illinois, tal...

Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Guest: Sharmila Makhija, MD Since the Gardasil vaccination has only been administered to young girls and teens since 2006, there are still questions concerning who should get the vaccine and under what circumstances., and the effectiveness of the vaccine if not taken according to suggested protocol. Dr. Sharmila Makhija, director and associate professor of gynecologic oncol...

Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Guest: James M Nicholson, MD,MSCE Over the last decade the rate of cesarean sections has increased from 22 percent to as much as 30 percent in some parts of the country. Cesarean risk increases with potential placental insufficiency and concerns about cephalo pelvic disproportion. How does AMOR-IPAT (active management of risk in pregnancy at term), a preventive induction te...

Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Guest: Wendie Berg, MD, PhD The number of women affected by breast cancer every year is staggering: almost 180,000 new cases and upwards of 40,000 deaths. Researchers are focused on finding novel ways to detect a malignancy before it spreads-to the lymph nodes and beyond. Dr. Wendie Berg, a breast imaging radiologist associated with the Johns Hopkins University School of Me...

Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Guest: Elizabeth Kavaler, MD A large number of women suffer from pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence in the United States, many of these women are postmenopausal. Statistics show that one in nine women will undergo surgery for this issue. Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler a urologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York joins host Dr. Lisa Mazzullo to discuss the best ways to treat an...

Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Guest: Elizabeth Kavaler, MD One in 10 American women reports a medically confirmed urinary tract infection (UTI) every year. Combined with the rise of antibiotic resistance in the treatment of cystitis, this has prompted the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology to amend their guidelines on traditional UTI therapy for women of reproductive age. Dr. Elizabeth Kavale...

Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Guest: Cynthia Wong, MD Epidural anesthesia has changed dramatically since its introduction to the obstetric arena in the early 1970s. Now we have various types of epidurals we can administer during labor. One of the major obstacles for anesthesiologists is determining how women perceive pain during labor and how to administer the proper dosage of pain medication. Dr. Cynth...

Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Guest: Sharmila Makhija, MD We are finding the highest prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) among women in their early 20s, but the FDA now recommends that an HPV vaccine be administered to women up to the age of 45. Why? Because recent research tells us that the at-risk population may be larger than we think. Dr. Sharmila Makhija, associate professor of gynecologic...

Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Guest: David Grimes, MD There are so many choices when it comes to choosing the right contraceptive for your patient that it can make your head spin. Dr. David A Grimes, a clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of North Carolina Medical School helps sort out with host Dr. Lauren Streicher the latest options in contraception. T...

Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Guest: David Grimes, MD Intrauterine contraception is underutilized in America, compared with usage rates around the globe: despite its documented efficacy, a mere two percent of American women choose this form of birth control. Dr. David A. Grimes, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, reviews the multitu...

Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Guest: Abimbola Famuyide, MD For women with severe cardiac disease, pregnancy is not advisable due to significant risks of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Dr. Lisa Mazzullo talks with Dr. Abimbola Famuyide, principle investigator in a recent study on hysteroscopic steriization at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Famuyide's research provides new safer...

Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Guest: Karen Rosene-Montella, MD The physiological changes that occur in pregnancy often present a series of clinical obstacles. What conditions should most concern us? How can pre-conception education ease the process? Dr. Karen Rosene-Montella, professor of medicine and obstetrics and gynecology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and principal author...

Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Guest: Stanley Gall, MD Since the 1990s, we have seen a resurgence in infant deaths related to pertussis. Once thought to be a disease of childhood, pertussis attack rates are very high among non-immunized adults. Dr. Stanley Gall, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and women's health at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, analyzes the risk-benefit ratio of...

Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Guest: Joseph Flaherty, MD Do the career choices made by female physicians play a central role in the projected shortage of doctors? Host Dr. Lisa Mazzullo explores this provocative idea with Dr. Joseph Flaherty, dean of medicine, and professor of psychiatry and community health sciences at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, taking an in-depth look at the subst...

Host: John Armstrong, MD Guest: Maj. Gen. Carla Hawley-Bowland, MD Maj. Gen. Dr. Carla Hawley-Bowland, commanding general at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, chief of the United States Army Medical Corps, and the first female Medical Corps General in the history of the United States Army, speaks about the leadership structure that afforded her the opportunity to assume this landmark post. Dr. Hawl...

Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Guest: Thea Sakata Guest: Lina Rodriguez A medical school graduation photo today looks much different than those of the 1950s, with a considerable shift in gender distribution, and a diverse collection of races, nationalities and pre-medical school experiences. Ms. Thea Sakata and Ms. Lina Rodriguez, both first-year medical students at Northwestern University's Feinberg...

Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Guest: Veronica Ravnikar, MD During the 1990's multiple studies suggested hormone replacement therapy would decrease heart disease in women and prolong life. Many doctors encouraged their patients to take estrogen even if they didn't have menopausal symptoms. Dr. Veronica Ravnikar discusses optimizing cardiovascular and cognitive benefits of HRT with the early initiation...

Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Guest: Veronica Ravnikar, MD There is substantial evidence that supports the importance of estrogen to cognitive function, but it seems there is relatively little emphasis on proactively preserving the ability to think clearly once menopause hits. Dr. Veronica Ravnikar, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, Mass., discusses how to treat...

Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Guest: Sandra Carson, MD Host Dr. Lauren Streicher continues her discussion with Dr. Sandra Carson, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, on how to tackle the issue of treating obese women. They discuss diet plans, lifestyle modifications, counseling strategies, and medications to best treat obese patients.

Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Guest: Sandra Carson, MD Dr. Sandra Carson, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, offers her perspective on the causes and consequences of the obesity epidemic in women. Are there common reasons for weight gain not directly linked to the ratio of food intake versus energy output? How do eating patterns, hormone re...

Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Guest: Frank Tu, MD, MPH Diagnosing chronic pelvic pain can be difficult; managing pelvic pain is sometimes impossible. It's one of the most frustrating problems for the general gynecologist. Dr. Frank Tu of the Division of Gynecological Pain and Minimally Invasive Surgery of Northwestern Healthcare discusses how to treat the patient with chronic pelvic pain.

Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Guest: Frank Tu, MD, MPH Surveys suggest that chronic pelvic pain is responsible for 10 percent of all gynecology referrals, 20 percent of all hysterectomies, and 40 percent of all laparoscopies. Frank Tu, MD, MPH, director of gynecological pain and minimally invasive surgery, and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology within Northwestern University's Feinberg...

Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Guest: Anthony Odibo, MD Dr. Anthony Odibo, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and director of the Fetal Care Center at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, details the concurrent challenge and promise of perinatal ultrasound, as it applies to first trimester screening and genetic evaluation, preterm labor prediction and minimally invasive fe...