Common Reproductive Health Issues

Below are a few of the major reproductive health issues that many women face. These can affect a woman's fertility, menstrual cycles, and overall health. For questions or concerns, please schedule an appointment with your doctor. If you do not have insurance, please check out your options here.

What is it? A common hormonal disorder affecting women, characterized by a combination of symptoms including irregular menstrual cycles, elevated androgen levels, and polycystic ovaries.
Symptoms: Missed periods, irregular periods, or very light periods, ovaries that are large or have many cysts, extra body hair, including the chest, stomach, and back (hirsutism), weight gain, especially around the belly, acne or oily skin, male-pattern baldness or thinning hair, infertility, small pieces of extra skin on the neck or armpits (skin tags), dark or thick skin patches on the back of the neck, in the armpits, and under the breasts.
Treatment: Treatment for PCOS is often done with medicine. This can’t cure PCOS, but it helps reduce symptoms and prevent some health problems.

What is it? A condition in which cells similar to the lining of the uterus, or endometrium, grow outside the uterus. It can cause severe pain in the pelvis region and make it harder to get pregnant.
Symptoms: Pain during a period, during or after sex, and when urinating or defecating. Heavy bleeding during periods or between periods, trouble getting pregnant, bloating or nausea, fatigue, depression or anxiety.
Treatment: Treatments to manage endometriosis can vary based on the severity of symptoms and whether pregnancy is desired. No treatments cure the disease. Hormonal medicines like GnRH-analogues and contraceptive (birth control) methods can also help control pain.

What are they? Non-cancerous growths that develop in or on the uterus. Most fibroids are asymptomatic but larger or more numerous fibroids can cause a range of symptoms, including heavy periods, pelvic pain, and difficulty getting pregnant.
Symptoms: Heavy menstrual bleeding or painful periods, longer or more frequent periods, pelvic pressure or pain, frequent urination or trouble urinating, growing stomach area, constipation, pain in the stomach area or lower back, or pain during sex.
Treatment: There's no single best treatment for uterine fibroids. Some don’t take any action, while others look toward hormone medication to help shrink them. There are also non-invasive surgical procedures to relieve symptoms.

What are they? STD’s are sexually transmitted diseases that are caused by sexually transmitted infections (STI’s). These are mainly spread by sexual contact through bodily fluids. They can also be spread through blood transfusions or shared needles.
Symptoms: Sores or bumps on the genitals or in the oral or rectal area, painful or burning urination, unusual or odorous vaginal discharge, unusual vaginal bleeding, pain during sex, sore, swollen lymph nodes, particularly in the groin but sometimes more widespread, lower abdominal pain, fever, rash over the trunk, hands or feet.
Treatment: You should see a healthcare professional immediately to obtain treatment, because STI’s are generally easier to treat than STD’s. Treatment typically looks like antibiotics or antiviral drugs.