A birth plan is a short written summary of your preferences for labor, delivery, and the first hours with your baby. Most templates assume a vaginal birth, which omits patients with a scheduled cesarean section, those whose labor may end in an unplanned C-section, and those hoping for a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). In…
There is no single best birth control. Every method available today prevents pregnancy when used correctly, so the right one comes down to your plans for having children, how you feel about hormones, your health history, and what you are willing to remember to do. This guide can help you decide. Start with your timeline:…
A breech baby is one who is positioned bottom or feet first in the uterus instead of head down. Early in pregnancy this is completely normal, because babies have plenty of room to tumble. By the last month, most have settled head down, but roughly 3 to 4 percent of babies are still breech at…
An abnormal Pap test means the lab found cells on your cervix that look different from normal cervical cells. It does not mean you have cancer. In 2026, the vast majority of abnormal Pap results are mild changes that clear on their own or are treated easily in the office. Here is what those results…
Vulvar itching is a skin symptom, and the vulva is skin. It is subject to the same conditions that affect skin anywhere else on your body, plus a few that occur only here. Yeast infections get the credit for nearly all of it, but studies have repeatedly found that many women who buy over-the-counter antifungal…
Food safety guidance during pregnancy exists for two reasons: certain infections cross the placenta, and certain contaminants affect fetal brain development. Pregnancy changes your immune system in ways that make you more vulnerable to foodborne illness. The CDC estimates pregnant women are about 10 times more likely than the general population to get listeriosis, an…
Vaginal dryness is a lack of moisture in the vaginal tissue, and it is far more common than most women realize. It can cause itching, burning, irritation, and discomfort during sex or everyday activities. While many people assume it only happens during menopause, women can experience vaginal dryness at almost any age and for many…
Headaches that occur right before your period are a real and well-documented pattern, not just a coincidence. Many women notice a headache or full-blown migraine in the days leading up to their period, often accompanied by cramps, mood changes, and fatigue. These are known as menstrual or hormonal headaches, and they are tied closely to…
Hormone pellet therapy is a form of hormone replacement that uses small, rice-sized pellets to deliver bioidentical hormones into the body. The pellets are placed just under the skin, usually in the upper hip area, and they slowly release hormones such as estrogen or testosterone over a period of several months. This treatment is designed…
Bone loss is a gradual condition where bone tissue dissolves faster than the body builds new bone. For women, this process speeds up significantly during the years around menopause, when estrogen levels drop. Estrogen plays a key role in protecting bone density, so when it declines, bones can become thinner and more fragile. The good…