Published on 16/09/2011

Some women live with deadly conditions for years without knowing it. DR BRIGID MONDA shows you signs that should make you rush to a doctor

Many women live in pain not knowing that what they are experiencing is abnormal and they need to see a doctor immediately.

Here are some of the most common ‘gyne’ problems women should know about:

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Women can harbour Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) like chlamydia or gonorrhoea without even knowing it. Chlamydia in particular can lie dormant for years after you get infected.

Both infections frequently produce no symptoms in women. They quietly fester in the body causing havoc in the pelvis, leading to pelvic inflammatory disease and fertility problems.

The first sign of danger is when you have trouble conceiving and your damaged tubes are spotted when you’re being investigated for infertility.

You may succeed in getting pregnant but end up with an ectopic pregnancy.

You also risk passing on the infection to your unborn baby during delivery. the gonorrhoea causing bacteria can also cause gonoccocal arthritis.

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)

This is an infection of the fallopian tubes, ovaries and the adjacent organs. in many cases, the infection is due to either chlamydia and or gonorrhoea.

PID can also follow a miscarriage, a criminal abortion or childbirth. the classical symptoms of PID are fever and severe pelvic pain.

These symptoms can be missed if you keep going to the doctor about problems that appear unrelated to the PID, such as irregular periods, cystitis, frequent bouts of thrush or backache.

A quarter of the women not treated for PID will suffer from scarring of the affected organs causing infertility, chronic pelvic pain and ectopic pregnancies.

The combined oral contraceptive pill like Femiplan protects against PID.

Fibroids are non-cancerous growths of the muscle of the uterus. They are especially common among black women who are three to nine times more likely to develop them. though genetic, the good news is that only 20 per cent of these women will develop symptoms and they shrink after menopause.

On the richter scale of women’s ‘gyne’ problems, fibroids are the equivalent of a minor quake.

Many women still have fibroids and have no problem conceiving.

In others, they cause heavy periods and may affect fertility, where due to their position in the uterus, they block the fallopian tubes or act like a contraceptive coil and thus prevent pregnancy.

The fibroids grow and can reach the size of a large melon causing backache, constipation, frequent urination and urinary tract infections, varicose veins and pain during sex.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

In this condition, the ovaries develop a mass of tiny cysts.the disease can also have nasty knock-on effects on your health. It increases your chances of becoming diabetic by seven times and of developing high blood pressure and heart disease three times more. It’s caused by an imbalance of testosterone, a male hormone.

The most obvious signs of the problem are acne, excessive hairiness and a deepening of the voice. sometimes the signs are not so obvious which makes it so hard to spot.

Many women suffer from no adverse effects at all. others only suffer mood swings and irritability which they put down to pre menstrual syndrome.

This condition causes painful, heavy periods but may be completely missed all together.

Endometriosis occurs when the lining of the womb, the endometrium grows in other parts of the pelvis including the bowel, ovaries, fallopian tubes and bladder.

Because it is the same tissue as the normal endometrium in the uterus, it responds to the hormonal changes and also bleeds causing pelvic irritation, inflammation and scarring of the tissues.

The women who are slowest to be diagnosed are those who don’t suffer from any unusual pain or bleeding and only discover it when they can’t conceive because it has involved the tubes.

Some women ignore warning signs like heavy periods, painful sex and or painful bowel movements because they think the pain they are experiencing is normal.

Keeping up to date with your pap smears will highlight precancerous cells and you can be treated even before you develop cervical cancer, the leading cause of death due to cancer in women in Kenya.

Ovarian cancer on the other hand is difficult to diagnose because it has no symptoms until it’s in an advanced stage. the space in the pelvis gives the cancer room to grow unnoticed until it’s causing extreme pain and swelling. There a genetic predisposition to it especially for women in whom a close family member has suffered from cancer of the bowel, breast or ovary.

Vaginal and vulval cancer are thought to be ‘old women’ cancers. They are rare below the age of 60.

However it is not unknown for these cancers to occur in younger women as well so it’s always important to take notice of any unusual symptoms.

A sore and itchy lump may indicate cancer of the vulva. an unusual, growth, bleeding or unusual discharge can be a warning of vaginal cancer

yet many women are to embarrassed to see a doctor.

Endometrial cancer — (cancer of the womb) the easiest gyne cancer to identify — which produces early warning bleeding in women who’ve had their menopause, can be missed. This cancer is completely treatable if caught early.

The combined oral contraceptive pill is also protective against cancer of the ovary and womb.

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Cancer can be a class regarding diseases seen as an out of control cellular growth. Lung cancer occurs once this uncontrolled cellular growth will begin in one or both lung area. the voice are 2 large spongy organs located inside the torso cavity. Atmosphere is breathed in to the trachea and moves down a couple of tubes referred to as bronchi, each traversing to a lung. Lung cancer happens most often in older adults between the age ranges of forty five and 70 who have smoked cigarettes for at least Two decades.over one particular,400 Victorians are generally diagnosed with every year.

Only about 2% of these diagnosed with lung cancer that has distributed to other areas of the body are in existence five years as soon as the diagnosis, although the survival rates are clinically determined at a really early stage are usually higher using approximately 49% living through for 5yrs or more time.

There are several types of lung cancer, according to which tissue are affected. the 2 main sorts are:one particular. Small mobile or portable carcinomAround 16 per cent are generally small cellular carcinomas. this type of cancer malignancy spreads earlier and shows few first symptoms.

Only two. Non-small cell carcinomaThese cancers get a new cells that will line the main bronchi.some lung tumors are metastatic coming from cancers anywhere else in the body. the particular lungs really are a common internet site for metastasis. because lung cancer has a tendency to spread as well as metastasize very at the beginning of its study course, it is an extremely life-threatening cancer then one of the most difficult cancers to take care of. while united states can propagate to any organ in the body.

Symptoms are different depending upon how and where widespread the actual tumor is actually. Warning signs of lung cancer aren’t always found or easy to identify. Cancer of the lung symptoms may take years prior to appearing, normally after the ailment is in a professional stage.Beneath is the next symptoms of cancer of the lung include:one. Pain inside the chest make or back from coughing2. A cough that does not go away or even gets a whole lot worse over timeThree or more.

Breathlessness and swallowingSeveral. Recurring pneumonia as well as chest microbe infections5. Wheezing or hoarseness may signal obstruction6. Unexplained weight lossCarcinoma of the lung is labeled into levels according to it’s spread. this helps the doctors to decide on proper treatments. the treatments also depend on the kind of cancer, grow older, health status and additional individual characteristics. because there is usually no treatment for most cancers, patients frequently receive a mix of therapies and palliative attention.

More than one type of therapy could be prescribed.although the diagnostic strategies provided important information, extracting cancer cells and looking at all of them under a microscope is the simply absolute method to diagnose cancer of the lung. this procedure is termed a biopsy. if the biopsy concurs with lung cancer, a new pathologist will determine whether it is non-small cell or even small mobile.

Small mobile lung cancer provides two stages which is:1. In the constrained stage, the particular tumor is available in one lung as well as in nearby lymph nodes.Only two. In the intensive stage, the particular tumor offers infected another lung as well as other internal organs in the body.For non-small cell cancer of the lung, these stages are labeled from We to Intravenous. the lower numbers indicate earlier stages in which the cancer offers spread much less:1. Stage I is the place the tumor is found merely in one lung plus no lymph nodes.

Cancer Specialist: lowongan kerja Medical Oncologist: Radiation Oncologist. an oncologist considering an x-ray on the light boxcancer websites will no longer exist since the specialist resources for cancer will probably be accessible through the redesigned Our mission at Veterinary Cancer Specialists is always to provide the utmost standard of living for your pet during cancer treatment. Visit lung cancer survival rate

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Symptoms of Gonorrhea in some cases may be asymptomatic, when symptoms do appear, they are often mild and usually appear within 2-10 days after exposure. The symptoms include discharge from the penis, vagina, or rectum and burning or itching during urination. in women, gonorrhea can cause menstrual irregularities.

Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacterium Neisseria Gonorrhoeae. This bacterium develops and increases easily especially on warm and moist areas within the reproductive system including the uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes in women, and urethra. it can even nurture within the mouth, eyes, throat and anus. And all of us are definitely prone with having the disease, most likely with prostitutes, individuals with multiple partners, and people with disagreeable and unprotected sexual practices.

Someone who has a gonorrhoeal infection will not have any symptoms yet until 2-10 days at the least or 4 weeks at the longest after bacterium was transferred. in men, symptoms include painful and somewhat frequent urination and inflammation of testicles and prostrate which may cause pain and fever. but the most common symptom would be the release of a thick, yellowish fluid from the penis. Most of the symptoms for infected women are generally mild and non-specific or it may not show any at all. Women may acquire a pelvic inflammatory disease that eventually leads to infertility. other infected females may feel an irritated cervix, itching vagina accompanied with a yellowish green discharge, frequent urination, and bleeding between menstrual periods. For individuals practicing oral sex, they may complain for a sore throat but it may already be a gonococcal throat infection. And lastly, rectal pain and discharge are gonorrhoeal symptoms on anal intercourse. therefore, for possible gonorrhoeal infection, it is very best for it to be treated before it could be transmitted to another individual, and before it could cause further harm to yourself.

Pregnant women infected with gonorrhoea can also pass the bacteria to the baby through a vaginal childbirth. And as such, the bacteria can cause blindness, blood infection, and joint infection to the offspring. it is, then, best to treat the gonorrhoea as soon as it is detected to decrease the risk of further complications. appropriate treatments are readily available in health care centers and hospitals. normally, simple antibiotics can already cure a patient with gonorrhoeal infection but as gonorrhoea strains become more resistant to drugs, stronger antibiotics are now recommended. Medications should be taken as prescribed based on examinations and laboratory tests.

Being cured and treated from the gonorrhoeal infection doesn’t definitely make you immune from getting infected again. it can still be acquired through sexual contacts whether vaginal, oral, or anal with another infected individual, so proper self-care should be practiced.

And like all other sexually transmitted diseases known, the absolute way to avoid is through abstinence. if not, just be a responsible individual like using a condom on sexual intercourse, or have you tested for possible infections. these practices can avoid transfer of bacteria from one individual to another, thus decreasing the possibility of spread. choose healthy partners and not high-risk ones. Tests can also be recommended for your sexual partners before intercourse. but just to be on the safe side, it would always be advisable for you and your partner to visit a STD testing clinic near you to be sure that both of you are clean when doing it.

I had an IUI on June 21st and I feel bloated and heavy in my uterine area. AF is not due for 9 days. It is very early for me to start having PMS symptoms, besides when I do get bloated before AF I always have a 3lb weight gain and I have not gained an ounce. I am looking for others who have had a IUI and experienced these symptoms as well. were you pregnant? It is too early for me to test – I have an appointment with my RE for July 2nd for an ultrasound to make sure that (if I am pregnant) it is not a tubal pregnancy (I had my tubes untied in Oct).

I know it is silly to be asking this question when I will find out for sure in 6 days, but the wait is killing me. I would really love to hear from those who have/are experiencing the same symptoms as myself.

Thanks

COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) kills more than120,000 adults each year — one death every four minutes on average,or more than breast cancer and diabetes combined.

In COPD, sometimes referred to as emphysema or chronicbronchitis, the tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs arepartially blocked, which makes it hard to breathe.

“Yet people go undiagnosed and untreated because they don’trecognize the symptoms,” says James P. Kiley, director of theNational Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the NationalInstitutes of Health.

The institute has launched a public service announcementcampaign to highlight common COPD signs and symptoms, includingfrequent shortness of breath, chronic cough, wheezing and excessivephlegm production. Kiley discusses the disease.

Q. You indicate that this serious health problem is oftenassociated with former smokers.

A. too many people think it’s part of getting older or being outof shape. Smoking accounts for as many as nine out of 10COPD-related deaths. However, as many as one out of six people whohave COPD never smoked.

Q. if not from smoking, what causes COPD?

A. it can be environmental — exposure to chemicals, dusts andpollutants as well as from exposure to secondhand smoke. Doctorsjust can’t say to stop smoking and the disease threat will neverhappen or go away.

Lower- and middle-income women seem to be particularlyvulnerable, although many have never smoked.

In can be the result of indoor pollution, a not-well-ventilatedenvironment, as well as poorly ventilated homes.

We are not sure why we have a continuing growing number ofnonsmoking women getting the disease.

Q. it takes awhile for the disease to appear in former heavysmokers, I understand.

A. it takes quite a long time for most people — even those whowere heavy smokers — to develop the disease. but, of course, theboomer population is aging.

We have had a good effect in lowering the smoking rates in thiscountry, but there are people in the pipeline who still will getlung cancer and COPD as a result of smoking years ago.

Q. what can you do to help people find out if they haveCOPD?

A. Well, we need to get people to recognize the symptoms and totalk to their health care providers. there is a simple breathingtest called spirometry that is quick and painless and can be takenat a doctor’s office.

There is no cure for COPD, but the earlier a person getsdiagnosed and receives treatment, the better their chance toimprove quality of life. It’s all a matter of better education.

Q. there are commercials on TV that feature an inhaler.

A. That’s the drug commonly used. another treatment thatimproves lung conditions is exercise. there also are resourcesavailable to people to quit if they are still smoking.

Hi all,
i have had all the kidney stone symptoms. have done scans and the doc said it is kidney stones only but recently i have chest pain too. i have not seen any stones being passed. Can anyone help me in diagnosing what this could be. when i spoke to my doc, he said i need to redo all the scans. have any of you experienced this kind of pain along with all the symptoms for kidney stones ?
Plz reply soon

No your chest pain is something other then kidney stones. I have had them for many years and let me tell you something, you may not SEE them pass but I guarantee you are going to feel them trying to cut their way out your kidney tubes in your lower torso as if a bad Overy is hurting, but then when it passes out of your tube with such PAIN you will feel it cutting and rolling around inside your bladder. And you will feel it move from one side to the other as you sleep and it falls inside your bladder, then one day you will be peeing, when OMG! you are going to be brought to your knees right off the pot and you may even pass out from the PAIN! But first it will be hard to pee and you may not even be able to pee depending on the size of the stone. Kidney stones are no laughing matter nor do you simply see them pass without going through the worse pain you will ever feel in your life. And it will tear your tee tee hole wide open bleeding and sting like a horrible bladder infection for 24 hours every time you go to the bathroom. now my DR gave me a potty seat to sit on to pee into to catch my stones and I have them in a medicine bottle to show them next time I go to the DR about them. you seriously do not know how close to death you really are when you go in to have them treated, weather it be manual where he lays you on the table as if a gyn exam, only he sticks this tiny little pair of tweezers inside of you and pulls them out 1 by 1, oh sure you may be sedated or asleep but it doesn't make you hurt any less. or weather you have them LAZERED out of you, where they lay you on the 18 wheeler specially equiped with lazer surgery supplies, they put you to sleep but once you wake up you are very weak and want to throw up for 24 hours, you are still in alot of pain.

Now if all of this scares you, at least you had a warning unlike most of us going into this without any help from people who have been through it before. GOOD LUCK!

I DO NOT get stuffed up, my nose doesn't run. I DO have the tubes in my ears plug up, mucus in my throat, and this season I find my sinus hurts, my vision is somewhat blurry at times, and I get sinus headaches. Sound familiar to anyone?

Only a doctor can diagnose, however if unusual to you here is somewhere you can read unusual allergy, really not one and who to see, information. I have allergy/ not.

I recently was disgnoed with a miscarriage and they have been following my hCG levels, which recently plateaud at 140. the ultrasound shows an empty uterus and nothing in my tubes so the DR. is unable to determine if i have unruptured ectopic pregnancy or some small amount of tissue in my uterus still. I have passed large clots and tissue would that happen normally with an ectopic pregnancy?

you would have been in a lot more pain,it usually requires surgery to remove

Go to another doctor.
I assume by "plateaued at 140" you mean it was increasing until it never got past 140 and you've had more than one blood test at 140. This indicates there is something left inside of you. if its uterine, it can cause an infection and if its ectopic, it is potentially life threatening. a good doctor SHOULD be able to tell the difference.
I'm so sorry for your loss and your troubles. I will keep you in my prayers. God bless!

I'm very sorry for your loss.
An ectopic miscarriage is usually pretty painful, but if there is no tissue in the tube and it didn't rupture, that's a hopeful sign. Forgive me for this, I'm not trying to be cruel, but you may have already passed the fetus with the blood clots.
It's pretty important for him to find out, though, in case you decide to get pregnant again.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I just went through a miscarriage late November and I passed the clots and tissues also. Mine was a uterine miscarriage and it sounds like the same as yours. if you passed a lot of tissue and clots, you probably wouldn't see anything in an ultrasound anyway for your body took care of everything itself. Mine did. much luck to you and stay strong.

i would suggest going to another dr– you would think they would be able to tell–