Each October, we repost Dr. Stradtman’s  (2020) blog for women who may be going through the diagnostic process for breast cancer. We appreciate Dr. Stradtman’s willingness to share her personal experience.
 

The year 2020 affected all of us in ways we could not have imagined. But in February as we were beginning to realize how Covid-19 might alter our lives, I confronted another difficult life event. My annual screening mammogram revealed an abnormality that would require surgery and was likely to be malignant. I feel very fortunate that, in this case, the routine care I recommend…

I would like to share with my patients that I will be taking a short leave of absence from my practice beginning later this week. I have received an abnormal result on a recent mammogram, and surgery will be necessary. I feel very fortunate that, in this case, the good routine medical care I recommend to women each day has allowed me to receive early treatment, and I look forward to returning to my full schedule in a few weeks.

I regret this inconvenience to my patients, but I confidently place your care needs in the hands of my partners…

“Approximately 43% of American women report experiencing sexual problems, with 12% considering this problem to be so bothersome that it leads to personal distress.[1]” My hope is that providing some basic information here will encourage women to speak to their physicians if they are having this experience.

Doctors use the term female sexual dysfunction to refer to a group of problems including lack of interest in sex, pain with sex, and lack of satisfying sexual experience. A woman’s sexual response depends on many physical and psychological factors, so it is often difficult to identify and treat a single…

As some of my patients know, I began my professional life as a registered pharmacist. Caring for women in my ob-gyn practice, I still answer many questions about substances available without a prescription that some people believe are medicines. Have you heard about these dietary supplements?

Acidophilus
Echinacea
Ginger
Glucosamine and/or Chonodroitin Sulphate
Omega-3 Fatty Acids  (from fish oil)
St. John’s Wort
Saw Palmetto

They are a few of the many that Americans buy and consume trying to stay healthy. In fact, the National Center for Health Statistics tells us that more than half of us…