I’ve never gotten the flu, so I’d rather just take my chances.
True, individuals are not equally susceptible to getting sick from the flu. Science has informed us that genetics plays a role in how a person’s immune system responds to viral illnesses. The immune cells your body has on hand when you are exposed also influence your susceptibility. And some people who become infected have only mild flu symptoms or even no symptoms at all. It is still possible to pass the virus to your coworkers or loved ones.

You may have avoided the flu so…

updated 11/20/2023
The pancreas is a small organ behind the stomach. It produces hormones like insulin and enzymes that help digest food. Like other very serious cancers, pancreatic cancer usually doesn’t cause noticeable symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage. There is no reliable test to find pancreatic cancer at an early stage. With so little available to fight this disease, you might wonder why, as a women’s physician, I am talking about pancreatic cancer.

I realize that I am the only physician many of my patients see regularly. When you come in for your well…

For the first time in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given its approval to an oral contraceptive product that will be available without a prescription. We expect that Opill will begin to appear in pharmacies, grocery stores, and online in early 2024.

From the FDA press release (July 13, 2023):

“Today’s approval marks the first time a nonprescription daily oral contraceptive will be an available option for millions of people in the United States,” said Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “When used as directed…

As the average age of first-time mothers continues to creep upward, more women have questions about future fertility and fertility-extending technology. According to the CDC, this average age has reached 27.3 years (2021). And women sometimes delay their pregnancy plans far beyond this age for professional and personal reasons.
“Should I freeze my eggs?”
We hear this question in the office more frequently as more women become aware that the technology exists. In fact, the number of women seeking oocyte cryopreservation (freezing eggs) has increased dramatically over the last decade. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine no…

FOR COLORECTAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH: THIS POST HAS BEEN REVISED TO INCLUDE NEW INFORMATION ABOUT COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING AND GENETIC TESTING.
We understand that, through a large part of her life, her gynecologist may be the only physician a woman sees every year. While our focus is your reproductive health, we want you to be well-informed about other health issues you may face now or in the future. Colorectal cancer is one of these risks.
Despite the fact that these cancers are highly preventable and very treatable in earlier stages, they are the third leading cause of cancer deaths…

Every January the news and social media recap events from the year gone by and try to forecast the headlines of the year ahead. New Year’s Resolutions are always a popular topic even though most of us seem to recycle the ones we made last year. Statistica (a leading supplier of marketing and consumer data) tells us that this year’s top three resolutions were to exercise more, eat healthier, and lose weight—no surprise there. We recognize that excess weight and its associated health risks are a serious national problem. But 2023 may bring us new possibilities for…

Today former news anchor Katie Couric revealed that she has been undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Her announcement on social media read:

“Every two minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. On June 21st, I became one of them.” You can read her full post here. Seeing this headline and realizing that Breast Cancer Awareness Month is just a few days off, Dr. Favor wanted to pass along some important facts about breast cancer risk and breast care.

Dr. Favor emphasizes that the latest strategies against breast cancer include identifying women at higher risk and…

In my last blog post, I talked about Chris Evert’s ovarian cancer diagnosis and the importance of knowing your family medical history. While reviewing my medical journals this month, I found another reason to write about ovarian cancer:  the importance of recognizing symptoms.
About OVarian Cancer
About 13,000 women in the U.S. die of ovarian cancer each year—making it the deadliest of all cancers of a woman’s reproductive system. Survival rates are poor because the cancer is usually not discovered until an advanced stage (III or IV). Only about 10 to 30% of women diagnosed…

So purple—the awareness color this month—comes right behind October’s pink ribbons for breast cancer. It’s good timing. Did you know that sometimes breast and pancreatic cancer are related? About 5% of people who develop pancreatic cancer also have a hereditary risk for breast cancer (BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene abnormalities…

Did you know that HEART DISEASE IS THE #1 KILLER OF AMERICAN WOMEN?
Yes, it’s true. According to the Centers for Disease Control, heart disease takes more women than all cancers combined. Yet surveys show that only about half of you are aware of that fact. February is American Heart Month.
THE GENDER GAP IN HEART ATTACK DEATHS
The risk of death after a heart attack is higher in women than men.
Medical research has not been clear about why this occurs. Women are likely to be older than men when they suffer a first heart attack because estrogen…