As measles outbreaks continue to occur in several states—the most in 25 years—patients have begun to ask me whether they are protected or whether they should receive another vaccination.

Public health officials are appropriately concerned. Up to 95% of persons who are exposed to the virus will become sick with measles if they have no immunity. Experts consider measles one of the most contagious of all infectious diseases. Health officials have traced several recent cases to Disney theme parks in Florida and California where international visitors from countries with low vaccination rates mix in crowded facilities. And this…

FOR CURRENT CDC RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT ZIKA VIRUS AND FOREIGN TRAVEL–INCLUDING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN–CLICK HERE.

First things first–why did I add the subtitle? Every woman can benefit from most of these recommendations even if her pregnancy plans are uncertain or a long way off. Preconception health care focuses on improving wellness, now and for life.  Keep in mind as well that about half of pregnancies in the United States are not planned.

Your annual well-woman visit is a good time to begin this discussion with your doctor. Think carefully about your life goals and plans. If…

The Apgar score was developed in 1952 by New York anesthesiologist Dr. Virginia Apgar. Dr. Apgar was the first woman full professor at Columbia University. She wanted to establish a standardized method for “grading” how well a newborn transitions to life outside the uterus. She chose five signs of newborn well-being that could be easily judged without interfering with its immediate care. Her tool was simple for the hospital staff to learn and did not leave too much room for individual interpretation…

Each October hundreds of unlikely pink makeovers—NFL football shoes, the White House lit up at night, Kate Hudson’s hair, to name a few—remind those of us over 40 to schedule our annual mammograms. Although it’s nearly impossible not to get the message, nearly a third of all women over 40 have not had a mammogram within the past two years. Even among women whose health insurance takes cost out of the decision, around 29% are skipping their annual mammogram. Often the reason is simply the difficulty of fitting the test into their busy lives, but some…

You may have heard in recent news celebrity Sharon Osbourne’s discussion of her breast cancer risk and her decision to undergo surgery. How did she and her doctor come to this decision?  Ms. Osbourne, judge on America’s Got Talent and wife of Ozzy Osbourne, announced that she carries a gene that is known to significantly increase her breast and ovarian cancer risk.

Although most breast and ovarian cancers are sporadic—meaning they do not appear to be hereditary—women who carry genes known as BRCA1 and BRCA2 have a much greater risk of developing these cancers…