Gynecology
Abnormal Pap Smears & Colposcopy
A pap smear is a screening test for your cervix. It is meant to detect any abnormal changes in the cells on the surface of your cervix, including cancer. Most often, especially if you are getting pap smears regularly, if there is an abnormal result it is NOT cancer. The test is meant to pick …
Contraception
There are many different types of contraception available to women, with different benefits, side effects, effectiveness, and risks. Choosing the right one for you is important. You should have a discussion with your doctor about which method is right for you, and how to use that method correctly. Most healthy women can safely use any …
Emergency Contraception
Emergency contraception is used after unprotected intercourse has occurred in order to try to prevent a pregnancy from resulting. This can be used after a episode of non-consensual intercourse, or after a condom breaks, or if for whatever other reason other contraception was not used. Emergency contraception works by disrupting the timing of ovulation so …
Fibroids
Fibroids (also called leiomyoma) are a common gynecologic condition. They are a benign tumour of the smooth muscle of the uterus, essentially a little (or sometimes big!) ball of muscle. Although many women have fibroids, most women are not bothered by them. It is very common to see small fibroids (1-5cm) on ultrasounds of women …
Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
This is probably the most common problem that a general gynecologist sees. It is especially common when women first start getting their periods, and is more common again in women who are entering the last ten or so years prior to menopause. Whether periods are heavy or not is very subjective, and often women who …
Menopause
Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when she stops menstruating (or if she does not have a uterus, the time when her ovaries stop producing the necessary hormones for menstruation). The average age that this happens is 51. Some women will start earlier, and some later. Often during the years leading up to …
Ovarian Cysts
Ovarian cysts are very common and can cause women a great deal of stress. Sometimes they are found after an ultrasound is done because of pain or other symptoms, but sometimes they are found by accident when women are having an ultrasound done for a completely different reason and they are not having any symptoms …
Post Menopausal Bleeding
Post menopausal bleeding is vaginal bleeding that occurs after menopause. We consider you to be in menopause when you have gone a full year without having a period. If you have post menopausal bleeding you should see your doctor right away. Sometimes post menopausal bleeding is related to atrophy or breakdown of the lining of …