Common Gynecology Illnesses (page 2 of 2)
Abnormal Pap Smears, Menopause

Urinary Incontinence, Chronic Pelvic/Abdominal Pain, Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding

Abnormal Pap Smears: All sexually active women or all women above the age of 21 years old should have routine (i.e. yearly or every other yearly) pap smears. Pap smears are quick and painless in office tests that allow your physician to screen you for cervical cancer. During the pap smear you will be placed on an examining table. A speculum will be placed in your vagina (after a lubricant has been placed on the speculum to ensure your comfort as it is inserted). Once the speculum is in your vagina it will allow your doctor to visualize your cervix. A soft brush will then be used to gently wipe the surface of your cervix. Once the brush has been used to gently wipe the surface of your cervix the speculum is removed and the test is complete. The entire test takes no more than one minute, but it is very important. Pap smear is a test that can save your life.

Pap smears are so important because cervical cancer is one of the world’s most preventable cancers. Cervical cancer is one of the world’s most preventable cancers because it is a slow grower. Therefore women who have pap smears regularly rarely go long enough between pap smears for a cervical cancer to develop and grow without being detected at an early stage. When a woman has an abnormal pap smear however it will be classified as being either ASCUS, LGSIL, HGSIL, CIS or invasive cancer. ASCUS pap smears generally result from the pap smear having been done while the women had a vaginal or cervical infection. Many times your doctor will just repeat your pap smear in a few weeks. LGSIL pap smears are pap smears with “low grade squamous intraepithelial lesions”. These are pap smears that indicate that the patient has mild abnormalities in the cellular lining of the cervix. HGSIL pap smears are pap smears with “high grade squamous intraepithelial lesions”. These are pap smears that indicate that the patient has moderate to severe abnormalities in the cellular lining of the cervix. CIS pap smears are pap smears with “carcinoma in-situ”. These are pap smears that indicate that the patient has an early non-invasive cancerous lesion of the cervix. Pap smear results that come back with a diagnosis of “cancer” indicate that the patient has an invasive cancer. In addition to coming back with a diagnosis of “cancer” these pap smear results will also come back with a diagnosis of the type of cervical cancer a patient has.

Women with LGSIL pap smears can elect for treatment with a minor surgical procedure known as a cervical conization (removal of the abnormal tissue). Additionally they can elect for more conservative treatment options that include cryotherapy (freezing the abnormal tissue), laser ablation (burning the abnormal tissue) or watchful waiting with pap smears every 3 to 4 months. Some choose for watchful waiting because the majority of LGSIL lesions either regress or get no worse. Approximately 10% of lesions however will become worse.

Women with HGSIL lesions on their pap smears require surgical treatment with cervical conization. Women with CIS lesions on their pap smears require surgical treatment with either cervical conization or hysterectomy. Women with invasive cancers of the cervix require treatment with surgical hysterectomy and/or chemotherapy and radiation. All sexually active women or all women 21 years of age or older should see their Obstetrician/Gynecologist for routine pap smear screening. Additionally all women with an abnormal pap smear should make an appointment to see an Obstetrician/Gynecologist so that they can receive the appropriate evaluation and specialized expert treatment an Obstetrician/Gynecologist provides.

Menopause: The average women in the United States enters menopause at the age of 50. The normal age range however of women entering menopause in the United States is between 43 to 57. Menopause, when it occurs, can be a very emotional time in a women’s life. It truly signals the end of one stage in a women’s life (i.e. the childbearing stage) and the beginning of another. Most women approach menopause with a combination of joy, confusion and sadness. Joy oftentimes results from the fact that they will no longer be “bothered” by a menstrual period every month. Additionally they no longer have to be concerned with the possibility of becoming pregnant. These two psychological benefits can be quite liberating for women entering menopause. On the other hand however, many women entering menopause also feel a certain degree of sadness. It is important however that they understand that this is quite a normal feeling and is to be expected. After all a women entering menopause is closing the chapter on one stage in her life, and change can always make one feel sad. Additionally the stage a women entering menopause is closing out is one that many people associate with the very essence of being a “women”, the childbearing stage. Some women entering menopause therefore feel that they are no longer “women”, but this could not be further from the truth. Menopause in fact is part of what it means to be a woman, part of the very essence of a woman, just as much as is childbearing, and menopause thus signals a powerful new chapter in a women’s life. We at Women’s Healthcare Partners of Illinois are here to help usher the women of Illinois into this new stage of their lives with dignity, excitement and the expert guidance that only an Obstetrician/Gynecologist can provide.

Menopause can be a very confusing time in a woman’s life. During menopause a woman will experience a vast array of symptoms and emotions. These symptoms and emotions can include hot flashes, vaginal dryness, decreased sexual drive, depression and new onset or worsening urinary incontinence. Additionally women who have experienced menopause are at an increased risk for osteoporosis (brittle bones of old age), vascular disease, heart attack and stroke. The reasons for the increased risk of heart attacks and strokes are not entirely clear. As a result however of the increased incidence of things like heart attack, stroke and osteoporosis in women after menopause, there has been a great deal of confusion among the public about the use or Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to prevent these adverse side effects. Currently however HRT is only recommended for the short term treatment of symptomatic hot flashes, vaginal dryness and osteoporosis. The American Heart Association and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology currently advice against the use of HRT for the prevention of heart attack, stroke and vascular disease.