Ovaries are a part of the women’s reproductive organs, so they play a huge role in having a baby and monthly menstruation. Yet, most of the time women don’t actively think about their ovaries if it’s not that time of the month or if they’re not trying to start a family.

However, for most women, ovarian cysts are extremely common. In fact, there are more than 3 million cases in the US per year. The truth is, your ovaries may be outfitted with a cyst or two, and you may have no idea that these cysts are present.

Keep reading below to learn everything you need to know about ovarian cysts.

What are Ovarian Cysts?

Simply put, ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs that form in the ovaries. They tend to develop around the time a female starts menstruation, and they can change in size throughout the reproductive years of a female’s life.

There are multiple reasons why cysts develop. Hormonal problems, pregnancy, severe pelvic infections, and endometriosis are all common reasons for these to appear. They’re usually discovered through ultrasounds, hormone level tests, or blood tests.

Symptoms of Ovarian Cysts

The good news is that most ovarian cysts are small and don’t cause any symptoms. However, if a woman were to have symptoms, they would experience:

• Pressure
• Pelvic Pain
• A dull ache in the lower back and thighs
• Pain during sex
• Pain during periods
• Swelling
• Bloating
• Pain in the lower abdomen
• Breast tenderness
• Needing to urinate more often or not being able to have bladder or bowel movements correctly
• Unusual vaginal bleeding
• Unexplained weight gain

There are two cases where a woman with an ovarian cyst would experience extreme pain, such as when the cyst ruptures or when it causes the ovary to twist. If this occurs, sudden and severe pain, nausea, and vomiting might occur.

Different Types of Cysts

Because cysts on the ovaries can develop due to different reasons, cysts are varied in type. The most common type is called functional cysts, and these appear during the menstrual cycle. However, two other common types are follicle cysts, when follicles from an egg don’t break open and continue to grow, or corpus luteum cysts, when the follicle does break open but the sac that is formed during this process doesn’t shrink.

There are several less common ovarian cysts. Endometriomas cysts are caused by endometriomas, when the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus. Dermoids are created by the cells present from birth, and cystadenomas are cysts that are filled with watery fluid and can grow to be very large.

Two serious types are cysts are polycystic ovary syndrome and malignant cysts. The first is when many small cysts form in your ovaries and cause issues with getting pregnant. The latter are cancerous cysts and are very rare, usually occurring in older women.

Because there is the possibility the ovarian cyst could be cancerous, your doctor should check out any cyst you may have to make sure you’re in the clear.

Treatments for Cysts

There are a few treatments to choose from if your ovarian cysts are causing pain or concern. Supportive care and monitoring for changes or improvement are usually the first steps. However, medications are also an answer. It is rare, but some women can have problems with ovarian cysts to a point that the cyst has to be surgically removed.

In most cases, the cysts will go away on their own with time, but if you have any problems with a suspected cyst, it is best to talk to a doctor.

Even though ovarian cysts sound like a scary thing, these growths usually pose no threat. Reach out to us at Avant Gynecology for more information about this condition if you have any more questions or concerns.

Most people associate giving birth as one of the most painful things a person can experience. The good news is that modern medicine has come a long way and, now, typically, labor and delivery are straightforward and don’t involve serious complications. However, that doesn’t mean that giving birth is easy and risk-free. In fact, about 700 women die per year in the United States as a result of labor complications. Sadly, this risk is even higher for black women.

Even more alarming is the fact that the rate of maternal deaths has been on the rise in the United States, which has resulted in that fact that America’s maternal mortality statistics are the worst of all the industrialized countries.

That’s why if you are considering having a child it’s important to understand the risks associated with giving birth. While your risks depend on things like your age, race, medical conditions, and number of previous labors, keep reading below to see the biggest risks women face when having children.

Losing Too Much Blood

During a vaginal delivery of a single child, women lose about 500 ML of blood. However, cesarean births, which is when the baby is delivered through incisions in the abdomen and uterus, can double that amount. This kind of blood loss occurs after the placenta is expelled and when uterine contractions are too weak to be able to offer enough compression to the blood vessels where the placenta was at the uterus. That’s why this is one of the biggest risks women face when having children.

Unfortunately, if this happens, it can lead to postpartum hemorrhage, which can then cause low blood pressure, organ failure, shock, and death if not treated quickly. Here are the risks that can lead to losing too much blood during birth:

• Obesity
• Placenta abruption
• Uterine Overdistention
• Several prior births
• Infection
• Use of anesthesia or other medications
• Prolonged labor
• Pregnancy-induced hypertension
• Multiple gestation pregnancy
• Blood vessel tears
• Blood clotting disorders
• Uterine rupture
• And More

Rupture of the Uterus

For those who have previously had a cesarean delivery, there is a chance that the scar from that experience could reopen during birth. Uterine rupture is threatening to the baby because there is a risk of oxygen deprivation, but it also leaves the mother at risk of excessive bleeding and of developing an infection. Ruptures of the uterus can also increase the chance of having delivery issues if you have another child.

Uterine rupture can be a risk factor for women who had to be induced into labor, have a larger baby, are over the age of 35, or who have had a previous c-section. Signs of a uterine rupture are an abnormal heart rate in both the baby and mom, slow progress through labor, abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, and low blood pressure in the mom.

Placenta Previa and Placenta Accreta

Placenta previa occurs when the placenta actually positions itself over the opening of the cervix, and it happens to about 1 in 200 pregnancies. This condition will, unfortunately, mean that a c-section is necessary, and it can also increase the risks of placenta accreta, which is the name given to the medical condition when the placenta refuses to detach from the walls of the uterus.

Women over 35 are most at risk for either of these conditions, but it can also affect women who smoke and have fibroids. Both placenta previa and placenta accreta can involve risks for mother and baby, including higher levels of blood loss, early contractions, and large uterus size.

Position of the Baby

Unfortunately, sometimes babies aren’t in the best position for delivery for no rhyme or reason. While facing downward is the optimal position, sometimes babies can be facing upward, buttocks first, feet first, or lying sideways. When this happens, doctors may have to manually change the fetal position, surgically enlarge the opening, or perform a cesarean delivery. It can even lead to problems with the umbilical cord wrapping around the baby, coming out before the baby, and becoming compressed.

Prolonged or Rapid Labor 

Prolonged labor is defined as labor that lasts for more than 20 hours for first time mothers and more than 14 hours for more experienced moms. While it only happens to be about 8 percent of women, causes included slow dilations, a large baby, delivery of multiple babies, stress, a small birth canal, and fear.

As the complete opposite of prolonged labor, rapid labor lasts about three to five hours. To give you perspective, the typical labor lasts between six to 18 hours. There’s a number of things that can cause this to occur, such as a smaller baby, history of rapid labor, uterus contracting strongly, and a compliant birth canal.

While this may seem like a good thing, it can lead to some serious health conditions such as increased risk of tearing the cervix and vagina, giving the mom an out of control feeling, not providing enough time to get to a hospital, hemorrhage, and postpartum shock. The baby also has a higher risk of infection and aspiration from amniotic fluid.

The above conditions and health risks are just a small portion of the things that many women face while giving birth. The best way to stay on top of labor complications is by speaking with medical physicians you trust who can help you understand your health risks. If you want to talk more about risks women face when having children, reach out to Avant Gynecology for information.

You’ve likely been asked if you’d like to receive STD, STI, or HIV testing at a past wellness exam. If you didn’t know what these kinds of tests were before walking into the doctor’s office, chances are you said no. But here’s why you might want to rethink that answer next time.

“There’s a huge misconception that people don’t need STD, STI, or HIV testing if they haven’t been sexually active or if they’ve only been intimate with one partner,” Avant Gynecology’s Dr. Jessica Killeen stated. “That’s simply not true. Although all STDs and STIs are transmissible by sexual activity, some can be acquired by other methods. You can never be too careful with these things.”

To help educate the public more on the benefits of receiving these tests during your next wellness exam, we’re outlining why they’re so vital and providing more details below.

Should I Get STD Testing Done?

Otherwise known as sexually transmitted diseases, the most common strands of STDs are HPV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and herpes. It’s important to understand that STDs, in general, have no symptoms. Or, if a person does have symptoms, they’re incredibly similar to other diseases’ symptoms, such as UTIs, yeast infections, or even the flu. Testing is the only way to know for certain, which is why receiving this test is important if you’ve ever had vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Especially if you have had unprotected sex or know a partner of yours has an STD, it’s time to get tested.

The good news is that STD testing is usually quick, easy, and painless. Here are a few of the testing options:

• Urine Testing
• Cheek Swab
• Blood Test
• Physical Exam
• Testing Sores
• Genital Swab

If you’ve ever been sexually active, no matter how many partners you have, consider getting tested at your next wellness exam. Since it’s so quick and easy, it’s worth having the peace of mind that you are healthy.

Should I Get STI Testing Done?

STIs are sexually transmitted infections, but the difference between STI and STDs is blurry. The difference is that while most STDs don’t have symptoms, STIs do. This means, technically, many STIs are still STDs. Regardless of what you call them, a few common examples are chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, syphilis, and genital warts.

The good news is that with STIs is a bit more obvious if you should get tested or not, especially if you have any of the more painful symptoms. If you experience any of the following, it’s time to get tested:

• Painful sex
• Painful urination
• Unusual discharge
• Bleeding
• Eye pain or discharge
• Abdominal, pelvic, or genital pain
• Increased urge to urinate
• Sore Throat and fever
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Night Sweats
• Mouth sores
• Nausea and vomiting
• Headaches
• Itching or rashes
• Blisters and genital lesions
• Pubic itching or rashes
• Genital bumps and sores

The testing for STIs is also similar to the above list for STDs. In general, visual diagnosis is often the best method since symptoms are so present. Swabs, samples of discharges or sores, physical exams, blood tests, and urine samples are all specific tests used.

Should I Get HIV Testing?

HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is more severe than what we’ve discussed so far. Both an STD and STI, HIV is a virus that causes AIDs and effects the body’s ability to fight infections correctly. An estimated 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV. About 162,500 of those people have no idea.

The good news is that people with HIV can receive treatment and remain healthy for many years, but it’s vital to get that treatment as early as possible. This is where testing comes in. The CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care.

So, if your general practitioner asks if you’d like to receive HIV testing at your next wellness exam, the answer should be yes.

HIV tests are extremely accurate, though none of these tests can find the virus right after infection. If any of the below tests come back positive, it usually means more testing to follow. Here are several ways this might happen:

• NATS: Usually the least recommend HIV screening as it’s costly, this kind of testing looks for the actual virus in the blood. It stands for nucleic acid tests. People who have recently had high-risk exposure or have had early symptoms of the HIV infection are the only ones who need to have this kind of testing done.
• Antigen Tests: If you have HIV, an antigen called p24, foreign substances that cause your immune system to activate, are produced. These tests locate if any of these are in your system.
• Antibody Tests: Just like antigen tests look for antigens, antibody tests look for antibodies, which are proteins that a person with HIV makes to fight against HIV.

Another question many people have about these tests is “will they cost additional money?”. In general, most STD tests during annual physicals are fully covered by insurance. However, consider speaking with your doctor about any additional charges either you or your insurance will have before completing the tests to ensure you won’t be surprised.

If you have any more general questions about these tests, contact Avant Gynecology here.

Have you ever felt a reluctance to head out onto the track or even climb on a treadmill? Do you put off going to the gym, despite telling yourself over and over that this is the year? Are you frustrated every time you enter the exercise section of your local department store?

Most importantly: is the problem your breasts? If so, you’re not alone. Many women have difficulty finding the right bra size that offers comfort and fit, making exercise painful, distressing and even embarrassing.

In fact, evidence indicates that ill-fitting bras have been linked to a reluctance towards exercise, which isn’t ideal. Exercise is critical for heart function, longevity, warding off disease, improving sleep and mood, enhancing libido, and more.

Luckily, the answer is easier than you think. One study suggests that “The reported relationship between breast pain and fitness/activity levels may offer an alternative treatment in the form of exercise intervention strategies to reduce breast pain.” In plain English, getting a bra that fits and stopping the girls from bouncing around may be just the ticket to encourage you to lace up those running shoes a bit more often.

Additional studies indicate a similar lack of breast education in the younger populations as well, often driving teen girls out of sports. This makes it even more imperative that adult women set a good example by finding a bra that fits and promotes exercise today.

Want to know more and get the help you need finding the right bra size that works for you? Talk to the experts at Avant Gynecology, Atlanta’s GYN and Surgical Specialists. We serve patients at Piedmont Hospital in Buckhead and Northside Hospital, and are happy to help you find a bra solution that leads to greater comfort both on the field, track or treadmill…and in everyday life.