If you’re a woman, you’ve almost certainly felt unheard or invalidated when expressing a medical concern. Chances are, you’ve left a medical appointment with more questions than answers. You’ve felt rushed and dismissed and just so incredibly confused when attempting to seek clarity on what’s happening in your own body. And you’ve done that thing that every single one of us has done: You’ve taken those questions to the internet. As a health journalist, I’m really not a fan of medical misinformation. I find myself bristling when someone mentions “doing their own research” about health matters,...

Olivia Munn recently revealed she’s been receiving treatment for breast cancer. Munn, who is 43, shared more about her diagnosis and how it came to be in an Instagram post. “In February of 2023, in an effort to be proactive about my health, I took a genetic test that checks you for 90 different cancer genes,” Munn wrote. “I tested negative for all, including BRCA (the most well-known breast cancer gene). My sister Sara had just tested negative as well. We called each other and high-fived over the phone. That same winter I also had a...

Going to the doctor for an annual physical is one of the many responsibilities that fall under the “adulting” umbrella. If you’re a woman — or assigned female at birth — then those responsibilities also extend to the yearly gynecological exam. Since we usually think of these exams as only pertaining to women, not girls, it might come as a surprise that your first gynecological wellness visit should take place when you’re still a teenager (around 15 or 16 years old). At this stage, the visit may just consist of a discussion with your doctor about your menstrual cycle...

When Kim Newcomer began experiencing severe constipation, she initially thought it was related to travel. “Thinking about my week-long vacation with my husband, I figured that travel and unusual food were to blame,” says Newcomer. It would have been easy to dismiss her symptoms or chalk it up to the disruption to her routine — but Newcomer opted to speak with her physician. “I visited my primary care doctor, who ordered an X-ray to check for an intestinal blockage. Finding none, he prescribed laxatives, but the constipation continued,” she said. “As the months passed, I developed...

It’s safe to say that no one really looks forward to a Pap smear…maybe you even pay special attention to your period tracker beforehand to see if you might have a heavy flow day and a good excuse to postpone. However, the Pap smear, also known as a Pap test, which tests for abnormal cells on the cervix that could lead to cervical cancer, is an indicator of your cervical health and a super important preventative health measure to take.  If you have your annual OB/GYN visit locked in already, what can you do to prepare...

A Pap smear — a screening test performed every three years by an OB/GYN during an annual wellness exam — is the best way to check for abnormal cells in the cervix and monitor your risk of cervical cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, patients who receive regular Pap testing reduce their risk of cervical cancer by up to 80%.  So you might be thinking: okay, then why else might I get an “abnormal” result? Well, the fact of the matter is, according to the National Institute of Health, 3 to 5% of Pap smears...

I’m a cardiologist’s daughter, so I’ve spent a lot of my life hearing about heart disease. But even for someone like me — who grew up listening to dinnertime conversations peppered with cardiology terms — there’s a very specific picture that pops into mind when I think about heart health, especially in the context of heart attacks. Societally, we have this idea of who a heart patient is: A middle-aged man. We rarely think about heart health as a women’s health issue, but we need to change that. Because women also have cardiac issues and heart...

So, you’ve just gotten your first mammogram (congrats!) — but the report mentions that you have “dense breasts.” Um, what?It’s quite normal to feel a pang of fear when you see that detail mentioned in your mammogram results. (FWIW, that’s what happened to me when I got the news that I have dense breasts). Suddenly you’re wondering, “Is there something wrong with my boobs? Does this mean I’m at a higher risk for breast cancer?”No, there’s nothing wrong with your boobs. About 50% of women have dense breast tissue — so, pretty normal, right? But, just because this is a...

We brush our teeth for the dentist, mentally prepare for conversations with our therapists, and tidy up (down there) before we go to the OBGYN. No one wants unpleasant-smelling armpits for the person whose job it is to give us our mammograms, right? Whether or not you’ve experienced a mammogram, you’re probably wondering how best to prepare for it. But there’s one question many women forget to ask: Can you wear deodorant for a mammogram? If this seems like a minor detail, the answer may surprise you! Understanding how mammograms work, being aware of potential concerns,...

On a recent episode of her podcast, Let’s Be Clear With Shannen Doherty, the actress spoke about her experience undergoing IVF. Doherty, who has breast cancer, admitted that she once believed her IVF experience may have caused her cancer. “I believed that the reason why I got cancer was because I did IVF,” she said. “We needed IVF and I did a bunch of rounds of it.” Doherty added that other women she knew also were diagnosed with breast cancer after undergoing IVF. “Through a lot of other women that I knew that did IVF that...