Category: Women

Ovarian cancer is the deadliest of gynecologic cancers. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2024 about 19,680 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed, and 12,740 women will die of ovarian cancer in the United States. Although the exact cause of ovarian cancer is not known for every woman, one of  [Read more...]

Recently, as I started to do my end-of-year clerical clean-up at the office, I started to go through many of many old client charts, paying particular attention to the last part of the questionnaire we have everyone fill out prior to a consultation: “Please give three reasons, in order of importance, why you  [Read more...]

Infertility is a subject near and dear to my heart. I had that problem 25 years ago, when I started trying to have a baby at the old age of 37. That “problem” was solved at 42! My fertility issues were an age thing, not a weight thing. However, I do understand first-hand the  [Read more...]

Among many women with breast cancer, a standard post-op care is to use drugs that block or inhibit estrogen activity, such as tamoxifen. This is done for the obvious reason: to minimize estrogen and/or to ensure estrogen stays in an ideal range in the body because of its relationship to cancer. Doesn’t  [Read more...]

Does a woman’s weight play a role in preventing miscarriage? It is well known that there is an association between obesity and infertility. Obese women have poor reproductive outcomes, both in natural as well as assisted conception such as ovulation induction, in vitro fertilization (IVF) intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and ovum  [Read more...]

Among many women with breast cancer, the standard of care is to use drugs that block or inhibit estrogen activity (“estrogen inhibitors” or “aromatase inhibitors”), such as tamoxifen. This is done for the obvious reason: to minimize estrogen in the woman’s body because of its relationship to cancer. However, you don’t have  [Read more...]

For many women, their post-pregnancy bodies are difficult to handle emotionally. Most were already overweight or obese before they conceived, so the eating habits that got them that way were hard to break (and most don’t even try) during pregnancy and they gained so much more. Others were at a healthy weight  [Read more...]

Daily, we see obese females posting their photos on Instagram and other socials saying things like “This is what a real body looks like,” and “No man wants skin and bones.” Hmm . . . should we call that “skinny shaming” I wonder? 🤔 These messages convey to overweight young girls  [Read more...]

For women who suffer with PCOS, after fats, public enemy #2 is the poor carbohydrates (“bad” or “refined” carbs). The good kind of carbohydrate-rich foods are a good source of fiber and essential vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, way too often PCOS sufferers try to restrict themselves from carbohydrates, placing false blame on ALL carbs  [Read more...]

My husband is as slim as the day I married him. He bothers me about my weight. I avoid intimacy with my husband because I know how he feels about my gaining so much weight during our marriage. I don’t sleep well through the night; I’ve started to snore. It gets so bad sometimes  [Read more...]

“You have breast cancer.”    Those four words can make a woman buckle at the knees. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a good time to address the issue because of the relationship between obesity and breast cancer —and make no mistake: There IS a relationship. The sex hormones estrogen and progesterone are known to  [Read more...]

I see a lot of very overweight and obese young women, and I talk to them about all the pitfalls of being obese, not the least of which how it can affect their fertility as well as how their weight will affect their children starting right in the womb and then all the years  [Read more...]

One of the questions I get asked by many female clients is “Why does my friend eat anything she wants and never gains weight?”     And my answer is always the same: “Don’t worry, be happy; it’ll catch up with her!” . . . and believe me, folks, it always does.   If you  [Read more...]

I see a lot of young girls and teens who have PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) — and most don’t even know they have it when they first meet me. Not only are these girls overweight and unhappy, but almost always by the time they get to me they’ve really been through the ringer. What  [Read more...]

Marriage vows are a commitment a couple makes to each other during a wedding ceremony. And while of course couples often do write their own vows, we are all at least familiar with the following: I, ____, take you, ____, to be my lawfully wedded(husband/wife), to have and to hold from this day forward,  [Read more...]

In the simplest terms, PCOS is a health condition linked with both hormone imbalance and insulin resistance. It is the most common hormonal and reproductive problem affecting women of child-bearing age.   Defining the Condition.  The hormones involved in controlling periods, and ultimately reproduction, are produced in the pituitary gland located in  [Read more...]