Listed below are some problems that can occur during your pregnancy along with several simple "self-helps" and/or "approved" medications to try. These medications are approved by Dr. DePaolo; however, please remember that no medication is completely risk free during pregnancy, and it is best if you can avoid all unnecessary medications before 12 weeks gestation. If you need to take something take the adult dosage as indicated on the package unless under100 lbs. If the problem persists for more than 48 hours, or if you have questions, please call the office at 235-1503.

During pregnancy, you will have a blood test to find out your blood type.  If your blood lacks the Rh antigen, it is called Rh negative.  If it has the antigen, it is called Rh positive.  More than 85% of people in the world are Rh positive. Problems can arise when the fetus' blood has the Rh factor and the mother's blood does not.                                     

  This pamphlet explains:  

• What the Rh factor is
• How problems may occur
• What treatment is needed                                                                           
  

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a type of bacteria that can be found in 10-30% of pregnant women.  A woman with GBS can pass it to her baby during delivery.  Most babies who get GBS from their mothers do not have any problems.  A few, however, will become sick.  This can cause major health problems or even threaten their lives.  Thus pamphlet explains:

• How GBS may affect a newborn
• How to test for GBS
• How it can be treated

This pamphlet will tell you more about:

• Reasons for colposcopy
• What to expect before, during, and after the procedure
• What might happen if problems are found

This pamphlet explains:

• How LEEP is performed
• What to expect during and after the procedure
• How to stay well

You can take Charge. This Guide Shows you How.

Here's some good news.  By reading this guide, you've already taken the first step toward managing genital herpes (GH).  The more you know about your condition, the better you'll become at dealing with your GH and getting on with your life.

Learning that you have GH can be devastating.  Coping with unpredictable outbreaks and the fear of possibly spreading the disease to a partner can be even worse.  You may feel like you don't have any control.  You can arm yourself with information.

In this guide, you can learn about ways to keep yourself outbreak-free longer, and how to protect your partner.  You can learn about keeping healthy relationships, practicing safer sex, and what to do if you plan to get pregnant.  And there's information on how to talk to your healthcare provider about what's right for you.  In short, you can take charge.

Imagine the freedom.... to go where you want to go, participate in all of your favorite activities, and enjoy life to the fullest- all without rearranging your schedule around your period.  Imagine enjoying life again - each day of every month - with the peace of mind that comes from knowing you are finally free of heavy periods

If you suffer from heavy periods, you are not alone.  More than 1 woman in 5 share this common condition.  The good news is that effective treatment for heavy periods are available, and you have choices.  This information will help you gain a better understanding of what causes heavy periods, and what you can do about them.

Anyone who is sexually active should be aware of sexually transmitted diseases (STD), also called venereal diseases or VD.  All are highly contagious and all can cause serious, even life-threatening, problems.  None of them is harmless.

Most occur in young people from adolescence to age 25.  Except for the common cold and flu, they are the most common infectious diseases in the United States. 

Sexually transmitted diseases are passed from one person to another through sexual intercourse or intimate contact involving the sex organs, the mouth, or the rectum.  There are over 20 recognized types of STD.  Some can be cured, some cannot.  The most significant are gonorrhea and chlamydia-including the complication of pelvic inflammatory disease.  Papillomavirus, a virus that causes genital warts, is one of the most common STD in the United States.  Syphilis, which has plagued humanity for centuries, is still a health problem.  Another sexually transmitted disease, genital herpes, is a more recent cause for concern.

Because symptoms are often masked or misleading, STD are usually hard to diagnose in women.  STD can cause very serious health problems for women.  Gonorrhea and chlamydia, for example, can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pain, infertility, ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy occurring outside of the uterus), and even death.  Sexually transmitted diseases can be very harmful to pregnant women.  If not caught early, or if left untreated, STD can lead to miscarriages and premature births.  Some types of STD can infect an unborn or newborn baby, sometimes resulting in the baby's permanent disability or death.

What Every Woman Should Know

Vaginal infections, known medically as vaginitis, are the most frequent reason American women see their doctors - accounting for more than 10 million office visits each year.  Yet a recent Gallup survey found that very few have a thorough understanding of these common afflictions.  While 95 percent of women surveyed had heard about yeast infections, for example, only 36 percent had ever heard of a common vaginal infection called bacterial vaginosis (BV), which can lead to serious medical complications.  This condition is caused by bacteria rather than yeast.

Vaginitis can be caused by a variety of organisms or other factors, and each must be treated differently.  A non-prescription remedy that works against yeast, for example, will not be effective against other cause of infection and using it may make an accurate diagnosis more difficult.

Moreover, while the symptoms described in this booklet are typical, the outward signs of vaginal infections may vary or even be absent.  It is therefore essential to see your physician or other medical professional so the cause of your vaginal infection can be determined and the correct treatment can be prescribed.  Sometimes the symptoms may be due to non-infectious causes.  In these instances, seeking health care can result in cost savings because you may learn you don't need over-the-counter treatments you may have been using.

While routine Pap smears and speculum examination alone are unreliable for diagnosing vaginal infections, simple office testing procedures using pH paper and a microscope can be performed in less than three minutes to identify the correct form of vaginitis to treat.  This is especially important because women in the past have often found vaginal infections difficult to get rid of.  In addition, there is now growing evidence that links certain vaginal infections with increased health risks.

Greater awareness of the signs and symptoms of these widespread disorders will help you and your health care provider take the right steps toward ensuring your good health.

To treat certain problems of the uterus, your doctor may suggest a procedure called laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH).  LAVH combines laparoscopy and hysterectomy.  Laparoscopy is used to look into the abdomen at the reproductive organs.  Hysterectomy is surgery to remove the uterus.  Your doctor may suggest using laparoscopy to see inside the abdomen and help with the surgery.

This information will explain:

• Why your doctor may suggest LAVH
• How LAVH is done
• What to expect before, during, and after LAVH

Hysterectomy--the removal of the uterus--is a way of treating problems that affect the uterus.  Because it is major surgery, your doctor may suggest trying other treatments before hysterectomy.  For severe conditions--and those that have not responded to other treatment--a hyterectomy may be the best choice.  The choice depends to some extent on the effect of the condition, and the surgery, on your life.  You should be fully informed of all options before you decide.

This explains:

• Types of hysterectomy
• Why it might be needed
• Effects and risks of treament

To diagnose certain problems, a doctor needs to look directly into the abdomen and at the reproductive organs.  This can be done with laparoscopy.

The word laparoscpy comes from the Greek words that mean " look into the abdomen."  A laparoscope is a small telescope that is inserted into the abdomen through a small incision (cut).  It brings light into the abdomen so the doctor can see inside.  Laparoscopy is usually done on an outpatient basis--you don't have to stay in the hospital overnight.

This information explains why you might need laparoscopy.  It also tells you what to expect during and after the procedure.

Uses of Laparoscopy

There are sveral reasons why laparoscopy may be recommended.  If your doctor suspects that you have a certain problem, he or she may use laparoscopy to confirm the diagnosis.  Laparoscopy may be used if you have problems with infertility or if you want to be sterilized.  It is also used to check for ectopic pregnancy, causes of pelvic pain, and masses.

Besides using the laparoscope to look into the abdomen to diagnose a problem, your doctor can use it for treatment as well.  For some procedures, laparoscopy has replaced the need for laparatomy.  Laparotomy involves opening the abdomen to operate on reproductive organs.

One of the best and proven steps that you can take to prevent a cancer is to have a Pap test.

• The Pap test looks for changes in the cervix that might lead to cancer.
• If cancer does occur, the Pap test can find it early when it is easier to treat.
• Your doctor or nurse can tell you how often you should have a Pap test.

Changes in the cervix are often caused by a virus called human papilloma virus (HPV).  HPV infections can lead to cervix cancer.

This has answers to many questions women may have about:

• Preventing cervix cancer or finding it early
• Pap tests
• Human papilloma virus (HPV)
• HPV tests

The most important message for women is to have regular Pap tests to prevent cancer of the cervix from ever occuring.

There are different types of HPV.  This provides information about the type of HPV that causes changes in the cervix, not about the type that causes genital warts.

What is HPV?

HPV (human papillomavirus) is a virus with over 100 different types.  Many of these types affect the genital area and can be passed by close physical contact during sex.  This means HPV is an STD (sexually transmitted disease)

Other types of HPV cause warts on the hands, feet and face.  These types are rarely passed during sex.

An NP is your partner in health providing high-quality primary, acute and specialty healthcare services similar to those of a physician.  NPs have graduate, advanced eduction (most have master's degrees and many have doctorates) and advanced clinical training beyond their initial registered nurse preparation.  They bring a unique perspective to health services in that they place emphasis on both care and cure.  Along with clinical services, NPs focus on health promotion, disease prevention, and health education and counseling, guiding patients to make smarter health and lifestyle choices.

NPs practice under the rules and regulations of the state in which they are licensed

Most NPs are nationally certified in their specialty area

NPs are recognized as expert healthcare providers

NPs provide healthcare services in all states and in many other countries around the world

NPs can prescribe in all 50 states and the District of Columbia