This preference that many have for women doctors is based on a gender differentiation among male and female doctors that continues in spite of the same training processes that are in step with male peers.

Studies have demonstrated that female doctors are more encouraging as well as reassuring.

Their process of decision making is more shared. Women doctors also ask more psychosocial questions than do their male counterparts and they also spend as much as 10% more time with their patients.

It could also be that many women are more comfortable consulting with a female doctor when consulting in matters of gynecological problems or for obstetrics. However, it is surprising that male doctors are generally found to perform more empathetically in obstetrics and gynecology than women.

In general however it is seen that it is individual personality traits that determine doctor preferences rather than choices made based on gender.

Your thoughts?

Is menstrual sex safe? For the most part, sex during the menstrual period is quite safe and healthy; however the risk of certain infections increases during this time. Also, menstrual blood will carry the bacteria or virus that the woman hosts.

Many women experience Herpes outbreaks during their periods which make them more infective. Also, there is some research to demonstrate that chances of developing endometriosis increases due to having sex during menstruation.

Can one get pregnant by having menstrual sex? The answer to this is usually in the negative, because this is a highly unlikely scenario. But, one cannot rule out getting pregnant even with menstrual sex because the sperm stays alive for a few days and if the woman ovulates within a few days after or before her period, there are chances of her falling pregnant. Having sex even five to six days before ovulation can possibly lead to a pregnancy even if chances are not very high.

Could menstrual sex help in any way? There is a belief that having sex during the period can help lessen menstrual pain and there is something in that theory.

When a woman has an orgasm, her uterus contracts and this also helps in expelling the contents of the uterus faster so that a woman’s period ends sooner after having hand menstrual sex.

What can be used to avoid making a mess in menstrual sex? Many couples use a diaphragm of a cervical cap during intercourse to help keep safe from a possible pregnancy.

This will also do the job of containing the blood for a time. It is important, however not to use these devices as regular sanitary protection during menstruation since they are not the same as menstrual cups.

Since there is an increased risk of certain infections, menstrual sex is fine so long as one uses protection of a condom or similar during menstrual sex.

For the most part it may be issues such as ‘being grossed out’ or personal beliefs and perceptions that may trouble one or perhaps the thought of creating a mess, so if a couple is OK with it, there is no reason why menstrual sex should not be indulged in while using protection.

Researchers have found several reasons why women live, on an average 5 years longer than their male counterparts:

• Women’s hearts are said to be the main reason for this. While men’s hearts lose 25% of their pumping power by the time they reach the age of 70 while women’s hearts remain as strong.
• The world’s major killers are said to be heart disease and stroke, which women develop in their 70’s and 80’s whereas men get these problems while still in their 50’s and 60’s.
• There is also a possible chromosomal reason for this disparity in longevity between men and women. In women, it is thought that cells can perhaps be protected by a slightly better variation of a gene on the second X chromosome. Men don’t have this luxury and don’t get this choice and perhaps suffer for it.
• Also men exhibit dangerous behavior in youth when they go through what is called a testosterone storm and this is another reason that they may die earlier.
• Also men, when they attempt suicide are more likely to succeed than women.

So while the enlarged ovaries themselves may not be the problem, their underlying cause is what always requires attention.

Enlarged ovaries would generally manifest themselves with symptoms such as pain in the lower abdomen or back, and an irregular menstruation cycle.

It is important to distinguish enlarged ovaries from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, because though PCOS can cause the ovaries to be enlarged, that is not always the case. Even with PCOS the ovaries can sometimes remain more or less the same size; or not significantly enlarged.

The reason that enlarged ovaries could be a concern is that there are several serious problems that could be causing the ovaries to enlarge and as such should not be ignored.

Ovaries could be enlarged due to tumors, cysts or other problematic reasons. They could also be responsible for reduced fertility and if enlarged ovaries are detected they should not be ignored.

Polycystic ovaries are those that develop more follicles than normal every month, most of which enlarge and ripen but do not release an egg.

However not all women with polycystic ovaries have the polycystic ovarian syndrome, which develops when the hormonal balance goes off kilter and in many cases the process of ovulation either does not occur or happens very irregularly.

Since ovulation is absent or very irregular (anovulation) in many women with PCOS, those women are usually unable to get pregnant when suffering from the condition.

However not all women with PCOS suffer from infertility. Such women can take ovulation stimulation treatment which can include diet and lifestyle modification and weight loss as well as medications including clomiphene and metformin treatments.

Sometimes surgery in the form of laparoscopy can also be performed where the polycystic ovaries are ‘drilled’, after which spontaneous ovulation can resume; which is not however a procedure that can guarantee this. There actually is no comprehensive ‘cure’ for PCOS however the other symptoms of syndrome can be addressed.

The Abortion pill is also known as Medical abortion; wherein drugs are used as a method of non surgical inducement of abortion. It is important to understand the conditions wherein use of the abortion pill, also known as an Abortifacient, should not be taken if:

• Your pregnancy is advanced beyond two months
• You are anemic
• You suffer from cardiovascular disease
• You have severe liver, respiratory or renal problems
• You have chronic adrenal failure
• You are HIV+
• You are a heavy smoker
• You have an ectopic pregnancy
• You have been a long time user of aspirin, steroids or antidepressants the abortion pill may not be safe to take

The after effect of taking the abortion pill may vary from person to person, but can include heavy to very heavy bleeding, nausea, headache, diarrhea, stomach cramps and vomiting. The abortion pill may be more painful than surgical abortion.

Future Fertility can be adversely affected if complications such as injury to the cervix or fallopian tube arise during abortion. Taking the abortion pill is not without its complications and if an alternative is available it should be used.

Then you would have a situation wherein you would typically be breastfeeding at the same time as contemplating terminating the accidental pregnancy. Two options are available: surgical abortion and medical abortion.

With surgical abortion one can continue to breastfeed, however with medical abortion, it is not possible to continue and one would have to discontinue at least for a few days, the process of breast feeding.  This is because of the presence of misoprostol in the breast milk after you take the abortion pill. If you are breastfeeding, the misoprostol may cause your infant to have diarrhea.

There are several reasons why a woman may prefers medical abortion (the aborting pill) to surgical abortion, for one it involves no surgery as such; it is less invasive and there is no administration of anesthesia. One does not have to admit themselves to a medical facility; rather this is a process one can complete in the privacy of one’s home.

While there are several reasons for preferring the abortion pill, there are medical conditions that preclude its use; so an informed decision has to be taken regarding its use.

However the abortion pill is not without its share of possibility of complications and in the event it does not work, the pregnancy would have to be terminated by a surgical or aspiration abortion.

If the abortion pill does not work and the pregnancy is not terminated then there are chances that this could have a very adverse effect on the surviving fetus.

The likelihood of the pregnancy culminating in a healthy child are very slim; the fetus is likely to be severely deformed if the abortion was partial or incomplete; that is to say that part of the pregnancy was still left in the uterus.

The woman could also be put at risk of certain complications that could arise from the abortion pill: there could be an allergic reaction to the pill; there are chances (however slim) of infection. There could be heavy bleeding following a pregnancy terminated by the pill. And there could still be the chance that there is an undetected ectopic pregnancy.

In very rare cases serious complications could result in a fatality but the risk of an abortion pill causing death are far less than fatality resulting from childbirth.

Now it has been found that administering two abortion pills, both orally, the second one within 24 to 48 hours of the first one can drastically cut down the rate of such bacterial infections from administering the pill vaginally.

Earlier the pill was administered vaginally when it was found to cause infection in some cases, so antibiotics were also prescribed along with the pill. This method of distributing the abortion pill has made it safer than before and now 1 in 4 abortions in the US are done using the abortion pill.

The abortion pill consists of giving mifepristone, also known as RU-486, to stop the pregnancy and a second drug, misoprostol, two days later to help the body expel the fetus.

Other side effects of the abortion pill may include very heavy bleeding, nausea, headache, diarrhea, stomach cramps and vomiting and in the event that there is an injury to the cervix or fallopian tube during abortion, future fertility can be adversely affected as well.

Dysmenorrhea, or extreme painful cramping sensation of the lower abdomen and/or back that comes and goes much like a contraction or a constant generalized pain, affects many women in their teens and their twenties to the degree that they are unable to perform daily routine tasks.

It is generally understood that the hormone prostaglandin is responsible for the uterus contracting during menses so that the higher the degree of the hormone produced, the higher the degree of contraction and consequently pain.

Primary dysmenorrhea can occur in otherwise healthy women, without there being any particular problem relating to the reproductive organs.

Secondary dysmenorrhea refers to excessive menstrual pain that may be caused by a disorder, infection or other illness or a structural abnormality in or outside the uterus.

Causes for very painful periods may range from Endometriosis to Fibroids, or Ovarian cysts or Pelvic inflammatory disease. The underlying cause could be Sexually transmitted diseases or even something as common place as stress and anxiety. A newly inserted Intrauterine Device (IUD) could also be responsible.