Here’s a patient: female, heterosexual, sexually active, no single partner. Uses condoms to prevent pregnancy and STIs (link to post). Regularly tested for STIs. Then she starts seeing one partner more and more often. That turns into monogamy. That turns into “I don’t have any STIs, do you?”. That turns into no condom use. There […]

A friend of mine slipped down a stair case when she was 20 weeks pregnant – she called me worried, but also said she was mad at me for not warning her of increased clumsiness (yes, Violet, I’m talking to you!). She and the baby were fine, but I promised her I would warn others. […]

Gestational diabetes stats 6% : the percentage of pregnant women that will be diagnosed with gestational diabetes (commonly called GDM, and AKA diabetes of pregnancy). Pregnancy itself puts women in an insulin resistant state, which subsequently increases the risk of developing diabetes (temporarily). 10%: percentage of women in the US are considered “low risk” for […]

FIRST WE EXPLAIN AND COMPLAIN, NOW WE WORK TO MAKE IT BETTER! Part 1: It’s the Little Things.  Morning sickness is a misnomer – women can feel sick at any time of the day, and most women feel sick throughout the day. But there are several small changes to make to your every day life […]

NAUSEA AND VOMITING OF PREGNANCY AND MY 4PM QUEASIES My first pregnancy I had the “4pm queasies” – every day at 4pm, no matter what i had eaten, not eaten, exercised or not, I was on the couch like a cat, lying there curled up to try to feel better. Water, sips of ginger ale, […]

Fatigue, weakness, headaches, irritability.  Sound familiar?   These are the most common signs of anemia. If you’re feeling these I’m not guaranteeing you are anemic. You may just be grumpy. Or stressed. Or not sleeping enough. Or depressed. But you can (and should) be checked for anemia through a simple blood test called a CBC […]

My favorite view of HOLLYWOOD sign is from the Griffith Park Observatory, but the only way to reach the sign is to hike (illegally, I may add) through some difficult terrain.  To stay true to your match.com (Bumble? Hinge? OK Cupid?) profile where you met your spouse and swore you loved hiking, you may be […]

Night sweats and hot flashes. We’re talking drenched PJs, sheets, the whole works. I’m not talking about menopause, although we have that to look forward to as well. I’m talking postpartum. About 30% of women will experience this joy (*sarcasm*). The symptoms will peak, on average, at 2 weeks postpartum and decline after, with about […]

Phthalates – you may have heard this word floating around in environmental or health circuits. Nicholas Kristoff referenced them in a recent New York Times articles (here you go). When you’ve run across it, you may have ignored it, or maybe hesitated to learn more because it just looks confusing and scientific, or maybe you […]

I’ve seen a barrage of patients lately using CBD, or cannabidiol, for anxiety symptoms or as a sleep aid. Let me add here that these are NOT pregnant patients, and skip to the bottom if you want to see why you shouldn’t be using CBD while pregnant or breastfeeding. Simultaneously I started seeing CBD in […]