Women’s health refers to the branch of medicine that focuses on the treatment and diagnosis of diseases and conditions that affect a woman’s physical and emotional well-being.

Women’s health includes a wide range of specialties and focus areas, such as:

• Birth control, sexually transmitted infections, and gynecology
• Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and other female cancers
• Mammography
• Menopause and hormone replacement therapy
• Osteoporosis
• Pregnancy and childbirth
• Sexual health
• Women and heart disease
• Benign conditions affecting the function of the female reproductive organs

PREVENTATIVE CARE AND SCREENINGS

Preventative care for women includes the following services:

• Regular gynecological checkups, including a pelvic exam and breast exam
• Pap smear
• Bone density testing
• Breast cancer screening
• Discussions about colon cancer screening
• Age-appropriate immunizations
• Healthy lifestyle risk assessment
• Hormonal testing for menopause

See also: Breast self exam

BREAST CARE SERVICES

Breast care services include the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, which may involve:

• Breast biopsy
• Breast MRI scan
• Breast ultrasound
• Genetic testing and counseling for women with a family or personal history of breast cancer
• Hormonal therapy, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy
• Mammography
• Mastectomy and breast reconstruction

The breast care services team may also diagnose and treat noncancerous conditions of the breast, including:

• Benign breast lumps
• Lymphedema, a condition in which excess fluid collects in tissue and causes swelling

SEXUAL HEALTH SERVICES

Your sexual health is an important part of your overall well-being. Women’s sexual health services may include:

• Birth control (contraceptives)
• Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of sexually transmitted illnesses
• Therapies to help with problems with sexual function

GYNECOLOGY AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES

Gynecology and reproductive health services may include the diagnosis and treatment of various conditions and diseases, including:

• Abnormal Pap smears
• Bacterial vaginosis
• Endometriosis
• Heavy menstrual cycles
• Irregular menstrual cycles
• Ovarian cysts
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Pelvic pain
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
• Uterine fibroids
• Vaginal yeast infection
• Various conditions affecting the vulva and vagina

PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH SERVICES

Regular prenatal care is an important part of every pregnancy. Pregnancy and childbirth services includes:

• Planning and preparing for pregnancy, including information about proper diet and prenatal vitamins
• Prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum care
• High-risk pregnancy care (maternal-fetal medicine)
• Breastfeeding and nursing

INFERTILITY SERVICES

Infertility specialists are an important part of the women’s health services team. Infertility services may include:

• Testing to determine the cause of infertility (a cause may not always be found)
• Blood and imaging tests to monitor ovulation
• Fertility treatments, including:
  • Medications to stimulate ovulation
  • Intrauterine insemination
  • In vitro fertilization (IVF)
  • Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) – injection of a single sperm directly into an egg
  • Embryo cryopreservation - freezing embryos for use at a later date
  • Egg donation
  • Sperm banking
• Counseling for couples who are dealing with infertility or loss of a baby

BLADDER CARE SERVICES

The women’s health services team can also help diagnose and treat bladder-related conditions. Bladder-related conditions that may affect women can include:

• Bladder emptying disorders
• Urinary incontinence and overactive bladder
• Interstitial cystitis
• Prolapse

If you have a bladder condition, your women’s health specialist may recommend that you do Kegel exercises to strengthen the muscles in your pelvic floor.

OTHER WOMEN’S HEALTH SERVICES

• Cosmetic surgery and skin care, including skin cancer
• Diet and nutrition services
• Psychological and counseling for women dealing with abuse or sexual assault
• Sleep disorders services
• Smoking cessation

TREATMENTS AND PROCEDURES

Members of the women’s health services team perform a variety of different treatments and procedures. Among the most common are:

• Cesarean section (c-section)
• Hysterectomy
• Hysteroscopy
• Mastectomy and breast reconstruction
• Pelvic laparoscopy
• Procedures to treat precancerous changes of the cervix (LEEP, Cone biopsy)
• Procedures to treat urinary incontinence
• Tubal ligation and reversal of tubal sterilization
• Uterine embolization

WHO TAKES CARE OF YOU

The women's health services team includes doctors and health care providers from a variety of different specialties. The team may include:

• Obstetrician/gynecologist (ob/gyn): A doctor who has received extra training in the treatment of pregnancy, reproductive organ problems, and other women’s health issues
• Perinatologist: An ob/gyn who has received further training and specializes in the care of high-risk pregnancies
• Radiologist: Doctors who received extra training and interpretation of different imaging as well as performing different procedures using imaging technology to treat disorders such as uterine fibroids
• Primary care doctor
• Nurse practitioner (NP)
• Nurse midwives

This list may not be all-inclusive.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services web site. Womenshealth.gov. Available at: www.womenshealth.gov . Accessed March 23, 2010.