My entire life has been a series of planned behaviors broken down into four year increments. Here’s how I see it: during four years of high school, I planned how to get into a good college. And the next four years of college focused on attaining access to medical school. Next, four year of medical… Read more
In the last ten years practicing obstetrics, I’ve heard countless women state they entered pregnancy with a higher body weight than they would have liked. I’ve counseled patients in the preconception time period regarding optimizing health prior to pregnancy and for many this includes recommendations for weight reduction to enhance the ability to conceive and… Read more
So I officially have that “waddle” thing going on. By the end of each day, it looks like a bonifide limp. I wish we called it the pregnancy “saunter” or maybe even “swagger”, something that sounds a little less like the movements of a large marine mammal. I now weigh more than my husband, a… Read more
Let’s talk about … Wait, what?!? It’s OK, I’m your gynecologist. You can talk to me about … (sex!). The vast majority of my patients have the “logistics” of it down, it’s the libido part (or lack thereof) that plagues most of us. Well … I’m going to tell you something that maybe no other… Read more
My husband is very thoughtful. He is the better cook and despite his propensity to create meals with chili powder and Sriracha, he has taken to making me deliciously bland foods as third trimester heartburn rages. He tracks each week of pregnancy with his fruit/vegetable comparison calendar and tries to incorporate that item into a… Read more
Yes, most of us know we should lose weight. Our doctors tell us. Women’s magazines tell us. Our mirrors tell us. We know losing weight will reduce our risk of medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. We will have more energy. We will fit more comfortably in our clothing. The problem is getting… Read more
I am admittedly a terrible patient. Often those who work in the medical field are chastised for taking poor care of themselves despite spending hours daily caring for others. Now I’m in a new position, with a new patient perspective — when office visits and acting as a “good patient” are no longer about me…. Read more
by Mary A. Burns, M.D., FACOG, FPMRS In medicine, there are quite a few conditions women encounter that they may find too embarrassing to bring up to their doctor. Low libido, bladder leakages, fear of STDs are just a few to name. However, for the 14 million women who encounter accidental bowel leakage, I think… Read more
Those that have, you know what I mean. For those that haven’t, please let me explain. You are comfortable and you have no sensation to urinate, but as soon as you arrive home and place the key in the front door or turn the doorknob you develop an overwhelming sudden urge to urinate. Often you will even start to… Read more
One of the most common challenges that our society and our patients face is maintaining a healthy weight. Obesity is both a national epidemic and a personal struggle for many patients and for me. In my patient population and personal life, certain choices are consistently associated with success in weight loss and weight maintenance. These… Read more