His and Her Health

Vaginal pain is a fact of life for far too many women. Vulvodynia occurs more frequently than most people realize. Approximately 16 percent of women between the ages of 18-64 have experienced chronic vulvar pain for at least three months or more, according to a survey by Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Vulvar pain is not a psychosomatic disorder. Vulvodynia is a pain disorder, and its cause is not yet well understood; Sufferers can experience intermittent or constant hurt for months, or even for years.

Incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine and is a common problem in women. It is unfortunately one of the "secret problems" that women do not talk about because it is embarrassing and many think that the problem cannot be solved. Fortunately, the vast majority of women with incontinence can be successfully treated and many, cured.

Every Spinal Cord Injury is unique depending on level and completeness of injury. Accompanying other functional changes resulting from SCI may be changes in sexual functioning. Some type of change in sexual function (ability to attain or maintain an erection, to lubricate, to ejaculation, to orgasm, to feel sensations in the genitals) is experienced by roughly 80-90 percent of people with SCI.

Read an excerpt from the book.
Written by Our Bodies' Ourselves (http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/default.asp), a nonprofit women's health and advocacy organization.

The folks who have provided readers with indispensable information on women's health and sexuality now bring the same knowledge and perspective to our new book on menopause:

"Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause is distinctive among current books on menopause in its rejection of the medicalization of women's natural life transitions; its evenhanded consideration of all treatment options, whether "conventional" or "alternative"; and its focus on understanding individual women's health in social and political context. While emphasizing that menopause is a natural process, not a disease to be treated, and that most women have a relatively easy time with the transition, this book does not deny the real challenges that some women face. Rather, it sifts through the evidence, offers illustrative personal narratives, and provides the best information available to help women make educated health care decisions. "

Prospective analysis of 263 women treated with the prolene sling: Surgical outcome and satisfaction determined by patient driven questionnaire

Research programs are underway at the California Institute for Continence at Tower Urology to find more effective treatments to correct urinary incontinence (loss of bladder control) especially in women. These research programs have been formally approved by an institutional review board and follow strict guidelines as to how the research is performed.

While a significant body of evidence exists on peripheral effects of estrogen on female urogenital tissue, there is limited data on the effects of testosterone on vaginal structure and function. The goal of this study was to evaluate presence of androgen receptors in human vaginal tissue and characterize differences in receptor density based on age, menopausal status, and vaginal location.

ORLANDO - May 25, 2002 - Women with female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD) showed increased subjective and objective sexual responses after using topical alprostadil solution - which dilates local blood vessels where applied - according to a new study conducted by Marc Gittelman, M.D., medical director of South Florida Medical Research and clinical director of his practice Uro-medix in Miami, FL. He will present the findings at the American Urological Association Annual Scientific Meeting during a poster session on May 27 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Menopause is the life change that all women will eventually experience as they reach their golden age. Learn what to expect and how your body will change.

Urinary incontinence is certainly not a life-threatening situation. However, it certainly effects lifestyle in a dramatic manner. For many it means wearing damp undergarments, diapers, having skin irritation or diaper rash.