Insurance For Contraception

Is our health care system biased when it comes to women? Some providers of health insurance cover prescribed drugs but rule out contraceptives for female workers. But isn't this norm myopic because pregnancies that are not wanted incur high costs, not only financially but also to the health. The universal health agenda of the United States should take care of this problem, which should also include insurance coverage for contraception. Imagine how Viagra is covered while birth control pills and the like are not, that is enough cause for concern.

The co-president of National Women's Law Center, Marcia Greenberger testified to the senate that accessibility to consistent contraceptives is indispensable to the health of women, that the negligence of insurance providers to cover it has long term consequences, not only to women's health but also to their children's health as well. Contraception is a basic & pressing need for the female employees and should not be neglected.

Pregnancy is a condition exclusive to the female species and contraceptives that require prescriptions are those that are for women's use. Thus, refusing to cover them puts women at a disadvantage translating into the unfair bias of insurance companies against a woman's necessity. Without contraception, women are forced to have an abortion which incurs higher health expenses, not to mention the physical strain that their body is subjected to, as well as the psychological effects it places on the emotions. This emotional anxiety should be comparable to the stress caused by impotence on men. But why is it that insurers cover only the use of Viagra?

If that argument is not enough to convince, then how about finances, contraception should be counted as preventive health care. The expenses involved in using contraceptives are very minimal compared to the price of: pre-natal check ups, ultra sound, vitamins, etc.; labor & delivery in a hospital including a few days stay for recovery, not to mention c-section cases; postnatal care including infant care; and many more health-related expenses associated with pregnancy.

Consequently, it all boils down to the old adage "prevention is better than the cure." A lot of expense can be saved if contraception is included in the coverage of insurance. The new health reform bill should include this issue in its entirety. Not only can we lessen the cost of protecting women's overall health but we can also ensure their reproductive health.

If equity isn't a convincing enough argument, then money should to it. Contraception can be considered preventative care. Dollars spent on contraception are nothing compared to the cost of pre-natal, labor, newborn care, and other pregnancy-related health coverage. Congress could act and demand that all insurance companies cover contraceptives for women, or we could switch to a national health plan that would cover all women. Either way, offering contraception as covered prescriptions results in less money spent and healthier women.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer represents about 25% of all female genital tract malignancies. However, there are more deaths from this form of cancer each year in the United States than from endometrial cancer and cervical cancer combined. The lifetime risk of developing spontaneous ovarian cancer is about 1.7%. Epithelial ovarian cancer was expected cause 15,520 deaths in 2008. Mean age at diagnosis is 60. There has been a significant improvement in the five year survival rate for patients with ovarian cancer. This is likely a combination of better tumor debulking surgeries and better chemotherapeutic options.

Most patients with this type of ovarian cancer do not have signs or symptoms until disease spreads to the upper abdomen. 70% of patients present with advanced disease. Symptoms for early stage ovarian cancer can include nonspecific pelvic discomfort, urinary frequency and constipation which are caused by an enlarging pelvic mass. With advanced disease, patients experience abdominal pain, bloating, anorexia, nausea and constipation.

The best tumor marker for ovarian cancer is CA 125. Minor elevations in CA 125 can also be seen in endometriosis, benign tumors, fibroids and in pregnant and postpartum women. In addition, moderate elevation of CA 125 can be seen in other adnocarcinoma such as breast and endometrial cancer. The sensitivity of CA 125 is 70% to 80% and the specificity is 98.6% to 99.4%. However, in the average risk population with low prevalence of ovarian cancer, the false positive can be unacceptably high.

The National Cancer Institute recommends screening for ovarian female cancer with known genetic syndromes associated with this disease and for women with strong family history. Routine screening of women without family history of ovarian cancer is not recommended. The known genetic syndromes include hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome associated with BRCA 1, BRCA 2 and Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer Syndrome (HNPCC). The absolute risk of ovarian cancer in the presence of either BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 mutation ranges from 16% to 60%. For patients with HNPCC syndrome, the lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 9% to 12%.

Epithelial cancer accounts for about 90% of ovarian cancers. Common histologies include serous, mucinous, endometroid, transitiona and clear cell types. Germ cell tumors include dysgerminoma, endodermal sinus tumor, malignant teratoma embryonal carcinoma or primary choriocarcinoma. Stromal tumors include granulose tumor or Sertoli-Leydig tumor.

Upon initial presentation, surgery is used for confirmation and staging the cancer. Stage I disease is confined to one or both ovaries. Stage II involves one or both ovaries with extension to the pelvic viscera. Stage III is associated with implants on the abdominopelvic wall or the serosal surface of the liver or involves small bowel or omentum. Stage IV disease involves distant metastasis. The 5 year survival for stage IA disease and grade 1 or 2 histology is greater than 90%. For high risk stage I disease and stage II disease, 5 year survival is 80%. For patients with stage III disease after optimal debulking, 5 year survival is 20% to 30%. This reduces to be less than 10% for stage III patients with suboptimal debulking and stage IV disease.

Stage I ovarian cancer with favorable prognostic features can be treated with surgery alone. For women with high risk, early stage cancer (Stage I grade 3 or stage II disease), adjuvant chemotherapy with platinum based agents show an 11% improvement in progression free survival and 8% improvement in overall survival. For stage III and IV disease, the current standard of care include maximal attempt at surgical cytoreduction followed by chemotherapy with platinum based agents.

Optimal debulking is an important part in the treatment of cancer in the ovaries. Retrospective data have shown that survival is better for women who receive chemotherapy in the presence of low volume disease. In the setting where optimal surgical cytoreduction cannot be achieved, an alternative approach is for the patient to receive chemotherapy up front. For patients who have a partial response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, it may be appropriate to attempt surgical removal of macroscopic disease at that time.

As for the standard of care in chemotherapy for advanced ovarian-type cancer, studies have shown that paclitaxel/cisplatin combination is superior to cyclophosphamide/cisplatin combination. Later studies showed that carboplatin/paclitaxel is at least as effective as cisplatin/paclitaxel.

Intraperitoneal chemotherapy is an appealing approach for treating a disease that is largely confined in the peritoneal space. GOG 172 which was a phase III clinical trials demonstrated that this regional approach resulted in superior progression free survival and overall survival when compared with the intravenous approach alone. The disadvantage of this approach includes local toxicity, and requirement for intraperitoneal catheter placement.

Because of the high recurrence rate in patients with advanced ovarian cancer, the issue of whether consolidation chemotherapy may improve time to progression and overall survival was examined in a phase III trial comparing 3 and 12 cycles of taxol. Progression free survival favored the 12 cycle arm. However, overall survival was not different between the two arms. Therefore, the oncologist needs to discuss with the patient and allow them to decide whether the improved progression free survival justifies toxicities including peripheral neuropathy and alopecia.

For many patients with advanced ovarian cancer who have an initial treatment response, disease relapses at a later time. The treatment of patients with recurrent disease or resistant disease needs to be individualized. For people with long treatment free interval, similar drugs many be reused. There are also a number of single agent drugs with activity in ovarian cancer. These include altretamine, bevacizumab, docetaxel, etoposide, gemcitabine, liposomal doxorubicin, paclitaxel, tamoxifen, topotecan and vinorelbine.

Radiation can also play a role in the palliation of some patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. Symptoms such as pain from growing pelvic mass or bone metastasis can be palliated. Very rarely cerebral metastasis can develop which can also be treated with radiation.

The best treatment of ovarian cancer needs a team approach between the primary care physician, gynecological oncology surgeon, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists. As more chemotherapeutic agents become available and as we further understand the biology of epithelial ovarian cancer, we hope to further improve the overall survival and quality of life of our patients.

Tips On Coping With Anxiety & The Stigma Of Mental Illness

Despite all the advances we've made in understanding and accepting anxiety and other conditions of mental illness, there remains some stigma. Movies play a large part in supporting the stigma of mental illness by depicting sufferers as maniacal killers and masochists. Common expressions used in jokes and everyday language include psycho, lunatic and crazy which merely help to reinforce the stereotype.

What exactly is the stigma of mental illness?

It's a negative reaction that society adopts against a person or group of people who appear different from ourselves. Before mental illness was so well understood as it is today, people with anxiety or panic were avoided out of fear. Unfortunately, that still occurs today.

People who are unfamiliar with anxiety and panic feel uncomfortable when they are around people with these conditions because they are unsure how to respond to them. In some cases, it's not so much fear as it is disbelief that the individuals can't just stop responding as they do to events in their lives. Why can't they just "get over it" and move on?

Such attitudes have a detrimental effect on people with anxiety and panic. It can worsen the condition or make recovery far more difficult than it needs to be. It's important, therefore, to learn about these conditions. In the meantime, sufferers need help coping with anxiety and the stigma of mental illness.

Coping with anxiety and the stigma of mental illness

It's not enough for the sufferer to comprehend anxiety and the stigma of mental illness. The rest of society needs to do the same so that these conditions no longer induce fear, avoidance and disbelief.

Be selective of who you tell

One way for the families to cope with anxiety and the stigma of mental illness is to choose who you will tell about your suffering family members. You decide just how much you want those select few people to know. It's best to share only with people you know relatively well so you can modify your information accordingly.

Talk with people who understand

There are many people who are coping with anxiety and the stigma of mental illness either because of their own condition or that of someone they know or love. Often, other problems are involved, such as depression and substance abuse. Seek out such people who you can share with and learn from, as well as for moral support.

Surround yourself with supportive family members, friends and others

Maintain as many normal activities as possible will ward off the negative results of social isolation often caused by the stigma. People who close themselves off from society can suffer depression and burnout. Stay active, participate in pastimes you've always enjoyed or try new ones. An excellent way to surround yourself with people who are coping with anxiety and the stigma of mental illness is to join a local volunteer organization. Ones that focus on mental illness issues might be best for your particular situation.

Encourage the sufferer for working on recovery

There will be times when people will feel their struggle is in vain. That's where you can help by praising their efforts without patronizing them. Realize that finding the right treatment can be difficult. There will be setbacks as they break free from their condition. Show your support by helping them to feel good about themselves and their progress.

Coping with anxiety and the stigma of mental illness can be difficult and wearing on the sufferer as well as the supporters. By learning about anxiety and stigma, you can help significantly in their recovery.

Overcome Infertility - How to Treat Infertility With Baby Aspirin

As we mentioned in previous articles, infertility is defined as the inability of a couple to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse. It effects over 5 millions couple alone in the U. S. and many times more in the world. Because of an unawareness of treatments, only 10% seeks help from professional specialist.We have spent most of the time in this series discussing the conventional and Chinese medicine in treating fertility. In this article, we will discuss how over counter medicine--baby aspirin effects fertility

I. Definition

Baby aspirin is defined as small dose of aspirin about 80-100 mg for small children. It is often used to reduce coagulation of blood in patients with high risk of heart attack.

II. How over counter medicine--baby aspirin effects fertility

1. Blood thinner

As it helps to make the blood thinner, it increases the blood flow to the body, including the uterus, thereby decreasing the risk of coagulation of blood, causing blood stagnation in the reproductive organ and reducing the chance of fertility.

2. Antiphospholipid Antibodies

Antiphospholipid Antibodies interferes with normal process of fertility, it can cause the blood to become much thicker than usual and blood platelets to stick together, leading to miscarriage or multiple miscarriages as resulting of blood clots around the placenta.

3. Ovulation

Researcher found that baby aspirin helps to stimulate the ovulation and increase the activity of the ovaries in production of multiple eggs, that are vital for artificial insemination.

4. Uterine lining

Since it helps to increase blood flow to the uterine limning, it makes the uterine lining thicker and healthier for egg implantation.

5. Nervous system

Besides helping to prevent heart diseases and stroke by making the blood thinner, it also helps to improve the circulatory function in transporting the oxygen and vital nutrients to the nervous cells, resulting in increasing the function of cells in transmitting information and reducing the risk of nervous disorder, such as fatigue and tiredness.

III. Risks and side effects

You should avoid to take aspirin, if you have

a) Stomach ulcers,
b) A history of gastrointestinal bleeding,
c) Blood-clotting,
d) Uncontrolled high blood pressure

Please consult with your doctor, if you take any blood thinner medicine.

Overcome Infertility - How to Treat Kidney's Yin Deficiency - Cause of High FSH in TCM Perspective

In conventional medicine, high FSH is defined as a condition of the follicles do not respond to the FSH, causing the pituitary gland to produce even more FSH to stimulate the response of ovaries in follicle production. In traditional Chinese medicine, high FSH is defined as the process of the continuous surging of yin can not stimulate the ovarian to produce the follicle, because of yin deficiency, leading to pituitary gland producing more FSH hormone. Herbs, acupuncture and foods used to treat kidney yin deficiency cause of high level FSH include

I. Herbs

1. Sheng di huang (Rehmannia)

The cool herb has been used to improve function of heart, kidney and liver channels by clearing heat, cooling blood, nourishing yin and generating fluids.

2. Gou qi ( Chinese wolfberry)

The neutral herb has been used to tonify the liver, lung, kidney by nourishing liver and kidney yin and blood yin deficiency.

3. Wu wei zi (Schisandra)

The warm herb has been used in TCM in promoting the heart, kidney and lung channels by tonifying kidneys yin and essence, generating fluids and reducing the kidney yin cause of frequent urination.

4. Sha shen (Glehnia root)

The cool herb has been used to enhance the lung and stomach channels by nourishing the stomach, generating body fluids and moistening skin and skin under layer.

5. Sang ji sheng (Mulberry mistletoe stem)

The neutral herb has been used to smooth the liver and kidney channel by enhancing liver function and curing the kidney caused by yin and blood deficiency.

II. Acupuncture

The bolow are the suggested points for acupuncture

1. BL15 (Xinshu)

2. BL18 (Ganshu)

3. BL23 (Shenshu)

4. HE7 (Shenmen)

5. KD3 (Taixi)

6. LV3 (Taichong)

7. SP6 (Sanyinjiao)

8. Etc.

III. Foods

1. String beans

2. Celery

3. Parsley

4. Grapes

5. Plum

6. Berries

7. Sea salt

8. Etc.

In TCM, each woman is treated uniquely to her own entity depending to differentiation, please consult with your Chinese medicine practitioner before applying.

5 Things to Remember to Help Depressed Women

Are you living with a depressed woman? Or do you know any woman who is depressed? By the time you finish reading this, you would know several ways on how to help her. Pretty sure you would want to help an important woman in your life who is suffering from depression right? Depression happens to both men and women but it is more common in women.

This is partly due to hormonal factors, especially when having premenstrual syndrome, postpartum depression, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and perimenopausal depression. It is a serious matter and should not be taken for granted. A depressed woman will have disrupted daily activities and relationships with others, and these could be detrimental for her health. A depressed woman would show several symptoms including:

• Always feeling guilty, worthless, helpless, and hopeless. Women with depression could not shake off such thoughts from their minds.


• Constantly criticizing herself. They always think that what they do is not enough, or that they don't do anything right.


• Having changes in appetite or weight. A woman with depression will either increase food consumption or will lose her appetite. She may also have significant changes in weight, at least 5% every month.


• Developing insomnia (difficulty or inability to sleep) or hypersomnia (getting too much sleep).


• Always feeling tired and fatigued even if she do not necessarily perform exhausting physical tasks.


• Having difficulty thinking and making decisions.


• Being restless and irritable. Depressed women will get irritated even in the simplest things.


• Diminished interest in pleasurable activities. Depressed people slowly lose motivation to do things that they would normally enjoy.


• Withdrawal from everyone or from anything.

How can you help a depressed woman in dealing with such trial in life? Here are some tips you could use to help her:

• First, encourage her to go to a professional. Explain to her that you are noticing several attitude changes that may indicate something. You must remember, however, that in doing this, do not be pushy and demanding. Being harsh on her will only make matters worse.


• Next, be informed about what depression is and be patient. You'll know that depression will make a woman act a lot different from her usual self, and it is not because she wants to. You have to understand that.


• Third, do not give up on her. Even if a depressed woman would seem to not acknowledge or appreciate all your assistance and understanding, these will help her unconsciously. When you give up, this means that her social support system will slowly disintegrate. Depressed people should have a support system, or else, they will feel isolated and this would worsen the case.


• Fourth, guide her in doing some lifestyle changes like eating healthy and exercising regularly.


• Fifth, encourage her to have supplements such as Homeopathic remedies. Homeopathic remedies only contain natural herbs like St. John's wort and Passion flower, making them free from side effects. Moreover, homeopathic remedies will nourish nervous system, support a more positive and motivated attitude, and promote general well being.

Depression will affect a woman's life, but with early diagnosis, intervention, and help from surrounding people, it will be easily cured.

Learning More About Getting Pregnant

If you are looking for help getting pregnant, it may comfort you to know that thousands of couples are going through the same thing that you are currently experiencing. Remember to sit back and relax and do not let it get to you if you are struggling to conceive. As long as there is nothing wrong with you or your partner, you should not have any problems.

• Have unprotected sex as often as possible. Most couples will agree that this is the best part of getting pregnant. You need to remember that you are doing this to have fun and do not get discouraged if you are not pregnant right away. This just means that you get to keep trying.


• Purchase an ovulation kit. This will tell you when you are ovulating. When the time comes for your body to ovulate, it is important to have sex a minimum of one time a day. When everything is lined up perfectly, you will conceive right away.


• Many people do not realize that in order to get pregnant, they need to be healthy. Diet and exercise are part of an important plan. Not to mention the fact that you will need to have a healthy body to carry the baby in once it has been conceived.


• Go to your local drugstore and buy yourself a Folic Acid supplement. This is essential for a healthy pregnancy. It will also help you to conceive.


• If you are still struggling to get pregnant, you may consider scheduling an appointment with your doctor. Once you are able to cross off all of the above mentioned items, he will be able to step in and give you some more tips.

Finding help getting pregnant is quite simple. You just need to know where to look. Before you know it, you will be surprising your significant other by letting them know that the two of you are going to be parents. The harder you have to work to get pregnant, the more you will appreciate that beautiful little baby when it is placed in your arms for the first time.

Remember, keep stress away from your life. It is common for many couples to conceive once they have quit trying. This is because they are no longer under a lot of pressure to create a child. Now is the time to get busy learning more about how to conceive a child.