Many women who have difficulty conceiving would probably agree: Finding out the reason is crucial to ending the frustration. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can make it difficult to conceive by affecting your menstrual cycle and ability to ovulate. But rest assured: There are ways to check if you are ovulating. Learn more about how PCOS can disrupt the menstrual cycle and how to tell if or when you are ovulating....
Among the aggressive anti-abortion measures proposed in the United States, a Missouri bill has prompted particular outrage from medical professionals and reproductive rights advocates. Key Takeaways A legislator in Missouri proposed a bill that would prohibit abortions after 10 weeks and criminalize the use of devices and medications for abortions.The original bill sought to prohibit the termination of ectopic pregnancies, which occur when the fertilized egg grows outside the uterus. This type of pregnancy is not viable....
The two main types of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are seropositive and seronegative RA, with juvenile RA being another type that only affects children. RA is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in the joints and may affect other parts of the body as well. It is a chronic, progressive condition that has the potential to seriously damage the affected joints. Every year, 41 of 100,000 people are diagnosed with RA....
Using a cane is one of the ways to cope with the decreased mobility of multiple sclerosis (MS). You might want to use a cane just intermittently to help with balance, such as when you are taking a walk along a rugged path, or you may want to use a cane almost all the time if one of your legs is substantially weaker than the other. Aside from the practical aspects of deciding whether you need a cane and how to safely use it, you may experience some apprehension about it....
It is not uncommon that people report seeing bright circles when they look directly at light sources, such as headlights or lamps, especially at night. Sometimes they are harmless and just a typical response from the eye or may even be simply a result of wearing glasses or contact lenses. However, these halos can also be a red flag, especially when other symptoms happen at the same time. They could be a side effect of other diseases, such as cataracts....
Each week, Verywell explains a term from health, medicine, science, or technology. Observation How to say it: Observation (ob-sur-VAY-shun) What it means: Keeping an eye on a patient to see if they get better or worse before starting or changing treatment. Where it comes from: Latin, observare, “to watch” Where you might see or hear it: If you are sick enough to need medical care but your provider is not sure that you should be admitted to the hospital as an inpatient, they might put you in “observation” status....
Rachel Charlton-Dailey (she/they) is an award-winning journalist specializing in health and disability. Their work is featured in publications such as Healthline, Huffpost, The Daily Mirror, The Guardian, and Business Insider. Charlton-Dailey often uses their platform to spotlight issues that affect disabled people. Disability Pride Month marked a career high for me. For the first week of July, I served as a guest editor on the U.K.’s Daily Mirror, leading a package showcasing disabled individuals....
Most people with autism (though by no means all) do have the ability to talk. Most of the time, though, people with autism talk differently from their neurotypical peers. Some of those differences relate to actual production and use of spoken language while others relate to challenges with non-verbal “body language” and other social and cultural cues and expectations. What Is a Pragmatic Speech Delay? The American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) describes pragmatic speech as having three components:...
Aware of the physical, emotional and economic hardships cancer survivors endure following diagnosis and treatment, a number of organizations offer scholarships to cancer patients and survivors to aid their recovery. Pursuing educational goals can be particularly difficult for cancer survivors because of the economic and emotional hardships that follow them even after treatment ends. Accordingly, many foundations provide academic scholarships for them. If you’re a cancer survivor interested in pursuing higher education, here you will find information about academic scholarships specifically for survivors like you....
Many forms of foot pain start with joints and tendons. The former enable movement and the latter connect muscles to bone. But if you feel pain on the top of your foot, or through your arch, a nerve might be to blame. You might feel burning, shooting, “electrical,” or stabbing pain when a nerve in your foot is irritated or damaged. These sensations can occur while you’re moving or while you’re at rest....
You never think bad things will happen to you. Meet the Author Barbara Klein was diagnosed with Stage 1 Colon Cancer after getting a preventive screening. Ever since her surgery five years ago, she has been cancer-free and advocates for regular screenings. About five years ago, I was a 60-year-old caught up in life, driving my school bus and fulfilling my church obligations. I felt healthy, so I didn’t think about my health....
Having an orgasm may help relieve headaches in some people, suggests a 2013 article published in the journal Cephalalgia. Though the cause of this phenomenon is unclear, some researchers suggest that the rush of endorphins and other hormones after an orgasm may spontaneously ease headaches, including migraine headaches and cluster headaches. But this shouldn’t suggest that having sex is the headache cure-all for all people. In some cases, having an orgasm could trigger a migraine or cluster headache, a condition commonly referred to as a “coital headache” or “orgasmic headache....
While asthma can be one of the causes of wheezing in your child, wheezing can also be caused by a number of other conditions and infections. The exact causes of wheezing will vary depending on your child’s age. In fact, the younger your child the greater the chance that wheezing is due to something besides asthma. It is important to make sure that you get your child’s wheezing looked at. Wheezing is never normal and all that wheezes is not asthma....
While the chronic skin disorder eczema has been associated with impaired fertility, the exact mechanisms are unknown and more research needs to be done. Eczema does not pose any danger to a pregnancy, but it’s important to ensure the condition is managed to reduce stress and discomfort. This article will discuss the connection between eczema and fertility and how the condition may affect a person during pregnancy and postpartum. Eczema and Fertility An association between eczema and infertility has been observed....
Getting your annual flu shot may do more than lower your risk of influenza. A new study has tied the flu shot to a lower stroke risk. Key Takeaways A new study links the flu shot to a lower risk of having a stroke.Researchers think this may have to do with avoiding viral illness or mediating inflammation. The study, which was published in the journal Neurology, showed that people who received their annual flu shot had a 12% lower risk of developing a stroke compared to those who did not receive a flu shot, even when other stroke risk factors were considered....
Did you know smoking cIgarettes can impact your sleep? Potential problems include sleep fragmentation, insomnia, snoring, and sleep apnea. Sleep issues associated with cigarette smoking, as well as puffing on cigars and pipes, are largely attributed to nicotine, which is the active ingredient in tobacco products. Some people claim smoking makes them sleepy. Given nicotine may relieve anxiety and induce relaxation, this is possible. Simultaneously, however, nicotine has stimulant properties that are thought to be responsible for insomnia and other potential sleep problems associated with smoking....
The Ege’s test is one of a few torn meniscus symptoms tests a healthcare provider may use to help diagnose such an injury. It involves putting weight on your affected knee while they listen and feel for a characteristic click. Test results don’t confirm a torn meniscus, but it can suggest one that can then be confirmed with imaging. This article discusses what the Ege’s test is, what it does, and how it compares to other tests....
Sunburn treatment always starts with sunburn prevention. This includes restricting sun exposure, particularly in the midday when the sun is at its highest, and consistently using a sunscreen with a high sun protection factor (SPF). If sunburn does occur, there are things you can do to help ease the pain and heal the skin injury more effectively. In severe cases, urgent medical care may be needed. What Is a Sunburn? Sunburn is a type of radiation burn caused by the overexposure of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun....
This week, pharmaceutical giant Merck announced that it will help Johnson & Johnson produce its COVID-19 vaccine. The announcement came soon after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave an Emergency Use Authorization (EAU) to Johnson & Johnson for its one-shot COVID-19 vaccine. Key Takeaways Merck has joined forces with Johnson & Johnson to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.The collaboration will help Johnson & Johnson get more vaccines to a greater number of people in a shorter period of time....
Depression has been linked to certain types of arthritis but it is not usually associated with osteoarthritis—at least not in most people’s minds. But osteoarthritis can cause physical limitations that restrict people’s lives so significantly it can lead to depression. While osteoarthritis may only affect a single joint, it can affect mobility or the ability to remain independent, and in turn, stir feelings of depression. Researchers have actually pointed to certain factors that predict the severity of depression in osteoarthritis patients (from the strongest predictor to the weakest):...
