COVID-19 Rapid Tests: An Update What is a rapid test?: An antigen-based COVID-19 test, often called a rapid test, can be purchased over the counter (online or in a pharmacy) and taken at home. It works by searching for protein pieces of the COVID-19 virus. Depending on the test, either a sample from the nose […]
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare facilities were already met with a shortage of human and material resources to provide care. With four million women seeking prenatal care annually in the United States, the healthcare system without adequate resources is bound to experience huge gaps in the access and delivery of prenatal care. One of these […]
Non-oral COVID-19 Treatment Options in the Outpatient Setting The proliferation of treatment options for SARS-CoV-2 can be seen as one of the success stories of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and are at high risk of hospitalization may be eligible for treatment with non-oral medications which have received FDA […]
Prenatal care has evolved and can be provided to pregnant women and their babies from the comfort of their homes. Care is accessed via digital devices such as smartphones, iPads, and laptops via audio and video calls, text messaging, and other forms of chatting. This defines telemedicine in prenatal care. While telemedicine in prenatal care […]
Did you know that if the entire population of the United States was tested for sexually transmitted infections today, about 20% would test positive? That’s what was found in a 2018 study of the top eight STIs. The top 8 include: HPV HSV-2 Trichomoniasis Chlamydia HIV Gonorrhea Syphilis HBV In lockstep with the CDC releasing […]
Oral Antiviral Treatments for COVID-19 Two years into the global pandemic, antiviral pills have emerged as a new therapeutic option. In late December of 2021, the FDA gave emergency use authorization (EUA) to two oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19: Paxlovid (Pfizer Inc.) and molnupiravir (Merk & Co). These hotly anticipated medications are intended for use […]
The Covid-19 pandemic and technological advancement in healthcare delivery have introduced telemedicine in prenatal care. It might seem that telemedicine is here to stay and in a few years, will become a major approach in delivering health care to pregnant women. With telemedicine, expecting mothers receive consistent and necessary care via videoconferencing, at-home monitoring, and […]
How to Avoid Fake Covid-19 Tests Ongoing supply shortages of COVID-19 tests have spawned a new online market for scammers: fake COVID-19 tests. Shady companies are taking advantage of increased consumer demand to sell faux at-home test kits online. If you do unwittingly use a fake COVID-19 test and receive a false negative result, you […]
Is your current birth control method working for you? Or are you trying to figure out what else is out there in the world of contraceptives? Luckily, your online OBGYN can help you sort through your options. Family planning and reproductive function are a huge part of women’s health. Over 65% of women of child-bearing […]
Update on Out of Pocket Costs of COVID-19 Tests: Medicare Recipients Will Soon Be Eligible for Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests The new year found Americans mired in the peak of yet another SARS-CoV-2 wave, with the preceding holiday season scarred by overstretched health care systems and testing capacity. In response, the Biden administration has increased […]
Prenatal care (or antenatal care), remains one of the most accessed preventive health services in the United States. Accessed by 4 million women yearly, the COVID-19 pandemic has made healthcare less accessible and unsafe for both healthcare providers and patients. In the U.S., patients with low-risk pregnancies are expected to have 12 to 14 office-based […]
Every woman desires to have a healthy pregnancy and birth without complications. Prenatal care helps improve an expecting mother's chances of a healthy pregnancy and birth. In prenatal care, a pregnant woman visits a health care provider at intervals to assess and monitor her health and that of the growing baby. What is Prenatal Care? […]
Virtual doctor appointments are replacing in-person visits; it’s the clear direction that we are headed. While telehealth has had a slow start to overcome the technological and social barriers of moving care online, the pandemic has accelerated things. According to a study, the number of healthcare companies that plan to increase investment in telehealth development […]
What are the various types of COVID-19 tests, how are they performed, and when should I use them? At the most basic level, there are two categories of COVID-19 tests; a diagnostic test and an antibody test. A diagnostic test can diagnose a current infection, whereas an antibody test can tell you whether your immune […]
Most women only learn about sexually transmitted infections during one short period in their lives: junior high health education class. Formerly and more widely known as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), you probably haven’t reviewed the symptoms since high school, except for a quick scare a time or two when you had possible signs of an […]
Congratulations, you’re pregnant! Pregnancy is such a unique experience that it is both one of the most exciting and one of the most nerve-racking adventures in most women’s lives. On the one hand, is the excitement of taking part in the miracle of life, and on the other hand, you are a nervous wreck because […]
What Do I Do if My COVID-19 Test Result Is VERY Delayed? Many labs are experiencing long delays –5 days or more– in processing COVID-19 PCR tests. If this is the case for you, and you are wondering what to do while awaiting your test, you can utilize serial at-home tests (typically rapid antigen tests), […]
Help! I just found out I was exposed to COVID-19, what do I do now? If you haven't yet been in the situation where you've received 'the call', the one in which someone you were recently in close contact with rings you a day or two later to let you know they tested positive for […]
Should I get tested for COVID-19? If the global pandemic has taught us anything, it is that flexibility and a willingness to continuously adjust our goalposts are a must. Cue Omicron. As the newest variant with a name reminiscent of a Transformer spreads like wildfire, COVID-19 testing has struggled--and failed--to keep pace. To date, testing […]
Have you ever experienced persistent vaginal infections? Using a common integrative medicine technique, you may be able to discover the root cause of your illness. Specifically, checking your vaginal pH level can help course-correct vaginal illnesses. In this article, we will explore why pH level is so important to vaginal health and what happens if […]
In our culture today, many women do not feel comfortable discussing their periods in detail. Unfortunately, that makes it more difficult to know if things are functioning normally or if there is irregularity. According to research, between 14-25% of women have experienced menstrual irregularities. In this blog post, we will explore what is considered healthy menstruation and […]
Getting sick while you are traveling or on vacation can de-rail an experience that was planned to be exciting and fun. Nobody plans to visit the doctor while vacationing in Las Vegas. Many people pack general painkillers in their luggage; but what happens if you have something more serious than a headache while traveling? If […]
When most women think about period products, they think of pads and tampons. Pads and tampons have been the go-to supplies for menstrual care for as long as we can remember. If you’ve been to the period aisle lately, things are looking a little different these days. There are so many more products on the […]
Due to a number of factors, including the Las Vegas OBGYN shortage, online OBGYN appointments have become increasingly popular and accepted among patients, doctors, and insurance companies. Everyday more practices are opening their virtual doors to allow patient access through an online portal. Healthcare executives are predicting that by 2040, our healthcare system will be […]
