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The Office on Women’s Health (OWH), a division of the US Department of Health & Human Services, has found that nearly 20% of women of childbearing age are douching. What’s the big deal? These women may not realize that douching can be potentially damaging to their health and the practice is not recommended by OBGYNs.
In this post, we will cover:
If you’ve never heard the term douche or douching as it relates to vaginal hygiene, you’re not alone. According to Merriam-Webster, douching is defined as an act of cleansing, generally using a jet of liquid to flush out a bodily cavity. You’ve got that right - vaginal douching is a cleansing solution, generally consisting of vinegar-based chemicals, that is flushed into the vaginal canal.
Douching kits can be purchased over the counter at most grocery, drug, and convenience stores. Usually found in the feminine supply aisle, they include:
Why would a woman douche? There is a common misconception that the vagina needs to be cleaned out occasionally from the inside, especially after menstruation. This is false. The vagina has a delicate natural acidity that keeps it in perfect harmony. It is self-cleaning and does not require any intervention to maintain healthy hygiene.
Read the back of any douche products and you’ll realize that there is no true benefit; companies are simply playing on women’s insecurities regarding feeling “fresh” and “clean” and “removal of odors.” On each box, you will also find a warning note indicating that douching may cause serious health problems including Pelvic Inflammatory Disorder (PID), ectopic pregnancy, and infertility.
Related: How Your Body’s pH Levels Can Affect Your Health
What’s so dangerous about douching? There are a host of health problems that can result from upsetting your vagina’s natural balance. Those problems can include:
Douching alters the pH of your vagina, upsetting the natural vaginal flora that fends off bad bacteria and other irritations. When your pH becomes imbalanced, a woman is more prone to see infections like bacterial vaginosis. Douching can also remove some of the healthy bacteria that are part of your normal vaginal flora and make you more susceptible to infections including STIs.
Even more dangerous, if you douche while you have an infection, it can push the bacteria up into your other reproductive organs including the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. An internal infection of these organs is called Pelvic Inflammatory Disorder, a serious health concern. Never attempt to self-treat vaginal discharge, foul odors, itching, pain, burning, or discomfort by flushing it out with a douche, which can make the problem worse.
If you’re having any of these symptoms, reach out to My Virtual Physician to schedule an online OBGYN appointment so we can help with proper diagnosis and treatment.
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Clearly, douching is not the best practice for vaginal hygiene. So if you’ve been douching, what is the alternative?
A healthy vagina self-maintains healthy hygiene by producing mucous that washes away any foreign substances like blood, semen, or discharge. A natural mild vaginal scent is normal; your vagina shouldn’t smell like flowers.
If you are noticing an offensive vaginal odor that is not resolved by occasional rinsing of your exterior vulva with water (or occasionally water plus mild soap), that is a clear sign from your body that your natural vaginal flora balance has been upset. Consult your online OBGYN if you need help determining what may be causing an abnormal odor.
Sometimes it’s actually the scented products, meant to mask your natural scent, that can cause your body to protest with pungent odors. Using unscented washes and menstrual products is important to keep unnecessary chemicals, which can interrupt the natural cleansing process, out of the vagina. Give your vagina some time to recover from scented products and douches and you’ll see your vaginal health return.
Related: 5 Tips to Maintain Vaginal Health: Things You Were Never Told
When it comes to menstrual and vaginal products, women are often targeted with advertising that feeds on their insecurities regarding their natural vaginal scent and cleanliness. Douching is one example of a vaginal product that is not only unnecessary and ineffective, but also has a detrimental effect on a woman’s health.
Have you been fooled into believing that douching is a necessary, normal, or acceptable way to clean the vagina? If so, you’re not alone. We hope to spread awareness around the misconception that douching is appropriate for any purpose when it comes to a clean vagina. Help us spread the word by sharing the dangers of douching with your girlfriends.
Prenatal care is focused, not only on the health of the mother but also on that of the growing fetus. Fetal monitoring is an integral part of prenatal care, done in pregnancy and labor. Also known as fetal heart rate monitoring, it is a procedure carried out by trained care providers including Obstetricians, nurses, and midwives, who use instruments and devices to measure, monitor, and interpret the baby's heartbeat.
Fetal monitoring affects the lives of millions of women and infants every year in the United States. It says a lot about the health, growth, and development of your baby. We may say that your baby's heart rate is a method of communication because it is often a response to the conditions in your uterus.
The average fetal heart rate is between 110 and 160 beats per minute. If your baby is under distress, not getting enough oxygen, or is facing any other problem, the heart rate becomes abnormal with the heart beating either too fast or too slow.
Fetal monitoring is particularly helpful for women with high-risk pregnancies, that is women:
This is because these conditions affect the growth and development of the baby. The number of fetal monitoring for these women is usually around 10-15 routine monitoring per woman.
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In medical practice, fetal monitoring is carried out in one of two ways:
This method is also known as auscultation. In this method, a device or monitor is placed on your abdomen. The device amplifies the sound of your baby's heartbeat, listens to it, and records.
A common monitor is the Doppler ultrasound device. It is often used during your prenatal visits to measure your baby's heart rate.
Another external way to check your baby's heartbeat is to use a transducer or an electronic sensor belt. A transducer is kept on your belly and connected to a computer where the rate and pattern of your baby's heartbeat are displayed. The data displayed can then be printed on paper. This device is often used to continuously count your baby's heart rate during labor and birth.
As the name implies, this method of fetal heart monitoring is invasive. It can only be done if the amniotic sac (the fluid-filled bag that surrounds and protects your baby in the uterus) has broken and your cervix has dilated to at least 2cm. Your baby's scalp is reached through your cervix and a thin wire, also known as the electrode, is fastened on it.
The thin wire is connected to a monitor and data about your baby's heart rate as well as your uterine contractions will be displayed and compared. It is used when the external fetal monitoring method is not providing satisfactory results or your baby needs to be watched closely during labor.
The two methods of fetal monitoring require the physical presence of both a healthcare provider and a pregnant woman. However, this may not always be convenient and accessible, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic, physician shortages, and for women living in rural areas.
However, the advent of telemedicine in prenatal care seems to get this taken care of with remote fetal monitoring. With telemedicine, remote solutions for home fHR monitoring and signal processing technique have been developed.
Pregnant women are instructed and trained on how to use these devices and software from the comfort of their homes. Additionally, these devices have sensors, and readings are transmitted to a monitor or cloud platform of a local doctor, nurse, midwife, or obstetrician at the healthcare facility. Certain apps and software on smart devices can remind the pregnant woman when to have a fetal monitoring session, interpret the results, and state what should be done if the results are abnormal.
While the availability and application of remote fetal monitoring devices are relatively low, it is one aspect of telemedicine in prenatal care that is being looked into to solve the challenges of accessibility and availability of prenatal care.
At My Virtual Physician, we provide a wholesome prenatal care service for both you and your baby.
We provide insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross; which shows that we care deeply for our clients.
We are available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. To get the best prenatal care, contact us today!
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Every girl is taught from a very young age that wiping after using the bathroom should always occur from front to back. But for some women, that’s as far as the vaginal health lesson goes. One piece of evidence that supports that we need better vaginal health education is that one in five women in America is still using douching for vaginal cleansing, a practice that can actually be harmful to a woman’s reproductive system.
How would you know any better? If you’re like most women, you’ve kind of just figured out what works for you and what causes problems. Or maybe you’re still having problems and didn’t realize the cause. Either way, we’re going to cover 5 tips to keep your vagina healthy and happy.
Many products in the period aisle have both a scented and unscented version. There’s a reason for that. While it sounds like a good idea to freshen up your natural vaginal scent with a perfume-infused tampon, pad, or liner, it can wreak havoc on your natural pH balance and cause irritation. So our first tip is to always go for the unscented version. Your vagina is self-cleaning but when you begin adding extra chemicals and scents, it can interrupt the natural process.
Related: How Your Body’s pH Levels Can Affect Your Health
Have you ever been taught how to wash your vagina? Probably not, but if you have, you might want to unlearn it. The vagina is self-cleaning. That means you do not need to wash inside the vagina, ever. Never use soap or insert any products, like douches, into the vagina for regular washing. The vulva, on the other hand, is the visible portion of a woman’s genitalia and it does require regular washing during showering with plain water or a very mild, pH-neutral soap.
If you are using a lubricant for sex, be sure to check the ingredients. Using a lubricant with unnatural added chemicals, flavors, or dyes can throw off your vagina’s healthy status quo. For example, some lubes contain a chemical called glycerin, which is a sugar-based food source for bacteria. Another chemical that should be avoided is petroleum which can affect pH. Here’s a list of chemicals to avoid and why:
Instead, opt for a natural lubricant like silicone-based or coconut oil. Be sure to verify compatibility before using with any sexual pleasure toys or condoms.
Everything you put into your body can affect your overall health so of course, optimizing your food choices can improve your vaginal health. But which foods keep your sensitive lady parts happy and functioning and which ones can be irritating and throw things off-kilter?
Eating fermented foods with probiotics, like yogurt, sauerkraut, or kefir, can help maintain healthy flora by keeping the right kinds of bacteria in the body. One thing to keep in mind with these foods is the sugar content. Avoiding too much added sugar is important for vaginal health because bacteria feed on the sugar.
Vaginal dryness can sometimes be improved with the addition of healthy fats. Here are some foods to try:
Alcohol and nicotine can also negatively impact your sex drive as well as your vaginal health. Limiting their consumption may help improve any vaginal issues.
Our final tip for optimal vaginal health is to stay on top of your regular annual screenings and exams. Women who are sexually active with multiple partners should be tested annually for STIs and all women should have an annual wellness checkup. Never ignore signs or symptoms. If you’re having discomfort or irregularities, your vagina is trying to tell you that something is wrong. Seeing your online OBGYN regularly is critical to maintaining your reproductive health.
Related: The Importance of STD Screening with a Virtual Doctor
Keeping your vagina happy can improve your overall outlook on life. If you’re experiencing discomfort “down there,” it can be a big disrupter. Following the tips provided above should help to maintain optimal vaginal health.
If you’ve tried these tips and are still experiencing odor, discomfort, discharge, irritation, irregular bleeding, or other symptoms, book an appointment online today with My Virtual Physician’s board-certified OBGYN, Dr. Howard, so we can help to get your vaginal health back to normal.
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Diabetes in pregnancy or gestational diabetes is a condition in pregnancy where your blood sugar levels become abnormally high in pregnancy. About 3-10% of pregnant women in the United States get diagnosed with gestational diabetes each year. Diabetes, if not promptly and properly managed, can result in complications for both mother and child.
Diabetes in pregnancy increases the risk for gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and having a cesarean section. In the baby, uncontrolled gestational diabetes can result in macrosomia, preterm birth, hypoglycemia, jaundice, birth asphyxia, and stillbirth. While gestational diabetes goes away after pregnancy, it increases your risk of developing diabetes later in life and your baby's.
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The Covid-19 pandemic led to an increased burden on the healthcare system and scarcity of human and material resources. Health facilities were overworked with caring for patients with emergency and/or critical cases, including Covid-19, pulling all their weight to stop the spread of and deaths caused by the Covid-19 infection.
Consequently, non-emergency health services including prenatal care were almost unavailable and inaccessible. There were social and physical restrictions declared by governments to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Additionally, pregnant women avoided hospitals to reduce the risk of catching the virus.
Prenatal care is an essential preventive health service that impacts local, national, and international populations. Lower rates of maternal mortality and morbidity translate to positive growth and development of any country. In the United States alone, 4 million women access prenatal care each year. That's a huge number.
Telemedicine, a new but not new model of healthcare delivery emerged to connect pregnant women and healthcare providers. Studies have recorded positive outcomes from the use of telemedicine in prenatal care. Despite the lack of direct contact with their caregivers, women with diabetes in pregnancy have been proven to benefit from this approach of healthcare delivery.
It may seem that telemedicine has become a mainstay in the health system despite the loosening of the lockdown regulations. Healthcare facilities, providers, and patients have continued to utilize telemedicine as a cost-effective and convenient means of accessing and delivering care.
Telemedicine is a virtual, online version of the conventional approach to healthcare delivery. In other words, patients can connect with their caregivers using a smart device and web connection via videoconferencing, emails, text messages, and audio calls. Monitoring is also automatic or digital, with the use of devices in the immediate environment of the patient. These devices measure and record several health data.
Diabetes in pregnancy requires increased and consistent clinic visits and monitoring. Women with pregnancy complicated by diabetes get more antenatal appointments with their general physician, obstetrician, and dietitians, among others. Multiple visits translate to increased cost from care, absences from work, transport, and babysitting leading to little to no compliance by patients and resultant negative maternal-fetal outcomes.
Additionally, managing diabetes is time-consuming, requiring time to examine, educate, adjust to new lifestyle modifications of exercise, diet, routine monitoring of blood sugar levels, medications, and insulin injections. Hence, telemedicine comes as a reprieve to several time and cost-related issues in the management of diabetes.
ICT helps providers connect with their patients remotely from home or work. Virtual appointments can meet the needs of more patients and enhances the team approach in the management of diabetes by involving the patients themselves, their local doctors, obstetricians, nurses, and dietitians.
With telemedicine, patients could monitor their blood glucose levels, perform fetal movement counting, and record insulin doses and episodes of hypoglycemia. Furthermore, the quick transmission of patients' health data facilitates early detection and management of conditions associated with gestational diabetes. High-risk cases can be promptly detected, preventing complications in both mother and child, including the need for a cesarean section.
Several studies have proven that the above-stated roles of telemedicine have yielded benefits to both patients and their healthcare providers. In patients, telemedicine effectively reduced blood sugar levels as well as the risk for maternal and fetal/neonatal complications, compared to standard care. Additionally, increased patient participation led to increased positive health outcomes, behavioral outcomes, self-efficacy, patient satisfaction, and quality of life in patients.
Are you an expecting mother diagnosed with diabetes in pregnancy? At My Virtual Physician we bridge the gap while you await an appointment with your OB doctor. We are available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise.
We are in network with many insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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Healthcare delivery in recent times has become safer and more convenient with the advent of telemedicine. However, the success of telehealth may be shaky because of increased security and privacy risks associated with it.
In this post, we will discuss the possible cybersecurity risks associated with telemedicine and what telemedicine companies, particularly My Virtual Physician, are doing to ensure you and your information are safe.
Despite its numerous benefits, telemedicine has been associated with both security and privacy risks outlined below.
Digital and monitoring devices are the mainstays of telemedicine. While these devices are necessary to monitor the patient's health in real-time and ensure the patient's safety, the information generated, saved, and transmitted is not often secure.
Also, there are certain non-medical data about the patient, their home, and other activities that these devices and sensors pick and transmit that the patient would have rather kept private. However, aside from healthcare providers, this information can be stored in the device by the manufacturers. Hence, increasing the risk of the information being sold to third parties or used for other reasons such as research, target advertising, and medical fraud.
Furthermore, while privacy policies are provided, most patients give consent without reading or fully understanding them. Hence, the weak privacy protections.
The HIPAA privacy rule is established to ensure the privacy of individuals' protected health information (PHI) and sets the limits or conditions through which that information can be used or disclosed without the individual's authorization.
The pandemic in 2020 led to a sharp rise in telemedicine. According to the CDC, "the number of telehealth visits increased by 50%, compared with the same period in 2019, with a 154% increase in telehealth visits during the last week of March 2020, compared with the same period in 2019".
Consequently, telehealth platforms and apps were developed rapidly within short periods, resulting in many being HIPAA non-compliant. This led to an increased risk of patients' data being accessed by, sold to, or used by third parties indiscriminately.
Most healthcare professionals and providers working from home are permitted and use their personal devices (cell phones, tablets, and computers) for work purposes. Although these devices only access healthcare systems and patient records through a VPN, the risk of data breaches remains high.
Protected health information (PHI) can be saved on and retrieved from these devices if stolen or misplaced. Also, health systems could be hacked into due to inconsistencies in security updates, insecure connections, malware, and user errors, among others.
There is an increase in the number of people working remotely.
A lot of organizations now have their employees working from home. This implies the number of people accessing the network remotely will increase, making it difficult to keep track of users and security measures. Overcrowded networks make it easy for fraudulent or unauthorized users to access healthcare systems and steal patients' information.
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Telehealth companies and healthcare facilities are required to help keep patients' data safe and confident. To do so, below are measures that should be considered:
By strong authentication, we mean the telemedicine platform provides the means to authenticate each party before they can access any confidential information.
This may include logging in with unique usernames, strong and complex passwords, biometrics, as well as provisional two or multi-factor authentication.
This is important to ensure privacy and security.
End-to-end encryption means that only the healthcare provider and the patient are parties to the communication. Once it is implemented, unauthorized persons are not able to listen to or gain access to information exchanged between the two parties, including data sent via mail or cloud.
This applies to both healthcare providers and patients. Digital devices should have the most up-to-date operating system, applications, and firmware. They should avoid connecting to public WiFi when sending information.
If personal devices are being used, healthcare professionals and providers should ensure patients' information is not stored on devices and that those devices can be remotely cleaned if the need arises.
At My Virtual Physician, we are concerned with ensuring the security and privacy of our clients. You may read through our privacy policy and terms of use to get familiar with our platform.
As a telehealth platform, a visit to us helps you get your prenatal care started while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor.
More so, we are available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. We are in network with many insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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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 gaps includes delays in accessing healthcare. In many parts of the country, it can take a woman about 5 to 6 weeks or more to get into an OB doctor's office to start prenatal care. Ultimately, it becomes almost impossible for both women and healthcare providers to have the recommended number of office-based visits, that is 12 to 14 visits for low-risk pregnancies.
These delays in accessing prenatal increase the risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. With the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, worse outcomes have been predicted due to reduced availability and accessibility of healthcare across the country and globally.
Consequently, telemedicine as a complementary model of healthcare delivery is the life-saver. However, while telemedicine may be the way forward to bridge the gaps, can every patient benefit optimally from it?
Online doctors have been shown to play an important role in the delivery of care during this pandemic. However, there are pregnant women who for several reasons will not be able to access, utilize, and invariably benefit from telemedicine. These include women from low-income earning families, those living in rural areas, women with no or poor educational background, and women living with disabilities, amongst others.
Telemedicine requires the use of digital devices, wireless network services, and certain costs to be efficient. The following affect the use and positive outcome of telemedicine:
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Approximately 85% of Americans have access to a smartphone. However, disparities remain among low-income and low-education populations. According to a study, 26% of the more than 600,000 Medicare beneficiaries living in communities lacked access to a computer with high-speed internet or a smartphone with a wireless data plan.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), 21 million Americans lack high-speed internet access, especially those living in rural areas. It doesn’t help that other studies state that the number is way higher, estimating it to be 42 million people. This goes to say that poor network service and wireless signal coverage can worsen health disparities.
While telemedicine may significantly save costs from traveling, lost work hours, babysitting, etc., it does not eliminate certain arising costs. Pregnant women from low-income households may be faced with financial difficulties in buying a smartphone or tablet as well as connection plans.
While some people may lack knowledge and skills on how to operate cellphone, telemedicine apps and software may pose more problems. Several apps from different healthcare facilities implies different instructions for booking and having virtual appointments. Pregnant women with poor technological literacy about ICT may not enjoy digital prenatal care as well as a positive patient and physician experience.
Telemedicine, particularly video-related visits can widen the gap that telemedicine aims to bridge in prenatal care. Healthcare professionals, community stakeholders, and the U.S. government should ensure that interventions are put in place to prevent worse outcomes.
Some clear-cut recommendations include:
At My Virtual Physician, we are concerned with bridging the gaps in healthcare delivery. A visit to us helps you get your prenatal care started while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor.
More so, our software is easy to understand and use. We are available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. We are in network with many insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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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 has its pros and cons and has recorded positive health outcomes, is it the way to go for high-risk pregnancies?
A high-risk pregnancy is one where the mother, the fetus, or both have an increased risk of health problems or adverse outcomes before, during, or after delivery.
Your pregnancy may be considered high-risk if you:
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Typically, while prenatal care is needed for all pregnant women, it is crucial for women with high-risk pregnancies. This population of women require special monitoring or care throughout pregnancy to ensure the best possible outcomes.
Prenatal care in the United States is accessed by 4 million women annually and only 6 to 8 percent of these pregnancies experience high-risk complications. This figure is a lot, running into hundreds of thousands.
Hence, women with high-risk pregnancies will require increased number of prenatal visits, monitoring, tests and examinations, and consultations with their healthcare provider and specialists.
Telemedicine in prenatal care means adopting videoconferences, at-home monitoring, and virtual consultations to replace in-person visits and monitoring at the healthcare facility.
However, not fully. It is impossible to completely rule out in-person visits during prenatal care. Instead, Telemedicine should be seen as a model of care that enhances access to and delivery of health care. The question, however remains, "can high-risk pregnancies benefit from telemedicine visits?"
High-risk patients usually have to work closely with their doctors and care team to prevent, reduce, and manage complications. Generally, they require highly specialized and comprehensive care to manage the several health conditions that may be affecting or may potentially affect the mother, unborn baby or both.
Research shows that prenatal care via telemedicine can be modified for women with high-risk pregnancies. This requires more remote visits to their local OB doctor and other specialists, fetal testing and ultrasound examinations.
The study also suggests that telemedicine is feasible with special recommendations given for certain conditions and services including:
It may seem as though these recommendations have been implemented. A study shows that patients with health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes were instructed on how to monitor their blood pressure and sugar levels respectively at home. The results were transmitted to their providers which facilitated active participation of patients in their care and self-efficacy. Subsequently, results of the study showed similar pregnancy outcomes between telemedicine and conventional prenatal care.
Remote consultations with specialists could also encourage care and delivery of high-risk patients in nearby local hospitals.
As a supplementary health care service, our team at My Virtual Physician is available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. We also help with electronically sending orders for tests and examinations while you wait for an appointment with a local OB doctor.
We are in network with many insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare and Blue Cross.
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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:
In lockstep with the CDC releasing their new STI Treatment Guidelines last year, we’re providing relevant information in our blog regarding STIs to keep you informed. In case you missed it, here’s the scoop on Chlamydia.
Let’s take this opportunity to move on to our review of the second most common bacterial STI: gonorrhea.
Gonorrhea, like chlamydia, is a bacterial infection transmitted through sexual contact. The name of the bacteria in gonorrheal infections is called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This bacteria grows on the inner membranes of the reproductive tracts of both men and women and can also thrive in the mouth, throat, rectum, and even eyes. You can catch gonorrhea by engaging in sexual activity, including vaginal, oral, or anal sex, with someone who is infected. It can also be passed during birth from mother to child.
Gonorrhea can cause some gnarly complications. Unlike chlamydia, which tends to only cause damage to a woman’s body, gonorrhea can cause health problems for men and women alike. Some possible health effects of untreated gonorrhea are:
Those are some very concerning conditions, so how do you know if you’ve been infected?
Similar to chlamydia, most people do not have clear signs of being infected with gonorrhea, but there are a few symptoms to look out for:
Symptoms in women:
Symptoms in men:
Because most people with gonorrhea don’t have any signs or symptoms of infection, screening each year is crucial for detection, particularly for women. Men are more likely to have symptoms alerting them of infection, so testing may not be necessary. The CDC recommends regular testing for gonorrhea when it comes to:
The days of going to public health to get tested for STIs may be over. Now, you can test discreetly with your online OBGYN who can order a screening test from your local lab. Contact My Virtual Physician to order your STI testing kit today.
Gonorrhea can be detected by performing a bacterial culture on either an early morning urine sample or a genital swab. The new CDC guidelines add a recommendation for rectal and pharyngeal (throat) testing if an infection is suspected in those parts of the body and also approve of patient-collected specimens.
If you test positive, be sure to notify all sexual partners within the past 60 days so they can also be tested and treated. If they are unable to see a doctor, talk with your physician to see if they can assist in making treatment medications available for others that may be infected.
Antibiotics are used to kill the bacteria that cause gonorrhea. Sometimes your doctor may simultaneously treat you for chlamydia even if you have not been tested. With gonorrhea treatment, there is a risk of bacterial resistance; if you suspect your infection is not cured after completing your medication, call your doctor right away for a different treatment option.
Your doctor will determine whether it will be necessary to re-test after treatment. For most infections, re-testing is not required but is recommended after three months. If you had a positive throat swab, the CDC recommends testing for a negative result within 1 to 2 weeks after treatment. Both partners should refrain from sexual activity for a week after completing treatment to prevent re-infection. The CDC recommends scheduling a follow-up STI test within three months of treatment for patients who have been treated for gonorrhea.
STI testing and receiving a positive result, whether it’s gonorrhea or another infection, can be a mixed bag of emotions, but you don’t have to go it alone. Regular testing can catch the infection early on before any damage can be done to your reproductive system.
Have you received your annual STI screening for 2022? Schedule your appointment with My Virtual Physician so we can take care of your testing needs.
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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 consultation with remote specialists. These were said to improve health outcomes while allowing for less frequent antenatal visits.
However, certain challenges may affect the use and outcome of telemedicine to provide care to patients. Below are perceived barriers to telemedicine in prenatal care.
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Several factors affect the use and health outcomes of telemedicine. Patients and healthcare providers alike play a significant role in the provision and delivery. However, other non-human factors exist which may affect the successful outcome of virtual visits and at-home monitoring.
The following are perceived barriers to telemedicine in prenatal care:
Poor internet connection and slow speed result in loss of connection, poor audio and video quality, hence affecting the smooth interaction between patients and providers. Due to poor signal, online consultations can experience multiple interruptions leading to frustration, low patient satisfaction, and reduced use of the virtual approach to healthcare delivery.
In some cases, factors such as weather conditions, living in rural areas, and home interior can affect the network service in homes and workplaces, hence reducing the frequency, duration, and efficiency of virtual visits for healthcare delivery.
Lack of technological knowledge and skills is a challenge to the use and success of telemedicine in prenatal care. Unfamiliarity with communication technology is common to both patients and providers.
Healthcare providers who have little to no knowledge on how to use communication technology may not want to take up online consultations.
Likewise, patients may find it difficult to install and navigate the telemedicine software on their digital devices. In other cases, patients lack knowledge and training on how to use certain monitoring devices. Hence, they may find it difficult or impossible to interact and provide adequate information during online consultations.
The lack of certain equipment and instruments poses a challenge to the success of telemedicine in prenatal care. Some patients may not have certain instruments such as a fetoscope, weighing scale, sphygmomanometer, amongst others, resulting in non-availability of data to work with.
Consequently, this can lead to poor monitoring which may affect health outcomes of prenatal care via telemedicine.
While patients may enjoy convenience at home, they may be faced with discussing health concerns at the risk of being heard by family members and friends.
In-person visits provide the privacy of the doctor's office which may not be possible with audio and video calls from the homes of patients. This may affect the use of telemedicine in providing and accessing prenatal care.
In other cases, the patient may feel their conversations are being recorded and hence, lose trust in both the service and the healthcare provider.
Telemedicine switches up the order of the conventional hospital visit. The presence of family members, children, colleagues, and other persons may make engagement difficult. Activities in the background may cause distraction during virtual visits.
On the other hand, certain patients may feel disconnected due to a lack of social presence and physical contact with their healthcare provider. The online interaction may be alien to some patients and affect their ability to bond with their healthcare provider.
Nonverbal communication is as effective as verbal communication and in some cases, more. Virtual visits limit communication with body language and facial expressions. Healthcare providers can read these cues during in-person visits and act accordingly.
While telemedicine might be said to save cost, it does not come cheap. Patients may lack the financial ability to buy smartphones, airtime and data, and instruments and equipment.
Unfortunately, patients may not have insurance, or their insurance companies may not cover telemedicine healthcare services.
Healthcare providers are not left out as they also need airtime and data to call and interact with patients.
Telemedicine is a novel approach to access and delivery of prenatal care. Like the conventional in-person approach of care, it has its pros and cons.
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At My Virtual Physician, our team is committed to ensuring that patients get the best of health care as needed. We provide virtual care at any point in your pregnancy while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. We are in network with many insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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 age are using some form of contraception. As soon as a woman decides to be sexually active, she has important decisions to make regarding either family planning or contraceptives.
If you’re not ready to start a family just yet, choosing the right contraceptive path might be overwhelming with all the options available. Here, we’ll cover the basics and go in-depth on one promising option available for pregnancy prevention: the diaphragm.
First things first, let’s go over the basics. The two main categories to choose from are hormonal and non-hormonal birth control.
Hormonal birth control delivers medication that alters a woman’s hormones. Hormones are in charge of regulating the menstrual cycle and instructing the body to ovulate, or release an egg each month. Some examples of hormonal birth control include:
Non-hormonal contraceptive options do not interfere with your body’s natural hormones. You can think of these as barriers that physically prevent sperm from getting to your egg. Sometimes these are used in combination with spermicide products. Examples of this type of birth control include:
You have likely heard of most of the options that are listed above. The diaphragm, one of the less commonly utilized options, may be unfamiliar. Let’s uncover the mystery.
A diaphragm is a soft and flexible silicone cup-shaped device used by women to create a barrier at the cervix, blocking sperm from entering where the egg lies. The diaphragm is placed into the vagina before sex and removed after a specified amount of time. Contraceptive gel, or spermicide, is used together with the diaphragm to improve effectiveness.
Let’s take a look at how to use a diaphragm. In this example, we’ll take a peek at the instructions for the Caya contoured diaphragm. Here are the basic steps to follow:
A few things to remember when using a diaphragm:
Removing the diaphragm is simple. Six hours after sex, you can remove the diaphragm by hooking it with a finger on the rim. Pull it out, rinse, and repeat as needed.
So why would a woman choose a diaphragm? A major factor in the decision is that diaphragms don’t contain hormonal medication. This can be advantageous for fertility reasons and makes diaphragms an option for breastfeeding mothers (beginning six weeks post-birth).
The list of side effects caused by hormonal birth control is a lengthy one with some pretty scary possibilities. Some women experience migraines, blood clots, and even strokes while taking hormonal birth control. With diaphragms, side effects are virtually non-existent. The list is very short and includes discomfort, minor irritation, and vaginal discharge for some women while wearing the diaphragm.
Some benefits of using a diaphragm are comfort and convenience. Unlike condoms, which are disposable and require many over a lifetime, diaphragms are reusable and last for up to 2 years. That means you won’t have to get monthly prescriptions, won’t have to remember to take a pill every day, and won’t have to go through a painful IUD insertion. You can insert the diaphragm up to six hours before sex and leave it put up to 24 hours.
Contraception is something that most women will manage throughout a large part of their lives. Being aware of your options can help you make the best decision when choosing which method of birth control to use. Take the time to schedule an appointment with your online OBGYN to discuss your method and your options. A prescription is required for a diaphragm, but we can help with that!
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Are you ready to make a change? My Virtual Physician has expert doctors, including board-certified OBGYN Dr. Howard, who are available and ready to discuss your contraceptive options today.
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 visits. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it increasingly difficult for pregnant women to meet up with the recommended visits. Hence, the shift to telemedicine.
Telemedicine is a relatively new approach to prenatal care. However, through telemedicine, pregnant women can access several healthcare services including certain emergency services, specialist consultations, and psychotherapy.
Below are the benefits of telemedicine to both patients and their healthcare providers.
The following are advantages of telemedicine in prenatal care for patients and providers.
Improves access to care
Telemedicine makes you gain access to care while bypassing the time and distance it usually takes for an in-person visit.
With telemedicine, you do not need a day off for a 15 to 60-minute appointment. Likewise, patients with disabilities, those geographically isolated, or with one ailment or the other can easily get care from wherever they are.
Telemedicine helps you save costs from transportation, consultation, childcare, and time spent in the hospital. You can attend your appointment with a doctor from anywhere, including your home and workplace.
Research shows that using telemedicine helps save up to 30% from healthcare costs.
An in-person prenatal care appointment means you get in close contact with people who may be sick.
Pregnant women may be particularly susceptible to COVID-19, as they are more susceptible to respiratory pathogens. They made also be prone to other infections as the immune system undergoes several changes during pregnancy to accommodate mother and child.
With telemedicine, there is reduced risk and spread of infection, especially for pregnant women with underlying conditions or weak immune systems.
Improved access makes it easier for doctors to provide care to their patients. Patients and healthcare providers can easily connect via a voice or video call.
Telemedicine bypasses the somewhat tensed atmosphere of a doctor's office. Patients can relax in a more familiar environment and discuss their symptoms and concerns. This helps improve the care provided.
Additionally, research shows that telemedicine helped provide equal or better care to women with high-risk pregnancies.
Telemedicine allows you to book and have a visit from the comfort of your home or anywhere you may be.
It cuts off the need to leave your home or workplace, arrange childcare, take some time off work, drive through traffic or get a bus or cab to access care.
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Telemedicine helps providers cut down on overhead expenses such as paying for a big office space or facility, front desk support, etc.
Telemedicine allows healthcare providers to care for more patients outside of the hospital. Hence, telemedicine may serve as an additional stream of income.
Telemedicine eliminates physical or close contact with several patients. Hence, providers are less exposed to illnesses and infections.
Patients experience greater satisfaction with care rendered via telemedicine visits. Reasons include being able to involve their families, improved access to and delivery of care, lower costs, and at their convenience.
Doctors also appreciated that they were able to spend more time with their patients, and at their time. They could also give follow-up calls.
Study shows that telemedicine visits helped improve health outcomes. These included patients quitting smoking and gaining access to necessary high-risk obstetrical services.
You may enjoy the advantages of telemedicine with My Virtual Physician. At My Virtual Physician, our team is committed to ensuring that patients get the best of health care as needed.
We provide virtual care at any point in your pregnancy while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. We are in network with many insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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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.
Prenatal care, also known as antenatal care, is the health care a woman receives during pregnancy. Accessed by 4 million women every year, prenatal care is one of the most common preventive health services in the United States.
Prenatal care involves regular checkups with your healthcare provider and routine testing to ensure you are healthy throughout your pregnancy and have a complication-free birth and a healthy baby. During these appointments with your healthcare provider, you get to ask questions and report any complaints you may have. A doctor, nurse, or midwife provides answers to these questions, advice, and possible treatments for whatever complaint you report.
Appointments during prenatal care depend on the age of your pregnancy and your risk for complications.
Telemedicine is simply the use of technology to access and provide health care remotely. The Covid-19 pandemic made healthcare less accessible and unsafe for both healthcare providers and patients. However, with telemedicine, pregnant women and their families could access healthcare without being physically present. Information such as readings and test results could be exchanged via videoconferencing, voice calls, text messaging, and other formats on mobile devices and computers.
Hence, telemedicine has made healthcare more accessible, cost-effective, and convenient with patients receiving care from the comfort of their homes. Consequently, telemedicine has reduced the number of ER visits and the workload at hospitals.
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Although telemedicine is not new to the healthcare system, its use in prenatal care is low. In prenatal care, telemedicine provides an avenue for pregnant women to keep appointments and receive care via apps and other software on digital devices. These apps provide opportunities for home monitoring of vital signs including temperature and blood pressure, fetal heart rate, blood sugar, and weight amongst others. Besides having routine appointments with their general physician, pregnant women can book consultation sessions with specialists such as Obstetricians, Psychiatrists, Genetic Counselors, and Lactation Consultants.
With telemedicine, you can have your appointment from the comfort of your home. The physicians at My Virtual Physician are there when you have concerns, issues, and questions that do not require hands-on physical examination. Hence, we supplement the care you will receive from your local Obstetrician.
You can book an appointment or call for an appointment with our Obstetric and Gynecology specialists. To book your appointment, we will collect some data such as your name, address, and date of birth. You will be asked to specify the reason for your visit, your preferred day of the week, and your preferred time frame.
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During the video call, we will collect confidential medical, obstetric, and gynecology history. Privacy is very important and we adhere to all ethical rules binding that. We will ask you to agree or "consent" to the terms and conditions of the telemedicine visit.
During the video visit, we will ask you for other data such as vital signs including weight, temperature, and blood pressure. We will ask about medications you're using, allergies, diet and food cravings, complaints, and other important information. The data collected inform what action of care will be provided.
A visit to us helps you get your prenatal care started while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. Your virtual physician can help to electronically order prenatal care labs and/or send an order to the nearest radiology facility for you to get an ultrasound.
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At My Virtual Physician, we are available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. We are in network with many insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare and Blue Cross.
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 has jumped from 77% to 93%. Providers are finally putting resources into developing the full potential of telemedicine.
The benefits to online appointments for patients are clear:
With the high demand for online doctors, you must be diligent about who you trust for your healthcare needs. In the early days of telehealth, there were just a few companies that offered virtual care. But today, online doctor portals are popping up everywhere. How do you choose the right one for you?
Below we will take a look at three OBGYN women’s health options that are currently available online:
If you’re looking for the traditional benefits of sitting and discussing your health with your doctor but prefer to do it from the comfort of your own home, My Virtual Physician may be what you are looking for.
Skip the wait to see your OBGYN. My Virtual Physician is truly a full-spectrum women’s telehealth provider. Our doctors are available and ready to see you today.
The message that we saw over and over when comparing women’s health online providers was that My Virtual Physician rises above the others when it comes to genuine concern and customized care for the patient.
When you start your appointment with our doctors, you get to converse directly, face-to-face with your physician.
The comments on Google reviews show that patients who see the doctors at My Virtual Physician are overwhelmingly pleased with their experience. Here’s what patients have shared:
“Dr. Howard was patient and knowledgeable. Very available and super helpful.Gave me a thorough explanation of my treatment options and helped me make my decision on my next steps.” -Esther
“Doctor was knowledgeable, empathetic, understating and even put extra effort in trying to save me money since I have no insurance. I'm committed to having My Virtual Physician as my primary Doctor by choice. My experience was fast and easy. Way better then spending several hours in a doctors office. Doctor's follow up was great!!!” -Erica
This type of personal interaction is something that cannot be replaced by chats or forms that other providers sometimes use. My Virtual Physician values the opportunity to provide access directly to patients.
As you can see in the reviews, the doctors at My Virtual Physician are experts in their field. Getting the correct diagnosis & treatment the first time is valuable for all involved; it saves time, money, and frustration.
The services that My Virtual Physician provides are full-spectrum. You can receive the following women’s health services from our OBGYN:
In addition to the above women’s reproductive health, My Virtual Physician offers additional services in some states.
Many online doctors only offer general care; however, My Virtual Physician was founded by a specialist. Dr. Howard is a board-certified OBGYN specialist who is licensed in nearly a dozen states and is focused on realizing his dream to make accessible women’s health care a reality.
So if you truly want an expert to get your reproductive health advice from, My Virtual Physician is in a unique position to meet that need. You won’t have to wait months to see Dr. Howard as you would if you try to schedule an appointment with a local OBGYN at a physical clinic.
While My Virtual Physician has mastered bringing the traditional doctor experience online without losing the personal interactive aspect, there are a few things to know when you schedule an appointment.
So you’re ready to book an appointment with My Virtual Physician. One thing to be aware of is the availability of appointment times. Currently, there is a short window each day that appointments are scheduled.
Appointments can be scheduled:
But don’t lose hope just yet; if you need to meet with our doctors outside of the window of times available on the scheduling assistant, just give us a call to see what we can do. In most cases, we can accommodate. Our primary mission is to make sure our patients receive the care they deserve.
Because My Virtual Physician is run by a tight-knit group of physicians who are experts in their field, it is not a huge corporation that employs endless numbers of doctors. This means that My Virtual Physician is only able to provide services to patients who live in the states where the doctors are currently licensed.
Reference the map below to find out if My Virtual Physician is currently available in your state, and which services are offered.
Let’s move on to another women’s healthcare online provider: Nurx.
Nurx’s mission is to make healthcare accessible, affordable, and better. However, its use is limited to more of a prescription and delivery service rather than a full-spectrum telehealth provider. Let’s go over some things to know about Nurx.
Nurx is convenient for receiving certain regular prescriptions and tests.
Nurx is great if you already take an established birth control that works and you don’t have the desire or need to consult a doctor. Nurx provides prescription birth control and a few other recurring prescriptions.
Once you complete the initial consultation, which consists of filling out some paperwork and paying a fee, your recurring prescription will be reviewed behind the scenes. Nurx has their own pharmacy that they use to send medication to you.
Your prescription is shipped to your door on a recurring basis. This is convenient if you plan on taking the same medication long-term, but it only works if the medication is not urgent. For example, you would not want to wait on shipping for antibiotic treatments if your body is trying to fight off an infection.
Getting tested for STIs carries some stigma and is a little awkward. We like that Nurx has developed some STI testing kits that can be self-administered in the privacy of your own home.
This is a good option only for regular annual testing and should not be used if you suspect you may have been infected. There is a long delay of seven working days after you send the test kit back to the Nurx lab for results on STIs.
Some of the issues women have had with Nurx are a bit concerning. For claiming to be experts in women’s healthcare, they have some explaining to do.
While Nurx serves a purpose, its biggest downside is that it lacks direct communication between you and your doctor. In fact, you don’t have a doctor with Nurx. Your paperwork gets reviewed by a doctor along with a stack of others.
A conversation between you and your doctor is the most effective way to truly meet your healthcare needs and manage your medication competently. It is impersonal when lacking face-to-face communication with a doctor.
Nurx operates more like a lab or pharmacy than a doctor’s office. There are quite a few reviews that show some recurring problems with Nurx’s subscription model:
Of the 12 conditions that Nurx can treat per their website, only half are related to women’s health conditions, which include:
Overall, Nurx might be ok if you are simply looking to get your medication or testing and don’t need any personalized care or advice. Next up: hers.
If you like your healthcare to have some sex appeal, you might be tempted to try a prescription provider called hers. hers was created as a branch-off from the original website, hims, which provides a wide range of similar men’s products.
hers provides hair care, skincare, and supplement products as well as mental health, and now, primary care services.
If you like the products that hers offers, hers can be a convenient option for receiving prescriptions regularly.
Hers is different from most online doctors because they carry their own line of personal hygiene products. Women must pamper themselves for optimal health, both mentally and physically. The products themselves are highly rated in customer reviews.
Similar to Nurx, hers also has their own pharmacy they work with to mail birth control prescriptions and other medications directly to your door each month. All of your prescriptions will be recurring subscriptions.
While the reviews we saw regarding the actual products tended to be positive, the patient reviews of the services that hers provides were overwhelmingly bad. Out of 10 reviews at the time of this article, 70% of the reviews were 1 star. Some of the biggest complaints were:
At first glance, you may not even realize that hers is providing healthcare services. Their website gives the appearance that hers is just a skincare product line. If you look closely, there is a link for primary care services. In their sexual health section, you can find:
While a few of those options may be convenient for recurring subscriptions, it seems like hers is more of a store pushing their products than a doctor who is serving their patient’s best interests.
While providing access to birth control is a noble cause, it may be irresponsible to do so without a proper assessment and time for discussion between the patient and doctor. Similar to Nurx, hers has no face-to-face appointment for women’s health care.
Their process includes completing an online intake form, chatting with a provider (it is unclear whether this is a video or text chat), and then receiving a prescription and refills in the mail if deemed appropriate.
Women’s telehealth has great potential to change how we see our doctors and specialists. Switching to virtual doctors is a step that most patients will be taking in the near future, if they have not already begun to do so. As you can see, not all online women’s healthcare providers are created equally, and each has their own set of benefits and setbacks.
If you’re looking to replace your OBGYN, be sure to choose a full-spectrum provider who can address all of your reproductive care needs. Schedule an appointment with My Virtual Physician today to find out what makes us different!
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 STI.
Did you know that the CDC is continually updating its recommendations on STI treatment? In 2021, the CDC released new STI Treatment Guidelines that update recommendations for diagnosing and treating STIs.
In general, from time to time, it’s a good idea to freshen up your knowledge on STI’s. So let’s begin by taking an in-depth look at chlamydia.
Chlamydia is an infection caused by a specific bacteria called C. trachomatis that is transmitted through bodily fluids during sexual contact. Chlamydia can be spread through intimate activity with an infected person during vaginal, oral, or anal sex.
If left untreated, chlamydia can cause serious complications and devastation to a woman’s body. Some of the damage that can occur with untreated chlamydia includes:
Clearly, chlamydia is a serious infection that should be treated as early as possible once detected, but how do you recognize the signs of an infection?
Although most people do not have signs when infected with chlamydia, there are some symptoms that some people experience.
Unfortunately, chlamydia can go undetected because many people, both men and women, are asymptomatic. That is why regular annual screening is critical. The demographic with the highest number of reported chlamydia cases are women under 25. The CDC’s current recommendation on who should be screened yearly includes:
Testing for chlamydia is simple and easy. My Virtual Physician can order a screening test from your local lab when you schedule an online OBGYN appointment. Typically, a urine test or genital swab is used to diagnose chlamydia; however, the new CDC guidelines also recommend rectal and pharyngeal (throat) testing if a rectal or oral chlamydial infection is suspected.
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Luckily, if you’ve tested positive for chlamydia, there is a simple cure. Antibiotics are used to kill uninvited bacteria. It is important to listen to all of your doctor’s instructions and complete the medication, even if symptoms disappear. Refraining from sexual activity for 7 days after being treated is also very important to prevent re-infection. The CDC recommends that patients who have been treated for chlamydia should schedule a follow-up STI test within three months of treatment.
Chlamydia can be a devastating diagnosis, but it doesn’t have to be. Regular testing can catch the infection early on before any damage can be done to your reproductive system. Have you had your annual chlamydia or other STI screening this year? Schedule your appointment with My Virtual Physician so we can take care of your testing needs.
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 you want everything to go perfectly.
In the United States, the average number of biological children per family has remained between 1 and 2 since the late 1970s, according to Census.gov. So it is fair to say that most pregnancies in the US are a new experience by first-time mothers. Because pregnancy is new, exciting, and uncertain, it is common practice for expecting mothers to download a pregnancy app.
Over half of pregnant women have downloaded a medical app to track their baby’s growth. As pregnancy apps became available for free download at the turn of the century, newly expecting mothers began finding comfort in knowing what was going on inside their bodies. Pregnancy apps provide regular updates and visuals to the mom-to-be who can’t yet see or feel her baby growing.
While an app that gives you updates on the size of your baby and the changes that a typical body is experiencing during each stage of pregnancy can seem harmless, there may be a reason to think twice before downloading that pregnancy app.
The pandemic has caused an exponential growth in the number of downloads of mobile health apps, up to a 25% increase in downloads. This increase may be due to fewer in-person visits and less time with the doctor to discuss the new mother’s changing body.
Because we have become a society that thrives on instant gratification, the model of an instant download of a free app is very appealing when compared to waiting several weeks for your first prenatal appointment with your doctor. If you are relying on information provided in your app, just keep in mind who is behind the content on your pregnancy app.
The majority of pregnancy apps are operated by non-medical organizations; instead, they are usually run by journalism-type institutions. In fact, a 2021 study of 29 pregnancy apps showed only 28% of apps referenced literature in their content. On top of that, only 40% of the apps studied covered each stage of pregnancy thoroughly and appropriately.
While we acknowledge that these health apps do contain useful information and tidbits, it appears to be largely incomplete, lending the question of whether it was designed for a more nefarious purpose.
Unsuspecting mothers, who were simply looking for more details on their growing poppy seed, were the driving force behind the initial construction of these apps, but is that still the only purpose today? Or is it possible that well-intentioned mothers are downloading pregnancy apps and in turn unknowingly exchanging their sensitive health information and providing a consumer to soak up their advertisements?
Consider that all mobile apps have to make a profit somewhere. Generally, most apps make a profit off of annoying ads that pop up or show on the sideline while you are trying to use the app. The primary goal of the app can phase more into getting consumers to view or click on the ads rather than the original intention of providing accurate health information.
Along with the advertising bombardment you will probably receive while using a pregnancy app, you are likely going to find yourself getting a lot more junk e-mail. Most of the apps require a sign-up which means you are giving your email away to companies that can target you based on all the details you provided on your pregnancy. A 2017 study showed that almost all the pregnancy apps studied gave away private health information to third parties.
With pregnancy hormones circulating on high, the emotional burden of targeted ads like stretch mark cream and expensive cord blood banking can take a toll on a woman who is just trying to learn about her baby’s development.
So what can a woman do? Some doctors have recognized that their patients have a need to understand their pregnancy each step of the way, but it would not be possible for doctors to provide every answer, every time.
The solution for the health information and targeted ad problem of pregnancy apps might be that more and more doctors will begin to develop their own apps or resources that are comprehensive, free from advertising, and that adhere to strict HIPAA privacy laws. Until we get to that point, awareness is the most important tool that we can use to prevent pregnancy apps from causing more harm than good.
Of course, there are always old-fashioned books or e-books that can be read, although they are not quite as exciting as logging in each day to see how your little one has developed. Every woman must weigh her decision on whether the risk is too great.
My Virtual Physician is available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. With our monthly complete care plan, you can see your online OBGYN doctor as many times as needed throughout the month to address any of your pregnancy questions that come up.
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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 your balance is off.
pH is the measure of any substance’s acidity or alkalinity. The scale is measured from 0-14, where 7 is neutral, 0 is very acidic, and 14 is very alkaline/basic. Your vagina has a pH range that is considered healthy and protective because it facilitates the correct balance for your normal flora.
pH is very important to maintaining a balance of the normal flora in the vagina. Normal flora is defined as the bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms that are found on or inside a healthy body. These tiny organisms are usually beneficial to the body for several reasons:
A healthy vaginal pH ranges from 3.8 to 4.5 on the pH scale. It is normal for your pH to fluctuate based on your age and the stage of your menstrual cycle. The normal range of vaginal pH is on the lower half of the scale, indicating that a moderately acidic pH is ideal for proper vaginal health.
What happens when your pH level is not in the moderately acidic range? A more neutral or basic pH can lead to decreased protection due to an imbalance in your normal flora. This can allow bad bacteria to multiply and thrive in the vagina.
A few issues that you may be susceptible to when pH is off are:
There are a lot of factors that can affect your body’s pH level. Here are a few things that tend to increase your vaginal pH, leaving you more vulnerable to illness:
Over-the-counter tests are available from most general stores if you want to check your vaginal pH level in the privacy of your own home. If you find that your vaginal pH level is not in the normal range (3.8 to 4.5), My Virtual Physician would be happy to evaluate the cause and get your body back to its healthy pH.
Likely, if your pH level is off, you will have other symptoms that prompt you to do this pH test. Some common symptoms of pH level imbalance include:
There are several ways that vaginal pH can be corrected through things like probiotics, diet, and hydration. It can be overwhelming to try to tackle all of these at once. As your online OBGYN, we are here to help you get your pH back to normal.
Have you ever tested your vaginal pH level? If you recently tested and had an abnormal result, give My Virtual Physician a call to discuss a plan to get your health back.
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 when to talk further with your virtual gynecologist.
Do you always get your period on the same day each month? If not, there is probably nothing to be concerned about. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about what is normal during your period.
Although it is commonly taught that a period cycle is 28 days, a healthy cycle can vary from 24 to 38 days. A menstrual cycle starts on the first day of your period and is calculated by counting the number of days until the first day of your next period.
Each period is marked by shedding the uterine lining when hormone levels are low from the absence of pregnancy. Once your lining is shed, the body will again prepare the uterine lining for pregnancy in the new cycle and the process repeats each month or so.
So what is considered normal in regards to the amount of bleeding each month? Most women report that their periods last between 3 and 5 days. It is difficult to get a true measurement of the amount of blood lost during a period due to the absorbent nature of pads and tampons, but the CDC estimates that the amount of blood loss is about 2 to 3 tablespoons per period (about 30-45mL). For reference, a typical menstrual cup holds about 30 mL and pads or tampons hold about 5mL if fully saturated. Other estimates have been anywhere between 10 and 80 mL per period. As you can see, the amount of menstrual bleeding that is normal varies greatly.
If you are curious about finding out exactly how much blood you’re losing, see our article on Menstrual Cups which can give a lot more insight into the volume and contents of your uterine lining. You may be surprised to learn that your period does not just shed blood; your body is also shedding mucus, tissue, uterine lining, and small blood clots.
Many women experience a lot of variation during their periods. Sometimes a period can start out very heavy or very light and the next day will be the opposite. Some women continue to have very heavy periods for a shorter duration while others may have mostly light periods for a longer duration. One cycle to the next can also vary greatly for the same woman.
As you can see, the experience each woman has with her menstrual cycle is very tailored to her unique body, so the range of “normal” is fairly large. That’s not super helpful if you’re trying to figure out if you are experiencing a menstrual disorder. Let’s explore the red flags of when to call your gynecologist.
Although our bodies are pretty miraculous at figuring out how to function perfectly all on their own; sometimes things get out of order. There are many medical conditions related to your cycle that your virtual physician can discuss further with you.
Some common menstrual irregularities include:
The above menstrual conditions can be caused by a number of factors including stress, hormonal imbalances, and many other possibilities. If you are experiencing any of the above and are concerned about your period, reach out to My Virtual Physician to schedule an appointment and discuss your concerns.
The beauty of scheduling an appointment with My Virtual Physician is that you can see the doctor when it is convenient for you. If you need to see the doctor multiple times throughout your menstrual cycle to discuss irregularities, you can do that!
Our doctors are professionals and they are comfortable discussing subjects that are considered taboo to the general population. We specialize in helping make sure that your body and reproductive system are functioning properly.
Are you currently experiencing an abnormal period and wondering if you should seek medical attention? Don’t wait, book an appointment now to discuss your concerns.
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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 you’ve found that you’re in this situation, this article will give you the answers you’re looking for including:
Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) are a common illness that affect women more often than men. This type of infection is caused by bacteria in the urinary system (urethra, ureters, bladder, kidneys). The most proactive thing you can do, if you are traveling and think you might be coming down with a UTI, is to pay attention to any symptoms.
Some of the common symptoms of a UTI include:
This step is very important! At the first sign of any of the above symptoms, stop immediately at the next exit and grab some supplies to get you on your way to feeling better.
The best thing you can do for immediate care is to re-hydrate your body to help flush out the urinary system. Grab a 6 pack of bottled water, drink, pee, and repeat. Holding your urine in your bladder for too long can encourage the bacteria to multiply. Flushing water through your system helps to both rehydrate your body and flush bacteria out.
There are several over-the-counter medications geared toward helping with UTI’s. Some are strictly for pain management and others claim to help dissipate or prevent UTI’s. At a minimum, pick up some pain killers geared toward relieving urinary tract infection discomfort; you’ll want to have this on-hand in case your pain becomes worse. Usually, these medications are kept in the aisle with the menstrual care items.
Once you have taken the first steps toward healing your UTI, you may want to call in to your Virtual OBGYN to get an appointment on the books to make sure the infection is gone and get a prescription if necessary.
Traditionally, seeing your doctor while you were out of town was out of the question or limited only to emergency room visits. Today, if you are lucky, your brick and mortar physician might call-in a prescription for you; but more than likely they will require you to go into a facility for an evaluation. This adds delay and frustration to getting care and getting back on the road.
The best way to get quick medical attention for your UTI, whether traveling or not, is to see your virtual OBGYN here at My Virtual Physician. You can always schedule a proactive appointment if you feel the UTI symptoms coming on. When it comes to treating a urinary tract infection, it is better to be prepared for the worst rather than to wait and see what happens.
Getting a UTI while traveling to Las Vegas or another dream vacation destination doesn’t have to ruin your trip! A little bit of quick action can get you feeling better so you can fully enjoy your trip. Are you suffering and in need of immediate treatment for a UTI? Click to book your appointment here!
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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 period aisle shelves than just pads, tampons, and pantyliners. One relatively new item that you may have noticed is the menstrual cup. Not sure what that is? No worries, we will explain:
A menstrual cup is a small, flexible, re-usable cup used to collect menstrual blood during your cycle. The cup nestles comfortably inside the vagina similar to a tampon and can be emptied, rinsed, and re-inserted as often as necessary.
Today, menstrual cups are usually made out of silicone; they have also been made from rubber or latex in the past. Although many women have never heard of the menstrual cup, it has been around for a long time (menstrual cups were patented in 1937). The fact that they are still around today shows that they have been a proven method of menstrual management throughout history.
The recent rebound that menstrual cups have made since the year 2000 can be attributed to the use of medical-grade silicone which is a softer, more flexible and comfortable material than what was previously used.
Menstrual cups come in a variety of options. There are multiple sizes and shapes available, different levels of rigidity/softness, and different price points. The price of a menstrual cup is generally in the range of $20-$40 depending on the brand.
The up-front cost of a menstrual cup may seem off-putting. However, most menstrual cups claim to last up to 10 years before needing to be replaced. If you calculate the cost savings of not having to buy period supplies (tampons and pads), there is a significant cost savings each month. With a menstrual cup, it’s a once in 10-year expense that equals as little as one quarter per menstrual cycle.
You can also feel great about keeping tampons and pads out of sewers and landfills. All that is needed for a menstrual cup is a little bit of silicone every 10 years or so.
Another reason women may choose a menstrual cup for their cycle is that sometimes the cotton and other chemicals in tampons and pads can be drying and irritating. Silicone menstrual cups are considered hypoallergenic because they are made of medical-grade silicone with no additional scents or chemicals.
One last perk that a menstrual cup can provide is that some women find they have to go to the restroom for changing out period care items less often. Some menstrual cups claim that you can go up to 8-12 hours depending on your flow as well as the brand and size. The smaller menstrual cups tend to have 2-3 tampon capacity and the medium cups may have a 3-4 tampon capacity.
One thing is for sure when using a menstrual cup instead of other period products; you will learn a lot about your menstrual cycle! Menstrual cups can be a useful tool for both patients and their gynecologists. If you are experiencing irregular periods, your Virtual OBGYN may suggest that you use a menstrual cup in order to observe more information about your period, including a measurable blood volume, consistency, and patterns in blood flow.
If your current period product practice isn’t working for you, bring it up during your next online gynecologist appointment. Your doctor can help you select the right period care to fit your needs.
Now you know what a menstrual cup is and why a gal might choose to use one. Is a menstrual cup something you would ever try or are you already using one? Share your thoughts or experiences about menstrual cups on our Facebook page or e-mail us!
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 completely transformed; a substantial component of our healthcare will be virtual. With all these new virtual options starting to become available now, how does a patient choose which one is right for her or her family? Although we can’t make that decision for you, we will show you what set My Virtual Physician apart from other telehealth companies.
How much is this going to cost me? Cost is a huge factor when it comes to choosing a doctor. Traditional doctor appointments have proven to be very expensive, and more commonly, led to surprise bills that continue to trickle into your home long after you thought you were done paying.
With most health insurance, you still pay for 100% of your medical care out of pocket until you meet a deductible amount. Once your deductible is met, you continue to pay a portion of the doctor appointment, but largely, the amount you will be charged remains a mystery until the bill goes through your insurance company and you’re stuck with the remaining balance.
With My Virtual Physician, whether you have insurance or not, the cost of your appointment is up-front and will not change. There is no surprise billing. We make our pricing plans very transparent and affordable. If you decide to use our telehealth services and schedule a one-time appointment, your cost will be $49. That meets or beats our competitors’ rates which can be as high as $75.00 per visit (Doctor On Demand).
What if you need to see your virtual OBGYN more frequently? An example would be a condition where your physician would like you to try a treatment option for a specified period and re-visit your symptoms at regular follow-up virtual appointments. If you’re in this situation, we have options to keep your medical bills from stacking up.
My Virtual Physician offers individual subscription plans with two additional membership levels above the pay-per-visit option. The complete care plan grants you unlimited telemedicine visits with not just your OBGYN, but also your primary care physician. This option is truly unique to My Virtual Physician and we are proud to offer this practical service to our patients. That means you pay a flat subscription rate per month and you could see your online OBGYN (and PCP if available in your state) many times for just $99.
If you just love the freedom and certainty you get from having the complete care plan for yourself, we now have the option to expand it to the ones you love. Our family plan covers your whole family. The basic family rate includes up to two adults and two children for $149/mo and additional children can be added for $10 per child/mo. With the family plan, your whole family can see the doctor as many times as needed for a flat rate. So whether it’s your OBGYN, your children’s pediatrician, or your husband’s primary doctor; My Virtual Physician has you covered.
Although going to the doctor is not usually a very happy time for anyone facing a condition, we love to see your smiling face, and a familiar face is comforting when you are in need. Most of the big-name virtual care websites have countless doctors working for them; which means you’ll be seeing a different face every time you visit. You will also have to rehash your history every time you see a new doctor.
Fortunately, we have a different approach to your virtual care. My Virtual Physician has a small team of board-certified physicians. This means that you will see our same smiles every time you come back. We enjoy seeing your smile and can easily monitor your condition with our virtual tools without wasting appointment time gathering history repetitively.
Times are changing and to take full advantage of your options to see your physician online, it’s important to consider why you would choose one virtual physician company over the rest.
At My Virtual Physician we’ve taken a unique approach towards online healthcare by making regular care affordable and transparent for our patients.
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Have you ever wondered what the anatomy of a 15-minute online OBGYN Las Vegas appointment looks like?
Traditionally, when going to see your doctor and treating a condition, most of us are used to going through a sometimes painstaking process. That process includes scheduling an appointment, taking time off work, remembering to go to your appointment, and then driving to a clinic where you’ll spend hours getting treated.
Things have shifted when it comes to your doctor visit. According to the CDC, there was a week in 2020 with a 154% increase in telehealth visits when compared to the previous year. This means more people are trying out telemedicine.
Seeing your OBGYN Las Vegas doctor online is a new experience for most women. That’s why we have written this blog post to let you know what to expect during a typical visit, from scheduling the appointment to picking up your medications at the pharmacy.
My Virtual Physician has a team of experienced board-certified doctors who have been providing virtual doctor appointments to patients for over a year now so we have settled into a system that is very comfortable for both the physicians and our patients. Here, we will explain our simple telehealth process.
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Sometimes seeing a doctor just can’t wait the weeks or months that most brick and mortar offices require. That’s why My Virtual Physician is here; we want you to have access to your OBGYN Las Vegas physician when you need it. We can get you scheduled within 24 hours, if not sooner!
Before you schedule your appointment, the first step is to verify that your symptoms can be addressed through an online virtual appointment. Click here to see a list of conditions that we can easily diagnose and treat online at this time.
Here are a handful of qualifying medical conditions we can treat online:
So you’ve confirmed that your symptoms can be diagnosed and treated using our telehealth OBGYN services. Congratulations, you are ready to schedule your first appointment with your online OBGYN! Here’s what to do:
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Everything is confirmed and you show up virtually at the scheduled date and time to meet with your online OBGYN Las Vegas doctor, what does that look like?
First, you’ll get signed into our secure portal with your mobile phone or computer (with mic and camera). Instructions on how to access the portal are provided before your appointment.
Unlike a traditional doctor’s appointment, you won’t wait hours in the lobby until your doctor is finally available to see you! Our doctors are ready for you at your scheduled time, every time.
The next part of your visit will look a lot like a typical doctor's appointment. Your OBGYN virtual physician will chat with you about your concerns and/or symptoms to get a better understanding and to make a diagnosis and provide treatment options.
There may even be a physical self-exam. You could be led by your doctor through movements or exercises to gather more information. For example, during a UTI appointment, patients may be asked to tap on different parts of their body to determine the stage and location of the infection.
The last part of a typical online OBGYN doctor appointment is where the doctor provides treatment options based on his or her observations. If the best treatment is medication, our online doctors can send prescription orders directly to your local pharmacy for pickup or delivery.
So yes, it’s really that easy! In about the time it took you to read this blog post, you could have your OBGYN appointment done and over with and be on your way to feeling better now. Once you’ve tried telemedicine once, you’ll see how convenient it is.
In fact, a recent study found that the satisfaction rate of telehealth services was as high as 99%!
Will telemedicine be your new go-to method when you need your doctor? Book an appointment now with our OBGYN Las Vegas physicians to find out!
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Many women enjoy the feel of soft-shaven skin. But the red, itchy patches that come after can be a real pain. Razor bumps in sensitive areas like the bikini line are annoying. So how can men and women deal with razor bumps down there?
Razor bumps, technically called pseudofolliculitis barbae, are a common skin complaint. Fortunately, they are preventable to some degree. By protecting skin before, during, and after hair removal, men and women can minimize the effects of razor bumps.
If you're wondering how to save your skin, check out these tips to steer clear of painful razor bumps.
Razor bumps are an uncomfortable sign of skin irritation. For those who already have them, the first step is to keep them from getting worse.
A compress made with salt water can also help soothe the skin. Saltwater cleans and heals the skin by osmosis. To make a "saline soak" at home:
Consider adding a couple of drops of an essential oil, like tea tree oil, to the saline solution for more relief.
When bumps don't go away or become more painful, it may be best to see a doctor.
A physician can tell if the problem is razor bumps or may be something else. Some doctors use antibiotic gels, steroids, or retinoids to treat severe cases.
They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. When it comes to razor bumps, it's very true.
Here's how you can lower your risk of getting razor bumps from shaving.
Find more tips on how to prevent razor bumps here.
Taking care of skin before, during, and after hair removal can go a long way in preventing razor bumps.
If you've tried to treat pseudofolliculitis barbae yourself but find the situation getting worse, it may be time to check with a doctor.
Are you looking for a doctor near you to treat your sensitive issues? My Virtual Physician has board-certified physicians who can address gynecological and primary care problems via video visits.
If you would like to talk with a board-certified doctor, you can schedule your appointment online now. My Virtual Physician offers health screening, lab tests, and counseling to meet all of your healthcare needs.
Every 13 minutes, a woman dies from breast cancer. Unfortunately, many women with the disease do not show symptoms. So, regular screening for breast cancer is critical for early detection and diagnosis.
Breast Cancer screening typically occurs as a part of routine preventative care. Individuals do not have to have any signs or symptoms to have a screening performed by their doctor. Manual exams, ultrasound, thermography, and mammography are a few ways patients are screened for abnormalities. A doctor can explain screening options and when it is time to consider certain tests.
To find out how breast cancer screening aids in the diagnosis of the disease, read on.
Breast cancer can be asymptomatic. In other words, it may have no symptoms. In fact, cases may show different symptoms and examination findings. That is why screening should be individualized for each patient.
Screening means looking for or testing for something when there are no signs.
Many people think that only someone with a family history should worry. Yet, about 85% of breast cancers occur in women who do not have any family history of breast cancer. Rather, genetic mutations that occur as women age increase their risk. The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are being a woman and growing older.
Doctors are trained in the latest research and guidelines. They can tell their patients about the options. And doctors help women decide when it is a good idea to be tested.
Breast cancer is typically diagnosed in one of the following ways:
Mammography is the most common screening method used today. Other testing methods include Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBI) and thermography, although these are not widely used.
According to a recent article, doctors are seeing later-stage cancer cases in younger women. This is worrisome because cancers detected in younger women in their 20s and 30s are more aggressive. And they may lead to poorer outcomes.
Doctors are seeing later-stage cancer cases in younger women. This is worrisome.
Early detection is key in cancer treatment. The cost of treatment, risks of complications including death, and length of treatment go down with earlier detection.
If not caught early, cancers can grow and spread. When cancer cells move to other organs, this is called metastasis. Thus, cancer is harder to treat.
The best way to catch cancerous changes early is through regular check-ups with a doctor and routine screening tests to help detect changes early. Online doctors or virtual gynecologists can order mammograms or other imaging tests, and tailor screening plans for women who do not usually see a primary care physician.
Medical researchers continue to look for ways to help doctors with better and more accurate tests.
In 2019, the National Cancer Institute presented a new study that showed Doctors could detect breast cancer up to five years before any clinical signs appear, using a blood test for tumor-associated antigens (TAAs).
Newer research from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine paired blood tests with other screening tests to determine whether finding and treating cancers identified by blood tests reduced mortality rates. Researchers said that “some screening may actually cause more harm than good.” And so, they used bloodwork with standard imaging procedures.
Results were promising. Researchers concluded that there is hope for a blood test that could eventually reduce deaths from cancers that typically go undetected until late stages. But “any blood test needs to complement and add to standard-of-care screening because standard-of-care screening works.”
Current recommendations encourage most women to have a mammogram beginning at age 40. Here are the most recent guidelines on screening.
My Virtual Physician can offers virtual gynecology services in many states. Women can talk with experts about individualized screening plans. Don’t worry about your risk. Talk to the doctor now.
My Virtual Physician is now accepting new patients.
Telemedicine is a great choice for women with gynecologic concerns. The My Virtual Physician founder, Dr. Howard, recently joined a call to explain the value of telemedicine in gynecology. So how can virtual gynecology address women's health concerns?
Irregular periods are one of the most common reasons that women see gynecologists. Here's a look at what Dr. Howard shared.
One of the most common questions about Virtual Gynecology is, "how much of gynecology can be dealt with through telemedicine?" How can diseases or conditions be dealt with through a video visit?
One of the most common reasons women see their gynecologist is irregular periods.
Some women have regular but heavy periods, which are abnormal periods. Abnormal or irregular periods are one of the most frequent reasons why a woman will go to the gynecologist. In young or premenopausal women, the most common reason for irregular periods is a hormonal imbalance. In other words, they're not ovulating regularly. Other times, the lining of the uterus is dysfunctional.
One of the most common ways in young women to fix irregular periods is to manage hormones through a trial of hormonal contraception. To be clear, this is through the use of birth control pills.
For a young woman who visits a doctor for irregular periods, the doctor will take a good history. He or she will make sure that there is not a specific reason for the irregularity. For example, if the young woman has previously had an ultrasound that showed she has fibroids, or other specific structural pathology in the uterus, that could explain the abnormal periods.
An online physician can take a thorough patient history through a video visit and prescribe birth control pills. This is one of the most common things that gynecologists do for young women: start a trial of birth control pills.
Young women with irregular periods do not need a pelvic exam initially.
However, if birth control pills fail to regulate periods, then a woman may need imaging. In some cases, a doctor may even need to look inside the uterus with a camera to see if there is any pathology. And before any invasive procedure, the doctor must do an exam to see how big the uterus is and which way it points because that will guide any surgery.
But initially, when a woman first presents with irregular periods, a video visit is appropriate because a pelvic exam is not needed up front. The doctor needs a good history followed by a trial of hormonal management. Birth control pills can be prescribed electronically, and the entire visit can be be done virtually.
After a few months, if the patient's periods are still irregular, then it may be time for a pelvic ultrasound. This test can be ordered electronically.
The patient will go to a radiology facility for an ultrasound and the report will be faxed to the physician. In some cases, the doctor will have electronic access to the images if the radiology site has a provider portal. Many facilities do. They may provide referring doctors with usernames and passwords they can use to log in and view the ultrasound results. Depending on what the imaging shows, the doctor may move forward with certain treatments.
Although many people would stereotypically think, "oh, I've got to go in," for irregular periods in a young woman, this problem can actually be dealt with through a video visit, at least initially. Depending on ultrasound results, there may ultimately be a time when a patient must go into a gynecology office. But initially, the assessment and management of abnormal periods can be done entirely through a video visit.
"A lot of people would stereotypically think, 'oh, I've got to go in,' ... you can see that actually, abnormal bleeding can be dealt with through a video visit."
- DR. DAVID HOWARD
Now consider the opposite extreme, a woman who is postmenopausal, having bleeding or spotting, the first thing the OB/GYN might do is get a pelvic ultrasound. If the uterine lining is less than five millimeters thick, a biopsy is not indicated. Current evidence shows that.
This transcript was exported on Sep 16, 2021
Still, a patient who has postmenopausal spotting should be evaluated. Since a pelvic ultrasound is not necessarily needed on a first visit, a woman can choose a video visit.
However, if bleeding is heavy, they should go to an emergency room (ER). An ER doctor can assess why the bleeding is heavy. They can assess the amount of bleeding.
If a woman has one episode of postmenopausal spotting but is worried, they can book a video visit. Through a virtual consultation, the doctor can take their history. Then a pelvic ultrasound can be ordered for the physician to review. After this, the doctor will schedule a follow-up visit by video to discuss results with the patient.
If the lining of the uterus is less than five millimeters thick, then the doctor does not have to do a biopsy. The chances of a patient having endometrial or uterine cancer then is very low.
On the other hand, if the lining of the uterus is thick, more than five millimeters, then a woman does need to go into the gynecologist's office for an exam and possibly a procedure such as a biopsy. Yet, the initial part of the assessment and management of postmenopausal bleeding can be done through video visits.
In summary, medical management for abnormal bleeding can be thought of as a three-step process:
As discussed, the first steps can be done through a video visit. At step three, that is when a woman needs to go in office to see a provider.
In short, abnormal uterine bleeding is a common condition that many women would go in to see their gynecologist for. And a lot of people would think, "how can you deal with that through a video visit?"
It is clear that a doctor can start off with a history through video and order a pelvic ultrasound electronically. In some cases, a young patient in their 20's with irregular periods can start with a trial of birth control pills. Postmenopausal women with irregular bleeding can also be treated through a video visit. In the best case scenario, the case can be managed entirely through video visits.
The uncomfortable truth is that doctors probably do too many pelvic exams. Many times they are not necessary. Sensitivity and specificity of pelvic exams, in many cases, is actually really low. Gynecologists should probably be doing a lot less pelvic exams. And when it is really necessary, physicians should be doing them in a very targeted manner.
History, imaging, and blood work, that is the trifecta that accounts for the overwhelming majority of the diagnostic process in gynecology.
"A careful history, imaging, like a pelvic ultrasound, and sometimes blood work. The combination of those three things, that's what really makes the diagnosis overwhelmingly the majority of times in gynecology."
- DR. DAVID HOWARD
Hopefully, eyes are opened as to how abnormal uterine bleeding can be managed through a video visit. A lot of people would not think that it could. Many still don't realize the value of telemedicine in gynecology.
Connect with Our Board-Certified Gynecologists online now. MVP’s founder Dr. Howard is a board-certified physician practicing in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is passionate about medicine and research. He has authored/co-authored several publications and is among the top 10% of scientific reviewers in the United States. Dr. Howard and his team are now accepting new patients.
This transcript was exported on Sep 16, 2021
