Uterine Fibroids
Uterine Fibroids
Fibroids are quite common and may affect 20 to 80% of women during their reproductive years. While benign, fibroids can cause discomfort. The team at HEALTHCARE FOR ALL WOMEN OB-GYN, with offices in queens, long island and Brooklyn, New York, provide a number of treatment options for fibroids, including myomectomies. For fibroid management, call the office or book an appointment online.
Uterine Fibroids
What are fibroids?
Fibroids are benign growths that occur in the uterus. They’re also sometimes referred to as leiomyomas or myomas. These types of growths form from muscle tissue and are never cancerous. They vary in both size and number.
Your risk of getting fibroids increases as you get older. Other risk factors for fibroids include:
· Obesity
· Family history
· Being African American
· High red meat or pork consumption
How do I know I have a fibroid?
While fibroids are common, many women don’t even know they have them because they don’t have symptoms. You may only find out you have a fibroid after an examination at Healthcare for all women OBGYN.
Common symptoms of fibroids include:
· Heavy bleeding
· Painful intercourse
· Back or pelvic pain
· Increase in abdominal girth
· The feeling of heaviness in the pelvic region
· Frequent urination
· Infertility
How are fibroids treated?
There are a number of ways your doctor at Healthcare for all Women OBGYN can treat your fibroid. If you’re not experiencing any symptoms, your doctor may take a wait-and-see approach.
For pain, your doctor may recommend over-the-counter pain relievers. If you’re experiencing heavy bleeding, you might receive help from low-dose birth control.
Your doctor may also suggest gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist medication Lupron®, which is given as an injection, implant, or nasal spray, to shrink the fibroid.
If your symptoms are affecting your quality of life and conservative treatments have failed, your Healthcare for all women OBGYN doctor may recommend surgery.
Common surgical procedures used to remove fibroids include:
· Myomectomy
· Myolysis
· Hysterectomy
· Endometrial ablation
· Uterine fibroid embolization
What is a myomectomy?
A myomectomy is a surgical procedure that removes the fibroid. It’s the preferred method of fibroid removal at Healthcare for all women OBGYN, especially for women who are planning to have children. This procedure removes only the fibroid.
Although the procedure can be done as an open surgery, the team at Healthcare for all women OBGYN prefers to perform myomectomies laparoscopically to reduce healing time and risk of infection.
While a myomectomy can successfully remove your fibroid, it doesn’t prevent new ones from forming.
For help with fibroid management, call the office or book an appointment online.
Cosmetic
Hymenoplasty
A hymenoplasty or hymen reconstruction surgery is the temporary surgical restoration of the hymen. Restoration of the hymen is also referred to as revirginization. A purely cosmetic procedure in which a membrane without blood supply is created, sometimes including a gelatin capsule of an artificial blood-like substance.
Hymenoplasty
What is a hymenoplasty?
A hymenoplasty or hymen reconstruction surgery is the temporary surgical restoration of the hymen. Restoration of the hymen is also referred to as revirginization. A purely cosmetic procedure in which a membrane without blood supply is created, sometimes including a gelatin capsule of an artificial blood-like substance.
The hymen can tear for multiple reasons, not just penetrative sex. Common causes of a torn hymen include:
· Tampon insertion
· Exercise
· Riding a bike or a horse
A hymenoplasty can repair a torn hymen for women who want to restore it due to cultural, religious, or psychological reasons. It will tighten the vaginal opening and cause bleeding upon penetration.
Labiaplasty
Labiaplasty, or the surgical reduction of the external part of the vagina, can be life-changing for women who are uncomfortable or unhappy with the appearance of their genitalia. Besides making the vagina look trim and more contoured, labiaplasty can provide permanent relief from anatomy-related irritation, self-consciousness, and pain during intercourse. The top-notch team of women’s health experts at Health Care for All Women OB-GYN in New York City offers labiaplasty to women who are ready to redefine their intimate appearance. Call or schedule an appointment online at your nearest office in Midtown East, Flatiron or Park Slope.
Labiaplasty
What is a labiaplasty?
Childbirth, significant weight loss and aging can stretch vaginal tissues and permanently alter the contour of vaginal structures. Labiaplasty is a cosmetic surgery that minimizes the length of the labia minora, or the outer part of the female genitalia.
When the labia minora extends past the mons pubis, or the rounded mass of fatty tissue that lies over the pubic bone, it can cause discomfort and irritation, particularly during intercourse. Activities like cycling can also be more painful with a long labia minora.
Comfort aside, many women decide to have labiaplasty, which is the most commonly requested vaginal rejuvenation procedure, simply because the appearance of their genitalia makes them feel less confident.
What are the benefits of a labiaplasty?
If you have a long labia minora that causes you to experience pain during intercourse or while riding a bike, the benefits of labiaplasty are obvious.
If you’re mainly interested in the surgery’s aesthetic benefits, labia reduction can dramatically improve the outward appearance of your vagina. Besides making undergarments and swimsuits fit better, a more contoured appearance can give you a boost of confidence in intimate situations.
Labiaplasty can also help improve sexual sensation; even if you never experienced decreased sensation, you may find that your new shape contributes to an enhanced sexual experience.
Is a labiaplasty right for me?
Whether you were born with an atypical labia minora, or your vagina went through structural changes following weight loss, childbirth, or menopause, labiaplasty can help correct:
· Long, hanging, or obvious labia
· Extruding vaginal lips
· Asymmetrical appearance
· Vaginal or labial discomfort
If the appearance of your vagina makes you feel self-conscious, or if its structure causes discomfort, labiaplasty may be an ideal solution for you.
What is labiaplasty surgery like?
Labiaplasty uses a general anesthetic or intravenous (IV) sedation to ensure total comfort throughout the procedure. The first incisions are made on either side of the labia, so you won’t have any discernible scars after you heal.
Once your surgeon at Healthcare for all women OBGYN removes the excess tissues, they skillfully suture the supporting tissues in place. Given the sensitivity of the area involved, your surgeon uses ultra-fine sutures to close the incisions.
What can I expect after the procedure?
A bandage applied at once after the procedure helps minimize post-surgical swelling and bruising. It may be helpful to use an inflatable seat cushion as your incisions heal over the course of a few days.
You’ll be able to see your new, contoured shape once the swelling goes down. You should be able to resume normal activities, including sexual intercourse, within two to three weeks.
To schedule a consultation, call your nearest Healthcare for all women OBGYN office or book an appointment online today.
Vaginal Rejuvenation
After having a baby, some women experience looseness in their vaginal muscles. This may affect sexual satisfaction and self-esteem. The team at Healthcare for all women OBGYN offers vaginal reconstruction, also known as vaginal rejuvenation, to improve vaginal health and function. To learn more about how vaginal rejuvenation can improve your life, call Healthcare for all women obgyn Queens, Long Island or Brooklyn locations, or book an appointment online.
Vaginal Rejuvenation
What is vaginal rejuvenation?
Vaginal rejuvenation is a cosmetic procedure that improves the function and health of your vagina. This rejuvenating surgery gives you more control over the muscles in your vagina to improve sexual satisfaction for both you and your partner.
In addition to improving your vaginal muscles, vaginal rejuvenation may also include reshaping or trimming of your external genitalia to improve appearance.
Who is a suitable candidate for vaginal rejuvenation?
Women who have vaginal laxity are good candidates for vaginal rejuvenation. In some women, childbirth causes the muscles of the vagina to stretch and separate, leading to a loss of tone and control. Sometimes, the looseness is so great they can’t hold in a tampon.
Vaginal rejuvenation is also used to repair genetic vaginal deformations, such as a fused labium.
What happens during vaginal rejuvenation?
For comfort, vaginal rejuvenation is performed under anesthesia and may take about two hours to complete.
Each vaginal rejuvenation is different. During surgery, your gynecologic specialist at Health Care for All Women OB-GYN may pull your pelvic floor muscles tighter together, trim away excess skin or scar tissue, or both. If your outer genitalia protrude, this may be trimmed and reshaped as well.
The goal of surgery is to restructure your vagina to make it tighter and more aesthetically pleasing.
How long is recovery from vaginal rejuvenation?
It may take up to three months for you to fully recover from vaginal rejuvenation. During the first few days after the procedure, you may experience pain, swelling, and bruising. But these symptoms should subside relatively quickly.
The team at Health Care for All Women OB-GYN provides specific instructions on what you’re allowed and not allowed to do during the recovery phase of your surgery. This includes not having intercourse or using a tampon for up to eight weeks. You may also need to limit your physical activity, including exercise, during the healing process.
To improve muscle control and strength, the team may also recommend you do Kegel exercises as you recover.
What is hymenoplasty?
A hymenoplasty is a cosmetic procedure that restores the hymen, which is the membrane that partly covers the opening of the vagina. The loss of your hymen often signifies the loss of your virginity.
You may want to restore your hymen to regain control over your sexuality or for cultural reasons prior to a marriage. A hymenoplasty may also repair a hymen torn from injury.
For vaginal rejuvenation and restoration, call the office or book an appointment online
Routine gynecologic care
Well woman care
What is well woman care?
In addition to seeing a gynecologist when a woman has a problem, it also is important to schedule routine well woman gynecology appointments. Regular gynecology checkups, examinations and immunizations can help women live healthier by preventing problems before they start and by providing the knowledge to recognize risk factors.
What to expect?
During a well woman visit, several screening tests and exams may be performed, depending on a woman’s age, history and overall health. A Pap test, along with a pelvic exam, is an important part of a woman's routine health care because it may detect abnormalities that can lead to invasive cancer. A Pap test (sometimes called a Pap smear) is a way to examine cells collected from the cervix, or the "mouth" of the womb (located at the top of the vagina), for the presence of:
· Infection
· Inflammation
· Abnormal cells
· Cancer
Most invasive cancers of the cervix can be detected early if women have Pap tests and pelvic examinations regularly. As with many types of cancer, cancer of the cervix is more likely to be successfully treated if it is detected early.
A breast exam also may be performed to look for any changes in the breast and underarm area. A gynecologist also can instruct patients in how to conduct a breast self-examination, which should be performed every month.