Bladder & Pelvic FloorThe short version
Nitrofurantoin: New Cough or Breathing Trouble Needs Attention
Get help promptly for respiratory symptoms while taking this prescribed urinary-infection medicine.
The library
Every article, in one place.
SkinMyth buster
Not Breastfeeding? A Hot, Painful Breast Still Needs Assessment
Breastfeeding is not a requirement for mastitis, and painful warmth or swelling needs prompt professional advice.
SkinThe short version
Nystatin Combination Cream: Check Every Active Ingredient
Show the complete product to your pharmacist when reviewing it with other medicines.
Nystatin Liquid: Use a Medicine Measure, Not a Kitchen Teaspoon
Ask your pharmacist to demonstrate the measuring device for your prescribed oral liquid.
SkinEvidence check
Old Stretch Marks: What Creams, Lasers and Self-Tanner Can and Can't Do
Stretch marks from years ago are usually pale, silvery and slightly sunken. The American Academy of Dermatology says creams seem to have little effect on marks that old. Dermatologist procedures can make them less noticeable, but none removes them. Here is what the research shows, and when new stretch marks after 50 are a clue.
Intimate HealthGuide
Ongoing Pelvic Pain After 50: Causes Beyond Your Uterus and How to Track It
Pelvic pain that lasts six months or more is called chronic pelvic pain, and after menopause it's often not gynecologic at all. The bladder, bowel, back and pelvic muscles can all be behind it, and sometimes more than one. Here is what the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says about causes, the pain journal to keep and treatments that help.
SkinThe short version
Using an Opioid Pain Patch? Keep Direct Heat Away
A hot-water bottle or heat pad over the patch can release a dangerous amount of medicine.
Sleep & NighttimeWhat to expect
Overnight Oximetry Requested? Clarify the Preparation Before Your Test
Check the instructions for the device your sleep service supplies, including its nail-varnish requirements.
Menopause & HormonesEvidence check
A Bladder Pill for Hot Flashes? What the Oxybutynin Trial Showed
Oxybutynin, an old overactive-bladder medicine, is now on the Menopause Society's list of recommended nonhormone treatments for hot flashes. In a 6-week trial in 150 women, many after breast cancer, it cut hot flashes more than placebo. Side effects like dry mouth were common, and longer-term brain concerns with this drug class are worth discussing.
HairExplainer
Partner's Testosterone Gel: Can It Cause Hair Growth in Women?
Testosterone gel can rub off a partner's skin onto yours. The prescribing information warns that women can develop new body hair or acne from contact, and in a transfer study women's testosterone rose by about 60% after a week of skin contact through a T-shirt. In one case, a 63-year-old woman developed male-pattern changes from a shared washcloth. Here is how transfer happens and how to prevent it.
Bloating & DigestionThe short version
PEG Laxatives and Starch-Based Thickeners: Check Before Mixing
This combination can undo thickening intended for swallowing difficulties.
Bladder & Pelvic FloorEvidence check
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy for Interstitial Cystitis: The Trial
Many women with interstitial cystitis have tight, tender pelvic floor muscles. In a North American trial of 81 women, 59% of those given hands-on pelvic floor physical therapy rated themselves moderately or markedly better, against 26% given a general massage. Here is what the therapy involves, what the trial couldn't show, and why squeezing exercises may be the wrong move.
