ABC World News recently reported on a new study that showed 100,000 lives could be saved each year if a few preventative steps were taken.

1. Take a daily aspirin. About 45,000 people would be saved each year if they took a daily dose of aspirin. Men over 40, women over 65, and adults with a high risk of heart disease would benefit the most.
2. Quit smoking. An estimated 42,000 lives would be saved if patients were encouraged to quit smoking, and offered assistance.
3. Have a colonoscopy. If 90% of adults aged 50 and older were up-to-date on recommended screening for colorectal cancer, an additional 14,000 lives would be saved each year.
4. Have a mammogram. All women 40 and older should be screened for breast cancer. 3,700 deaths from breast cancer could be prevented each year with the proper screening.
5. Get your flu shot. The flu shot is recommended for children under 5, people over 50, anyone with a diminished immune system, and people caring for any of the above. The flu vaccination is an easy and affordable way to protect yourself.

These are some easy ways to care for your body and prevent serious disease. Make sure you and your loved ones are up-to-date.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a condition in which a woman’s sex hormones are out of balance, causing distressing symptoms and leading to serious health problems. The cause of PCOS is not known, but it affects up to 1 in 10 women and usually appears in the teen years. In PCOS, the ovaries start making more androgens. This may cause you to stop ovulating, get acne, gain weight, and grow extra facial and body hair. Your body also may have a problem using insulin well. This is called insulin resistance and increases your chance of developing diabetes. Because you aren’t ovulating regularly, you can suffer from infertility. PCOS runs in families and your chances of developing PCOS are greater if you have other women in your family with it.

To diagnose PCOS, your physician will rely on many sources of information. Your past medical history can show: family history of PCOS, periods of anovulation and amenorrhea (not having periods), and a pattern of symptoms and complaints. Your physician will do a physical exam looking for signs of PCOS such as extra body/facial hair and high blood pressure. You will probably have some lab tests run checking insulin levels, hormone levels, and LH/FSH levels. These lab tests will also rule out other problems that may be causing your symptoms. Your physician may order a pelvic ultrasound as well, but can’t diagnose PCOS just from the ultrasound. Many women with PCOS don’t have any ovarian cysts and ovarian cysts are found in women that do not have PCOS. The ultrasound is helpful in assessing the extent of the changes in your body.

How is PCOS treated? Your physician will probably start by recommending a heart-healthy diet rich in high fiber, low fat foods. Most women with PCOS benefit from losing weight-even 10 pounds can make a difference. Get 30 minutes of physical activity every day.

There are some medications that can help relieve symptoms as well. Birth control pills are often prescribed to regulate periods, get rid of facial hair and acne, and to prevent endometrial cancer. Spironolactone is used to lower testosterone levels-which will reduce acne and facial hair growth as well. Metformin can be prescribed, as women with PCOS frequently have insulin resistance. Metformin helps control insulin and blood sugar levels, helps you lose weight, and reduces testosterone levels. This lowers your risk for heart disease and diabetes. You may also be given fertility drugs to help you with pregnancy.

Working closely with your physician to control symptoms of PCOS will protect your current and future health, making your symptoms much more manageable.

Endometriosis is a painful condition that can lead to infertility. There is no cure except a total hysterectomy, but hormones can help considerably with the pain and to prevent it from getting worse.

What is endometriosis? The endometrium is the tissue that lines the uterus. During each menstrual cycle the endometrium thickens, getting ready for possible pregnancy. If you don’t become pregnant, the endometrium is shed, which causes your menstrual period. Endometriosis is endometrial tissue that flows the wrong way out through the fallopian tubes and grows on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, the outer surface of the uterus, bowels or other abdominal organs. The growths are called implants. These implants grow, bleed, and break down with each menstrual cycle, just like the endometrium does. This can cause pain, infertility, and in some cases, scar tissue that interferes with an organ’s normal function. Women who suffer from endometriosis will often feel less pain during pregnancy and have no symptoms at all after menopause.

What can hormones do to help? Hormone therapy can reduce the estrogen levels in your body.  Estrogen is the hormone that “feeds” endometriosis growth. Using progesterone, a Mirena IUD or birth control pills (a estrogen/progestin combo) can slow or halt growth of implants. Let’s take a closer look at each option:

1. progesterone-Using progesterone lowers estrogen levels. This causes the implants to shrink thereby reducing pain as well. Using bioidentical progesterone can be an effective long-term treatment as it helps prevent bloating, protects bones and protects you from breast and uterine cancer. Progesterone has the smallest amount of side affects of any hormone treatment for endometriosis. Does not prevent pregnancy.
2. Mirena IUD- This is a device that releases low levels of progestin constantly into the body and only needs to be changed every 5 years. This is a good option for those who don’t want to think about using a medication daily. Prevents pregnancy. Is a synthetic progestin, but at a very low dose. Side effects can include minor weight gain.
3. Birth control pills-estrogen/progestin combination pills that stop ovulation and endometrial growth. Birth control pills cause implants to shrink and protect against pregnancy.  Lower ovarian cancer risk (which is higher with endometriosis) and can be used long-term.

Hormone therapies are effective for 80-90% of women with endometriosis. While one may work for you, it may not work for someone else. Ultimately, if you are done with childbearing the only definitive cure for endometriosis is hysterectomy with removal of the ovaries that secrete estrogen and feed the implants. This is a last resort for severe pelvic pain. Your physician can help you decide which treatment is right for you.

In a news story broadcast July 31, 2007, ABC World News reported that hundreds of mammography centers are shutting down around the country and that fewer doctors are willing to do mammograms.  What’s going on??

Insurance companies are not reimbursing for mammograms, and a better test has been discovered. In a study published in the August 2007 issue of Radiology, it was revealed that MRI’s had a higher rate of breast cancer detection than either mammography or ultrasound. Spanning several centers, the study compared mammography, ultrasound and MRI’s in 171 asymptomatic women who were confirmed carriers of BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 mutation or had at least a 20% chance of carrying the mutation. The MRI detected areas of concern in 3.5% of the women, the mammograms detected problems in 1.2% of the women and ultrasound detected areas in 0.6% of the women. A total of 16 biopsies were performed and 6 cancers detected.

What do these findings mean in plain English? Mammograms and ultrasounds were not as sensitive as the MRI’s and missed several areas of concern. Early detection of breast cancer increases a patients odds of survival drastically. MRI’s offer earlier detection, giving patients more treatment options and a greater chance of successful treatment.