Understanding Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian Cancer is a women’s disease and it is on the rise. We as women have to take care of ourselves every single day. Even though no matter how much health food we eat and how much we exercise unfortunately, sometimes it’s not enough.

Ovaries are reproductive glands that produce the egg. There is one ovary on each side of the uterus in the pelvis. The egg travels through the fallopian tube and fertilizes into a baby. Ovarian Cancer begins in the ovaries. Many tumors can develop in the ovaries. Most of these are non cancerous, they can be removed by removing part of the ovary, the tumor or the ovary itself. If it is a cancerous tumor it can spread throughout the body and can be more complicated.

Your ovaries have three kinds of tissue:

Epithelial cells that cover the ovary.

Germs cells which are found in the ovary and develop into eggs that are released into the fallopian tube that are released every month.

Stromal cells which develops most of the female’s hormones estrogen and progesterone.

Tumors are named depending on which cells the tumor came from. It could be benign (no cancerous) and cancerous. There three ways to tell what kind of tumor it is by checking all three of tissues.

The Epithelial tumor covers most of the ovary. Most tumors that are found turn out to be this tumor.

The Germ cell tumor comes from part where the eggs develop in the ovary.

Stromal cell tumor comes from the connective tissue that holds the ovaries together.

Epithelial tumors usually do not spread and or lead to serious illness. Malignant tumors are cancerous and can spread to certain parts of the body. Noncanerous tumors are different from malignant cancer they do not grow into the connective tissue and to the stomach. The benign tumor can develop at a young age and even though it can be life-threatening, in most cases it is not. Epithelial ovarian cancer is called carcinomas. 85%-90% of ovarian cancer is epithelial. Here are the different types of ovarian cancer.

Fallopian tube cancer- Is very rare; it usually carries the same symptoms as ovarian cancer. It starts in the tube which carries the egg from the ovary to the uterus. The survival rate is about the same also.

Germ Cell Tumor- The germ cells form the eggs. Some tumors of this sort can be benign. Sometimes it can be life-threatening, only 5% of germ cell tumors are ovarian cancer.

Teratoma- Are germ cell cancers, they are the most common cancers. They usually affect women in their forties and teens, it is called a dermoid cyst, because it looks like skin. It can have different types of tissues like bones, hair and teeth. It can be removed by surgery.

Dysgerminoma- Is a common cancer as well. It affects women in their twenties and teens. It usually is cancerous; some do not grow or grow to fast. About 75% of patients have surgery to remove the ovary if it has spread.

Stromal Tumors- Are mostly found in women in their fifties. These tumors make up about 5%-7% of ovarian cancer. 5% of young girls develop this tumor. The symptoms are abnormal vagina bleeding, something like a period occurring after menopause. This happens because the tumor may cause female hormones; it can also cause breast development and early menstruation in girls.

Ovarian Cysts- Are a build up of fluid in the ovaries. They are usually not life-threatening in women that are ovulating and not going through menopause. If it produces while you are going through menopause and in a girl who has not started having her periods being concerned maybe an option. Your doctor will want to do a check-up after your cycle if you have a cyst. The doctor might want to wait a few months to see if it will go away. The only way to tell if the cyst is malignant, they will have to take it out and examine it. Some cancers can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and medications.

Be healthy, know your body and get regular check-ups.

Health and You

Lorna Darden
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/understanding-ovarian-cancer-717277.html

Hair Loss is Depressing for Men, for Women it Can be a Disaster

In a survey of women who had suffered from noticeable hair loss, half said they had seriously considered suicide and the other half said it had badly affected their marriages. It’s obviously a condition that deserves to be taken seriously by the medical profession, yet until recently there has been a marked disinterest.

‘A lot of people get the feeling that doctors aren’t interested if you go to see them about hair loss,’

‘It’s not life-threatening, it’s not even painful. But it can ruin people’s lives.’

Hair naturally changes in thickness and quality at different times of life. After childbirth, for example, many women find they’re temporarily ‘moulting’ as their hormones change. After the menopause, too, reduced hormone levels usually leave hair a little thinner. But if your hair starts falling out, don’t just accept it.

‘It’s a medical problem, not a cosmetic problem,’

‘It should always be investigated to determine whether there’s a background condition that needs treating.’

Hair loss can take one of several different forms. With alopecia areata, hair starts falling out in patches. This may continue till there’s none left on the body – though a third of sufferers just develop a one-off bald patch, after which the hair grows back and never causes any further problems. Alopecia areata (thought to be an auto-immune condition, in which the body attacks itself) can be triggered by thyroid conditions, anaemia, vaccinations or stress. A tendency to this kind of hair loss sometimes runs in families, along with asthma and eczema.

Male-pattern baldness, or alopecia androgenetica, can affect women too. The hair becomes thin or leaves a bald patch on top of the head. This can be a sign of hormone problems, either caused by a medical condition such as polycystic ovary syndrome or as a reaction to the progestogens in some contraceptive or HRT pills.

Some people lose their hair in the aftermath of a severe shock such as a serious accident or bereavement – a condition called telogen effluvium, in which trauma disrupts the hair’s natural growth cycle so that it all falls out at once. This can also be triggered by unhealthy eating.

‘The commonest cause in women is a nutritional deficiency.’ Avoid yo-yo dieting and crank diets. If you’re not eating animal products, make sure you have enough protein, zinc and iron from other sources, and take vitamin B supplements.

Things have moved on since a GP said not to worry since there were some very nice hats in the shops. Hair loss causes as significant an impact on quality of life as severe illness such as psoriasis.

Treatments for Hair Loss

A lotion called minoxidil has been shown to help alopecia areata when used with the steroid drug prednisolone. Though steroids can have serious side effects, including raised blood pressure and bone-thinning when taken for long periods.

Another course of action is to try to irritate the scalp into producing hair again – amazingly enough, this often works. We use a chemical called diphenylcyclopropenone (Diphencyprone) or leaves from the plant primula obconica.

Minoxidil has been shown to help alopecia androgenetica, with a success rate of two thirds reported for the 5% prescription formula and about one third for the 2% over the counter version. Drugs such as the contraceptive pill Dianette can be used to bring the hormones back into balance.

A new drug called finasteride (Propecia) is available on prescription for men, though it has not yet been tested enough to rule out possible harmful effects on women, and it is suspected of causing damage to babies in the womb.

Whatever your hair-loss problem the first step is to make an appointment with a trichologist.

www.thewestminsterpractice.com

Gary Heron
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/hair-loss-is-depressing-for-men-for-women-it-can-be-a-disaster-118380.html

Faq About Ovarian Cysts

1. How important are the follicular cysts?

The follicle contains the egg which is normally released from this sac when it is mature enough. After the sac had ruptured and set free the egg, it will normally disintegrate. But when this sac does not rupture it will continue to grow and if it ends up measuring more than 8 cm then surgery is necessary. In most of the cases they do not get so large because they shrink after ovulation. If the follicular cyst breaks then pelvic pain will be felt by the women for at least 24 hours due to the bleeding which irritates the abdominal cavity. If bleeding does not stop then he surgeon must interfere and resolve this problem.

2. How are the follicular cysts diagnosed?

Diagnosing such cysts is made with an ultrasound tool. Also, a pelvic exam is helpful in a lot of cases. Without any complication the follicular cysts will disappear after 3 to 6 weeks. Sometimes the ovarian cysts can be confused with ovarian cancer so more tests must be done in order to be sure of the diagnose.

3. What is the corpus luteum cyst?

Generally after the egg is removed from the follicle and if the woman is not pregnant the follicle has to transform into luteum( also known as the yellow body), a smaller sac and then disintegrate. If this small sac gets filled with liquid and measures more than 3 cm it will form the corpus luteum cyst which will remain inside the ovary. This cyst generally ruptures during sexual intercourse and in the last days of the menstrual cycle.

In both follicular cysts and corpus luteum cysts cases, oral contraceptive therapy seems to prevent them from forming.

4. What is the endometrial cyst?

The endometrial tissue is normally found in the uterus but sometimes it can form in other places like outside the ovaries. They are produced during the menstrual cycle by hormone simulation and contain blackish blood which gives them the name of chocolate cysts. Their rupture leads to pelvic pain as all the material they contain gets in that area and creates adhesions between the local structures.

5. Are there any symptoms for the ovarian cysts?

At the beginning while these cysts are still under 3 cm there will be no symptoms. If they get to be larger than 10 cm or they rupture than pain on both sides or only on one side of the abdomen will occur. This pain differs in intensity during the menstruation cycle for each type of ovarian cyst.

6. Is there a risk of infertility if I have ovarian cysts?

The endometrial cyst is the only one that can interfere with the egg release and pickup. These cysts do not affect the quality of the egg but they can affect the ovulation and the follicular development.

7. What other ways are there of diagnosing an ovarian cyst besides ultrasounds?

There can be performed blood tests along with MRI and CT scanning in order to exclude the possibility of an ovarian cancer.

8. How exactly are these cysts treated?

Many gynecologists will recommend the patient an oophorectomy, meaning that the ovary will need to be removed. Sometimes even the hysterectomy will be considered as a measure of treatment. Some surgeons try to remove the cysts safely without spilling any of their contents into the abdomen and then try to reconstruct the ovary.

For more info about pain from ovarian cyst or even about ruptured ovarian cyst please review this page http://www.ovarian-cysts-center.com/

Groshan Fabiola
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/faq-about-ovarian-cysts-118510.html

Information About Functional Ovarian Cysts

In most of the cases the functional ovarian cysts prove to be harmless, do not cause pain or other symptoms, and disappear after some time even without a special treatment.

In case treatment must be applied the doctors think of prescribing a treatment which will reduce the symptoms given by the cyst (pelvic pain) and which will stop the cyst from reoccurring by preventing the ovulation with the help of birth control pills.

Most of the doctors will want to observe the functional ovarian cyst over one or two months as there is a possibility for them to disappear without special treatment. In case the cyst does not go away and it is still developing then the doctor will prescribe the needed treatment for resolving the problem. Also, other tests might be necessary to see if there is something else besides the cyst. At home, besides the prescribed treatment the patient can follow a treatment with heat in order to relieve its symptoms.

The cyst which does not disappear after two months and at the ultrasound has unusual appearance and gives bothering symptoms must be treated as soon as possible with medication or surgery. At first the doctor will recommend birth control pills for several months. In case they are not effective he might try a treatment with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists which will prevent the ovary from producing eggs. In this way the production of ovary and progesterone will decrease too like in menopausal woman. This treatment can be followed only for a few months as it can give significant side effects.

In case these two treatment measures are not working and the cyst is still there causing pain to the patient, the surgery will be the last option of the doctor. The surgery can be made laparoscopic, with the help of the laparoscope. The best thing about laparoscopic surgery is that it leaves only tiny marks on the skin and the patient recovers very fast from the surgery. The patient can leave the hospital during the same day and will be able to go to work after two weeks of rest.

In case the sonogram shows a cancerous cyst then the classical surgery will be performed. This procedure is known as laparotomy.

After menopause the cysts increase the risk of cancer in a patient. This is why surgery is needed and in many case the doctors remove the ovary too to make sure cancer will not develop. If the ultrasound show that the cyst is not cancerous than the transvaginal ultrasound can be used to monitor the cyst over time.

For more info about ruptured ovarian cyst or even about pain from ovarian cyst please review this page http://www.ovarian-cysts-center.com/

Groshan Fabiola
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/information-about-functional-ovarian-cysts-132179.html