With February being Heart Health Awareness Month, NCMA Women’s OB/GYN Center seeks to expand on the American Heart Association’s (AHA) focus on heart health. In this article the group shares some tips on what women need to be on the lookout for, along with some tips for staying healthy. According to the AHA women may have a slightly lower incidence of cardiovascular disease (35 percent compared to 37.4 percent for men) but they are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than are men. As many as one out of three deaths among women are attributed to heart disease. Perhaps the most alarm ..read more

New research has found that women who follow a ‘Mediterranean’ diet in the six months before assisted reproductive treatment have a significantly better chance of becoming pregnant and giving birth to a live baby than women who did not. New research has found that women who follow a “Mediterranean” diet in the six months before assisted reproductive treatment have a significantly better chance of becoming pregnant and giving birth to a live baby than women who did not. Researchers asked women about their diet before they underwent in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment and found that those ..read more

At most US maternity units, women in labor are put on nil per os (NPO) status — they’re not allowed to eat or drink anything, except ice chips. But new nursing research questions that policy, showing no increase in risks for women who are allowed to eat and drink during labor. The study appears in the March issue of the American Journal of Nursing, published by Wolters Kluwer. “The findings of this study support relaxing the restrictions on oral intake in cases of uncomplicated labor,” write Anne Shea-Lewis, BSN, RN, of St. Charles Hospital, Port Jefferson, N.Y., and colleagues. Adding to the ..read more

We are pleased to announce the arrival of our newest obstetrician and gynecologist, Dr. Erin MacDonald Erin MacDonald, MD, is now available to see patients at NCMA Women’s OB/GYN Center in Santa Rosa. She is proud to join Northern California Medical Associates’ obstetricians/gynecologists and midwives medical practice. We could not be more thrilled to add a physician of her caliber and passion for women’s health. Dr. MacDonald’s recent experience says a lot about her: Over the past year, she cared for patients at a specialty women’s health group for high-risk and underserved populations in M ..read more

What is endometriosis? Endometriosis is a chronic gynecologic disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the endometrium — grows outside your uterus in other parts of the abdomen. As a condition that occurs in 6–10 percent of women of reproductive age, endometriosis represents a significant health problem for millions (maybe as high as 6.5M) of U.S. women. If you’re still reading, you’re probably one of them, or you may know someone who has had to deal with these common endometriosis symptoms: Painful periods (dysmenorrhea). Pain during intercourse. Pain with bo ..read more

NCMA’s Suzi Saunders, CNM, on providing care to women in countries where access is challenging, like Haiti and the Philippines Photo by Suzanne Saunders, CNM I have been a certified nurse midwife for 21 years. Having worked with NCMA Women’s OB/GYN Center for nearly 18 of those years, I’m very happy to continue my work both in Sonoma County and in sometimes faraway locales where adequate care is scarce. I truly love women’s health. And let me tell you, there is nothing like holding a brand new baby in your hands! I have long had an interest in providing care to women in countries where acces ..read more

Menopause care may include hormone therapy treatment Your body’s hormone levels go through significant changes during the menopause transition, and resulting hormonal imbalances can create uncomfortable physical symptoms and mood swings. Fortunately, hormone therapy (HT) enables menopausal women to substitute for the hormones that are reduced during this transition to relieve symptoms and achieve long-term health advantages. Our physicians will talk with you about the risks and benefits of hormone therapy to help you find the options that best fit your individual body and lifestyle. In recent ..read more

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] New study says no chemotherapy needed to treat common breast cancer A 21-gene test performed on tumors could enable most patients with the most common type of early breast cancer to safely forgo chemotherapy, according to a landmark study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Loyola Medicine oncologist Kathy Albain, MD, is among the main co-authors of the study and a member of the clinical trial’s steering committee. First author is Joseph Sparano, MD, of Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y. T ..read more

May is Preeclampsia Awareness Month and NCMA Women’s OB/GYN Center joins with the Preeclampsia Foundation to help raise awareness. This year the foundation’s efforts are on postpartum preeclampsia as 97 percent of maternal deaths related to preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy occur within just six weeks of delivery, a time when most new mothers might think the danger has passed. A woman can develop preeclampsia after her baby is born, regardless of whether she experienced high blood pressure during her pregnancy. With such alarming statistics related to postpartum preec ..read more

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Feeling stressed? Get your happy on with dark chocolate New research shows there might be health benefits to eating certain types of dark chocolate. Findings from two studies being presented today at the Experimental Biology 2018 annual meeting in San Diego show that consuming dark chocolate that has a high concentration of cacao (minimally 70% cacao, 30% organic cane sugar) has positive effects on stress levels, inflammation, mood, memory and immunity. While it is well known that cacao is a major sourc ..read more