care
menopause
prior to any problems through yearly screenings,
such as blood work, mammograms, colonoscopies
and Pap tests.
Blood panels, for example, can determine
whether cholesterol is too high and what the
breakdown of good and bad cholesterol is.
“ is helps to prevent disease rather than
addressing it when it is already there,” Dr. Bindner
says.
Women should pay attention to their health
throughout the phases of their life. Young female
adolescents should see an OB-GYN if they have
menstruation di culty, acne or cramps with heavy
periods, which can cause anemia. e number of
patients with these conditions is typically small.
Young women in their mid- to late teens should
pay attention to prevention and screening. Birth
control and the prevention of STIs (sexually
transmitted infections) are areas of concern.
Women o en start having children in their 20s,
and most have completed their families by age 40.
Pre-conception counseling can help women learn
what to do before becoming pregnant, such as
taking folic acid and maintaining a healthy weight.
“Being healthy and having proper nutrition and
diet are important for women in this age group,”
Dr. Bindner says. “Although people are much more
health conscious, nutrition and education can help
women maintain their health.”
A er age 40, women must still have their
screenings.
“ e most important thing for women to
get done a er the age of 40 is a mammogram,”
Dr. Bindner says. “One out of seven has the risk of
breast cancer.”
Carolina OB/GYN o ers on-site mammograms,
which are more convenient for the patient.
As women age, osteoporosis and menopause
become prevalent health concerns.
“What I recommend for my patients—based
on all of the research data—if a woman does not
have menopause symptoms, don’t take anything,”
Dr. Bindner says. “If you have symptoms, we can
talk about what is the best for you.”
Treatments are available for these conditions, and
depending on the patient circumstances, a physician
can make appropriate care recommendations.
Pap test is simple and essential
It’s a simple, painless test that
can save a woman’s life.
It also can detect infections
and a precancerous condition
called cervical dysplasia. And,
at the very least, it brings peace
of mind.
It’s the cervical Pap test,
developed by prominent Greek
physician Georgios Papanikolaou in the
s to
screen for cancer of the cervix. Before the Pap test,
cervical cancer was the No. cancer killer of women
in the United States, says Christine S. Gerber, MD, a
physician with Carolina OB/GYN.
Thanks to the test and advances in medicine,
cervical cancer has dropped and is now the
No. cancer killer of women in the United States,
Dr. Gerber says.
During the procedure, which takes only a few
minutes, a physician uses a tiny, plastic, broom-like
instrument that collects cells from just inside the
opening of the cervix. The cells are then put into a
xative and examined by a pathologist, who looks for
squamous cells and any other suspicious cells that
indicate whether further testing and screening are
needed.
“The Pap test does not make a diagnosis,”
Dr. Gerber says. “The process is meant to be more
sensitive than it is speci c, so the evaluation tells us
when additional testing may be needed.”
Dr. Gerber says the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that
women begin having a Pap test no sooner than age
, even if they have been sexually active.
Between ages and , women should get a Pap
test annually. A er age , a woman who has had
a negative Pap test for three consecutive years can
cut back to having the test every three to ve years.
Women between the ages of and no longer
need to have the test unless they have a history of
dysplasia or had a hysterectomy because of a cancer
diagnosis. Then a vaginal test is done.
However, Dr. Gerber cautions women not to skip
their annual gynecologic exam. “We do much more
than a Pap test,” she says. “We do breast exams,
pelvic exams, thyroid checks and blood work, so it is
important that women understand that and come in
for their annual physical.”
Schedule an appointment
Carolina OB/GYN has o ces in Murrells Inlet and
Georgetown. O ce hours are a.m. to p.m. from
Monday through Friday. Call
- -
.
ChristineS.Gerber,
MD
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