Tag Archives: singles

It’s National Women’s Health Week

This week is National Women’s Health Week, which is intended to empower women to make their health a top priority. The truth is that many times women put themselves at the bottom of their list. So many other people and circumstances call to us that we are often left without any resources for ourselves. The theme for this week is “It’s Your Time” and I want to make that same declaration to every woman who reads this. It is your time. It is your time to make whatever changes in your life are necessary in order to be the best … Continue reading →

Hurry Up and Wait

I’ve been joking lately that I’d like to take the next step in figuring out my health mystery soon — and not “soon” in dog years. Things feel like they’re moving very slowly. To recap: just before New Year’s, I had a physical and pelvic exam. Because my uterus was enlarged, the nurse midwife suspected I had fibroids. She ordered an ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis. But the ultrasound results were unclear… so the plan is to hand me off to a specialist for further testing. It hasn’t quite been a month since the pelvic exam and original diagnosis… but … Continue reading →

A Mystery is Afoot!

Well… a mystery is a-uterus. First, a quick recap: I went to my doctor before New Year’s for a physical, including pelvic exam. After running down some of my monthly issues — and after finding that my uterus seemed enlarged, the doctor suspected I had fibroids and sent me off for an ultrasound. The results of my uterus are in… and they’re not quite clear. The ultrasound showed that I have two pretty good sized growths. One is inside the uterus; the other is outside the uterus. In fact, the outside growth is larger than my uterus itself. For the … Continue reading →

My Ultrasound Experience

As promised, a report on my ultrasound adventure! I went to an imaging center for a pelvic ultrasound. The prep is different, depending on which body part is being scanned. My prep was pretty easy: drink five glasses of water in the hour prior to your scan. (For ultrasound scans of other areas of the body, you may be asked to fast, or drink only clear liquids.) There was only one hard part: I couldn’t use the bathroom until AFTER my scan. This inspired nightmare images of me having an accident on the exam table! But as it turns out, … Continue reading →

My Crash Course in Fibroids

Chances are, you know a woman who’s experienced fibroids — growths of the uterus. These growths are pretty common; at least a quarter of women have signs of fibroids that can be detected on an ultrasound or with a physical examination. And if you didn’t know someone with fibroids before, you might know someone now. Yesterday, I had a physical with a pelvic examination. Fun times! Let’s just say that my uterus is not the best-behaved organ out there. In the last year or so, my periods have been very irregular and have come with terrible cramps and hormonal migraines. … Continue reading →

Ten Reasons Why Your Period May Be Irregular

A late or skipped period is often cause for alarm. Am I pregnant? Is something else wrong with me? But you may not need to panic! The average woman has between eleven and thirteen periods per year — but that’s just an average. If your cycle is longer or shorter, that may be normal for you and you don’t need to worry! Here are some common causes for an irregular or skipped menstrual cycle: Pregnancy. Yep, it’s number one according to WebMD. If you think you might be pregnant, treat yourself as if you ARE pregnant until you get things … Continue reading →

Musings on Singles, Labels, and a “Big” Wedding

As I noted in a comment response to Jade on my “Single Side of Things” article the other day, I finally had a chance to watch Sex and the City: The Movie. In “The ‘Biggest’ Wedding of the Season?”, I’d mused about what the movie would deliver. A lot of happily-ever-after endings for Carrie and her BFFs? Meaning a wedding to Big for Carrie, and Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha having nothing but joy and contentment in their relationships. In the end that’s what the movie delivered, but not before some major heartache was endured. Life Imitating Art The weird thing … Continue reading →

Today’s “Why I Got Married, Why I Stay Single” Series – The Single Side of Things

Today continued their “Why I Got Married, Why I Stayed Single Series” this morning. This go around they examined why some people stay single. They interviewed single women for the introduction, but then they had Dr. Judith Sills, the clinical psychologist they had on yesterday’s show, as well as Amy Cohen, author of The Late Bloomer’s Revolution, on to talk with. Too Young to Be an Expert I immediately discounted Ms. Cohen. At first. I couldn’t understand how she could claim being an expert on being single and deciding to stay such when she didn’t look like she was even … Continue reading →

Middle-Aged Women and Stroke

According to the American Stroke Association, more than one hundred thousand women in the United States under the age of sixty-five have a stroke each year. Compare that to the approximately 83,000 American women who suffer a heart attack! Most strokes occur when a clot blocks blood flow to the brain. There is another type of stroke that is comparably rare — a blood vessel in the brain bursting. If you’re going to worry about stroke (and you should), focus your worry on those clots. More statistics from the American Stroke Association: Stroke risk is highest in women between the … Continue reading →

Single Young Adult Wards

I’ve heard single young adult wards compared to meat markets. I’ll admit, there is a certain amount of looking around that goes on. For some, that’s a major turn-off, and for others, that’s why they come! But I’d like to talk about some of the other benefits and some of the disadvantages of single young adult wards, as well. When I was seventeen, I lived in a stake that didn’t have a single young adult ward. My friend invited me to attend a ward with her, and so each Sunday morning I’d drive for about fifteen minutes to go to … Continue reading →