(BlackDoctor.org) -- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recently released a revised set of recommendations about Pap smears, which screen for cervical cancer. Doctors now suggest that women get their first screening when they turn 21 instead of within three years of becoming sexually active. They also recommend that the tests be done less frequently--every two years instead of every year.
While most health experts have signed off on the plan, others question
(BlackDoctor.org) -- The importance of knowing how to recognize the signs of STDs is crucial for fast and immediate treatment - not to mention to help avoid spreading it to someone else. So, how can you tell if you have one?
Bacterial Vaginosis The most common infection in women of childbearing age is bacterial vaginosis, or BV. Though its cause is not fully understood, BV disrupts the balance of bacteria
(BlackDocotor.org) -- Trichomoniasis (trick-oh-moe-nye-uh-sis) is one of the most common curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially in young, sexually active women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 7.4 million new cases occur in men and women every year in the United States. Epidemiologic studies suggest that trichomoniasis is 1.5 to 4.0 times more common in African Americans than other racial/ethnic groups.
(BlackDoctor.org) -- Less than half of women in the U.S. are being screened for chlamydia, an STD that could lead to infertility.
Screening rates have spiked up from 25 percent in 2000 to nearly 42 percent in 2007, but that is still far too few women being screened, the team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
The CDC's Dr. Karen Hoover and colleagues looked at the records of public and private health plans representing more than 40 percent of the U.S. population for