Advances In Women's Health

Guest: Dale Sandler, PhD, MPH Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Rising rates of breast cancer are of concern to everyone in medicine. To what can we attribute this disturbing trend? For answers, host Dr. Lisa Mazzullo welcomes Dale Sandler, PhD, MPH, chief of epidemiology at the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and principal investigator of the NIEHS Sister Study, a bold initiative to evaluate 50,000 sisters of women with breast cancer, measuring a confluence of environmental factors against their disease risk.

Guest: Nehama Dresner, MD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Many patients who present for specific medical problems suffer from a psychiatric illness for which they are already receiving treatment. Host Dr. Lauren Streicher reviews strategies for effective interfacing of multi-disciplinary care for pregnant or sexually hypoactive women with Dr. Nehama Dresner, associate professor of clinical psychiatry, behavioral sciences, and obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

Guest: Nehama Dresner, MD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD What is the psychological impact on patients faced with difficult obstretic and gynecology-related situations? Dr. Nehama Dresner, associate professor of clinical psychiatry, behavioral sciences, and obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, addresses situational depression and anxiety plaguing these patients with host Dr. Lauren Streicher.

Guest: Nehama Dresner, MD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Postpartum depression and postpartum blues are vastly different clinical concerns, yet the former is often simply viewed (and treated) as a more severe version of the latter. Dr. Nehama Dresner, associate professor of clinical psychiatry, behavioral sciences, and obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, joins host Dr. Lauren Streicher to assess the challenges of recognizing and treating postpartum depression.

Guest: Steven Stryker, MD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD The prevalence of colorectal cancer could be reduced by 95% with proper screening in every patient at recommended age intervals. That’s according to Dr. Steven Stryker, professor of clinical surgical oncology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Yet colorectal cancer remains the second most common cancer in America. Dr. Stryker joins host Dr. Lauren Streicher to explain how physicians can encourage patient compliance with current screening modalities. What circumstances favor virtual screening? Are there other common procedures that can facilitate the diagnosis of colorectal cancer?

Guest: Steven Stryker, MD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD There is a dramatically uneven distribution of risk among women for colorectal cancer, the second most common cancer in America. Low-risk women have only five percent lifetime odds of developing the disease, while moderate and high-risk subsets are much more vulnerable. What accounts for this risk? The evidence points to a series of genetic and environmental factors, along with other known syndromes. Dr. Steven Stryker, professor of clinical oncology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, joins host Dr. Lauren Streicher to evaluate common predispositions to this devastating disease.

Guest: Bruce McLucas, MD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD It’s generally accepted as appropriate and efficacious treatment for symptomatic uterine fibroids, but uterine artery embolization is dogged by questions about its short- and long-term outcomes. Host Dr. Lauren Streicher addresses the debate with Dr. Bruce McLucas, clinical assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. How should we approach this dialogue with our patients?

Guest: Bruce McLucas, MD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Despite 600,000 hysterectomies, fibroids remain the number one reason women undergo surgery. While removal of the uterus may be the best treatment, uterine artery embolization may be a non-surgical option for many women with symptomatic fibroids. Dr. Lauren Streicher speaks with Dr. Bruce McLucas, clinical assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, to discuss candidate evaluation for a successful uterine artery fibroid embolization, and the efficacy of gynecologists who are performing the procedure.

Guest: Lee Philip Shulman, MD, FACOG, FACMG Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Few would quibble with the notion that every patient, irrespective of age, needs genetic screening. When it comes to prenatal testing, early answers are ideal for expectant mothers and their families. Dr. Lee Shulman, professor and chair of reproductive genetics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, examines AFP-serum markers, triple and quad screens, and the increasing accuracy we’re now seeing among first trimester non-invasive testing.

Guest: Lee Philip Shulman, MD, FACOG, FACMG Host: Lisa Mazzullo, MD Prenatal screening and diagnosis are often used interchangeably, confusing both patients and physicians on the actual meaning of these two very different genetic testing options. This uncertainty has caused a growing concern in pregnant patients and a desire for greater clarity in their genetic screening options. Join host Dr. Lisa Mazzullo, assistant professor of OB-GYN at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and her guest, Director of the Reproductive Genetics Department and Distinguished Physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Lee Shulman, MD, as they review the difference between screening and diagnosis in addition to discussing the newest and most accurate forms of prenatal genetic testing options.

Guest: Michael Koren, MD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD If you had instant access to the opinion of a panel of board-certified physicians, would this augment your approach to the practice of medicine? Ask 100 Doctors is an organization providing web-based consultation technology, which strives to connect physicians from all corners of medicine. Dr. Michael Koren, founder of Ask 100 Doctors, joins host Dr. Lauren Streicher to examine the utility of this service.

Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Guest: Marla Mendelson, MD Marfan Syndrome, an inherited connective tissue disorder, affects 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 20,000 individuals. Women with Marfan Syndrome have a wide range of abnormalities involving the lungs, skin, ocular, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. Today we are joined by Dr. Marla A. Mendelson, an assistant professor of Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and director of the Women’s Cardiology program of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern Memorial Hospital which has just opened a clinic devoted to the management of women with Marfan syndrome.

Guest: Marla Mendelson, MD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD According to the National Center for Health Statistics one in nine women will develop some form of cardiovascular disease by age 64. After age 65, the ratio rises to one in three women. Few women however, know what they should be doing to prevent heart disease, even though it is ten times more likely that an American woman will die from heart disease than from breast cancer.

Guest: Marla Mendelson, MD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD It is 10 times more likely that an American woman will die of cardiovascular disease than breast cancer. Yet few female patients know what they should be doing to prevent heart disease. How can we help? Dr. Marla Mendelson, director of the women’s cardiology program and assistant professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, reviews gender-specific cardiovascular risk factors and screening mechanisms with host Dr. Lauren Streicher.

Guest: Jan Berger, MD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD An array of tools on the internet, coupled with direct-to-consumer marketing by pharmaceutical companies, have put us in a situation where patients obtain much of their medical knowledge from sources other than their personal physician. Dr. Jan Berger, senior vice president and chief clinical officer of CVS Caremark Corporation, outlines effective communication strategies that will help you ensure that your patients are receiving accurate medical information. Dr. Lauren Streicher hosts.

Guest: Jan Berger, MD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Up to 50% of the prescriptions we write are never filled. Even when the patient does initiate recommended treatment, roughly half discontinue that treatment without informing or consulting their physicians. Medication management is one area that is showing increasing risk for medical liability as well as significant time and cost to the healthcare environment. Dr. Jan Berger discusses reducing liabilty.

Guest: Brian Kaplan, MD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Prenatal diagnosis of genetic disorders has traditionally involved testing of an established pregnancy by utilizing chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis. In the event that an abnormality is detected, pregnancy termination is then offered as an option. Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is an option that can be utilized during In Vitro Fertilization to avoid the transfer of abnormal embryos. PGD may have the additional value of improving pregnancy rates when undergoing assisted reproductive technologies. Dr. Kaplan discusses thestate of the art of PGD including current and future applications.

Guest: Brian Kaplan, MD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD While freezing embryos has long been an option, many single women who hope to have a future partner, are requesting oocyte preservation rather than utilizing donor sperm. Dr. Kaplan discusses new methods of cryopreservation , current clinical recommendations and outcomes.

Guest: Ted Anderson, MD, PhD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD What are the most important considerations for our female patients as potential candidates for endometrial ablation? Dr. Ted Anderson, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, outlines the preoperative evaluation process with host Dr. Lauren Streicher, including a review of five devices which are FDA approved for the procedure.

Guest: Ted Anderson, MD, PhD Host: Lauren Streicher, MD Dr. Ted Anderson, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses revised ACOG guidelines, pre-operative evaluation, and choosing appropriate patients for Endometrial Ablation. Dr. Anderson also discuses the potential pitfalls of Endometrial Ablation