Dr. Lori Gore-Green | Women's Health Professional

Dr. Lori Gore-Green's Portfolio of Experience as a Women's Health Professional

The 6 Preventative Screening Tests That Are Critical For Women’s Health

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Dr. Lori Gore-GreenGetting preventative screening tests is one of the most important ways that you can take charge of your health and make sure that you’re continuing to make healthy choices. Certain personalized factors may increase your chances of getting a condition, so always check with your doctor to see if you should get tested more often.

Here are 6 of the most important preventative screening tests for women’s health:

Blood Pressure Test: Blood pressure is important to track because high rates of blood pressure can dramatically increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. At the same time, high blood pressure does not normally have obvious symptoms associated with it, so make sure to get checked at least once every two years to keep an eye on this important number.

Mammography: Mammography imaging of your breasts is critical to detecting abnormalities and tumors. There are different recommendations out there, but the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) now recommends that women get themselves checked out each year starting at the age of 40.

Blood Glucose Tests: Over 23 million Americans have type 2 diabetes with another 86 million estimated to have prediabetes. Untreated, this disease can cause serious medical issues, including heart disease and stroke. It’s recommended that you get a blood glucose test every three years, starting at the age of 45, and more frequently if you have an increased risk.

Lipid Panel: It’s a good idea to get a fasting lipoprotein profile (lipid panel) every four to six years once you’re 20 years old to keep an eye on your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. If your doctor determines that you have an increased risk for stroke or heart disease, then you’ll want to get yourself checked more regularly.

Pap and HPV Tests: The Pap test (also known as a Pap smear) and the HPV test are both used to screen women for cervical cancer. The USPSTF recommends starting these tests at the age of 21 and getting screened once every three years.

Colonoscopy: Most colorectal cancers can be prevented by getting regular colonoscopies every 10 years or so. They aren’t fun, but they’ll help your doctor detect any small polyps so they can be removed before they turn into a cancerous issue down the road. Start scheduling your regular colonoscopy appointment once you turn 50 years old.

New Blood Test To Help Customize Treatment For Ovarian Cancer Patients

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Dr. Lori Gore-GreenResearchers have developed a new blood test that would allow doctors to anticipate how individual patients will respond to different types of treatment for ovarian cancer. Zeenews reports that the newly developed test can determine how combinations of certain proteins affect how the disease manifests in the body.

According to Gordon Jayson, a professor from the University of Manchester in Britain, the research has made strides in personalizing treatment for a type of cancer that is notoriously difficult to treat.

“We are keen to identify predictive bio-markers – measures that can indicate how well a patient will respond to treatment – so we can better target these drugs to patients most likely to benefit,” Jayson said.

In particular, the test can predict which patients may benefit from blood vessel targeting drugs like Bevacizumab. Two proteins are of particular interest — Ang1 and Tie2 —  in determining whether or not Bevacizumab would be effective when paired with traditional treatment. The two proteins are instrumental in controlling the creation of new blood vessels. Patients who had high levels of Ang1 but low levels of Tie2 were very likely to respond to the drug, while people with high levels of both proteins were unlikely to benefit.

The study, whose findings were published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, took samples from ovarian cancer patients who were involved in an international trial for Bevacizumab. Candidates were either given the drug alongside their chemotherapy or were given chemotherapy alone.

The blood test still requires more development and testing, but this preliminary data is heartening. Researchers hope that the test will be available for you use by doctors and hospitals within the next few years.

Head over to Zeenews to read the original article.

New Clinic Works To Improve Early Detection For Ovarian Cancer

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Dr. Lori Gore-GreenEarly diagnosis is among the biggest challenges in the fight against ovarian cancer. The lack of any reliable method of screening for the cancer often prevents it from being found its early stages. However, a recent article in the Miami Herald describes some of the efforts to develop early detection techniques.

At the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami  has opened a new Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Clinic. The aim of the new clinic is to identify women who are at a high risk for ovarian cancer by tracking family personal cancer histories. The hope is that by tracking the data gathered through patients that come through the clinic, that new preventive strategies can be derived.

One of the patients at the clinic, Ivanna Vidal, has the BRCA2 gene which put her at greater risk for ovarian and breast cancers. She was diagnosed with advanced stage ovarian cancer. The goal of the new clinic is to help at-risk women like Vidal learn of their risk factors earlier so that they might be able to better plan to preempt the disease.

The director of the gynecologic oncology division at Sylvester, Dr. Brian Slomovitz, states that women who have BRCA have a 20-40% chance of developing ovarian cancer. Talia Donenberg, senior cancer genetics counselor at the University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital claims that the discovery of new genetic links to the disease has caused the rate of hereditary ovarian cancer to jump from 10% to between 15 and 20%.

This data and the fact that there are symptoms of ovarian cancer have made doctors and researchers hopeful that new early detection methods are not too far off.

“In the past, we thought it was a silent disease.” Slomovitz said, “We know now that that’s not the case.”

Read more at the Miami Herald.

Debate Over Gynecology Tool Sheds Light On Regulation

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Dr. Lori Gore-GreenDoctors from all over the country are sticking by a gynecological tool even after a warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about its ability to spread undetected cancer. As reported in a recent article from the Wall Street Journal, the face off between doctors and regulators is showcasing what some might call intransigence on the part of doctors, and others might call overreach on the part of the government. What is certainly clear is that quality gynecological care lies somewhere in the middle.

The device in question is called a laparoscopic power morcellator, and it is used by its proponents to remove benign uterine growths called fibroids. The tool is normally employed during routine hysterectomies to slice and remove the fibroids through small incisions. The issue with the morcellators is that they have the potential to leave tissue behind that can grow and then spread throughout the body, including tissue that has not been identified as malignant.

This potential threat prompted the warning from the FDA and caused many hospitals to stop using the tool, including Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and Philadelphia’s Temple University Hospital. Many insurers across the country have stopped covering procedures involving morcellators.

However, there are gynecologists who believe that reports of the threat are unwarranted and continue to use the tool routinely. Doctors like Jeffrey Thurston of Dallas say that the treatments he performs with his patients are between he and his patient, and that regulators are simply interfering. In his practice, he has patients sign a release that states that the risk of spreading undetected sarcoma is somewhere between 1 in 300 and 1 and 1000. He also tells his patients verbally that he does not believe those numbers.

In the tug of war between the FDA and doctors, it can be difficult for patients to know whom to trust. Where one stands on the use of morcellators may have more to do with politics than any insights on patient welfare.

Read the whole story at Wall Street Journal.

Ovulation Causes New Attractions

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Dr. Lori Gore-GreenIn an interesting analysis done by UCLA researchers on studies about how a woman’s mate preference may change throughout the month due to her menstrual cycle. As any living being has a preference or a “type” of individual they find themselves most attracted to, it is always subject to change, but especially during ovulation.

In an article on medicalnewstoday.com, professionals in the medical industry explain that when a woman is ovulating, she tends to be more attracted to the masculine body types and features, dominance, and a particular scent. These sexy men remain attractive; however, they are not necessarily that same woman’s first choice for a lifetime partner. This debate about preference changes has been ongoing since the late 90’s.

One particular study showed that a woman who considers her current male partner as extremely attractive and a sexy man, she is less likely to have a change in preference during ovulation than a woman whose male partner is considered less attractive (even if they have all the best characteristics a man could have). The study seems to make sense, keeping the topic consistent. If a woman’s existing partner is already the masculine, charming man, chances are she just has a stronger sense of attraction during ovulation but to that same man.Symmetrical, masculine facial structure reads more attractive in many cases.

Body scents seem to be one of the strongest preference factors during ovulation. In several studies, women were asked to smell shirts worn by men of all shapes and sizes. The shirts that smelled the best to these women were of symmetrical men. Symmetrical men (and animals) are men with a larger physique, better health, and more distinct sexual body parts. The root of preference change within studies is said to be from women’s ancestry. Symmetrical bodies and faces of these men may be a sign of genetic quality. As a result, the women who preferred these particular, masculine, sexy men are more likely to have children with strong, quality genes that will benefit them in terms of reproduction and survival.

Humans are not the only beings that have a change in preference while going through different phases of fertilization. Just one example is chimpanzees. Female chimps have sex with multiple male chimps during their ovulation period – and they are chimps that they would not have sex with when they’re not ovulating.

This is natural. If a woman is aware that this may happen, it is going to be easier for her to ignore these feelings and thoughts by telling herself that it is because she is ovulating. As living beings should always do, we must let nature take its course and be disciplined and educated enough to know what is happening.