Dr. Melissa Welch Smith M.D.

Recommended Articles

• Low-Dose Aspirin May Cut Ovarian Cancer Risk

  Aspirin, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, can help with many health problems. It can reduce fever, ease pain, and even prevent a heart attack or stroke. For some time now researchers have looked into the connection between aspirin and cancer prevention. ...

• Braxton-Hicks vs. Real Contractions

  Braxton-Hicks contractionsBraxton-Hicks contractions are contractions in the uterus that can occur before real contractions, usually in the third trimester but can begin in the second trimester, too. They are named after John Braxton Hicks, an English physician who described these contractions in...

• Are You at Risk for Developing Gestational Diabetes?

  Diabetes is a very complex condition, which may occur at any age, in any point of our lives, even during pregnancy.Gestational diabetes is a disease acquired by pregnant women who have high blood glucose levels during pregnancy. This condition is usually developed around the 24th week of pregnancy,...

• Everything You Need to Know About a Hysterectomy

  Within the pelvic cavity, two ovaries connect via the fallopian tubes to the centrally positioned uterus, creating the female reproductive system. These organs produce female growth hormones, release ova (eggs), control the menstrual cycle, and oversee pregnancy, gestation, and the birth of a baby....

• Can Vaginitis be Treated Over the Counter?

  The inflammation of the vagina is what is known as vaginitis. Infection is the leading cause in premenopausal women.  A low estrogen level after menopause mostly results in atrophic vaginitis (vaginal atrophy). You may get vaginitis due to hypersensitivity to an irritating chemical like...

• What Are the Signs of Pregnancy?

  Some of the signs of pregnancy may start early even when it is too soon to take a pregnancy test at home. Some of the first signs of pregnancy include breast tenderness, frequent urination, and fatigue. These may not be enough to tell that a person is pregnant or not, and a pregnancy test or...