Dr. Karen Elizabeth Crabtree M.D.

Having hot flashes does not necessarily mean that you have reached menopause. Many other causes apart from the termination of your menstrual cycle can trigger the occurrence of hot flashes. Therefore, understanding the exact cause of your symptoms can really help you in establishing whether you are...

When a woman becomes pregnant, her periods stop. Pregnancy starts when the egg that has been released from the ovaries is fertilized by a sperm. It usually lasts about 40 weeks and is divided into three trimesters. The first, second and third months are considered the first trimester of pregnancy....

Many women get an ovarian cyst of some type at some point in their life. Most are benign and do not cause any long-term harm.  Having ovarian cysts certainly does not mean ovarian cancer. In fact, according to the provider reference Up To Date, most ovarian cysts do not need to be removed through...

Radiotherapy is a treatment that involves high-energy X-rays or particles, which kill cancerous cells. It is sometimes used to treat non-cancerous tumors. Studies have shown that almost half of people with cancer receive radiotherapy as a part of their treatment plan.The type of radiotherapy to be...

The vulva is the external part of the female genitalia, which includes the skin between the anus and the vagina, and the lips of the vagina. An itchy vulva is medically called pruritus vulvae. It is normal for women to experience a slight vulvar itch, but if you have an uncomfortable and persistent...

It is well known that inherited mutations in BRCA1/BRCA2 genes increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, as well as other types of cancer. An altered mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene can be inherited from an individual’s mother or father. ...