A leaky faucet doesn’t always gush. Sometimes it’s just a drip — occasional, annoying, easy to ignore until it isn’t. Urinary incontinence works the same way. For some people it’s a few drops when they laugh or sneeze. For others it’s a sudden, urgent need to go that doesn’t wait. And for many, it’s a mix of both. This article breaks down what urinary incontinence is, why it happens, and what can help — without pretending it’s “just part of life.”

Many people feel embarrassed bringing this up, but doctors talk about bladder symptoms all the time. Urinary incontinence can significantly affect quality of life, and addressing it starts with understanding the pattern and knowing that real treatment options exist.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, or PID, is an infection involving the uterus, fallopian tubes, and sometimes the ovaries or surrounding tissues. It can develop quietly or come on suddenly, and symptoms can range from mild discomfort to significant pain and illness. PID is very treatable when caught early, and recognizing it promptly matters because untreated infection can lead to longer-term complications.

Endometrial polyps are one of the most commonly encountered gynecologic findings, especially when someone is being evaluated for abnormal uterine bleeding. They’re often found incidentally on ultrasound or during a workup for irregular spotting, heavier periods, or bleeding after sex. While hearing the word “polyp” can feel alarming, most endometrial polyps are benign and very treatable. Understanding what they are, how they’re diagnosed, and when they might need treatment can take a lot of the fear out of the process.

Hearing the phrase “ovarian cyst” can be unsettling. Many people imagine something dangerous or urgent - especially if the finding comes out of nowhere during an ultrasound.

The reality is much calmer. Most ovarian cysts are common, temporary, and benign, and many people have them without ever knowing it. The key is understanding what kind of cyst it is, whether it’s expected, and when it actually matters. This article breaks that down.

If you’ve ever been told you have abnormal uterine bleeding, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common reasons people see an OBGYN.

Hearing the word abnormal can immediately send your mind to worst‑case scenarios - and that’s understandable. But abnormal uterine bleeding does not always mean something bad has happened, and it definitely doesn’t automatically mean something serious.

What it does mean is that your bleeding pattern deserves a closer look.

This article is here to clarify the many different ways bleeding can be considered “abnormal,” what clinicians are thinking about when this comes up, and how abnormal bleeding is usually evaluated and managed — without panic.

If you’ve been dealing with vulvar pain that doesn’t seem to have a clear cause, you’re not alone and you’re not imagining it. Vulvodynia can be frustrating, isolating, and confusing, especially when exams and tests keep coming back “normal.” But vulvodynia is a real, recognized condition, and there are ways to manage it.

Few words in gynecology carry as much weight as hysterectomy. Whether it’s said casually (“they just took everything out”) or whispered in fear, it tends to make people pause. But a hysterectomy isn’t one single procedure—it’s a spectrum of options that look a little different for everyone. Here’s what it really means, what’s actually removed, and what to expect along the way.

You’re minding your business one day and notice a lump near your vaginal opening. Cue instant panic. Before your brain jumps to the worst-case scenario, take a breath. You might have what’s called a Bartholin’s cyst—a common and completely treatable reason for a lump “down there.”

The uterus is a remarkable organ. It’s built to go from the size of a tennis ball to the size of a basketball in just nine months, growing and housing an entirely new human being along the way. That’s miraculous. No other organ in the body can expand, contract, and regenerate quite like it.

But with that much power comes a lot of responsibility, and a few design flaws. Complex systems are prone to glitches, and fibroids are one of them. Think of them as a glitch in the uterine code: a spot where the muscle tissue gets a little too enthusiastic and starts multiplying in one area, forming a firm, rubbery ball inside or on the uterus. They’re extremely common, usually benign (non-cancerous), and vary widely in size and effect. Let’s break down what they are, why they show up, and what to do about them.

Let’s talk dryness down there. Vaginal atrophy, or genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), happens when declining estrogen levels lead to changes in the vaginal and urinary tissues. Think of estrogen like nutrients for those tissues—when levels drop, it’s like a garden not getting watered. The skin might even become thinner, less elastic, and less able to produce natural moisture. This can make the skin itchy, irritated, and dry, making things like sex, pelvic exams, or even sitting too long uncomfortable. The pH level shifts too, allowing fewer “good” bacteria (like lactobacilli) and more irritation-causing microbes to move in, sometimes leading to infections or recurrent BV-like symptoms.

If you’ve just been told you have herpes, take a breath. You’re not broken or gross, and you’re definitely not alone. Herpes is one of the most common infections on the planet, and most people who have it don’t even realize it. It’s a virus, not a verdict, and the more we talk about it, the less scary it gets.

Yeast infections are incredibly common. And while the name might sound like something you'd expect to be gross or shameful, the truth is they’re just a very normal overgrowth of a fungus that lives in and on your body. They're manageable, treatable, and most importantly — not your fault.

Ever feel like your uterus is trying to kill you every month?

Like the cramps are intense, the bloating is relentless, and the bleeding looks like a crime scene?

This could be adenomyosis - the angry uterus. It’s surprisingly common, but way less talked about than conditions like endometriosis or fibroids. If you're dealing with pain and bleeding and no one has given you a name for it, this might be it.

This guide covers what a UTI actually is, how to treat one, what not to do, and how to (hopefully) prevent it from happening again.