Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely not! There are many options today to manage your heavy periods, and you should speak to your doctor to see which options are available for you. If you do not have large fibroids, you may qualify for an endometrial ablation. This is a procedure that can be done in the office, as well. A hysteroscope is placed through your cervix and into your uterus to evaluate the inside of your uterus. Afterwards, a biopsy will be taken to sample the lining of your uterus. Then, the endometrial ablation will begin. There are several different methods for performing the ablation. At our office we use either the Novasure device or the Thermachoice device.

Acute cystitis (also known as UTI and bladder infection) is a very common diagnosis, but the symptoms of other more concerning problems can mascarade as signs of a bladder infection. Many times if you have never had a bladder infection or have had recurrent infection symptoms, you healthcare provider will recommend further testing before treatment can begin.

The gold standard test for a bladder infection is a urine culture, for many reasons. A simple urine dipstick result can be influenced by many different factors, contamination from skin cells, medications (like Azo and pyridium), hydration status, etc. For this reason, a urine culture is the best test to perform to correctly identify a bladder infection. Not only can it identify the bacteria causing the infection, it can also suggest the correct antibiotic to use.  This is very helpful in patients with recurrent infections.

The best time to culture the urine is before any treatment begins. Performing a culture after antibiotics have been started will often give vague, non-diagnostic results due to the inability of the offending bacteria to form colonies on the growth media. This will also affect any sensitivity testing, which could then in turn lead to inappropriate antibiotic choice.

Sometimes, you may be asked to come in for repeat testing to assure that the infection has cleared. Some examples of these instances include pregnancy and recurrent infections.

If the urine culture doesn't show any bacteria present, your healthcare provider may recommend more testing to rule out other etiologies that could cause the same symptoms as an infection. For example, interstitial cystitis commonly causes similar symptoms that seem to recur despite antibiotics. If this is suspected, you may need a referral to a urologist. Other common causes of these symptoms include vaginal candidiasis, some sexually transmitted infections, atrophic vaginitis, etc.


For more information, please visit http://uptodate.com/contents/urinary-tract-infections-in-adolescents-and-adults-beyond-the-basics?source=outline_link&view=text&anchor=H3#H3