I've had some good discussions since I first wrote about the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology's (ACOG) decision to change the age that first Pap smears are needed in women to 21 years old regardless of sexual activity. That advice and recommendation stand.
I have had very healthy talks with my partners in the office, gynecologist friends and readers about the message that is being sent by this new recommendation. Many feel that
Around the time girls are starting to get their earliest breast tissue I start talking to those patients about puberty and all it brings. For some girls this could be as young as 8 or 9 years old; for others it isn't until they are 12 or 13. Talking about puberty is important and here's what I say:
What an exciting time this is for you! Your body is starting to change from a girl's body to a woman's body. This process of your body changing is
This past weekend was homecoming at my daughter's high school and because I see a lot of teenagers in my practice, it was a busy week. Some came to the office to try to rid themselves of an illness in time for the dance while others arrived with the hope that I would be able to cure their acne quickly. If only the acne-laden kids had come in a few weeks earlier there would have been some hope for smoother skin by the weekend.
Almost everyone
It is mid-summer and by now I have given the puberty talk to my patients about 100 times. I have it down pat and have gotten enough positive feedback that I thought I would share it with you.
I give this talk to boys entering 5th or 6th grade because even if they aren't in puberty yet, some of their peers will be and this opens the lines of communication between the boy and his parents. I always give this talk with the parent(s) in the room but
Lately there has been renewed interest in the safety of soy formulas for infants. About a quarter of all formula fed infants use soy-based formulas in the United States and some researchers have expressed concerns over data about a by-product of soy called phytoestrogen, which in some studies of rats has been shown to have effects on growth and fertility.
Because of these concerns, an expert panel was convened to assess the information
Posted by: drmolly in short, picky eater, nutrition, kidney, hormone, height, growth, glomerulonephritis, genetic testing, feeding, development, calories on
Mar 10, 2009
Lots of kids are short. Let's face it, lots of adults are short and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Short parents are going to have short kids and tall parents will have tall kids, by and large. There are times, though, when tall parents or even average parents have shorter than expected children and these kids garner a lot of attention, especially if they are boys.
Short stature can present in a variety of ways. Some children are
