Health Expert Merely Me shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/824092/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/824092/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/824092/index http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/824092/151483/problems-5 Sat, 24 Mar 2012 12:49:38 -0400 Merely Me So you are at a department store trying on a pair of jeans. But the size you usually fit into just won’t fit around your belly and you can’t even zip them up. What’s going on here? You guessed it, premenstrual bloating. Are we having fun yet? Like a lot of women you probably have jeans in several sizes in your closet including the skinny jeans you aspire to get into, the comfy jeans you wear most of the time, and the slightly... http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/824092/151483/problems-5 http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/824092/150258/pregnancy Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:54:28 -0500 Merely Me If you are taking birth control pills you may want to check your packet to see if it is on the recall list. Pfizer announced early this month that a million of their birth control pill packets were being recalled due to manufacturing errors. If you are taking Lo/Ovral-28 tablets or generic Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol tablets you may want to check the lot number of your pill packet on the Pfizer or FDA websites.    All affected... http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/824092/150258/pregnancy http://www.healthcentral.com/skin-care/c/824092/149179/prescription Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:01:44 -0500 Merely Me In a previous post I discussed my on-going battle with adult acne and how I was successfully treated by my dermatologist. It may be unbelievable to some, but it is true, adults get acne too. As my dermatologist tells me, there are patients who come to her office who are in their eighties and still have acne. This is not a skin disease which only affects teens. One of the medications I have used over the years to treat my adult acne is called... http://www.healthcentral.com/skin-care/c/824092/149179/prescription http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/824092/144593/political Sat, 24 Sep 2011 19:29:08 -0400 Merely Me If you are keeping up with the latest political news you may have heard about the war of words between Republican Presidential hopefuls, Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry. At the center of their debate is a vaccine designed to protect young girls and women from the human papillomavirus or HPV. Bachmann attacked Texas Governor Rick Perry during a recent debate for his 2007 executive order requiring all sixth grade girls in Texas to receive the HPV... http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/824092/144593/political http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/824092/143455/conditions Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:38:10 -0400 Merely Me One of the primary reasons that we always suggest that you be seen by your gynecologist or doctor if you are having any unusual symptoms is because your symptoms may overlap with multiple conditions. For example, vaginal itching irritation, burning, and even lesions or sores can be common symptoms of very different disorders requiring different treatments. One guess as to the cause of such symptoms is a yeast infection. Many women attempt to... http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/824092/143455/conditions http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/824092/142812/specialist Sun, 14 Aug 2011 19:11:26 -0400 Merely Me When you are trying to conceive, the arrival of your period can be very disappointing. Whereas once you may have been relieved to see your period, now it means one thing. No baby yet.  It also means you must start the process of attempting to conceive all over again. Trying to have a baby can elicit a rollercoaster ride of emotions as you wait and hope. But how long is too long to wait? When is it time to seek the medical advice of an... http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/824092/142812/specialist http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/824092/115751/depression Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:57:33 -0400 Merely Me Hey everyone   Feels like a ghost town here lately on the site.  If anyone is having problems posting or commenting please let me know...if you can.    When we talk about depression we most often think about the person who is withdrawn or crying.  And granted, sadness is absolutely a symptom of depression.  But what people talk about less with regard to depression is that there is usually a whole lot of anger... http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/824092/115751/depression http://www.healthcentral.com/skin-cancer/c/824092/115609/precancerous Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:56:45 -0400 Merely Me   There are some skin conditions which may be a precursor for developing skin cancer. One type of precancerous skin lesion is an atypical mole which may develop into melanoma. Another type of precancerous skin lesion is called actinic keratosis or as it is sometimes called, solar keratosis. This is the most common precancerous skin condition which in some instances can develop into squamous cell carcinoma especially if left... http://www.healthcentral.com/skin-cancer/c/824092/115609/precancerous http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/824092/105031/pregnancy Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:12:00 -0500 Merely Me One of the most frequent questions we get here on Sexual Health Connection is from women wanting to know if they are pregnant.  I addressed this issue in my last post entitled "Am I Pregnant?  How to Know"  A variation of this theme are women who have taken a home pregnancy test or even several of them and they turn out negative.  The question we then get is:  "Can I still be pregnant even though my home pregnancy test... http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/824092/105031/pregnancy http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/824092/104687/pregnant Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:55:00 -0500 Merely Me One of the most popular questions we get here on Sexual Health Connection is, "Am I pregnant?"  There is one predominant emotion for the person who asks this question and this is usually anxiety.  Yet this anxiety can come from two very different perspectives.  Some women will ask, "Am I pregnant?" and be hoping that they are not, and some women will ask this same question and be hoping that they are.  I can tell you that I... http://www.healthcentral.com/sexual-health/c/824092/104687/pregnant