Womens Health (Hormone) (FSD)

By Andrew Kantor

There have been news stories lately (here’s one) about how the rates of STDs among America’s (clearly) active seniors has skyrocketed lately. We’re talking a 24% jump from 2020 to 2023 among patients 65 and older, and about a 16% increase in those 55 to 64.

Clearly “Golden Girls” needs an TV-MA update.

That said, there wasn’t a lot of explanation for the jump. Better health overall? Better medications for sexual health? Infrequent condom use? Discounts on Barry White albums?

But now there’s an answer —

By Zoom H. Heaton, RPh., CDCES, ABAAHP, FAAMFM

Healthcare practitioners often encounter patients presenting with vaginal discomfort and discharge. Two common culprits behind these symptoms are bacterial vaginosis (BV) and yeast infections (candidiasis). Although these conditions share similar symptoms, their etiologies, treatments, and implications can vary significantly.

Understanding bacterial vaginosis

Bacterial vaginosis is an imbalance of the vaginal flora. It occurs when an overgrowth of anaerobic bacteria, including Gardnerella vaginalis, overwhelms the beneficial lactobacilli. BV is the most common vaginal infection in women of reproductive age.

Clinical presentation

• Thin, grayish-white, homogeneous vaginal discharge
• Fishy odor, especially after intercourse
• Vaginal itching or irritation (less common)

Check it out! Our friends at the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health’s (NPWH) have just dropped the inaugural episode of their “Her Health Matters” podcast — available wherever you get your podcasts.

In that first episode, host Heather Maurer chats with Dr. Komkwuan Paruchabutr, president of NPWH’s board of directors about Dr. Paruchabutr’s journey to becoming a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner, and what makes WHNPs so critical. They also discuss the important changes — personal and systemic — that need to be made to advance women’s and gender-related health care.

At Revelation Pharma we appreciate NPWH’s message so much, we’ve sponsored that first episode. Listen and get more info here, then subscribe on your

By Andrew Kantor

Hormone treatment — and hormonal birth control — can be life changing for women. But, as with any medication, sometimes there are side effects (especially with medications designed for everyone rather than custom-made).

If you’re curious why “ovarian hormones” can affect mood, for example, a University of Michigan psychologist has the answer with a great explanation of how hormones like birth control affect so many other bodily functions, notably in the brain.

“Estrogen and progesterone have broad effects on neurons and cellular processes that have nothing to do with reproduction,” she explains. In fact, “Estrogen and progesterone also regulate the stress response — the body’s ‘fight-or-flight’ reaction.”

That’s why it’s so important to make sure