Health news blog

Jutting into the vault of the vagina is the cervix, the neck part of the womb or uterus. This is a heavy, muscularorgan the size and shape of an inverted pear. In women who have not reproduced, it measures about 9 cm in length. 6 an in width at its widest part, and 4 cm from Cram to hack. It weighs about 50 g, and its walls are 1-2cm thick. In women who have reproduced, these figures increase, by about 13 cm.
The uterus is a very stout muscular organ, consisting of the cervix, or neck, which joins the larger, expanded part called the corpus, or body.
A small hole, called the external os, is located in the centre of the cervix as it lies in the vaginal canal. This joins with a tract called the cervical canal which extends upwards to join with the hollow interior of the body of the uterus at the internal os.
At the upper outer limits of the uterus are exit canals that join with the oviducts, or Fallopian tubes. These are called the cornua, or “horns’, of the uterus.
The uterus tends to lie in a forward direction, usually at a 90 degree angle to the direction of the vagina. This is of importance, for in some conditions it is located in a different situation, and troublesome symptoms may arise: the best known is when it tends to flop backwards in a condition called retroversion. A major problem with this is often the inability of the woman to become pregnant The cervix is away from the pool of seminal fluid deposited by the male’s penis in the upper part of the vagina in intercourse, and it is simply impossible, in many cases, for sperms to penetrate the cervical canal preparatory to a possible pregnancy occurring.
Women with this problem have often become pregnant within a few months once the retroversion has been corrected and the uterus brought back to its normal, so-called ante-verted position.
The cervix is an extremely important organ. In nulliparous women (those who have not reproduced), it tends to be elongated and cylindrical. After reproduction, it is much shorter and flatter.
But it is very susceptible to cancer. This is the spot where the world-famous ‘smear test’ is carried out. The doctor removes a thin smear of cells from the cervix with a simple instrument called a spatula. These are placed on to a slide with a ‘smearing’ motion (hence the term ‘smear test), then they are stained and examined under the microscope by the pathologist for possible cancerous cells.
It is claimed that cancer may be detected in the very early stages, possibly 10-15 years before actual symptoms appear, by this simple yet extremely valuable test. The importance of all women—from age 20 onwards for life—having regular smear tests, say, every 2-3 years, cannot be overemphasized. Already, enormous numbers of lives have been saved in the few years that mass screening programmes have been carried out in doctors’ surgeries, hospitals and other places.
Incidentally, the body of the uterus is also a popular spot for cancers. These are more common in women who have passed through the change of life. For this reason, any bleeding or unusual vaginal discharge in women past the menopause is considered to be cancer by doctors until proved otherwise. It is a sign for immediate examination by the doctor. Today, not tomorrow, or next week.
The uterus is the place where babies are developed. It is lined with special cells, called the endometrium. This tissue is very responsive to hormonal changes occurring during the menstrual cycle throughout the reproductive years. If pregnancy occurs, the entire organ undergoes enormous changes, and copes with the formation of a brand-new life.
On the other hand, if a pregnancy does not occur, the total lining is shed in the form of a menstrual bleed. This is not all blood, but the disintegrating lining. Once expelled, a new lining starts to build up in preparation for coping with a pregnancy—or, if a pregnancy does not occur, to the next disintegration of the lining, and another menstrual bleed.
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Meditation was brought to the western world from India by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the guru, or spiritual leader, who taught a mind-control technique known as TM, or transcendental meditation. Unlike yoga and acupuncture, which are rooted in more religious connected systems and philosophies, meditation is considered a natural approach to reducing stress, inducing therapeutic healing, and expanding awareness. TM’s relaxation techniques help alter brain waves, control heart rate, stimulate circulation, decrease muscle tension, and lower the levels of blood lactate levels. A natural byproduct of inefficient cell metabolism, lactate levels in excess have been linked to chronic overproduction of adrenaline, anxiety attacks, and high-stress living. Researchers investigating TM’s beneficial qualities reported cases that included reduction of high blood pressure, improvement of asthmatic conditions and gastrointestinal problems, fewer sleep disturbances, and even improvement in learning ability and general mental health.

This is quite a menu of benefits. How does TM work to effect such a range of changes? To meditate, one sits with eyes dosed, feet flat on the floor, most preferably in a silent room, although many practitioners can mediate in public places, including planes, waiting rooms, and doctors offices. To help bring about the paradoxical state of deep rest with increased wakefulness, you must shift your awareness inward and tune out the environment. This sensation has been likened to that near suspension of complete consciousness before calling asleep. To aid in concentration, some people picture an imaginary spot on their foreheads and focus on that; others may disengage from the outside world by either silently or vocally repeating a word that has been especially selected for them by a TM instructor. This sound “syllable,” such as the widely used “om,” is called a mantra.

TM is a good relaxation technique, thought best practiced twice a day for about fifteen minutes each time. It may help the woman with endometriosis and sufferers of premenstrual syndrome, too.

If you are being treated by a doctor for endometriosis, it is always advisable to let him know about any alternate choices you want to make in your health care. This helps him to better monitor your condition and facilitate healing.

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Although cancer of the ovary is less common than cancer of the cervix or endometrium, it is by no means rare. About 900 women in Australia receive this unwelcome diagnosis each year, with most of those affected aged in their sixties, seventies and eighties. On average, about one Australian woman in every 100 will develop ovarian cancer during her lifetime. It is more common in women with infertility problems and also in some families, and less common in women on the contraceptive pill. Because few if any symptoms may be apparent early on, the cancer is usually at an advanced stage when it is diagnosed. At present only 15-25% of diagnoses are made when the cancer is limited to the ovaries. The result is that ovarian cancer is among the most lethal of the cancers affecting women. Less than a third of women survive five years from diagnosis.

Until recently, an early diagnosis — with the cancer localised in the ovaries — was usually the result of an examination for an unrelated problem. New blood tests are, however, being developed that are capable of detecting evidence of some types of ovarian cancer. Advances in ultrasound imaging techniques also offer hope that an early warning system for ovarian cancer will become available in the near future.

The cause of ovarian cancer is uncertain, but studies indicate that women with a close relative who has had the cancer (a sister, mother or daughter) and those with a history of fertility problems are at increased risk of developing it Pill users seem to be at lower than average risk. The surgical removal of both ovaries (oophorectomy) is usual even if only one ovary seems to be diseased. A hysterectomy may be suggested because of the proximity of the uterus to the ovaries. However the desirability of a hysterectomy has to be weighed up for each woman. Chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and sometimes both, may be helpful.

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