Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
Combination OCs can cause hypertension, but the risk with today's low-estrogen preparations is very low. Combination OCs cause hypertension by increasing blood levels of two compounds: angiotensin and aldosterone.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
Combination OCs have been associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), arterial thromboembolism, pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction (MI) and thrombotic stroke.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
Combination OCs reduce fertility primarily by inhibiting ovulation. The estrogen suppresses release of FSH from the pituitary and progestin acts in the hypothalamus and pituitary to suppress the midcycle LH surge.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
There are two main categories of oral contraceptives: (1) those that contain an estrogen plus a progestin, known as combination OCs, and (2) those that contain just a progestin, known as “minipills” or progestin-only OCs.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
Pharmacologic methods of contraception include oral contraceptives, etonogestrel implants, injectable medroxyprogesterone acetate, intrauterine devices, vaginal rings and transdermal patches.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 

Menopausal hormone therapy (HT), formerly known as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), consists of low doses of estrogen (with or without a progestin) taken to compensate for the loss of estrogen that occurs during menopause.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) consists of a constellation of psychologic and physical symptoms that consistently and predictably develop during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, and then resolve around the onset of menses.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
Progesterone levels increase during pregnancy. These high levels suppress contraction of uterine smooth muscle, and thereby help sustain pregnancy. Unfortunately, progesterone also suppresses contraction of GI smooth muscle.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
In addition to affecting the endometrium, progesterone affects the endocervical glands, breasts, body temperature, respiration and mood. Under the influence of progesterone, secretions from endocervical glands become scant and viscous.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
Progesterone is produced by the ovaries and the placenta. Ovarian production occurs during the second half of the menstrual cycle. During this period, progesterone is synthesized by the corpus luteum.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
Selective estrogen receptor modulators are drugs that activate estrogen receptors in some tissues and block them in others. These drugs were developed in an effort to provide the benefits of estrogen while avoiding its drawbacks.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
Progestins are compounds that have actions like those of progesterone, the principal endogenous progestational hormone. As their name implies, the progestins act prior to gestation to prepare the uterus for implantation of a fertilized ovum.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
In girls with estrogen insufficiency, puberty can be induced by giving exogenous estrogens. This treatment promotes breast development, maturation of the reproductive organs and development of pubic and axillary hair. 

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 

In the absence of ovarian estrogens, pubertal transformation will not take place. Causes of estrogen deficiency include primary ovarian failure, hypopituitarism, bilateral oophorectomy and Turner's syndrome.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
In postmenopausal women, estrogen, used either alone or combined with a progestin, increases the risk of venous thromboembolism and stroke. In addition, estrogen alone increases the risk of heart disease and myocardial infarction.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 

Estrogens have been associated with gallbladder disease, jaundice, headache and chloasma (patchy brown facial pigmentation that may develop in pregnancy). Use during menopause may produce or uncover gallbladder disease.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
Prolonged use of estrogens alone by postmenopausal women is associated with an increased risk of endometrial carcinoma. However, when estrogens are used in combination with a progestin, there is little or no risk of uterine cancer.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
The principal concerns with estrogen therapy are the potential for endometrial hyperplasia, endometrial cancer, breast cancer and cardiovascular events. The other adverse effects are more of a nuisance than a concern.

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
Estrogens both promote and suppress blood coagulation. Estrogens promote coagulation by (1) increasing levels of coagulation factors (factors II, VII, IX, X and XII) and by (2) decreasing levels of factors that suppress coagulation (antithrombin).

Nursing Tip of the Day! - Gynecology

Category: Gynecology 
Estrogens have favorable effects on cholesterol levels. Levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are reduced, while levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol are elevated.