Women are often inundated with media messages, the opinions of friends and family and myths are historically taboo when it comes to women’s bodies and health.
Mixed messages and diluted information prevent women from making informed decision about their health.
So what are the facts?
Dr. Katherine Gurchak dispels some commons myths and facts that all women should know.
Selected Podcast
Debunking the Myths and Facts of Women’s Health
Featured Speaker:
Katherine Gurchak, MD – OB/GYN
Dr. Katherine Gurchak specializes in obstetrics and gynecology and practices at Allina Health Champlin Clinic and Allina Health Mercy Women’s Health Clinic. Her professional interests include specialized pregnancy care and women’s care for all ages. Transcription:
Debunking the Myths and Facts of Women’s Health
Melanie Cole (Host): Women are inundated with media messages. The opinions of friends and family and the myths that are historically taboo when it comes to women’s body and our health are out there so prevalent. We’re getting so many mixed messages and diluted information, and this can prevent women from making really informed decisions about their health. My guest today is Dr. Katherine Gurchak. She specializes in obstetrics and gynecology and she practices at the Allina Health Champlin Clinic and Allina Health Mercy Women’s Health Clinic. Welcome to the show, Dr. Gurchak. How can women’s health issues get mistaken for fact and myth? How can we sort of sort these out in our own minds?
Dr. Katherine Gurchak (Guest): Well, good morning, Melanie. You’re right. Women often take and mistake myth for fact. In fact, they think it has to do with the fact that women by nature have really strong friendships and relationships with other women in their lives and in their families. It makes it so very safe to trust these women’s opinions, and it sometimes makes it easy to mistake the myths that they got from these women for fact because of that trust. Women are also very savvy in accessing information. There’s a large amount of information out on the Internet, and when women do access this information, it can sometimes be very diluted. Sometimes what’s fact gets diluted with what may be myth.
Melanie: Well, us women, Dr. Gurchak, we care for everyone else in our lives. Is it true that women, we have to care for all these other people and we may put ourselves second, third, or even fourth when it comes to healthcare needs?
Dr. Gurchak: It’s commonly true. I see this with the women in my practice all of the time. We are, as you say, by nature, caregivers. And in our busy lives, with our busy schedules, it gets very difficult to put ourselves first.
Melanie: So it’s so important that we, as they say, put on our own masks before we put on the masks of our loved ones, because if we can’t take care of ourselves, we’re not going to be able to care for those others. Let’s dispel some of these myths from facts so that women have really good information and can make informed decisions. Is it safe to dye your hair during pregnancy?
Dr. Gurchak: This is a common question I get asked at my first OB visit, especially in women pregnant for the first time. In fact, it is a myth. There is limited evidence about this during pregnancy. However, what does seem to be true that limited exposure to hair dye or hair products during pregnancy is essentially very safe. There is a limited systemic absorption from that dye to the scalp and this is strongly unlikely to cause any harm or adverse fetal effect. In fact, women shouldn’t necessarily do it daily, but of course, if they are getting their hair dyed or their highlights touched up during pregnancy once or twice, that should be very safe.
Melanie: What about caffeine? Is that cup of coffee in the morning during pregnancy okay to have?
Dr. Gurchak: Absolutely. In fact, it’s certainly okay to have a cup or even two of coffee. However, frequently drinking it all day or taking supplements with caffeine in it would be dangerous. We do know that there is some evidence to show that high levels of caffeine could be dangerous during pregnancy, leading to maybe miscarriage in the first trimester. However, the type of caffeine and the amount of caffeine that gets consumed in a daily cup of coffee, or even two, is about less than 200 to 300 mg a day, which is safe. You don’t necessarily need to avoid your Starbucks, but you certainly don’t necessarily need to add that extra one or two shots of espresso.
Melanie: What about after their period? Are women most fertile for that 14 days after their period? When is the safest time to have sex if you do not want to get pregnant or the best time to have sex if you do want to get pregnant?
Dr. Gurchak: It’s a really good question, and in fact I think women often are a little bit confused. We think of a period cycle being 28 days, and in fact, for every women, that length of cycle is a little bit different. The most fertile time for a woman is precisely two weeks before she gets her period. For a woman who has a longer menstrual cycle, say 35 days, she may be more fertile on day 21 of her cycle, giving that 14 days now until the end of her cycle. A woman with a shorter cycle would be more fertile earlier in her cycle. I often tell women that if they’re trying to predict when or when not to have sex in order to become or avoid pregnancy that they should take several months of information charting their period. The first day of your cycle is the first day of bleeding and the last day of your cycle is the day before the first day you bleed in your next cycle.
Melanie: That’s great information. Women, I hope you heard what she just said because that is great information. Now, what about eating shellfish and seafood during pregnancy? Is that a no go or is that fine?
Dr. Gurchak: No, women absolutely should be consuming healthy fish products during pregnancy. It’s a great source of protein, iron, zinc, and other crucial nutrients for your baby’s growth and development. In fact, the omega-3 fatty acids that are very prevalent in fish are excellent for baby’s brain development. Some type of seafood should be avoided in large quantities during pregnancy, but most fishes are good during pregnancy. Those that should be avoided are large fish such as predatory fish, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish are commonly fishes that women should avoid during pregnancy.
Melanie: Now, what about birth control? Does that cause weight gain necessarily?
Dr. Gurchak: Melanie, this is an excellent question, and women are very fearful of weight gain. Most birth control—in fact, all birth control—is safe to take without risking weight gain. Every woman is going to respond a little differently to the birth control she takes. The one that women are most fearful of is actually Depo-Provera. When you look at the evidence about Depo-Provera, there is a little bit of evidence to say that women who take this medication will have a very small amount of weight gain over the course of the year. Now, that’s several pounds, not 30 pounds. In fact, this is only in a very rare woman. We hope women will keep their minds open about Depo-Provera since it is such a reliable and effective form of birth control and the likelihood of weight gain is small.
Melanie: What about intrauterine contraception devices? Can they cause infertility?
Dr. Gurchak: No. In fact, there is no evidence to say that they promote infertility in the future, and they’re an excellent and extremely reliable form of birth control. The only thing I would encourage women to do is continue to practice safe sex when they have an IUD in place because, of course, it’s effective in preventing pregnancy but not in preventing sexually transmitted infections. And when we look at what does cause infertility, potentially sexually transmitted infections can cause that when they are advanced and scar the tubes.
Melanie: If you’re trying to get pregnant, is having sex multiple times a day the best way?
Dr. Gurchak: Well, that’s a great question. In fact, it is good to have regular sex around the time that you are trying to conceive. However, multiple times a day can limit the amount of sperm. It can actually cause sperm count in the man to drop a little bit. In fact, every other day is the most frequently recommended way of getting pregnant.
Melanie: In just the last minute, Dr. Gurchak, speak to women with your best advice about these myths that we’re seeing out there and taking care of our own health, being our own best advocate, getting rid of that negative self-talk, and being the best healthcare advocate for ourselves that we can be.
Dr. Gurchak: Well, I think that women should allow themselves permission to put themselves first then take excellent care of their bodies first, knowing and trusting in themselves then that will help them take better care of those around them and that women should be cautious in what they take for fact and use their extreme smarts and knowledge to find useful information and just refer to their doctor for the most factual information that they can when they have questions about myths and facts.
Melanie: Thank you so much. You are listening to the WELLcast with Allina Health. For more information, you can go to allinahealth.org. That’s allinahealth.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.
Debunking the Myths and Facts of Women’s Health
Melanie Cole (Host): Women are inundated with media messages. The opinions of friends and family and the myths that are historically taboo when it comes to women’s body and our health are out there so prevalent. We’re getting so many mixed messages and diluted information, and this can prevent women from making really informed decisions about their health. My guest today is Dr. Katherine Gurchak. She specializes in obstetrics and gynecology and she practices at the Allina Health Champlin Clinic and Allina Health Mercy Women’s Health Clinic. Welcome to the show, Dr. Gurchak. How can women’s health issues get mistaken for fact and myth? How can we sort of sort these out in our own minds?
Dr. Katherine Gurchak (Guest): Well, good morning, Melanie. You’re right. Women often take and mistake myth for fact. In fact, they think it has to do with the fact that women by nature have really strong friendships and relationships with other women in their lives and in their families. It makes it so very safe to trust these women’s opinions, and it sometimes makes it easy to mistake the myths that they got from these women for fact because of that trust. Women are also very savvy in accessing information. There’s a large amount of information out on the Internet, and when women do access this information, it can sometimes be very diluted. Sometimes what’s fact gets diluted with what may be myth.
Melanie: Well, us women, Dr. Gurchak, we care for everyone else in our lives. Is it true that women, we have to care for all these other people and we may put ourselves second, third, or even fourth when it comes to healthcare needs?
Dr. Gurchak: It’s commonly true. I see this with the women in my practice all of the time. We are, as you say, by nature, caregivers. And in our busy lives, with our busy schedules, it gets very difficult to put ourselves first.
Melanie: So it’s so important that we, as they say, put on our own masks before we put on the masks of our loved ones, because if we can’t take care of ourselves, we’re not going to be able to care for those others. Let’s dispel some of these myths from facts so that women have really good information and can make informed decisions. Is it safe to dye your hair during pregnancy?
Dr. Gurchak: This is a common question I get asked at my first OB visit, especially in women pregnant for the first time. In fact, it is a myth. There is limited evidence about this during pregnancy. However, what does seem to be true that limited exposure to hair dye or hair products during pregnancy is essentially very safe. There is a limited systemic absorption from that dye to the scalp and this is strongly unlikely to cause any harm or adverse fetal effect. In fact, women shouldn’t necessarily do it daily, but of course, if they are getting their hair dyed or their highlights touched up during pregnancy once or twice, that should be very safe.
Melanie: What about caffeine? Is that cup of coffee in the morning during pregnancy okay to have?
Dr. Gurchak: Absolutely. In fact, it’s certainly okay to have a cup or even two of coffee. However, frequently drinking it all day or taking supplements with caffeine in it would be dangerous. We do know that there is some evidence to show that high levels of caffeine could be dangerous during pregnancy, leading to maybe miscarriage in the first trimester. However, the type of caffeine and the amount of caffeine that gets consumed in a daily cup of coffee, or even two, is about less than 200 to 300 mg a day, which is safe. You don’t necessarily need to avoid your Starbucks, but you certainly don’t necessarily need to add that extra one or two shots of espresso.
Melanie: What about after their period? Are women most fertile for that 14 days after their period? When is the safest time to have sex if you do not want to get pregnant or the best time to have sex if you do want to get pregnant?
Dr. Gurchak: It’s a really good question, and in fact I think women often are a little bit confused. We think of a period cycle being 28 days, and in fact, for every women, that length of cycle is a little bit different. The most fertile time for a woman is precisely two weeks before she gets her period. For a woman who has a longer menstrual cycle, say 35 days, she may be more fertile on day 21 of her cycle, giving that 14 days now until the end of her cycle. A woman with a shorter cycle would be more fertile earlier in her cycle. I often tell women that if they’re trying to predict when or when not to have sex in order to become or avoid pregnancy that they should take several months of information charting their period. The first day of your cycle is the first day of bleeding and the last day of your cycle is the day before the first day you bleed in your next cycle.
Melanie: That’s great information. Women, I hope you heard what she just said because that is great information. Now, what about eating shellfish and seafood during pregnancy? Is that a no go or is that fine?
Dr. Gurchak: No, women absolutely should be consuming healthy fish products during pregnancy. It’s a great source of protein, iron, zinc, and other crucial nutrients for your baby’s growth and development. In fact, the omega-3 fatty acids that are very prevalent in fish are excellent for baby’s brain development. Some type of seafood should be avoided in large quantities during pregnancy, but most fishes are good during pregnancy. Those that should be avoided are large fish such as predatory fish, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish are commonly fishes that women should avoid during pregnancy.
Melanie: Now, what about birth control? Does that cause weight gain necessarily?
Dr. Gurchak: Melanie, this is an excellent question, and women are very fearful of weight gain. Most birth control—in fact, all birth control—is safe to take without risking weight gain. Every woman is going to respond a little differently to the birth control she takes. The one that women are most fearful of is actually Depo-Provera. When you look at the evidence about Depo-Provera, there is a little bit of evidence to say that women who take this medication will have a very small amount of weight gain over the course of the year. Now, that’s several pounds, not 30 pounds. In fact, this is only in a very rare woman. We hope women will keep their minds open about Depo-Provera since it is such a reliable and effective form of birth control and the likelihood of weight gain is small.
Melanie: What about intrauterine contraception devices? Can they cause infertility?
Dr. Gurchak: No. In fact, there is no evidence to say that they promote infertility in the future, and they’re an excellent and extremely reliable form of birth control. The only thing I would encourage women to do is continue to practice safe sex when they have an IUD in place because, of course, it’s effective in preventing pregnancy but not in preventing sexually transmitted infections. And when we look at what does cause infertility, potentially sexually transmitted infections can cause that when they are advanced and scar the tubes.
Melanie: If you’re trying to get pregnant, is having sex multiple times a day the best way?
Dr. Gurchak: Well, that’s a great question. In fact, it is good to have regular sex around the time that you are trying to conceive. However, multiple times a day can limit the amount of sperm. It can actually cause sperm count in the man to drop a little bit. In fact, every other day is the most frequently recommended way of getting pregnant.
Melanie: In just the last minute, Dr. Gurchak, speak to women with your best advice about these myths that we’re seeing out there and taking care of our own health, being our own best advocate, getting rid of that negative self-talk, and being the best healthcare advocate for ourselves that we can be.
Dr. Gurchak: Well, I think that women should allow themselves permission to put themselves first then take excellent care of their bodies first, knowing and trusting in themselves then that will help them take better care of those around them and that women should be cautious in what they take for fact and use their extreme smarts and knowledge to find useful information and just refer to their doctor for the most factual information that they can when they have questions about myths and facts.
Melanie: Thank you so much. You are listening to the WELLcast with Allina Health. For more information, you can go to allinahealth.org. That’s allinahealth.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.