Regular physician visits and medical screenings are critical to maintaining one’s health. However, women are often unsure about what tests they need and at what age, which doctors they should be seeing annually, and what physiological changes they may experience at certain ages.

Shellie Pascoe’s phone started lighting up with messages from family and friends all sharing the same story. A patient at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital had a one-in-a-million pregnancy: She had a double uterus and was pregnant with a baby in each.

Men and women experience mental disorders at about the same rate. However, women can experience certain mental illness symptoms more often than men do, and some may be linked to hormonal changes.

About 1 in 5 women worldwide experiences infertility, and it can have a major emotional impact on both individuals and couples. Beyond the medical and physical issues, it is a difficult and deeply personal journey that can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, and other emotional effects. Below, the UAB Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility shares tips for coping with the challenges of infertility or supporting someone who is going through it.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, accounting for about one in every five deaths. Over 60 million women in the United States are living with heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In an effort to curb heart disease and stroke rates, cardiologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cardiovascular Institute have relaunched the Women’s Heart Health Program.

The question “What is endometriosis?” is searched online millions of times each year. The condition affects an estimated 190 million women worldwide, yet many have not heard of it. Richard Burney, M.D., director of UAB Medicine’s Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, shares information on endometriosis, including the causes, symptoms, and treatment options.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has received eight 2024 Women’s Choice Awards designations for women’s health practice areas.

Each January, National Birth Defects Awareness Month is observed to raise awareness, help improve the health of people with these conditions, and expand the networks of support. Most birth defects are not preventable, and many are critical conditions that can cause lifelong challenges. However, thanks to medical advances in diagnosis and treatment, women and their babies now receive better care than ever before.

Each January, Cervical Cancer Awareness Month calls attention to important facts about a type of cancer that is diagnosed in about 14,000 women in the United States annually and is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide.

Premature and sick newborns are at high risk of having developmental issues that can affect their language and reading skills. UAB Medicine and Children’s of Alabama launched the NICU Bookworms reading program in 2021 to help reduce these deficits, increase parent-infant bonding and encourage shared reading starting at birth for all babies.

Girl Talk, led by nurses at the UAB Women & Infants Center (WIC), is a safe space for group learning and conversations about puberty that is available for girls ages 8-12 and their mothers (or a trusted adult).

Immunotherapy is a common type of treatment that uses the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer and other diseases. Gynecologic cancers are treated in different ways, but immunotherapy is becoming more common in treating cervical cancer, uterine (endometrial) cancer, and other cancers that start in women’s reproductive organs. At the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, physicians and researchers are improving the use of certain immunotherapies, and many patients are seeing better treatment results.