When you’re researching birth control options, an intrauterine device (IUD) sounds great: it’s more than 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy, and once it’s placed, you don’t have to do anything for years. It can also treat heavy menstrual bleeding, even making periods go away completely for some. But if you search for the term…
Imagine not being able to put on your favorite jeans or even a pair of underwear because it hurts too much, or feeling like your most sensitive areas are on fire just from walking across the room. These are common experiences for women with vulvodynia, unexplained pain in the vulva that lasts for at least…
This will sound frightening: As many as 80 percent of women will have a tumor called a leiomyoma in their uterus at some point in their lives. Here’s the good news: Those tumors, more commonly known as fibroids, are not cancerous and may never cause symptoms. If they do, there are a variety of options…
In the United States, about one-third of all births are cesarean sections. Some are planned, often because of a medical concern, and others are unplanned, because of issues during labor. Doctors used to think that having a baby by C-section meant any additional children you have should also be delivered by C-section. That’s no longer…
Gynecology, Health, Maternal Health, Pregnancy and Maternal Health
You have strange pains in your abdomen. You suspect your child has broken a bone. You were in a car accident and your doctor is concerned about internal injuries. You’re expecting a baby. In every instance, you’ll need medical imaging, which can help to reveal what’s happening inside your body. There are several kinds of…
When you’re no longer having menstrual periods or symptoms associated with menopause, you might think you’re done with the gynecologist. Not so fast: While your reproductive years may be over, your reproductive organs still need care, whether that comes from a gynecologist or a primary care provider in family medicine or internal medicine. “Everybody needs…
Like mothers everywhere, Kallie Goudey often finds herself in awe of the miracle of her children. In the case of 6-year-old Emma, she watches her dance, sing, run and play T-ball, all with an exuberance that sometimes wears grownups out. “So much energy—she’s the fireball in our house,” says Goudey, a 31-year-old teacher assistant. This…
Babies, Children's Health, Maternal Health, Patient Stories, UNC Children's
You have probably had nights where you struggled to sleep because you couldn’t get comfortable. You tossed and turned, and maybe your partner said you kicked and flailed in your sleep. A night like this might have you wondering if you have restless legs syndrome. “Sometimes people are restless sleepers, or maybe they’re uncomfortable because…
Babies born with a cleft lip or cleft palate, or both, will face some additional challenges in the early years of their lives, and so will their parents. Babies with clefts need to have surgery, learn special feeding techniques, and see doctors and therapists who can help them thrive like any other kid. If you’re…
Breastfeeding, Children's Health, Head and Neck Surgery, UNC Children's
A diagnosis of cancer is always life-altering, no matter how old you are. But for young people, there’s often a particular concern: Will I still be able to have children someday? An estimated 84,000 people between the ages of 15 and 39 found out they had cancer in 2024—that’s more than 4 percent of all…
In the 1950s and 1960s, the life expectancy of a person with severe hemophilia was just 11 years. Today, a child born with this bleeding disorder can expect a normal lifespan and get to do things that previous generations of kids with hemophilia never could. “Hemophilia treatment is the poster child of what we can…
Katie Krist met the surgeon who would operate on her son before she met her son. Krist and her husband Jeremy had been matched through an adoption agency with an 18-month-old boy in China. The toddler had a cleft lip and palate and other medical needs, and the couple met with UNC Health pediatric otolaryngologist…
