There are two sterilization methods for women who choose to end childbearing: ligation and removal. Tubal sterilization can also decrease a woman's risk of some types of ovarian cancer by 30-50 percent. Women's health expert Dr. Kirtly Paker Jones discuss the differences between tubal ligation versus tubal removal to help determine which procedure is better for you.

It’s that time of the month when your hormones are supposedly out of whack, everything annoys you, and it feels like a shark is attacking your abdominal area. As much as you don’t like it, you know menstrual cramps are normal. But what if it seems like this time is the worst out of all the other times? As much as 29 percent of women experience severe menstrual cramps that are bad enough for medical attention. Women’s expert Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones tells you how to identity whether or not your menstrual cramps are normal or not.

If you get a call from your doctor’s office about an abnormal pap smear, you might start to freak out. Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones says it’s a good idea to take a deep breath first. Many times, the doctor doesn’t scrape enough cells and you need another smear. Dr. Jones explains the many reasons you could be called back—including some comforting information and statistics about treatments.

After menopause, a majority of women don't take hormonal therapy with estrogen and often find they have a sense of dryness or burning in the vaginal area. The good news is the treatment is easy. The bad news is the treatment can be costly. Women's health expert Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones talks about why the pharmaceutical industry places high prices on vaginal estradiol and alternative options that might be available for your symptoms if you cannot afford vaginal estrogens.

Severe grief or disruption can cause anyone to cry, and that’s normal. Prolonged crying that persists without reason is not normal and may indicate a serious condition requiring treatment. Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones talks about tears, crying, and emotions that are uniquely human.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women, killing more women each year than breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer combined. Yet, lung cancer is also the most preventable cancer. Women's health expert Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones talks about a new study that finds young women get lung cancer more often than young men, and how to distinguish the different signs and symptoms of lung cancer in women from those in men.

Some of the health issues that concerns women don’t actually pertain to their own health, but rather, the health of the men in their life. One of the health problems women want their men to know about—and fix—is snoring. Women’s expert Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones talks about why snoring can be a problem for bed partners and how women can help their men fix the health issue.

For some women, waking up in the morning can be a real struggle, even if they think they had a good night's rest. Majority of people sleep less than the amount they actually need and feeling tired the next day is normal. But just because it's normal doesn't mean it's good for your health. Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones talks about things that could be disrupting your sleep, making you think you're getting a full 8-hours when in fact, you're not.

For many American women, changes in weight are often punctuated by pregnancy. Women's health expert Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones shares some simple changes in lifestyle that she has observed in other cultures. She also offers suggestions and guidelines that new and expectant mothers might adopt into their own routines to achieve and maintain a healthy weight through the childbirth process.

Research shows caffeine is a stressor in pregnancy, and babies with stress in the uterus are more likely to have health problems as children and adults, one of those problems being overweight. Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones talks about why large amounts of caffeine intake during pregnancy can restrict growth and development of the fetus.