Category: News

From month to month, you may be having different experiences with your period that make you wonder if everything is “normal.” Maybe you notice your cycle is a few days off, or your period is heavy in some months while being light during others.

Tracking a few simple details each month can help you feel more confident and in control of your health. It also encourages a sense of empowerment by enabling you to notice patterns, catch changes early, and have more productive conversations with your gynecologist or healthcare provider.

Below are some practical ways to understand what’s typical, what to track, and when it’s time to reach out for medical guidance.

What a “Normal” Period Usually Looks Like

Everyone’s body is different, but understanding what a typical menstrual cycle looks like can help you feel more reassured. Recognizing some general guidelines can reduce worry and help you feel more comfortable with your own patterns.

• Cycle length: For most adults, a regular cycle (from day 1 of one period to day 1 of the next) is about 24–38 days long.
• Bleeding days: A normal period usually lasts 2–7 days.
• Flow: Light to moderate bleeding is common. Many women may have a heavier day or two, especially at the beginning.
• Symptoms: Mild to moderate cramping, breast tenderness, mood changes, or bloating can be part of a regular cycle.

It’s also helpful to remember that “normal” falls within a range. Your cycle might be slightly shorter or longer, or your flow a bit lighter or heavier than someone else’s, but it can still be considered healthy as long as it follows a predictable pattern. If your cycle varies significantly or suddenly changes, consider discussing this with a gynecologist to understand what it means for your health.

What to Track Every Month

You don’t need a complicated system to track your period. A simple notes app, calendar, or cycle-tracking app will do. Focus on these key details:

• Start date and length of cycle: Mark day 1 of your period (first day of real bleeding). Count the days until your next period starts to find your cycle length.
• Bleeding duration: Count how many days you bleed or spot. Note if it changes significantly.
• Flow level: Track daily flow as Light (panty liner), Moderate, or Heavy (changing every 2 hours). Heavy bleeding might require a call to your provider.
• Symptoms: Record notable symptoms like cramps, headaches, or mood changes, and how they affect your daily life.
• Unexpected bleeding: Note any spotting or bleeding between periods.
• Medications and lifestyle changes: Include any new medications, birth control changes, stress, or significant lifestyle changes that might impact your cycle.

Signs Your Period May Not Be Typical

Tracking makes it easier to see when something is off. Contact your gynecologist or care provider if you notice very heavy bleeding, including:

• Periods lasting more than 7 days
• Needing to change a pad or tampon every 1–2 hours
• Passing clots that are quarter-sized or larger

Other things to watch for:

• Cycles that are shorter than 21 days or longer than 35–38 days on a regular basis
• Big swings in timing, where your cycle length varies by more than a week from month to month
• Severe pain that doesn’t improve with over-the-counter medicine, heat, or rest
• Unusual bleeding between periods, after sex, or after menopause
• No period for 3 months or longer (and you’re not pregnant, breastfeeding, or using certain hormonal methods)
• Periods that are suddenly much heavier, more painful, or more irregular than your usual pattern

These symptoms don’t always mean something serious, but they can be signs of conditions like hormonal imbalances, fibroids, thyroid issues, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or bleeding disorders. A gynecologist can help find the cause and discuss treatment options.

What Can Affect Your Period

It’s also normal for your period to shift at certain times in life or during major changes, including:

• The first few years after your period starts (puberty)
• High stress
• Significant weight loss or gain
• Intense physical training
• Going on or off hormonal birth control
• Perimenopause (the years leading up to menopause)

How Your Provider Can Help

Bringing a few months of tracking notes to your appointment will help offer a clearer picture of what’s happening. It can help:

• Confirm that your period looks healthy and typical for you
• Identify possible causes of heavy, painful, or irregular periods
• Recommend tests, treatment, or lifestyle changes if needed
• Tailor birth control or other options to your cycle and symptoms

You deserve to feel informed and supported when it comes to your menstrual health. If you have questions or notice changes that worry you, you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Contact us today at  Capital Women’s Care at (301) 681-9101 to make an appointment. We’re here to help.

Experiencing more than one miscarriage is emotionally and physically devastating, and it’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed or fearful about trying again. While miscarriage is common, recurrent miscarriage creates a unique kind of heartache, often intensified by uncertainty and unanswered questions. You deserve space, compassion, and clarity — and while not every loss has an identifiable cause, learning more about possible factors can help you feel more informed and supported.

If you’ve experienced repeated pregnancy loss, you might feel very alone, but you most certainly are not. Understanding potential causes, discussing available testing, and partnering with a compassionate gynecologist can help you move forward with greater confidence and support.

Common Causes of Recurrent Miscarriages

Many people blame themselves, but recurrent miscarriages are almost always linked to underlying medical factors rather than something you did or did not do. Some of the possible causes include:

Genetic Factors

Chromosomal abnormalities account for many early miscarriages. Sometimes an embryo receives too many or too few chromosomes due to a random event in early cell division. In other situations, one parent may carry a balanced chromosomal rearrangement that doesn’t affect their own health but can increase the likelihood of miscarriage.

Hormonal or Endocrine Issues

Conditions such as thyroid disorders, uncontrolled diabetes, or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may affect ovulation, implantation, or early pregnancy development. Managing these conditions with your care team may support future pregnancies.

Uterine or Structural Differences

Physical differences in the uterus — such as a uterine septum, fibroids, polyps, or scarring from previous surgeries or infections — can sometimes make it harder for a pregnancy to continue. When identified, your gynecologist can discuss whether treatment may be helpful based on your individual situation.

Diagnostic Testing After Multiple Losses

If you’ve had two or more miscarriages, your doctor may recommend an evaluation to look for possible explanations. This may include:

• Genetic testing for you and your partner
• Blood tests to check hormones, thyroid function, or clotting factors
• Ultrasound or hysteroscopy to look at the uterine structure
• Testing for autoimmune or immune-related conditions

Not every case reveals a clear cause, and that uncertainty can be incredibly difficult. Even so, testing often provides meaningful information that helps guide next steps and support your reproductive health moving forward.

Supporting Your Emotional and Physical Healing

Miscarriage is both a medical event and a profoundly emotional experience. Give yourself permission to grieve in your own way and at your own pace. Many people find comfort in:

• Support groups or counseling
• Open conversations with a partner or loved ones
• Mind–body practices like gentle movement, meditation, or journaling
• Follow-up visits with your gynecologist to discuss questions or concerns

A miscarriage can feel isolating, but you don’t have to navigate the experience alone. Your emotional well-being is an essential part of healing, and reaching out for support is an important and courageous step.

How Your Gynecologist Can Help You Move Forward

A supportive gynecologist can help you explore next steps based on your unique history and needs. Depending on what testing or evaluation reveals, this may include discussing hormonal support, addressing structural findings, coordinating additional evaluations, or connecting you with fertility resources if needed.

Even when a specific cause is not identified, many people do go on to have healthy pregnancies. While no one can predict the future or guarantee outcomes, having the right information and care can help you feel more supported in whatever comes next.

You Deserve Answers, Support, and Hope

Recurrent miscarriage is never something you should have to navigate in silence or without compassionate care. Through thoughtful evaluation, emotional support, and a trusted relationship with your gynecologist, many patients find greater understanding and renewed strength as they consider their future.

If you’re seeking guidance after multiple losses, our care team at Capital Women’s Care  at(301) 681-9101 is here to listen, support you, and help you explore your options at a pace that feels right for you.

After you give birth to that beautiful baby of yours, everything seems to be about the baby. You understood that during pregnancy, your own health was paramount in order to have a strong healthy baby. However, now that your child is born, taking care of yourself remains a priority, like focusing on the importance of postpartum check-ups.

Your Post-Pregnancy Body

Many of the discomforts and bodily changes women have in the weeks after giving birth are normal. Sometimes, though, there are warning signs or symptoms of a health issue.

In the past postpartum check-up visits were limited to one visit 4-6 weeks after birth. Now the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that new mothers see their OBGYNs with the first one being within 3 weeks.

The Value of Seeing Doctor Multiple Times

You and our doctor will review a number of issues common in post pregnancy:

Vaginal or Abdominal Pain Issues

Your uterus and birth canal should return to its normal pre-pregnancy size during this time. Any incisions will be checked for proper healing. Pregnancy affects the bladder and intestines as well as your whole body, so your doctor will check that all your vital organs are back to pre-pregnancy condition.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is a normal part of post-pregnancy, but there can always be issues. Talk with All About Women  if you are having any issues with pain. Mastitis refers to an infected milk duct that can occur causing severe pain.

Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression is real and quite frequent after giving birth, so don’t be embarrassed to discuss any mood changes, anxiety, or depression with your doctor. Postpartum depression is a medical condition which can be treated.

Let your physician know if you are having bouts of sadness, frequently crying, excessive anxiety, panic attacks or irritability.

Preventing Future Medical Problems

If you had gestational diabetes or high blood pressure during your pregnancy, this can highlight future problems with these medical conditions.

Other Common Issues to Discuss

Many women have new issues after giving birth and they should be addressed with your doctor during these appointments.

Some of them include the following:

• Constipation and hemorrhoids
• Bleeding and vaginal discharge
• Weight loss
• Sex and birth control
• Incontinence

Postpartum check ups are designed to give your doctor a total picture of your physical, mental, and emotional health, so don’t hide anything that is bothering you.

Contact Capital Women’s Care  at(301) 681-9101to make an appointment at our office in Silver Spring and Rockville or if you are having any postpartum issues that should be addressed.

Many organizations have increased awareness about breast cancer in the last several decades. All this is good, but sometimes old wives tales or myths pop up and they are repeated and spread on the internet. Let’s give you the facts and 5 myths about breast cancer symptoms.

Myth #1: People with breast cancer always find a lump

Fact: Most lumps are not cancer and not everyone feels a lump during a self exam. In the early stages of breast cancer, there may not be one. Instead, note these symptoms: nipple pain, swelling, irritation or dimpling, and nipple retraction.

Myth #2: Breast cancer is not painful

Fact: 11% of women with breast cancer have pain as a symptom. If you experience any pain, see Capital Women’s Care  for evaluation. Fast growing breast cancers can be very painful, and pain in one spot is a warning sign, especially if you are an older woman. General soreness in the breast is normal with hormonal fluctuation.

Myth #3: Redness, pain, or bloody discharge are only signs of an infection or inflammation in a new mother (mastitis)

Fact: This is a common occurrence in a young mother, but if after treatment with antibiotics the woman’s symptoms do not improve, time to see Capital Women’s Care for evaluation. Breast cancers in young women can present as mastitis.

Myth #4: If you can move a breast lump, it’s not cancer

Fact: Actually, early breast cancers begin by being movable. Once the lump grows larger, it will attach itself to something and then you can’t move it. Tell Capital Women’s Care about any lump and note anything firm like a marble.

Myth #5: Physicians can diagnose breast cancer during an exam

Fact: Neither you nor your physician can tell just by feeling if a lump is cancerous. A mammogram and an ultrasound can give you more information. If needed, a biopsy can be done on a suspicious lump and then evaluated under a microscope.

It is always better to check on a symptom rather than letting it wait until your annual mammogram. If something doesn’t feel or look right, call Capital Women’s Care at  (301) 681-9101 immediately for an evaluation in Silver Spring and Rockville

By David Wagar, MD – Capital Women’s Care

As Mother’s Day approaches, we pause to honor one of the most miraculous, powerful, and awe-inspiring realities in all of life: motherhood.

To witness a woman create life—to grow a whole new person within her own body—is to behold something sacred. It is an everyday miracle that never loses its wonder. And the work of nurturing that life—feeding, loving, comforting, teaching, guiding—that work is nothing short of heroic.

At Capital Women’s Care, we count it a privilege to walk with women through this journey. From that first positive test to the final push in labor; from sleepless nights with newborns to school drop-offs and beyond—we see the strength, grace, and relentless devotion of mothers every day.

But we also know that for some, Mother’s Day brings heartache. For those who have longed for children and faced infertility. For those who have carried life and experienced loss. For those whose stories include pain where there was once hope—you are not forgotten. Your grief is real. And your courage is sacred too.

Wherever this Mother’s Day finds you—with joy or with tears, or both—know that you are seen. And you are deeply loved.