This content is sponsored by the University of Maryland Medical System.
Many women live with pain they’ve never mentioned to a doctor. Everything from painful periods to pelvic discomfort. Many women assume pain is normal. But staying silent can delay diagnoses for years.
For WTOP’s 2026 Get on Top of Your Health series, we asked Dr. Erica Contreras (OB/GYN) and Dr. Pooja Uppalapati (GYN) from the University of Maryland Medical System to share details about how women can break free from pain.
Pushing back against painful periods
“The biggest thing is understanding that a period is just a part of your month, and it doesn’t have to be something that is debilitating or that you’re looking ahead to with fear,” Uppalapati said. “If you feel like this is really significantly — altering your life or your day to day — then it’s something that we should talk about.”
She recommends women share information about their cycles and pain:
- When your period started
- What your cycle has always been like
- How many pads, tampons or cups you are using daily
- When you experience pain (with bathroom use, intercourse or other pain)
- How pain affects your life
Uppalapati said if a woman is building her life around symptoms, the doctor needs to know. In some cases, symptoms are clues to a bigger diagnosis.
“One of the conditions I tend to treat and see is endometriosis, and most people don’t know enough about it,” she said. “If someone doesn’t put those pieces together, it can go undiagnosed for a really long time.”
Preparing for perimenopause
“Perimenopause is normal. This is an expected transition, just like going through puberty was when you were younger,” Contreras said.
She said every woman’s experience is different. Some may have hot flashes, while others experience vaginal dryness. Perimenopause can last years too.
“What’s important is to talk to your physician so they can talk to you about and manage expectations,” Contreras said. “Sometimes just knowing what is going to happen is sufficient. But obviously, if these symptoms are distressing, then that’s the reason that we might consider medication to try to help manage that until you get to the point where it’s not a problem anymore.”
Managing menopause
With menopause, people “always think just hormone replacement or nothing, whereas there’s a lot in between now,” Contreras said. “There are medications that have been used to help with depression, that have been shown to be helpful with hot flashes.”
She added that in some cases, women might want to consider herbal medications. Contreras also said there are newer treatments that help with the temperature regulation center in the brain to help with hot flashes.
Screening for HPV to prevent cancer
A concerning medical condition is human papillomavirus, or HPV. It’s a leading cause of cervical cancer.
“But it can also cause vaginal, vulvar, anal and throat cancer in women, as well as HPV-related cancers in men, which are generally going to be anal or throat. But unfortunately, there is no screening that exists for men,” Contreras said.
Traditionally, HPV testing was done via a Pap smear. But she added there are new options for women today.
“Recently, they’ve come out with technology that allows patients to do this at home, which is called the Teal Wand,” Contreras said.
Ensuring heart health in women
“Heart disease is one of the main killers of women, and we just don’t talk about it enough,” Uppalapati said.
Medical conditions from earlier in life could impact the heart later.
“If you had gestational hypertension, if you had preeclampsia, these are going to be things that obviously happened earlier in your life but that can dictate and increase your risk for cardiac issues later as well,” Contreras said.
Uppalapati said high blood pressure, diabetes and a family history of heart issues are additional risk factors.
“And with medications, there are certain ones that we do want to avoid in someone who has a high risk for having a stroke or a pulmonary embolism, and so it’s important so that we make sure that we’re putting you on safe medications that will help treat what’s going on,” Contreras said.
Debunking online misinformation
Many women are now seeing health information on social media. But in some cases, AI influencers, and not humans, are presenting medical advice.
“There are a lot of actually great resources on TikTok, Instagram, X, et cetera,” Uppalapati said. “Generally, I would want it to be a practicing provider, someone who’s actually still seeing patients, still has their hands in the clinical scenario, so that they’re really staying up to date.”
She said legitimate health professionals online are easy to verify in real life by checking their affiliations and credentials. She said there are also red flags to lookout for.
“A good person giving you medical advice is also not going to be trying to sell you something. So if they’re giving all this information, and then they say, ‘By the way, here’s a link to all these supplements,” or, you know, ‘This is the company that I work with,’ take their information with a grain of salt.”
A real physician can give information based on each patient’s personal case. “Talk with your physician because we’re trained for this, so we’re going to give you good information that’s accurate for you,” Contreras said.
Sharing information with your doctor
Uppalapati and Contreras said it’s important that women share a wide range of information with their doctors. Here are some examples:
- The first day of your last period, cycle pattern and flow
- Any pain
- Contraception use
- Breast changes or concerns
- Mood and emotional health (persistent anxiety, low mood, irritability or sleep disruption)
- Menopause or perimenopause symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog, sleep disruption or cycle changes)
- Fertility goals
Whether women are being seen for a fertility-related issue or not, Contreras said it’s important to share family planning goals.
“If we know that fertility is very important, then our treatment plan is going to be designed to help preserve that,” she said.
They both noted that women should see their doctors at least once a year — and more often if concerns arise.
Learn more now about UMMS women’s health services. And discover more ways to get on top of your health on WTOP.
