Women's Health

Women’s health assessment begins by locating the patient on the reproductive timeline. Menstrual, pregnancy, postpartum, breastfeeding, and menopausal contexts change both the differential diagnosis and the safety of treatment. A pregnancy test, medication review, and clear understanding of reproductive goals can prevent an otherwise reasonable plan from causing fetal harm or undermining the patient’s priorities. A pregnant or postpartum patient with a new blood pressure of 168/112 mmHg, severe headache, or visual disturbance is not simply being assessed for “high blood pressure.” Severe-range hypertension may signal cerebral, renal, hepatic, placental, and fetal risk. Do not wait four hours for repeat diagnostic measurements before responding to persistent severe-range values; the emergency treatment threshold is persistence for 15 minutes. Bleeding requires the same pattern-based approach. After birth, quantify the loss and palpate the uterus. A soft, poorly contracted fundus points toward uterine atony, the leading cause of postpartum haemorrhage. A firm uterus with continuing heavy bleeding shifts attention toward genital-tract trauma, retained placental tissue, or coagulopathy. The cause changes the intervention, so escalating oxytocin alone without examining the patient can delay definitive...