Women's Health

Men and women differ in more areas than just reproduction. We're learning more about our physiological differences all the time. This knowledge helps us to make continuous advances in women's health, disease prevention and treatment every day. Florida Hospital Altamonte provides a full range of healthcare services to women through all stages of their lives, from childbirth to menopause and beyond.

These services include wellness exams, obstetrics and gynecology, prenatal care, menopause management, cancer screening and prevention, and much more. Our goal for these services, and the information we provide to women at Florida Hospital Altamonte, is to empower women to enjoy better health than ever before.

The Baby Place

Few things in life compare to the arrival of a little one.  The Baby Place at Florida Hospital Altamonte is here to help you and your baby have the best experience possible throughout your pregnancy and during childbirth. We offer:

• Six labor and delivery rooms
• A Level One nursery with neonatology and transportation teams
• Two post-anesthesia care units
• Two operating rooms
• 17 private mother/baby rooms
• Two "birthday suites"

Our labor and delivery nurses and staff have an average of more than 15 years of experience; and we rank well above the national average for overall patient satisfaction.

Our state-of-the-art technology includes the new four-dimensional (4D) Ultrasound. This unprecedented image technique, coupled with 2D imaging, allows physicians at Florida Hospital Altamonte to monitor babies' development like never before. For more information about The Baby Place, click here.

Click here for a virtual tour of The Baby Place at Florida Hospital Altamonte.

Find out more about tours and classes:

• Take advantage of our prenatal and lactation classes that are offered at Florida Hospital Altamonte. Click here for more information.
• Take a personal tour. Contact us to schedule a visit by calling 407-303-2599.

Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery

Florida Hospital Altamonte can now provide a safer, more effective alternative to many traditional open surgeries by performing some procedures via laparoscopy and/or hysteroscopy.

Minimally invasive surgery offers faster recovery, less pain, smaller incisions and a shorter hospital stay than its traditional counterpart. We can offer this alternative as an option for the following surgical procedures:

• daVinci Surgical System assisted procedures
• Total Laparascopic Hysterectomy
• Total Vaginal Hysterectomy
• Endometriosis
• Pelvic pain treatment
• Cystoscopy
• Hysteroscopy
• Ovarian masses
• Repair of prolapsed & urinary incontinence
• Infertility

To discuss these or other minimally invasive treatments with a Florida Hospital Altamonte healthcare professional, please call us today at 407-303-2200.

Breast Health

You work to keep your body healthy-what about your breasts? What do they need for optimum health?

We've learned they need regular exams, mammograms, and help from medical professionals who specialize in their care, like the professionals you find at Florida Hospital Altamonte. We offer a full range of breast care options from screenings and diagnostic procedures to state-of-the-art treatment, giving patients easy, one-stop access to the latest medical technology and most knowledgeable breast care specialists. We offer:

A Personal Breast Care Coordinator

Sometimes navigating through breast health concerns can be confusing and stressful. That's why Florida Hospital Altamonte provides our patients with the services of a Breast Care Coordinator. The Breast Care Coordinator guides patients through breast health care procedures from routine breast exams, detection and treatment to education, support services and Seminole County's community resources.

Digital mammogram

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in American women. Like other cancers, early detection is our best weapon in the fight. The digital mammography capability at Florida Hospital Altamonte makes it so convenient to get that all-important early detection.

Cancer Specialists Clinic

Should your breast exam or mammogram signal that further help is needed, Florida Hospital Altamonte offers access to our state's finest diagnostic and treatment facilities.

Osteoporosis

While millions of Americans are at risk for osteoporosis, it's considered primarily a woman's disease, because women are four times more likely than men to develop it as they age.

What causes bone loss?

Although men as well as women lose bone as they grow older, the diminishing estrogen levels that occur around the time of menopause are a major cause of bone loss in women. Estrogen helps to build and maintain bone; so after menopause, bone loss increases as estrogen levels decrease. Bone loss can cause bones to weaken and this can lead to osteoporosis. When someone suffers from osteoporosis, their bones become fragile and more likely to break.

If left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. This typically occurs in the hip, spine, and wrist. A hip fracture almost always requires major surgery, and can impair a person's ability to walk, and even cause prolonged or permanent disability. Spinal fractures also have serious consequences, including loss of height, severe back pain, and deformity.

The good news about this debilitating disease is that it can be detected and treated. 

How can osteoporosis be detected?

A bone density test is often used to detect the early stages of osteoporosis. The most commonly used techniques for determining bone density are called single- and dual-energy X-ray densiometry (known to medical professionals as a SXA or DEXA scan). Florida Hospital Altamonte offers a DEXA scan to screen for osteoporosis. One advantage of the DEXA screening is the patient's minimal exposure to radiation.

If there's a history of osteoporosis in your family-and even if there's not-it's wise to follow these five steps to optimum bone health:

• Eat right-Get your daily recommended amounts of Calcium and Vitamin D.
• Exercise-Engage in regular weight-bearing and muscle strengthening exercise.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle-Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
• Talk with your doctor-Get the advice of your healthcare provider about bone health.
• Get tested-Have a bone density test and take medication when appropriate.
  

Menopause

Menopause is the permanent end of menstruation and fertility, medically defined as occurring 12 months after your last menstrual period. It's sometimes called, "the change of life."

In the years leading up to menopause, a woman's ovaries gradually make less of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. You may or may not have symptoms that let you know that you're nearing menopause. If you have them, you may be confused about how to treat them.

Menopause is a not a medical illness, it's simply a biological process. Even so, symptoms of menopause can be disruptive. Some changes you might notice as you approach menopause include:

• Irregular periods
• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Trouble sleeping through the night
• Increased abdominal fat
• Vaginal dryness
• Loss of breast fullness
• Mood swings, feeling crabby, or crying spells
• Trouble focusing, "fuzzy thinking," or forgetfulness
• Thinning or loss of hair on your head, or more hair growth on your face

Even though menopause is not an illness, don't hesitate to get advice and treatment here at Florida Hospital Altamonte-our experienced medical professionals have answers ranging from lifestyle adjustments to hormone therapy. If you haven't had regular visits before, it's important to see a Florida Hospital Altamonte healthcare professional during the years leading up to menopause, and the years after, to monitor any medical conditions that occur with aging.

Menopause treatments can include:

• Hormone therapy. Estrogen therapy remains the most effective treatment for relief of menopausal hot flashes. Depending on your personal and family medical history, your doctor may recommend estrogen in the lowest dose necessary to provide relief for you.
• Low-dose antidepressants. Venlafaxine, an antidepressant, has been shown to decrease menopausal hot flashes.
• Gabapentin. This drug is approved to treat seizures, but it also has been shown to significantly reduce hot flashes.
• Bisphosphonates. Doctors may recommend these non-hormonal medications to prevent or treat osteoporosis. These medications effectively reduce both bone loss and your risk of fractures and have replaced estrogen as the main treatment for osteoporosis in women.
• Selective estrogen receptor modulators. A group of drugs that mimic estrogen's beneficial effects on bone density in postmenopausal women, without some of the risks associated with estrogen.
• Vaginal estrogen. To relieve vaginal dryness, estrogen can be administered locally using a vaginal tablet, ring or cream. This treatment releases just a small amount of estrogen, which is absorbed by the vaginal tissue. It can help relieve vaginal dryness, discomfort with intercourse and some urinary symptoms.

To discuss these or other treatments, or to learn more about menopause from a Florida Hospital Altamonte healthcare professional, please call us today at 407-303-2200.

Women's Heart Health

Heart attack and stroke: many of us think of these as a "man's" disease. But women are at risk, as well; heart disease is the number one cause of death among women in the United States, and stroke is number three. Take a look at these facts:

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women over 65.
• American women are 4 to 6 times more likely to die of heart disease than of breast cancer.
• Heart disease kills more women over 65 than all cancers combined.

The most common form of heart disease is coronary artery disease.

In this disease, plaque builds up on the walls of the arteries that carry blood to the heart. Over time, arteries to narrow and harden, and blood clots may develop. If the clot mostly or completely blocks blood flow to the heart, a heart attack occurs.

Women are less likely to survive heart attacks than men.

There are differing opinions as to why. Some say women don't recognize their heart attack symptoms, which can be different from a man's. Research will one day provide answers to these questions.

The good news: you can lower your chances of a heart attack or stroke with the choices you make today.

Start by talking with your doctor or a healthcare professional at Florida Hospital Altamonte about your lifestyle, family history and your general health. The doctor can assess your risk and suggest a plan to avoid potential problems. And although family history and age are out of your control, there are many ways you can control risk through lifestyle changes, including:

• Don't smoke. Smoking is a major risk factor for heart disease in women. More than half of the heart attacks in women under 50 are related to smoking.
• Control your blood pressure. Treating high blood pressure can lower your risk of heart attack and stroke. A healthy diet, losing weight and exercising regularly are all ways to help control high blood pressure.
• Control your cholesterol level. If you don't know your level, ask your doctor to check it. Screening is recommended for women aged 45 and older with any other risk factors for heart disease.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Extra weight puts strain on your heart and arteries. Also, being overweight means you have a higher risk for many other health problems, especially diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
• Exercise. Your heart needs regular exercise to stay in shape. Aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, swimming, jogging or cycling, gives your heart the best workout.
• Eat a low-fat diet. Keep fat calories to 30% or less of the total calories you eat during a day and avoid saturated fat, like that found in meat and dairy products.
• Take care of your diabetes. If you have diabetes, regular exercise, weight control, a low-fat diet and regular doctor visits are vital. If you take medicine for diabetes, take it exactly as your doctor ordered.
• Be aware of chest pain. Be sure to contact your doctor immediately if you suffer from pain in your chest, shoulder, neck or jaw. Also notify your doctor if you experience shortness of breath or nausea that comes on quickly.
• Know your family history. Having a father or brother with heart disease before age 55, or a mother or sister with heart disease before age 65, are factors that contribute to heart disease.

How do we look for heart disease?

At Florida Hospital Altamonte, we are equipped to perform one or more tests so that your doctor can have as accurate a picture of your heart's condition as possible. Here are some of the tests we can perform when assessing heart disease risk:

• Blood tests often reveal risks for coronary artery and other heart disease and sometimes provide warnings for heart failure.
• Electrocardiography measures your heart's electrical activity by placing small electrodes with adhesive pads to the skin; it measures your heart rhythm, detects inadequate blood flow to the heart, and identifies abnormalities.
• Chest X-ray shows the size and structure of the heart and lungs. It can detect heart failure and reveal abnormalities in your heart, lungs and major blood vessels.
• Echocardiography uses sound waves to generate images of your heart. It helps your healthcare provider assess your heart's pumping strength and detect damage to the heart chamber, valve problems and heart defects.
• Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, uses magnetic and radio-frequency waves to look at your heart throughout its blood pumping cycle through clear, three-dimensional images.
• Stress tests are designed to assess heart function and determine blood flow while under stress, either with actual exercise or by using a drug to reproduce the effects of exercise.
• Nuclear imaging, or myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), uses a small amount of a radioactive substance to produce images of the heart while blood flow to your heart is measured.
• Computed tomography is used to measure calcium in and around arteries, an important predictor of coronary artery disease.
• Coronary catheterization, also known as an angiogram, tracks blood flow through your coronary arteries by producing highlights on an X-ray machine your blood flow in and around the heart.

Got questions about heart disease? Florida Hospital Altamonte encourages women to be their own health advocates-take control of your heart health so you can live longer, and live healthier lives. To learn more, please call us today at 407-303-2200.