Each year, about 215,000 women in the United States are found to have invasive breast cancer. Changes that should be promptly evaluated are the appearance of a lump in the breast or underarm, flakiness around the nipple, or a reddening of the skin. More...

Because so many women have Pap tests annually, deaths from cervical cancer have decreased greatly and are now rare in the United States. Chances of successfully treating cervical cancer are highest when it is detected early. More...

In the United States, the most common cancer of the female reproductive system is endometrial cancer, in which malignant cells grow in the endometrium, the lining of the uterus. Fortunately, most endometrial cancers are discovered early because of warning signs such as irregular or postmenopausal bleeding. More...

Most women get fibroids during their reproductive years—and most never know it. A single fibroid might never cause a symptom, never pose a health risk, and create no problems with fertility. But the "tumors" can grow large enough to cause severe cramping and heavy bleeding and, in some cases, a hysterectomy. More...

As it grows, the placenta secretes hormones that make it harder for a woman's body to use insulin normally. She needs an increasingly large amount of insulin to maintain normal blood glucose levels. When Mom's pancreas can't keep up with the higher demand, the body falls behind in processing glucose, and gestational diabetes results. More...

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often common and vague, which makes it difficult to diagnose. If ovarian cancer is diagnosed early, which happens in about 25 percent of cases, 90 percent of women survive for five years or longer. Ovarian cancer is usually treated with surgery and chemotherapy. More...