Ultrasound (Sonography)

CT Scan (Computed Tomography)

Computed tomography is an imaging test that uses a rotating X-ray beam and computer reconstruction to produce cross-sectional images of the body — faster and more versatile than a plain X-ray, but carrying a meaningfully higher radiation dose worth understanding before deciding on the test.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves, not ionizing radiation, to produce images with exceptionally high soft-tissue contrast — brain, spinal cord, joints, and internal organs — at the cost of a much longer scan time than CT.

X-Ray (Radiography)

An X-ray is the oldest and still fastest-available medical imaging method — a single, flat projection of X-radiation that can assess bones, lungs, and select chest or abdominal structures within seconds, at a low radiation dose compared with CT.

Endometriosis

A chronic disease affecting about 10% of women of reproductive age, still diagnosed with a multi-year delay on average — despite pain severe enough to significantly disrupt daily functioning.

Male Fertility and Semen Quality

A widely cited 2017 meta-analysis showed a decades-long decline in sperm counts in Western countries — we look at what's actually known about the factors affecting male fertility.

VO2 max

The maximum amount of oxygen the body can take up during exercise — one of the strongest, well-documented predictors of lifespan, measurable in a sports diagnostics lab.

Mammography

An X-ray examination of the breast that is the primary method for screening detection of breast cancer at an early, asymptomatic stage — the only imaging test with mortality reduction documented in randomized clinical trials.

Echocardiography (Cardiac Echo)

Echocardiography is a real-time ultrasound test of the heart that — unlike an ECG, which only assesses electrical activity — shows chamber structure, valve function, and the strength of the heart muscle's contraction, with no radiation exposure.

Thyroid Nodules — When Should You Worry?

Thyroid nodules are surprisingly common — high-resolution ultrasound studies detect them in the majority of adults past a certain age, though they're far less often palpable on physical exam. Being told "you have a nodule on your thyroid," however, tends to trigger disproportionate anxiety, because in reality the vast majority of nodules are benign and never require treatment. We check what the American Thyroid Association guidelines and the TI-RADS system actually say about which nodules need further workup and which can safely be observed.

September 9, 2026

Fibrocystic Breast Changes: Causes and Management

Tenderness, lumpiness, and a "grainy" feeling in the breasts just before a period affects up to 90% of women at some point in their lives — a phenomenon common enough that medicine long ago stopped calling it a disease. Fibrocystic breast changes (today more often called simply fibrocystic changes rather than "fibrocystic breast disease") don't themselves raise breast-cancer risk, but they can be a source of real discomfort and anxiety, especially when a new, palpable lump appears. We explain the hormonal mechanism behind these changes, what actually helps ease symptoms versus what's a myth, and when a breast lump needs urgent evaluation.

September 16, 2026

Ovarian Cysts: When to Worry, and When to Just Keep Watching?

A cyst on the ovary found on ultrasound triggers worry almost automatically, even though the vast majority of such findings are harmless, functional cysts that disappear on their own within a few cycles. The problem is that the same word also covers rarer pathological changes that need monitoring or treatment, and — very rarely — acute situations like ovarian torsion that require immediate help. We explain how the different cyst types differ, which symptoms are normal, and which should prompt an urgent visit.

September 16, 2026

Uterine Fibroids: Symptoms and Treatment — from Watchful Waiting to Surgery

Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumor of the female reproductive organs — estimates range from a few percent to over 70%, depending on the diagnostic method and age, and for many women they remain symptom-free for life. For others they cause heavy, multi-day bleeding, pain, and pelvic pressure that genuinely reduce quality of life. We explain how the different fibroid types differ, when watchful waiting is enough, and when it's worth considering drug therapy, myomectomy, hysterectomy, or uterine artery embolization (UFE).

September 16, 2026

Abdominal Ultrasound: Preparation, Do You Need to Fast and a Full Bladder

Almost every unit asks you to arrive fasting for an abdominal ultrasound, yet the evidence for this advice is surprisingly thin. A 2026 meta-analysis found that fasting does not improve the overall diagnostic sufficiency of the scan; the benefit was limited to the gallbladder and the common bile duct, and a randomised trial of 215 patients found no difference in image quality after breakfast and when fasting. We explain where the advice comes from, when a full bladder is really needed, whether simethicone does anything, and what an ultrasound can and cannot show.

November 3, 2026

Pain Between the Shoulder Blades: When It Is Muscle, and When Heart, Oesophagus or Gallbladder

Pain between the shoulder blades most often comes from the muscles and joints of the thoracic spine, but it can also be referred pain from internal organs: the heart, aorta, oesophagus, gallbladder or lungs. In a large US registry 33% of patients with a heart attack reported no chest pain, and in the aortic dissection registry classic findings were often absent. The article shows how to recognise mechanical pain, which features of the pain raise or lower the probability of heart disease, when the pain is a warning sign and which tests are done and in what order.

October 29, 2026

Spotting between periods: causes and when to get tested

Spotting between periods is surprisingly common: in a British cohort study almost one woman in four aged 40-54 reported it within two years, and in most cases nothing serious was found. The usual explanations are the dip in estradiol around ovulation, hormonal contraception or an intrauterine device, a polyp or a change on the cervix, an infection, or hormonal swings in perimenopause. Some situations do need a prompt check: pregnancy, bleeding after menopause, repeated spotting or spotting after sex, pain and general symptoms. We explain how to tell spotting from bleeding, what the data say about cancer risk and which tests are done in which order.

October 29, 2026

Ovulation pain (mittelschmerz): causes, duration and when it is something else

Ovulation pain, or mittelschmerz, is one-sided lower abdominal pain in the middle of the cycle that, according to a clinical review, may affect over 40% of women of reproductive age and usually resolves within hours to two days. It is benign, but it is a diagnosis of exclusion: endometriosis, a haemorrhagic cyst, ectopic pregnancy, appendicitis and ovarian torsion can all hurt mid-cycle too. We explain what is known about the mechanism (the LH surge, contraction of the muscle around the follicle), how to tell ovulation pain from other causes, when home treatment is not enough and why the evidence for any treatment is slim.

October 29, 2026