Image: Yes Means Test, American Sexual Health Association The latest data from CDC shows that STDs in the US have increased for the fourth year in a row. Chlamydia is the most common disease reported to the CDC with 1.7 million cases reported in 2017 - almost half of those in women and girls age 15-24. Not sure if you should be tested? Check out my earlier post to learn more. If you're ready to get tested, check out my shesources page for interactive search tools for testing

The latest CDC report shows an increase in chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis cases in the US for the third year in a row. Of these three most common curable infections, syphilis has shown the greatest increase - up 18% from 2015 to 2016 - and up nearly 35% among women! Thought syphilis was a disease of the past, something that only historic monarchs got? Wrong! Photo: Treponema pallidum, the organism that causes syphilis. Even more common, half of all chlamydia and gonorrhea

True confession time. During my pregnancy, I purchased and read just about every book available on how to be prepared for a newborn. From The Happiest Baby on the Block to The Baby Whisperer to the official publications of the American Academy of Pediatrics, I read them all. What I didn't find were books on how to what to expect or how to take care of myself after the baby was born. And even as an Ob/Gyn, I was shocked at how ill prepared I was for the "4th trimester". As dis