Caylin Gibson

ISM-6th period
Sobel, Jack D. "Bacterial Vaginosis." Bacterial Vaginosis. Ed. Robert L. Barbieri and Kristen
Eckler. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

A Bacterial Vaginosis is the most common cause for women to have discharge.
BV represents a complex change in the vaginal flora or in other words a pH change in the
vagina.
BV is also the change in Lactobacilli in the vagina as well as anaerobic gram negative
rods, and the increase of different concentrations of other organisms in the vagina.
Sexual Activity can change the pH in the vagina causing BV.
25-50% of studies done have showed that women that are involved in sexual activities
with another women tend to have BV more often than with a male partner.
BV has been studied and given the result that it has a leading factor in sexually
transmitted infections.
The use of a douche is a leading factor in a bacterial infections
Smoking is a another leading factor for a BV
More than 50% of women show signs of a BV such as discharge and vaginal odor.
The signs show more after sexual intercourse has taken place.
The smell that most people refer to as a vaginal odor is a fishy smell although everyone
smells differently.
BV can be associated with acute cervicitis which is discharge and easy cervical bleeding.
BV is normally diagnosed based on 4 things: characteristics of vaginal discharge, clue
cells, odor, and pH level.
Vaginal discharge is also looked at through a microscope to see the cells in the discharge.
A high pH level is anything above 4.5
Pregnant women with BV have a higher risk of have a preterm delivery.
The most common form of treatment for BV is oral drugs such as Metronidazole and
Clindamycin.
There are other options such s creams, gels, ascorbic acids, povidone-iodine vaginal
douches, but they arent the most recommended or have a high success rate.
Male partners dont need to be treated if the woman in the relationship has BV.
Women partners are encouraged to be treated when other women partner has BV.
When breastfeeding some medications should not be taken when you have BV, but for the
most part the vaginal medications dont harm the baby because those medications are
absorbed in the vagina.

Overall the article that my mentor had access to really gave me information about BV that isnt
open to the public and I was able to gain more information about the pH levels in the vagina and
how different things cause BV and how BV makes it easier for other infections to occur.

Caylin Gibson
ISM- 6th period
Sobel, Jack D. "Trichomoniasis." Trichomoniasis. Ed. Robert L. Barbieri and Kristen Eckler.
N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

The most common worldwide sexually transmitted disease.

Trichomonas affects the urogenital tract which is the vagina, urethra, and paraurethral
glands.
Women can spread the disease to another woman through sexual activities/ sexual
intercourse.
Men dont usually spread Trichomonas
When Trichomonas isnt treated it can later turn into urethritis or cystitis.
Trichomonas gives a higher risk for HIV.
The most common form of diagnosing Trichomonas is a wet mount which is the process
of looking at the cells in the vagina through a microscope.
Diagnosing a male is by using a culture or a nucleic acid amplification test.
A swab of the male specimen in collected then taken to do Trichomonas test.
Screening for Trichomonas in pregnant women is recommended.
Treatment for male and/or females can be symptomatic and asymptomatic.
When being treated for Trichomonas the medication can also lower the risk of a HIV.
Intercourse can be very dangerous to both partners involved in the sexual
activities/intercourse.
If the vaginal infection is not cured it can keep spreading to the other partner.
If treated for Trichomonas and partner is still not treated you will most likely have the
vaginal infection again even right after curing the infection.
Oral medications such as metronidazole or tinidazole are given to help cure the vaginal
infection, Trichomonas.
A pregnant woman that is tested positive for Trichomonas becomes a high risk patient
which means that the patient constantly has to be checked on and monitored closely.
Breastfeeding mothers are given an oral medication such as Metronidazole.
When a breastfeeding mother takes Metronidazole a lot of the medication is secreted
through the breast milk and a very small amount is received by the infant.
A big factor in the prevention for Trichomonas is the use of condoms.
Another big factor in the prevention for Trichomonas is to limit the number of partners
you have sexual intercourse with.

Overall I got a good understanding about Trichomonas and how the men and women can have
the infection and that both partners need to be treated when they have this type of vaginal
infection.

Caylin Gibson
ISM-6th period
Tippitt, Shawn. "ISM Interview." Personal interview. 27 Oct. 2015.

Before actually working she thought that with having a higher position she could
make her own schedule
She came to realize that if she made her own schedule she wouldnt be seeing as my
patients which means she wouldnt be getting paid as much
She has her masters degree in nursing
Post graduate as a WHNP (womens health nurse practitioner)
She said that she has to have 20 hours to keep her RN license
She said that she also has to have 30 hours a year to keep her NP license
A typical day for my mentor is doing patients exams, educating patients, reviewing
labs, refilling prescriptions, diagnosing, and treating patients
My mentor feels that she has a secure position in her field
She said that she has a good working relationship with all the other personnel in the
office which makes her believe that she is more secure in her field
My mentor believes that over time NPs are going to be in more demand
The overall field of OBGYN is going to remain constant in the way that there will
always be positions to fill and the field will never go away
In general right after school my mentor said the average salary for a NP is about
$90,000 right out of school
About $110,00 with WHNP license
Overall the salary is about $85,000-$120,00
My mentor believes there will be a constant growth in the field of OBGYNs
My mentors original job goal was to be CRNA
She did and rotation in the Labor and Delivery and fell in love and then pursued a job
in this field
My mentor said she picked a office setting because she can have a closer relationship
to her patients
My mentor said that something she enjoys about her job is being able to see the
changes from girls growing up and becoming women, seeing the change in being
single to being married to starting a family

Overall by doing a face to face interview with my mentor I was able to gain information
over her thoughts on her job and what is the most important things to know about her job.

Caylin Gibson
ISM-6th period
"Yeast Infections: Symptoms, Treatments, Causes." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 03 Nov.

2015.
A yeast infection lives in the vagina
This occurs when a rapid number of yeast cells grow in the vagina
Most yeast infection are from a yeast cell called Candida Albicans
A healthy vagina always has yeast cells but just not as many yeast cells a vagina
has when a yeast infection occurs
A bacteria called Lactobacillus Acidophilus helps keep the yeast cells under
control in the vagina
When antibiotics are taken this can cause an imbalance in the pH of the vagina
which causes yeast cells to rapidly increase causing a yeast infection
High estrogen levels, pregnancy, and hormone therapy can also cause a yeast
infection
A yeast infection can cause an itchy feeling in the vagina as well as soreness
Sometimes a yeast infection can cause sex to be painful or uncomfortable
It can also cause urination to be painful or uncomfortable
A big sign of a yeast infection is thick, clumpy discharge which normally doesnt
have odor
If the vaginal discharge has odor it doesnt always mean that it isnt a yeast
infection
A yeast infection can be treated with over the counter medications
The most common types of medications used over the counter for a yeast
infection are antifungal creams, suppositories that are inserted into the vagina, or
antifungal tablets that can be taken orally
If you are pregnant and have a yeast infection then you shouldnt treat at home,
you should go to doctors
Sometimes if the symptoms or signs are mild then you dont have to treat
immediately, you can wait to see if it goes away and if it doesnt then you can
treat
If you treat with over the counter medications and the infection doesnt go away
or gets worse then see doctor because it may be something other than a yeast
infection.

Overall by reading more over the yeast infection I was able to gain more information
over how the yeast infection occurs and how a yeast infection can be treated.

Caylin Gibson
ISM- 6th period
"Trichomoniasis - CDC Fact Sheet." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 08 Sept. 2015. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.
Trichomoniasis is a very common sexually transmitted disease
Most men and women that have Trichomonas dont know they have it
About 3.7 people have the infection in the US and only about 30% of the people
have signs or symptoms of the disease
Trichomonas is passed from an infected person to a non-infected person through
sexual intercourse
Women become affected in their lower genital tract: the vagina, urethra, vulva
Men become infected inside of their penis: urethra
Many dont know but trichomonas can be spread from one vagina to another
Studies havent proved why some people have symptoms while some dont but
they do think it is based on the persons overall health
Signs and symptoms can occur within 5 to 28 days for some and for other it may
be much later or never really notice signs and symptoms
Men that have signs/symptoms they may feel irritation inside the penis, burning
with ejaculation and urination, and some discharge from the penis
Women that have signs/symptoms may notice itching of the vagina, painful
urination, discharge with an unusual smell
Trichomoniasis can increase the risk of spreading other infections from sexual
activity
If a women is pregnant and have Trichomonas this can cause the mother to have
preterm delivery
The babies born from an infected mother normally have a low birth weight (less
than 5.5 pounds)
Trichomonas can be diagnosed through laboratory test from a primary care
provider
This can be treated by medication such as metronidazole or tinidazole
After having trichomonas once and being treated one can get the infection back
1 in 5 of the people get infected again 3 weeks later
Trichomonas can never fully be prevented but condoms can help somewhat
prevent being infected

Overall I learned more about how Trichomonas can be treated and how both
partners are affected by the infection.