Pap smears, or Pap tests, are cervical cancer screenings. Your cervix connects the top of your vagina with the lower end of your uterus.

During a Pap smear, Dr. Fozouni takes samples of your cervix. This test typically occurs during a pelvic exam. To access your cervix, Dr. Fozouni holds your vaginal walls open with a device called a speculum. It’s not painful when he swabs your cervix for cells, but it can be mildly uncomfortable.

Pap smears reduce cervical cancer rates and death by 80% and are the best method for early detection of diagnosing, treating, and preventing cervical cancer.

What is an abnormal Pap smear?

An abnormal Pap smear doesn’t mean you have cancer, but rather simply lets Dr. Fozouni know your cervical cells have changed. Several factors can cause abnormal Pap smears, including:

• Bacterial, yeast, or protozoan infections
• Changes to the cervix associated with the aging process and menopause
• Viral infections like human papillomavirus (HPV), a known cause of cervical cancer

Certain activities may also increase your risk of an abnormal Pap smear, such as smoking or high-risk sexual activity. Sexual activity that’s considered high risk includes not using condoms, having multiple sexual partners, or having a partner who has multiple sexual partners. When you participate in high-risk sexual behavior, you increase your chances of getting infections that endanger your reproductive health, like sexually transmitted diseases.

Depending on your abnormal Pap test results, Dr. Fozouni may recommend a colposcopy.

What is a colposcopy?

A colposcopy is a gynecological test that enables Dr. Fozouni to look at your cervix, vagina, and vulva under magnification.

Dr. Fozouni performs your colposcopy at his clinic while you lie on a table with your feet supported. He uses a speculum to hold the walls of your vagina open and applies a solution to your cervix. This solution removes mucus from your cervix and vagina and helps Dr. Fozouni identify suspicious tissue.

If Dr. Fozouni finds irregular cells during your colposcopy, he collects tissue samples for additional testing. This sample is called a biopsy.

To reduce your risk of cervical cancer, call Dr. Derakhsh Fozouni in Palm Springs, California, or schedule a Pap smear appointment online today.

What is birth control?

Birth control, or contraceptives, prevent you from getting pregnant. There are different types of contraceptives. Some offer better protection against sexually transmitted diseases, while others are more effective at preventing pregnancy.

There are also permanent birth control options in addition to temporary solutions.

How does birth control work?

There are different ways of preventing pregnancy depending on the contraceptive method you use. The primary purpose of birth control is to keep sperm from fertilizing your egg.

Some forms of birth control use hormones to thicken your cervical mucus (think your uterine lining) or prevent your ovaries from releasing an egg. Other contraceptives use barriers to block the sperm’s path to the egg. Spermicides can also be used to kill sperm, which prevents pregnancy from occurring.

You can also track your menstrual cycle to reduce your risk of pregnancy. This process involves determining high-risk periods of pregnancy during your menstrual cycle and abstaining from sexual intercourse during those times.

What types of birth control are available?

Dr. Fozouni offers a variety of contraception options to fit your unique lifestyle and sexual activity. Prescription contraceptives include:

• IUDs
• Nexplanon implants
• NuvaRing® vaginal rings
• Depo-Provera® injections
• Oral or patch-delivered contraceptives
• Diaphragms or cervical caps with spermicide

Surgical sterilization, or tubal ligation, is a permanent birth control option and contraceptives that are available without a prescription include male and female condoms, spermicides, and the sponge.

Does birth control have side effects?

Each form of contraception comes with varying risks or side effects, such as:

• Bleeding or cramps
• Bloating or weight gain
• Urinary tract infections
• Headaches or dizziness
• Heart attack, blood clots, or stroke

Dr. Fozouni works closely with you to recommend the best birth control option based on your age, overall health, and personal needs.

What can I expect during my appointment?

During your appointment, Dr. Fozouni conducts a full medical exam, including a physical examination and review of your health history. He also discusses your reproductive goals and sexual activity.

Dr. Fozouni implants longer-term forms of contraception like IUDs or Nexplanon during an office visit. Shorter-term contraceptives, like birth control pills and the vaginal ring, are filled with a prescription.

What are fibroids?

A uterine fibroid is a growth in your uterine wall. These growths are almost always noncancerous and typically occur during your reproductive years.

Fibroids can vary in size, and, in some cases, fibroids aren’t visible to the naked eye. In others, they're the size of a grapefruit and distort your uterus. They can develop in your uterine wall, into the uterine cavity, or protrude from the uterus.

You can have a single fibroid or many. Fibroids may grow quickly, slowly, or remain the same size. Many fibroids diminish in size on their own, especially after menopause.

Having fibroids doesn’t increase your risk of uterine cancer.

What causes fibroids?

Fibroids are most common in women between 40-50 years of age. The precise cause of fibroids isn’t known, but several factors can contribute to them forming, including:

• A family history of fibroids
• The female hormones estrogen and progesterone
• Tissue substances in your body that promote fibroid growth
• Genetic changes causing abnormal uterine muscle cells

Your risk of having fibroids is higher if you’re African-American. Black women typically develop higher numbers of larger fibroids at a younger age.

Additional risk factors include being overweight, beginning menstruation at a young age, and having a vitamin D deficiency. Poor eating habits have also been linked to fibroids, especially consuming a lot of red meat and ham.

What are the symptoms of fibroids?

In many cases, fibroids don’t cause symptoms. When problems do arise though, fibroid symptoms usually include:

• Pain in your legs or back
• Pressure or pain in your pelvis
• Heavy or painful menstruation
• Periods that last longer than a week
• Bleeding or spotting between periods

Fibroids can also press on nearby organs, especially the bladder, and this pressure might create the frequent urge to urinate.

How are fibroids diagnosed and treated?

Dr. Fozouni often diagnoses fibroids during a pelvic exam. Based on your examination and symptoms, he might suggest additional testing like an ultrasound or blood tests to rule out other conditions.

Treatment options vary for fibroids. In some cases, Dr. Fozouni might recommend watching the fibroids to see if they decrease in size on their own. He can also prescribe medications to reduce their size or ease your symptoms. For problematic fibroids, minimally invasive surgical procedures may be required.

Ultrasounds create images of the inside of your body using high-frequency sound waves. When you’re pregnant, Dr. Fozouni performs ultrasounds regularly to monitor your baby and placenta for numerous reasons, including:

• Evaluating abnormal gestation
• Checking your amniotic fluid level
• Looking for structural abnormalities
• Assessing the viability of your pregnancy
• Identifying your baby’s age, growth, and position
• Monitoring your baby’s development and heart rate
• Assessing the health of your uterus, cervix, ovaries, and placenta

In addition to 2D ultrasounds that produces flat images, Dr. Fozouni also offers advanced 3D ultrasound technology.

What is a 3D ultrasound?

Using similar technology to 2D ultrasounds, 3D ultrasounds create images of the inside your body, only they are more life-like and provide moving pictures. This improved imaging is possible because 3D ultrasounds record a series of 2D images and use additional imaging processing.

Dr. Fozouni might recommend 3D ultrasound screenings to identify potential risks with your pregnancy. Because a 3D ultrasound produces higher quality images in real-time, they can help Dr. Fozouni locate abnormalities in your baby or uterus more easily.

In addition to monitoring your pregnancy, Dr. Fozouni uses 3D ultrasound technology to identify other gynecological issues, including:

• Congenital uterine abnormalities
• Locating an intrauterine device (IUD)
• Submucous fibroids or endometrial polyps

Dr. Fozouni may also suggest a 3D ultrasound to help determine the cause of multiple miscarriages or preterm deliveries.

What are the benefits of a 3D ultrasound?

Because 3D ultrasounds offer real-time, moving images, they provide several benefits such as easier detection of health issues in your baby like heart defects, spina bifida, and cleft lips.

In addition to medical diagnosis, the realistic images created by 3D ultrasound help some parents bond better with their babies before birth. This is because having a clear picture of their baby’s face helps them connect on a more personal level.

What can I expect during a 3D ultrasound?

Ultrasounds are painless procedures Dr. Fozouni performs in his office.

To perform a 3D ultrasound while you’re pregnant, Dr. Fozouni or his ultrasound stenographer apply gel to your belly to help conducts sound waves. He then presses a sensor against the gel to transmit the sound wave. As the transducer captures the sound waves as they bounce back from your insides, ultrasound images appear on the monitor.

Your 3D ultrasound takes around 30 minutes, and the ultrasound technology isn’t harmful to you or your baby.

To learn more about the benefits of state-of-the-art 3D ultrasounds, call Dr. Derakhsh Fozouni in Palm Springs, California, or schedule an appointment online today.

Pelvic pain occurs between your hips and below your navel in the lowest part of your pelvis. It’s considered chronic when your pelvic pain lasts longer than six months.

Common symptoms of pelvic pain include:

• Dull, sharp, or cramping pain
• Pain that eases when you lay down
• Severe intermittent, persistent, or radiating pain
• Feeling a heaviness or pressure in your lower pelvis

You might also experience pain during sexual intercourse when sitting for a long time, or during a bowel movement.

What causes pelvic pain?

When women have pelvic pain, there may be several gynecological causes, including:

• Ovarian cysts: abnormal growths on your ovary
• Fibroids (service 2): noncancerous growths in your uterine wall
• Dysmenorrhea: severe cramping before menstruation
• Endometriosis: uterine tissue growing outside your uterus
• Ectopic pregnancy: fetal development in the fallopian tube instead of the uterus
• Pelvic inflammatory disease: bacterial infection of the ovaries, uterus, or fallopian tubes

You can also experience pelvic pain because of structural issues in your pelvic floor. Sometimes pelvic pain has nongynecological causes, such as kidney stones and irritable bowel syndrome. It can also be due to psychological factors like stress, depression, or a history of sexual or physical abuse.

How is pelvic pain diagnosed?

Dr. Fozouni works closely with you to identify the cause of your pelvic pain. During your appointment, he reviews your symptoms, personal and family medical history, and performs a comprehensive exam, including a pelvic exam.

Based on your exam, Dr. Fozouni might suggest additional testing such as:

• Lab tests to check for urinary tract infection or sexually transmitted diseases
• Ultrasounds to look for abnormalities in your ovaries, uterus, or fallopian tubes
• Laparoscopy to explore the pelvic organs for signs of disease or abnormal tissue

In some cases, Dr. Fozouni suggests documenting your pain and symptoms in a journal to look for a pattern, such as pelvic pain that corresponds with your menstrual cycle.

How is pelvic pain treated?

Dr. Fozouni treats your pelvic pain based on its cause. Depending on your condition, he might recommend:

• Medications like antibiotics
• Hormone therapy like birth control
• Monitoring your health issue to see if it resolves itself
• Minimally invasive surgeries to remove abnormalities like fibroids

For expert diagnosis and treatment of your pelvic pain, call Dr. Derakhsh Fozouni in Palm Springs, California, or schedule an appointment online today.

Receiving exceptional prenatal care while you’re pregnant protects your health as well as that of your baby.

Dr. Fozouni works closely with you throughout your pregnancy to track your baby’s development and to monitor your health to promote a safe and healthy full-term delivery. This prenatal care includes providing specialized services if you have a high-risk pregnancy.

What makes a pregnancy high risk?

Your pregnancy is considered high risk if you or your baby may develop health complications leading up to, during, or after your delivery. Conditions that may lead to a high-risk pregnancy include:

• Carrying multiple babies
• Drinking, smoking, or using illegal drugs
• Being either a teenager or over age 35
• Complications associated with your fetus or placenta
• History of uterine or abdominal surgeries, miscarriages, or preterm deliveries
• Having chronic medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or hypertension

Pregnancy can be high risk from the beginning or become high risk over time.

How is a high-risk pregnancy monitored?

During a high-risk pregnancy, Dr. Fozouni may recommend a variety of screenings depending on your unique circumstances. These might include:

• Amniocentesis: tests amniotic fluid for genetic abnormalities or conditions
• Chorionic villus sampling (CVS): tests placenta cells for genetic conditions
• Specialized ultrasound: looks for abnormal development or suspected issues
• Cordocentesis: tests umbilical blood for infections, blood conditions, or genetic disorders

Dr. Fozouni also conducts routine lab tests to assess your overall health and watch for infectious diseases.

How can I have a healthy high-risk pregnancy?

Dr. Fozouni is an experienced OB/GYN with specialized training in caring for women with high-risk pregnancies.

To promote a healthy pregnancy, Dr. Fozouni works closely with you to prepare for and prevent as many risks as possible. These additional steps might include:

Making dietary recommendations to support your nutritional needs

• Evaluating your potential issues before you conceive through pregnancy counseling
• Maintaining regular pregnancy care appointments to monitor your and your baby’s health during each stage of pregnancy
• Offering guidance on exercise and healthy weight management to help you preserve your physical health

If you’re thinking of becoming pregnant or have a high-risk pregnancy, call Dr. Derakhsh Fozouni in Palm Springs, California, or schedule an appointment online today.

Dr. Fozouni offers his patients the most advanced laser and pulsed light system available to treat a variety of skin imperfections, the Icon Aesthetic System. This advanced technology is designed to resurface your skin and rebuild lost collagen.

The Icon laser is an FDA-approved system that can treat a variety of cosmetic issues, including:

• Acne and surgical scars
• Pigment irregularities
• Body hair removal
• Stretch marks
• Leg veins
• Wrinkles

The Icon laser system uses concentrated wavelengths of light energy to gently heat layers of your skin. This innovative system works in a variety of ways depending on the cosmetic treatment you’re getting.

How does Icon laser therapy remove stretch marks?

To treat stretch marks, Dr. Fozouni delivers pulses of fractional laser energy to your affected area. As the heat penetrates deeper layers of your skin, collagen production is triggered, and your skin becomes firmer and more smooth.

Your stretch mark treatment takes as little as 30 minutes. For optimal results, Dr. Fozouni might recommend between three and five Icon treatments.

How does Icon laser therapy treat scars?

Icon laser therapy is an industry leader in scar removal. When Dr. Fozouni directs the laser at your treatment site, the fractional energy penetrates deep into your scar tissue. As your scar tissue breaks down, stimulating collagen production in the area, new cells generate and minimize the appearance of your scar.

Dr. Fozouni recommends Icon laser therapy as a treatment for all scar types, whether you have surgical scars on your abdomen or acne scars on your face. It’s also an effective scar treatment on all skin types.

How does Icon laser therapy remove hair?

Unwanted body hair is a common problem with women, especially if you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition that causes abnormal hair growth.

During your Icon therapy session, Dr. Fozouni uses the powerful laser to destroy your hair at its source, the root. This precise light-based technology targets your hair cells responsible for hair growth without damaging any of your surrounding skin or tissue.

Icon hair removal treatments take a matter of minutes. For best results, Dr. Fozouni may recommend multiple sessions to remove your unwanted hair permanently.

For more information about aesthetic cosmetic treatments, call Dr. Derakhsh Fozouni in Palm Springs, California, or schedule an appointment online today.

What is body contouring?

Dr. Fozouni offers noninvasive body contouring as a way to sculpt your body or face without medication or surgery. He performs body contouring treatments using advanced laser technology, so there’s no risk of scarring or infection, and no downtime.

Body sculpting treatments use laser technology to eliminate fat in different areas of your body, including:

• Back and belly
• Arms and shoulders
• Thighs and love handles
• Under the chin and the neck

To help you achieve a slimmer figure, Dr. Fozouni uses the state-of-the-art SculpSure body contouring system.

What is SculpSure?

SculpSure is a cutting-edge, FDA-cleared laser therapy that destroys fat with heat.

This precise body sculpting technique delivers heat to your fat cells beneath the surface of your skin. Because of its advanced design, SculpSure raises the temperature of your fat cells without damaging your surrounding skin or tissue. Once your fat cells are impaired, they die. Then, your lymphatic system flushes them from your body permanently.

SculpSure destroys up to 24% of the fat cells in the treatment area in a single session. Dr. Fozouni recommends SculpSure in combination with a healthy diet and regular exercise to provide long-term weight-loss results.

What are the benefits of SculpSure treatment?

In addition to eliminating fat, the SculpSure body contouring system comes with several other benefits, including:

• Clinically proven results in six to 12 weeks
• Comfortable and easily tolerated treatments
• The ability to treat multiple areas simultaneously
• Safe and effective fat loss for all body and skin types

The warming heat of SculpSure also triggers collagen production, leading to firmer, more supple skin in addition to providing fat reduction.

What can I expect during my SculpSure treatment?

SculpSure treatments with Dr. Fozouni typically take about 25 minutes.

During your appointment, Dr. Fozouni adjusts the temperature of the SculpSure laser to apply a comfortable amount of heat to your pocket of unwanted fat, so you remain comfortable throughout the entire session. After your treatment, you can resume regular activities.

You begin seeing initial results approximately six weeks after your SculpSure procedure. As your body continues to flush dead fat cells from your system, you see more improvement. You can expect to see maximum results 12 weeks after your treatment.

Based on your body contouring goals, Dr. Fozouni may suggest multiple SculpSure treatments.

Call Dr. Derakhsh Fozouni in Palm Springs, California, or schedule an appointment online today to learn more about SculpSure body contouring.