Celebrate Women's Health Month
During Women's Health Month, WakeMed Women's shares how important it is to take care of yourself.
It’s never too early or late to make healthy changes that help you look and feel your best. Take control of your health and bring others in your family along for the ride!
Women's Services
Our Special Highlights
Are Women More Susceptible to Heart Disease?
As women age and are in menopause, they become more susceptible to heart disease. Chelsea Ngongang, MD, FACC, with WakeMed Heart & Vascular, shares signs and symptoms of heart disease and ways to protect your heart health.
Watch Now >>
The Scoop on Pap Smears
Your gynecologist has probably advised you to get a pap smear. What is a pap smear screening? Who should be getting one? Get the scoop on pap smears with Joanna Evans, MD, FACOG with WakeMed OB-GYN.
Listen >>
Featured Provider
Dr. Pallavi Kopparthy is a hematology-oncology physician at WakeMed and provides care for patients with benign/malignant hematologic disorders and solid tumors. Her special interests include treating patients with breast cancer.
Meet Dr. Kopparthy >>
Happy Patients
“I insisted that WakeMed was the only place I was willing to go. I’d had my son at WakeMed seven years earlier, and it was an amazing experience. I knew I would receive the very best care at WakeMed." — Maria Patterson
Maria and Melanie's Story >>
Sarah Has Questions
When it comes to life, wellness, health and medicine, we all have questions. Sarah King from MIX 101.5 has questions, and she’s not afraid to ask. Listen in to our women’s podcast series, Sarah Has Questions, where she sits down with providers from WakeMed for candid conversations about women’s health. No topic is off limits!
Check out some of our most recent podcasts:
Tune In for Health Tips
Tune in to Mix 101.5 this month as we share health tips for women. Listen below as Jenn Harrington, PT discusses why pelvic floor health is so important and Amantia Kennedy, MD dives into what every women should know about menopause.
What is Menopause? | Amantia Kennedy, MD
Pelvic Floor | Jenn Harrington, PT
Women's 2025 Health Observances
- Lupus Awareness Month: Lupus in Women
- National Osteoporosis Awareness Month
- 5/12 National Women’s Check-Up Day (Preventative Screenings)
- 5/11 Mother’s Day
- 5/11 – 5/17 National Women’s Health Week
Better Health Care Is in Your Genes
This Women’s Health Month, WakeMed is inviting patients to learn more about how your DNA impacts your health through our community health research program, PreciselyYou.
Participation is completely voluntary, DNA screening is offered at no cost to you, and health insurance is not required.
PreciselyYou participants can learn about inherited risks for:
- Common cancers: hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, and colorectal cancer related to Lynch syndrome
- Heart disease: hereditary high cholesterol (also known as familial hypercholesterolemia)
You also have the opportunity to learn about your regional ancestry and other traits, including caffeine sensitivity, sleep patterns and more.
We believe PreciselyYou can help us better understand and provide more personalized care to those impacted by hereditary cancer and heart disease so that we may support a healthier North Carolina.
Signing up is quick, easy and at no cost to you.
Women's Health Awards and Accreditations
Women's Blogs
May 13, 2025
Body Positive Weight Loss Tips for Women — with Dietitian Sydney Hinshaw
Medically reviewed by Sydney Hinshaw, RDShedding a few pesky pounds prior to summer is on the minds of ma...
May 9, 2025
Osteoporosis and Fragility Fractures in Women
Take care of your bones, so your bones can take care of you. Whether you’re a middle-aged adult or a teenage star athlete, neglecting your bone health can lead to osteoporosis — a common yet serious disease affecting both men and women. To help combat this condition, Women’s Health Month is a great time to […]
May 8, 2025
Surviving Domestic Violence: Lashawn Spencer's Path to Healing through the WakeMed Violence Recovery Program
According to the National Institutes of Health, "Over 35 percent of heterosexual women, 40 percent of les...
May 6, 2025
Dr. Amantia Kennedy on the Magic of Menopause
Incredible.Beautiful.Magnificent woman. From puberty to the menopausal transition, a woman's body is a wo...
May 2, 2025
Rewired: Jazmine Bonner's VNS Journey After Stroke at Age 35
Jazmine Bonner was a typical 35-year-old mom of one. Very proud of her football player son, she relished...
May 1, 2025
Baby Rori's 101 Days in the NICU
"This morning, I sit in the living room, watching our almost-one-year-old daughter pick up lettered block...
May 1, 2025
39 and Fighting: Yamicka Brown's Battle Back From Stroke
Stroke can happen any moment at any age to anyone. For 39-year-old, energetic and physically active Yamic...
April 29, 2025
Rachel Rice, NP, on Mental Health During Pregnancy, Labor & Delivery and Postpartum
A trip to the hospital is rarely a good thing — unless you're expecting a baby. Having a baby, for many...
February 3, 2025
Dead 3 Times: Tracy Peebles' Cardiac Story
On December 23, 2024, just two days prior to Christmas, Tracy Peebles was home with her ten-year-old daug...
January 29, 2025
When to See an OB-GYN
In the preteen years, parents are likely to start wondering when their daughter should have their first a...
December 28, 2024
All About Breasts: Cysts, Lumps, Infections, Enhancement and More
We talk a lot about breast cancer, but when it comes to female breasts, there is a lot more to learn from...
November 1, 2024
Defying the Odds: Baby Oliver's 130 Days in the NICU
Maddie and her husband, Craig, were elated to learn they were pregnant with their first child. At around ...
October 31, 2024
Alex Wilkinson: Tenacity of a Tiger in the Face of 3 ACL Surgeries
Alex Wilkinson is a born winner — with the tenacity of a tiger. Despite multiple injuries, athletic set...
October 28, 2024
Save the Tatas: Get a Breast Mammogram
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among all women in the United States and is the most common cancer among African American women. Annually, approximately 128 of every 100,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and about 19 in every 100,000 women will die of breast cancer. Early detection is critical for […]
October 1, 2024
Laughing Without Fear of the Future: Laura Faw's Breast Cancer Story
"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future." (Proverbs 31:25) L...
August 9, 2024
Moms Helping Moms: Lakelia Stanley's Milk Bank Donation Story
Lakelia Stanley is a Chief Probation/Parole Officer for the Adult Corrections Facility in Wake County. As...
May 15, 2024
Paying it Forward: Maggie Bailey's Milk Bank Donation Story
Ever noticed that most women go into labor and deliver their babies at night? Well, this is no coincidenc...
April 30, 2024
Menopause: Managing The Change
Menopause — the change that every woman knows is coming. With these tips, you can be prepared and know what to expect, so you can go through the change like a pro. What is Menopause? It is the cessation of menstruation for 12 or more months in the absence of any other cause. The average […]
April 29, 2024
Saving a NICU Nurse's Life After Postpartum Hemorrhage: Lindsey Arnette's Story
"It’s no exaggeration that I am lucky to be alive after delivering my son, Archer," shares Lindsey Arne...
April 25, 2024
Navigating Chronic Pelvic Pain: Lindsey Thompson's Story
Lindsey Thompson and her husband were elated to learn they were pregnant with their first child. Lindsey,...
April 24, 2024
Heart Attack and Coronary Dissection in Women
About WakeMed Heart & VascularWakeMed Heart & Vascular physicians bring together expert cardiovascular, t...
February 15, 2024
Baby Born 3 Months Early Celebrates a Very Happy First Birthday
It was the day after Christmas, December 26, 2022, when six-months pregnant Maria Patterson began to feel strong labor contractions.
October 16, 2023
Stacey Tilton on Unwrapping Hope and Persevering in Faith
The holidays come with many surprises, and we hope they will be wonderful ones — to include thoughtful gifts, warm memories and sweet desserts, but for Stacey Tilton, her holiday surprise couldn’t have been any more shocking. “I fell asleep on my stomach,” shares Stacey, “and I just felt something hard in my breast. That’s […]
August 7, 2023
The Hollywood Weight Loss Hype: Get the Skinny on Prescription Drugs
One of the hottest Hollywood trends is losing weight with the fast-acting type 2 diabetes drug, Ozempic, and the semaglutide, obesity drug, Wegovy. Jimmy Kimmel joked about this craze among celebrities at the Academy Awards. “Everybody looks so great. When I look around this room, I can’t help but wonder ‘Is Ozempic right for me?’” […]