Guides through decision to take sleeping pills for insomnia. Explains what insomnia is and how sleeping pills can help. Lists reasons for and against taking sleeping pills. Covers risks. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

COVID-19 vaccine can prevent COVID-19 disease. Vaccination can help reduce the severity of COVID-19 disease if you get sick. COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 that spreads easily from person to person.

Discusses causes and symptoms of aneurysms that form in an artery called the aorta. Links to pictures of abdominal aneurysm and thoracic aneurysm. Covers treatment with medicines or surgery. Also looks at lifestyle changes that may help.

Folic acid is measured in micrograms using Dietary Folate Equivalents (DFE). Here are the daily recommended amounts of folic acid: Babies 0–6 months old need 65 mcg (micrograms) DFE each day. Babies 7–12 months old need 80 mcg DFE each day. Children 1–3 years old need 150 mcg DFE each day. Children 4-8 years old need...

Guides through decision to have a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) test for osteoporosis. Explains DXA test. Includes risk factors for osteoporosis you can and cannot change. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you decide.

A hypertensive emergency is very high blood pressure that damages the body. A person's blood pressure may be 180/120 or higher. It can cause damage to the brain, heart, eyes, or kidneys. A hypertensive emergency needs immediate care. The symptoms...

Guides through decision to have cataract surgery. Describes the surgery and how well it works. Includes when cataract surgery is normally recommended. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Experts do not agree on whether adults who don't have symptoms of thyroid problems should have a thyroid test. The American Thyroid Association and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommend that testing be considered for those older than age 60. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force makes no...

Guides through decision to breastfeed. Discusses common concerns and issues related to breastfeeding. Links to personal stories. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Guides you through choosing a test to check for colorectal cancer. Looks at symptoms of colorectal cancer. Covers stool tests, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, and virtual colonoscopy. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Guides through decision to have bunion surgery. Provides general overview of what bunions are. Looks at types of surgery, possible complications, and effectiveness. Includes interactive tool to help you decide.

Guides you through the decision to use hormone therapy (HT) for menopause symptoms. Explains what menopause is and what to expect. Lists risks and benefits of HT and other treatments to try. Includes interactive tool to help you decide.

Guides you through the decision to have chorionic villus sampling. Explains what CVS is and how it is done. Discusses birth defects. Looks at the risks and benefits of CVS. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Guides through decision to have your child have a tonsillectomy for tonsillitis. Includes common reasons to have a tonsillectomy. Describes how this surgery is done. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Guides you through decision to take medicines for Alzheimer's disease. Covers medicine choices and their side effects. Lists reasons for and against taking medicines. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Guides you through decision to get an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Gives information about ICDs and asks questions to help you learn if an ICD is right for you. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you decide.

Early detection and treatment are the key to preventing HIV infection in newborns. Experts agree that all people should be screened for HIV during pregnancy. If you do have HIV, your baby could also become infected. The virus is usually passed on during labor and childbirth. Sometimes it's passed during pregnancy...

Recombinant zoster (shingles) vaccine can prevent shingles. Shingles (also called herpes zoster, or just zoster) is a painful skin rash, usually with blisters. In addition to the rash, shingles can cause fever, headache, chills, or upset stomach. Rarely, shingles can lead to complications...

Guides you through decision to have bypass surgery. Covers other treatment options. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Guides you through decision to treat low-risk basal cell skin cancer with surgery or nonsurgical treatments. Explains types of surgery and types of nonsurgical treatments. Covers benefits and risks of both. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Guides through decision to treat abnormal uterine bleeding. Explains symptoms that doctor would look for before recommending treatment. Covers benefits and risks. Includes an interactive tool to help you make your decision.

Guides you through the decision to have an angiogram. Explains why the test is done and what it can show. Discusses why you might or might not want to have the test. Lists risks and benefits. Includes interactive tool to help you decide.

A hearing (audiometric) test is part of an ear exam that tests how well a person is able to hear. It is done by measuring how well sound can reach the brain. The sounds we hear start as vibrations in the air around us. The vibrations make sound waves, which vibrate at a certain speed (frequency) and have a certain...

Talk to your doctor about whether you or your family is at risk for lead poisoning. During a routine health exam, the risk for lead exposure can be evaluated by answering questions about family members' living and working conditions. The doctor may then decide whether blood lead levels should be measured. Adults The...

Guides you through decision to have an epidural during childbirth. Lists benefits and risks. Lists other ways to control labor pain. Includes interactive tool to help you make your decision.