Women and Periodontal Disease
As a woman, you know that your health care needs are unique. During puberty, menopause and times when you have special health needs such as menstruation or pregnancy, your body experiences hormonal changes. These changes can affect many of the tissues of your body, including your gums, making you more susceptible to gum disease.

Puberty
During puberty, an increased level of sex hormones causes increased blood circulation to the gums. This may lead to an overreaction to any irritation such as bacteria or plaque. During these times good home care and frequent professional cleanings are especially important. If not treated, the bone and tissue surrounding the teeth can be damaged.

Menstruation
Gum irritation can be much more common during menstruation due to fluctuations in hormone levels. It generally occurs just before a woman’s period and can be counteracted by proper oral hygiene especially during the hormonal fluctuations.

Pregnancy
There is an old wife’s tale that said "A tooth lost for every child". While this may seem farfetched, it is actually loosely based on fact. Your gums are affected by pregnancy. Most commonly women experience increased gum irritation beginning in the second or third month that increases in severity through the eighth month. This condition, called "pregnancy gingivitis", is marked by increased swelling and bleeding of the gums in response even to a very small amount of plaque or calculus. This again is caused by an increased level of certain hormones.
It is very important to make your gums and bone as healthy as possible before you become pregnant. This will decrease the likelihood that you will have a problem during the pregnancy. If you have a gum problem and become pregnant, the disease process is usually accelerated, resulting in bone and gum loss. If you are thinking about getting pregnant, it may be a good idea to have doctor give you a preventive checkup. When you become pregnant, you may want to increase the frequency of your maintenance appointments to reduce the chance of periodontal problems. If tenderness, bleeding or swelling occurs at any time during your pregnancy, talk to Dr. Packman as soon as possible.

Low Birth Weight Babies
Recently it has been discovered that pregnant women with severe gum and bone disease are seven times more likely to deliver low birth weight babies. It therefore is important for your baby’s health as well as your own, to resolve your periodontal problem if you are pregnant or are thinking about becoming pregnant.

Oral Contraceptives
If you are taking any oral contraceptives (birth control pills), you may experience the same problems with your gums that pregnant women do. Because of hormonal changes your gums may overreact to irritants such as plaque and calculus. If you notice bleeding or swollen gums, contact our office.

Menopause
Certain hormonal supplements such as progesterone may increase your gums response to local irritants, such as plaque and calculus, causing them to bleed, turn red and swell. If you are taking estrogen supplements, these should have no effect on your oral health or may actually improve your ability to maintain oral health.