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Where This Information Comes From

Every claim on this site should trace back to something real — not opinion, not a wellness trend. Here's exactly where this information comes from, so you don't have to take our word for it.

Last updated August 2026

The core sources

ACOG (the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) is the primary U.S. professional body issuing OB/GYN clinical guidance — Practice Bulletins and Committee Opinions that most American OB/GYNs practice from. ASRM (the American Society for Reproductive Medicine) covers fertility and reproductive medicine specifically. The Menopause Society (formerly NAMS) sets the current guidance on hormone therapy and the menopause transition. The CDC publishes the U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for contraception and STI treatment guidelines, and the USPSTF issues evidence-graded screening recommendations (like pap smear intervals). These are the bodies most of this site's content is built from.

Dr. Angel's role

Content here is written or reviewed by a practicing OB/GYN, translating those formal guidelines into plain language — the explanation you'd get with more than seven minutes in the room. That's a translation layer, not a replacement for the guidelines themselves updating over time, or for how they apply to your specific situation.

When the science is evolving

Some areas here have genuinely changed as evidence accumulated — hormone therapy's risk profile looks different today than it did after the original 2002 Women's Health Initiative headlines, and PMOS (formerly PCOS) was renamed in 2026 following a multi-society consensus process. This site aims to reflect current guidance and gets updated as that shifts. “Current best understanding” is honestly not the same thing as “permanently settled,” and we'd rather say that plainly than pretend otherwise.

What this site is not

Not a peer-reviewed journal, not a substitute for your own provider, and not a place where claims get invented beyond what these societies currently support. If something here ever reads like it's overselling a product or a single study, that's worth questioning — see our guide on evaluating evidence for how to do that.

Worth discussing with your provider

Which specific guideline or society they're following for a recommendation, if you want to look it up yourself
Whether newer research has updated a recommendation since your last visit
Whether your individual case has factors that put you outside a general guideline's typical population

Educational information only — general patterns that vary by person. This is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a substitute for care from your own clinician.

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