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NuvaRing is a hormonal birth control (contraceptive) device for women. It’s a flexible, transparent plastic ring that’s inserted into the vagina. You wear NuvaRing for three weeks, and then remove it — allowing menstruation to occur — and then insert a new ring after a week. Similar to combination birth control pills, NuvaRing prevents pregnancy Read more…

A nuclear stress test measures blood flow to your heart at rest and while your heart is working harder as a result of exertion or medication. The test provides images that can show areas of low blood flow through the heart and damaged heart muscle. The test usually involves taking two sets of images of Read more…

A nonstress test is a common prenatal test used to check on a baby’s health. During a nonstress test, also known as fetal heart rate monitoring, a baby’s heart rate is monitored to see how it responds to the baby’s movements. Typically, a nonstress test is recommended for women at increased risk of fetal death. Read more…

Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT), also known as noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD), is a screening method for detecting certain specific chromosomal abnormalities in a developing baby. Noninvasive prenatal testing is a sophisticated blood test that examines fetal DNA in the maternal bloodstream to determine whether your baby is at risk of Down syndrome, extra sequences of Read more…

An exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) test can help with the diagnosis and treatment of asthma. It measures the level of nitric oxide gas in an exhaled sample of your breath. This sample is collected by having you breathe into the mouthpiece of a machine that performs the measurement.

A spinal cord injury may interrupt communication between the nerves in the spinal cord that control bladder and bowel function and the brain, causing bladder- and bowel-function problems. This results in bladder or bowel dysfunction that is termed “neurogenic bladder” or “neurogenic bowel.” People with multiple sclerosis or spina bifida may have similar problems. If Read more…

Nephrectomy (nuh-FREK-tuh-me) is a surgical procedure to remove all or part of a kidney: Complete nephrectomy.During a complete (radical) nephrectomy, the surgeon removes the entire kidney. Partial nephrectomy. In a partial nephrectomy, the surgeon removes diseased tissue from a kidney and leaves healthy tissue in place. A nephrectomy may be performed to treat kidney cancer Read more…

If you have bladder cancer that has invaded the deeper layers of the bladder wall or if you’ve had recurrent bladder tumors, you may require removal of your entire bladder (cystectomy) to control the disease. Once you have made the decision to have your bladder removed, you and your doctor will discuss how to control Read more…