Women's Health for the AANP FNP exam
AANP candidates consistently report female disorders as heavily tested. Combined with prenatal content embedded across populations, this is high-yield. This chapter has 22 topics, a video lecture, an audio lesson, clinical scenarios, exam pearls and a quiz.
What you will learn
- Counsel on contraception and identify contraindications
- Differentiate vaginitis: BV, candida, trichomoniasis
- Recognize PID criteria and apply outpatient treatment
- Manage menopause and identify HRT contraindications
Topics in this chapter
- ContraceptionMethod efficacy, contraindications, US MEC categories, emergency contraception, postpartum and breastfeeding.
- Menstrual disordersAbnormal uterine bleeding (PALM-COEIN), amenorrhea workup, dysmenorrhea management, AUB in adolescents and perimenopause.
- VaginitisBV, candidiasis, trichomoniasis differential with pH, wet mount, treatment regimens, atrophic vaginitis.
- STIs in womenChlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HSV, PID, expedited partner therapy, common scenarios.
- PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, adenomyosisPCOS Rotterdam recap, endometriosis, fibroids, adenomyosis with imaging and management.
- Breast complaintsBreast mass workup, mastalgia, nipple discharge, mastitis, breast cancer red flags.
- Common pregnancy conditionsCommon pregnancy problems: nausea, anemia, UTI, hypertension, GDM, miscarriage, ectopic.
- Urinary tract infections in womenUncomplicated vs complicated UTI, recurrent UTI prophylaxis, pyelonephritis, UTI in pregnancy.
- Menopause and perimenopauseMenopause symptoms, hormone therapy candidates and risks, non-hormonal options, GSM.
- Sexual health & vulvar conditionsFemale sexual dysfunction, dyspareunia workup, vulvodynia, lichen sclerosus, sexual history taking.
- Pre-conception carePre-pregnancy planning, folate, medication review for teratogens, chronic disease optimization.
- Osteoporosis in women (recap)Postmenopausal osteoporosis screening, treatment, fracture follow-up. Brief recap from Endocrine.
- Pregnancy dating & diagnosisNaegele's rule, fundal height milestones, and the presumptive, probable, and positive signs of pregnancy.
- Prenatal genetic & aneuploidy screeningCell-free DNA, MSAFP, the quad marker, nuchal translucency, and how amniocentesis differs from CVS.
- Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) spectrumThreatened, inevitable, incomplete, complete, and missed abortion distinguished by os, bleeding, and ultrasound.
- Third-trimester bleeding: previa vs abruptionPlacenta previa versus placental abruption, including the painless-versus-painful distinction and the no-exam rule.
- Amniotic fluid, Rh, growth & fetal risksOligohydramnios and polyhydramnios, Rh incompatibility and RhoGAM timing, advanced maternal age, gestational weight gain, IUFD, size-date discrepancy, and Zika.
- Gyn gaps: prolapse, Paget's, ovarian cancerPelvic organ prolapse, Paget's disease of the breast, and ovarian cancer workup including CA-125 and the BRCA link.
- Preeclampsia with severe features and HELLP syndromeSevere-range BP thresholds, the lab criteria that define HELLP, magnesium sulfate for seizure prophylaxis, and why delivery is the only cure.
- Abnormal Pap smear management pathwayThe Bethesda categories from ASC-US to HSIL, when reflex HPV testing decides the next step, and when colposcopy and LEEP enter the picture.
- Lactational mastitis and breast abscessWhy breastfeeding continues, the first-line anti-staphylococcal antibiotics, and the clues that point to an abscess needing drainage.
- See also: covered in other chaptersPregnancy pharmacology and thyroid topics taught in their own chapters.
The full chapter is part of the membership. Open this chapter
Last updated November 4, 2026. Verify exam details against the official AANPCB Candidate Handbook before exam day.