Women's Health News

• Chromosomal Microarray Superior To Standard Prenatal Tests
  According to a study which involved more than 4,000 participants, more information about potential disorders can be obtained using chromosomal microarray (CMA) to test a developing fetus' DNA, than the standard method of prenatal tests, which is used to visually analyze the chromosomes (karyotyping)...
    Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:00:00 PST
  
  

• For Offspring Of Diabetic Pregnancies Breastfeeding Can Reduce Risk Of Childhood Obesity
  Children of diabetic pregnancies have a greater risk of childhood obesity, but new research from the Colorado School of Public Health shows breastfeeding can reduce this threat. Epidemiologist Tessa Crume, Ph.D., MSPH, and fellow researchers tracked 94 children of diabetic pregnancies and 399 of non-diabetic pregnancies from birth to age 13...
    Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PST
  
  

• Children And Their Mothers Benefit From High-Quality Child Care
  High-quality early child care isn't important just for children, but for their mothers, too. That's the conclusion of a new study by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin; the study appears in the journal Child Development ...
    Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST
  
  

• Bladder Infection In Females - Cefpodoxime Disappoints
  According to a study published in the February 8 issue of JAMA, cefpodoxime, an antibiotic used as a short-term therapy in women with uncomplicated bladder infection (cystitis), failed to meet criteria for non-inferiority in comparison to ciprofloxacin. There have been concerns that ciprofloxacin, classed as a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, is overused, resulting in an increase in resistance rates...
    Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:00:00 PST
  
  

• Unplanned Pregnancy Often Leads To Shorter Breastfeeding Duration
  Women who did not plan to get pregnant are much more likely to stop breastfeeding within three months of giving birth, according to a study published in the journal Current Anthropology. The research suggests that women whose pregnancies were unplanned often experience more emotional and physical discomfort with breastfeeding compared to women who planned to get pregnant...
    Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PST
  
  

• Girls In Competitive Soccer At Increased Risk Of Injuries And Menstrual Dysfunction
  In the U.S., there are nearly three million youth soccer players, and half of them are female. New research presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) found that despite reporting appropriate body perception and attitudes toward eating, elite youth soccer athletes (club level or higher) face an increased risk for delayed or irregular menstruation...
    Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST
  
  

• Hope For Effective Endometriosis Screening Following Gene Mutation Discovery
  Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have, for the first time, described the genetic basis of endometriosis, a condition affecting millions of women that is marked by chronic pelvic pain and infertility. The researchers' discovery of a new gene mutation provides hope for new screening methods...
    Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PST
  
  

• Painful Periods Eased By Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill
  A large Scandinavian study, that has been running for 30 years, has finally provided convincing evidence that the combined oral contraceptive pill does, indeed, alleviate the symptoms of painful menstrual periods reports scientists from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The research is published in Europe´s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction...
    Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PST
  
  

• New Study May Shed Light On Why Women, And Some Men, Are At Greater Risk For ACL Injuries
  Much orthopaedic research has been devoted to determining why women are far more susceptible to knee ligament injuries than men. According to a new study, the answer may lie in geometry - the length and shape of a patient's knee bone - more than gender...
    Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST
  
  

• Association Between Injectable Progesterone Contraceptives And Poor Periodontal Health
  Injectable progesterone contraceptives may be associated with poor periodontal health, according to research in the Journal of Periodontology...
    Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST
  
  

• Older Women With High Triglyceride Levels At High Risk Of Stroke
  In a surprising finding with significant implications for older women, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and NYU School of Medicine have found that high levels of triglycerides (blood fats) are the strongest risk factor for the most common type of stroke in older women - more of a risk factor than elevated levels of total cholesterol or of...
    Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST
  
  

• Breastfeeding And Lung Function At School Age: Does Maternal Asthma Modify The Effect?
  Breastfeeding is associated with improved lung function at school age, particularly in children of asthmatic mothers, according to a new study from researchers in Switzerland and the UK...
    Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST
  
  

• Weight Management Programs For African-American Women Are More Successful If Held In A Church
  As a brand new year gets underway, people all over America are resolving to better manage their weight and have a more healthy 2012. According to a new study, those starting new weight loss programs may be surprised to find out that both location and level of experience may influence their success...
    Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PST
  
  

• Bone Density Testing - ASBMR Response To NEJM Article
  The recently reported study on bone density testing in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) may have inadvertently resulted in confusion about the use and recommended frequency of an important diagnostic tool used for osteoporosis, a very serious condition that affects many women...
    Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST
  
  

• Mentoring Helps Survivors Of Violence, Child Abuse
  Can mentoring relationships help female students who survive childhood abuse or domestic violence? Absolutely, according to new research from Concordia University, published in the Journal of College Student Development...
    Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PST
  
  

• Proton Pump Inhibitors Raise Fracture Risk In Older Women
  According to an investigation published on bmj.com, hip fractures are 35% more likely to occur in post-menopausal women if they take indigestion medications, known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). This figure rises to 50% if the women are former or current smokers. Globally, PPIs are one of the most prevalent drugs used, and are often used to treat acid reflex and heartburn...
    Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:00:00 PST
  
  

• Dropping Planned Parenthood Is Not Political, Says Susan G. Komen For The Cure
  Breast cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, says that dropping Planned Parenthood from its granting process is not political, and says it is "dismayed and extremely disappointed" that its action has been mischaracterized. The charity says it has taken actions to make its granting process stronger and more effective, resulting in Planned Parenthood being dropped from its list of grantees...
    Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:00:00 PST
  
  

• Indigestion Medications Raise Hip Fracture Risk In Post-menopausal Females
  PPIs (proton pump inhibitors), medications taken for indigestion, can raise the risk of hip fractures by 35% in post-menopausal women, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital reported in the BMJ (British Medical Journal). The authors added that women who smoke or used to smoke have a 50% higher risk of hip fractures when taking PPIs...
    Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:00:00 PST
  
  

• Pzifer Recalls US Birth Control Pills
  Over one million packets of birth control pills have been recalled by Pfizer, as a result of an error with the packaging that runs the risk of women getting pregnant. Around half the packets carry the brand name Lo/Ovral-28, while the rest were generic norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol tablets...
    Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:00:00 PST
  
  

• Improved Detection Of Colorectal Cancer By Flexible Sigmoidoscopy
  Repeated screening by flexible sigmoidoscopy (FSG) increased the detection of colorectal cancer or advanced adenoma in women by one-fourth and in men by one-third, according to a study published Jan. 31 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute...
    Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PST
  
  

• Discovery May Lead To New Treatment For Rett Syndrome
  Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered that a molecule critical to the development and plasticity of nerve cells - brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) - is severely lacking in brainstem neurons in mutations leading to Rett syndrome, a neurological developmental disorder...
    Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST
  
  

• Male Tummy Tucks Up 15% In UK
  Britons appear to be tightening their belts in more ways than one: 2011 audit figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) revealed on Monday that the number of men undergoing tummy tucks (abdominoplasty) was 15% higher than in 2010...
    Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:00:00 PST
  
  

• Diabetes Affects Hearing Loss, Especially In Women
  Having diabetes may cause women to experience a greater degree of hearing loss as they age, especially if the metabolic disorder is not well controlled with medication, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit...
    Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST
  
  

• Caffeine Alters Estrogen Levels
  Researchers at the National Institute of Health, along with other institutions, have released a study online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, stating that Asian women have higher estrogen levels when drinking 200 milligrams or more of caffeine a day. This is about 2 cups of coffee...
    Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST
  
  

• Removal And Storage Of Ovarian Tissue Enables Birth After Cancer Treatment
  For the first time in Germany, a woman has given birth to a child after removal and preservation of tissue from one of her ovaries. This course of action was necessary to avoid infertility owing to chemo- and radiotherapy. Andreas Müller and his colleagues report the case in the current issue of Deutsches Arzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2012; 109[1-2]: 8-13)...
    Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:00:00 PST