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Women's Health in the News
Study Shows 1 in 3 Women Has Pelvic Floor Disorder
A new study by Kaiser Permanente found that one-third of women suffer from one or more pelvic floor disorders, which include symptoms such as the frequent urge to urinate, dropped pelvic organs, and incontinence. The study, which consists of the broadest age range of participants to date, of which 80 percent of the 4,000 women studied had given birth. Of those 4,000 women, 25 percent suffered from anal incontinence, 15 percent from stress urinary incontinence, 13 percent from overactive bladder and six percent experienced pelvic organ prolapse, the dropping of pelvic organs. More . . .
Women Who Have Stopped Estrogen Plus Progestin Therapy May Be at Increased Risk of Cancer
A follow-up study of women who stopped taking the hormone therapy of estrogen plus progestin after this intervention was discontinued as part of a clinical trial indicates that these women may have an increased risk of cancer, compared to women in the placebo group, according to a study in the March 5 issue of JAMA. More . . .
Anti-HIV Gel Proven Safe, Tolerable For Women
An experimental anti-HIV gel is safe for women to use on a daily basis, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. More . . .
High Levels of Estrogen Associated with Breast Cancer Recurrence
Women whose breast cancer came back after treatment had almost twice as much estrogen in their blood than did women who remained cancer-free despite treatment with anti-estrogen drugs in a majority of the women according to researchers in a study published in the March issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. More . . .
Health Risks After Cessation of Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy
Professor Amos Pines of the International Menopause Society states that "It seems that the WHI investigators have forgotten the turmoil and anxiety that they caused in 2002 when they published the preliminary results of the estrogen and progestogen cohort." By releasing the new data without performing all the necessary, important sub-analyses, women could face another unjustified turmoil related to hormone therapy. More . . .
Breast Cancer Death Rates Among Black Women Not Decreasing Across All States
A new study from the American Cancer Society finds that while breast cancer death rates are decreasing for white women in every U.S. state, for African American women, death rates are either flat or rising in at least half the states. The study finds breast cancer death rates among African American women are decreasing in only 11 of 37 states with sufficient numbers for analysis and in the District of Columbia. More . . .
Fear of Weight Gain May Keep Women from Trying to Quit Smoking
Is a fear of getting fatter partly to blame for the fact that nearly one in five American women still smokes, and many don’t try to quit? More . . .
Research Lacking on Why Heart Disease Is More Deadly for Women
A woman who has heart disease is 50% more likely to die from it than a man who has it. Although experts can point to a number of possible explanations for this, the research on women and heart disease remains inadequate, says the new edition of a Harvard Medical School report, "The Healthy Heart: Preventing, Detecting, and Treating Coronary Artery Disease." More . . .
Estrogen use lowered one risk factor for heart disease among some younger postmenopausal women
A follow-up study to the federally funded Women's Health Initiative should help allay one concern in a subset of women in their 50s who are considering taking estrogen to relieve hot flashes. More . . .
More women than men having mid-life stroke
More women than men appear to be having a stroke in middle age, according to a study published June 20, 2007, in the online edition of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers say heart disease and increased waist size may be contributing to this apparent mid-life stroke surge among women. More . . .
Estrogen fluctuation affects epileptic seizures
A Northwestern University scientist reports that understanding how estrogen contributes to seizure activity could lead to novel and needed therapeutic targets for anti-epileptic drugs. More . . .
Hot flashes -- Studies explore the role of genes, obesity and alcohol
Three new studies explore the role of genes, obesity and alcohol consumption in contributing to -- or lessening -- the intensity and frequency of hot flashes in midlife women. More . . .
Female genital mutilation harmful for mothers and babies
Pregnant women with female genital mutilation (FGM) have a higher risk of losing their baby before or soon after birth than those without, according to a paper in this week's issue of The Lancet. The researchers also found that women with FGM had more birth-related problems. More . . .
Dieting danger: Female athletes limiting calories more likely to get stress fractures
Female college athletes on low-calorie diets could be putting themselves at risk for stress fractures, according to new Saint Louis University research published in this month's The American Journal of Sports Medicine. More . . .
Aspirin reduces stroke risk in women, not men
A meta-analysis of more than 95,000 patients has shown that aspirin can significantly reduce the risk of stroke in women, but it appears to have no protective effect in men, according to an analysis by Duke University Medical Center cardiologists. The researchers also found that aspirin increases the risk of bleeding, or hemorrhagic, strokes in men with no effect on women. For the more common form of stroke known as ischemic stroke, in which blood flow to a portion of brain is blocked, aspirin had no effect on men but reduced the incidence in women. More . . .
Cheerleading injuries found to be significant source of injury to girls
First-of-its-kind research conducted by staff of the Center for Injury Research and Policy in the Columbus Children’s Research Institute at Columbus Children’s Hospital indicates that cheerleading has emerged as a significant source of injury to girls. More . . .
Exercise helps speed wound healing in older adults
The body’s ability to heal even small skin wounds normally slows down as we age. But a new study in older adults finds that regular exercise may speed up the wound-healing process by as much as 25 percent. It's the first time that researchers have documented this kind of enhancement associated with exercise. More . . .
New therapy approach for depression among abused women
A majority of women who are abused suffer from depression. Dr. Susan Franzblau, a professor of psychology at Fayetteville State University (FSU), has been developing a new approach to deal with feelings of depression and lack of control among abused women. More . . .