Women's Health News

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Romney, Ryan would support U.S. cuts in international family planning aid

"If Republican presidential nominee Gov. Mitt Romney and his vice-presidential running mate, Representative Paul Ryan, were to win next month's election, the harm to women's reproductive rights would extend far beyond the borders of the United States," a New York Times editorial says.

23 Oct 2012

Examining ethics surrounding Taliban's ban on polio vaccination in Pakistan

Writing in the Global Bioethics Blog, Stuart Rennie, a bioethics researcher and professor, notes another polio worker was killed in Pakistan last week and describes Taliban opposition to U.S.-supported polio vaccination efforts in Pakistan.

23 Oct 2012

Researchers discover how HIV-infected people develop very powerful antibody responses

Wits researchers have played a pivotal role in an AIDS study published today in the journal, Nature Medicine, which describes how a unique change in the outer covering of the virus found in two HIV infected South African women enabled them to make potent antibodies which are able to kill up to 88% of HIV types from around the world.

23 Oct 2012

In the campaign's home stretch, presidential candidates launch new ads on Medicare, women's health issues

President Barack Obama and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney continue to fight for women's votes, which are considered key to winning the election.

23 Oct 2012

Breast cancer spread dependent on both environment and genetic changes

A new study from Johns Hopkins researchers suggests that the lethal spread of breast cancer is as dependent on a tumor’s protein-rich environment as on genetic changes inside tumor cells.

23 Oct 2012

Thin ideal internalization: an interview with Jessica Suisman and Kelly Klump

Thin-ideal internalization is the extent to which a person identifies with the cultural ideal that thinness is equivalent to attractiveness.

23 Oct 2012

Car commuting contributes to weight gain

Car commuting contributes to weight gain, research to be presented at Australia’s paramount sports medicine, sports science, sports injury prevention and physical activity promotion conference, beactive2012 will show (October 31- November 3, Sydney).

23 Oct 2012

Potential biomarker diagnostic test for pre-eclampsia

Collaborators at Cottage Health System and University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) have identified biomarkers that may yield a revolutionary diagnostic test for pre-eclampsia, a complex and potentially life-threatening hypertensive condition affecting 5% of pregnancies worldwide.

22 Oct 2012

Liquid version of breast cancer drug Tamoxifen launched in the US

Breast Cancer Awareness Month raises visibility and research dollars to address a disease that in the United States claims nearly 40,000 lives annually and affects approximately 240,000 people who each year are newly diagnosed. While the month's activities are important in the fight against breast cancer, they are not designed to directly improve the day-to-day management of the disease.

22 Oct 2012

New approach to prevention of breast cancer wins $7.4M award

A new approach to possible future prevention of breast cancer and slowing the spread of tumours has won Austrian researcher Josef Penninger, director of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA) in Vienna, a $7.4 million innovator's award to continue his research, from the USA's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.

22 Oct 2012

Ultrasound superior to mammography in evaluating women with breast cancer symptoms

The largest analysis to date comparing ultrasound and mammography to evaluate women ages 30 to 39 with symptoms of possible breast cancer concludes that ultrasound is a superior diagnostic tool and that U.S. clinical practice guidelines, which currently recommend mammography as the first evaluation in these women, should be reconsidered.

22 Oct 2012

Exercise is the first step to protect against negative impacts of stress

Any time life hands us a stressful situation, we have a decision to make: will we handle it with grace, or let it pile up on everything else? For women, stress sometimes feels like a never-ending occurrence, and University of Alabama at Birmingham experts say that, left unmanaged, stress can lead to health problems. But it can easily be curtailed.

20 Oct 2012

Epigenetic alteration associated with increased risk of breast cancer

Monozygotic twins have the same genome, that is, the same DNA molecule in both siblings. Despite being genetically identical, both twins may have different diseases at different times. This phenomenon is called "twin discordance". But how can people who have the same genetic sequence present different pathologies and at different ages? The explanation partly lies in the fact that the chemical signals added in the DNA to "switch off" or "switch on" genes can be different. These signals are known as epigenetic marks.

20 Oct 2012

Study shows few adolescent females undergo pregnancy testing in hospital emergency department

Few adolescent females undergo pregnancy testing in the hospital emergency department, even when they complain of lower abdominal pain, or before they are exposed to radiation for tests or examinations, according to an abstract presented Friday, Oct. 19, at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans.

20 Oct 2012

IVF may significantly increase risk of birth defects, new research says

In vitro fertilization may significantly increase the risk of birth defects, particularly those of the eye, heart, reproductive organs and urinary systems, according to new research presented Saturday, Oct. 20, at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans.

20 Oct 2012

Study sheds light on risks of fetal position at the time of premature birth

Breech births increase the risk of complications for the mother and baby when the amniotic sac ruptures early.

20 Oct 2012

Many factors contribute to high number of abortions in China, scholars say

The New York Times' "IHT Rendezvous" blog examines factors contributing to the more than 13 million abortions that occur in China every year, the highest number of any country worldwide.

20 Oct 2012

Drospirenone-containing birth control pills associated with increased risk of blood clots

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration-funded study led by the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research found an increased risk of arterial thrombotic events (ATE) and venous thromboembolic events (VTE) - commonly referred to as blockage of arteries and blood clots, respectively - associated with drospirenone-containing birth control pills compared to four low-dose estrogen combined hormonal contraceptives.

20 Oct 2012

Some Democratic congressional candidates make hay with little-noticed health law provision

Also in the headlines: a variety of reports on House and Senate races from across the country including some key House races in California, New York, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Illinois; as well as Senate contests in Connecticut, Missouri, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

20 Oct 2012

OB-GYN group disputes Rep. Walsh's 'life of the mother' abortion remarks

News outlets are reporting on the developing controversy over Republican Rep. Joe Walsh's comments after a debate last night that abortion is never necessary to save the life of the mother.

20 Oct 2012