Women's Health News and Research

RSS

Obese older women may be more prone to frailty

Obesity is associated with frailty in obese older women, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

6 Jul 2005

Vitamin E supplements do not protect healthy women against heart attacks and stroke

Vitamin E supplements do not protect healthy women against heart attacks and stroke, according to new results from the Women's Health Study, a long-term clinical trial of the effect of vitamin E and aspirin on both the prevention of cardiovascular disease and of cancer.

5 Jul 2005

New legislation provides women 40 to 49 with free mammograms

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has passed HB1606 by a unanimous vote of 197-0. This legislation, known as the Women's Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Screening Act, provides women aged 40 to 49,access to free mammograms.

4 Jul 2005

Conservatives and sexual abstinence groups battle with FDA over condoms - they offer little protection against STD's

Although condoms are an effective method of contraception and stop the spread of AIDS, evidence that they protect against other sexually transmitted diseases is scant.

30 Jun 2005

Women's health suffers under welfare reform

Women who are current and former welfare recipients suffer a whole host of health problems - and getting a job doesn't always help matters.

29 Jun 2005

HRT safe for women with menopause and cancer survivors

Research shows that short-term hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is appropriate for peri- and postmenopausal women.

28 Jun 2005

Chronic insomnia medicines have not yet been rigorously evaluated for long-term use

Many of the medications widely used to manage chronic insomnia have not yet been rigorously evaluated for long-term use, according to an independent scientific panel convened this week by the National Institutes of Health.

16 Jun 2005

UMHS study finds premium rates affect where ob/gyns choose to practice

The high cost of malpractice insurance for some medical specialties affects not only how many doctors are entering the field of obstetrics and gynecology, but also where they offer their widely needed obstetric, prenatal and gynecological care, according to new University of Michigan Health System research.

1 Jun 2005

New type of inhalation chemotherapy

Pediatric cancer specialists at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) are investigating a new type of inhalation chemotherapy with the potential to treat children with a deadly bone cancer that has spread to their lungs.

26 May 2005

Don’t skip your next mammogram

Melbourne researchers are urging women on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to be extra vigilant about having regular two-yearly mammograms.

26 May 2005

Practice of defensive medicine widespread among physicians in specialties at high risk of lawsuits

More than 90 percent of surveyed physicians in Pennsylvania reported defensive medicine practices such as over-ordering of diagnostic tests, unnecessary referrals and avoidance of high-risk patients, according to a study in the June 1 issue of JAMA.

25 May 2005

Breastfeeding advocates help communities latch onto a good idea

In a city where barely 20 % of impoverished women breastfeed, changing attitudes toward breastfeeding has become a matter of course for students from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Since 1995, Nursing 361 has required students to take part in a community advocacy program of their own design.

23 May 2005

New York Hospital Director fired after cancer screening tests bungle

A flawed system at the Jacobi Medical Center in New York, which meant that hundreds of women were not informed of the results of their cancer screening tests has resulted in the firing of its executive director just a week after the slip up was discovered.

23 May 2005

Call for action on static Australian breastfeeding rates

New laws to protect the rights of breastfeeding women who return to work may be needed if Australia is to meet national breastfeeding targets.

10 May 2005

No glass ceiling for women when it comes to dying from heart disease, say experts

While many of us assume that heart disease mainly strikes men, the fact is 12,000 Australian women die each year from illnesses like stroke, heart attack and heart failure - that's four and a half times the number of lives claimed by breast cancer.

10 May 2005

American women focus on their own health more

According to "Women Talk," the first annual national women's health survey from the National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC), being healthy to women means both physical and emotional wellness and having a healthy family and suggests that women place a greater priority on the health of their family than their own personal health.

8 May 2005

Episiotomy usually provides no benefits

According to a systematic review of existing studies, to appear in the May 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the surgical procedure known as an episiotomy, performed in up to 35 percent of U.S. vaginal births, usually provides no benefits.

5 May 2005

National survey reveals critical barriers to improving women's health

For American women, being healthy is far more than getting a good checkup or being disease-free. According to "Women Talk," the first annual national women's health survey from the National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC), being healthy means both physical and emotional wellness and having a healthy family.

4 May 2005

Discrimination leads to coronary artery calcification in African-American women

The more discrimination African-American women report, the more likely they are to have coronary artery calcification, a buildup of calcium in the vessels that is associated with atherosclerosis, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's 45th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention.

1 May 2005

Canadian Diabetes Association, UBC partner on funding for childhood diabetes research

A new partnership announced by the Canadian Diabetes Association and the University of British Columbia (UBC) will help fund research in childhood diabetes. Not only will this research further investigate type 1 diabetes, it will also explore the areas of type 2 diabetes and obesity in children, a problem of growing concern and proportions.

23 Apr 2005