Women's Health News and Research

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US breast reconstruction trends highlighted

The number of women undergoing breast reconstruction immediately after mastectomy has increased in recent years in the USA, with implant use being the most common approach, research shows.

17 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: $4,000 a night for a 'cozy' hospital room; Texas effort to provide women's health care falls short

Call it the $55,000 cat bite. That's the rough total in medical costs (so far) for a cat bite on my hand that turned into an infection that turned into surgery that turned into a week in the hospital.

16 Jan 2013

CSIS talks with Malawi President Banda about women's health, empowerment

The Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) "wanted to learn more about how women leaders in Africa are bringing new attention to women's health and empowerment in their own countries, and to bring those voices into the discussion about U.S. policy priorities for women's global health," so a small CSIS team traveled to Malawi and Zambia in December 2012, Janet Fleischman and Julia Nagel of CSIS write in the group's Smart Global Health blog.

11 Jan 2013

Roundup: Texas begins new Women's Health Program; Federal spending uncertainty bedevils states; 'Medi-scare' mailings

Texas is funding the Women's Health Program on its own because the federal government pulled funding after the state blocked Planned Parenthood from participating. The Texas version still serves low-income women who would qualify for Medicaid if they became pregnant. It will cover about 110,000 women between 18 and 44 years old with free well-woman exams, basic health care and certain family planning services.

7 Jan 2013

Women's Health: Advocates seek new Plan B consideration; Texas lawmakers find Planned Parenthood decision is costly

NPR notes that some backers of the "morning after" pill hope to get HHS Secretary Sebelius to review age restrictions on the drug. And, The Texas Tribune examines the costs to the state because of the lack of subsidized birth control.

7 Dec 2012

Using Nanoparticles to Target Cancer

An interview with John Stroh, discussing the development of nanoparticles that can target and treat cancer, without damaging nearby tissues.

6 Dec 2012

Intervention helps postmenopausal women relax

Applied relaxation techniques could help postmenopausal women significantly reduce the number of hot flashes they experience each day, research suggests.

4 Dec 2012

Habitual physical activity improves midlife women's health

Moving 6,000 or more steps a day-no matter how-adds up to a healthier life for midlife women. That level of physical activity decreases the risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome (a diabetes precursor and a risk for cardiovascular disease), showed a study published online this month in Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society.

22 Nov 2012

Roundup: Texas will keep Planned Parenthood Women's Health Program for now; Kids' autism covered in Wash. Medicaid; UnitedHealth selling S.C. Medicaid biz

Planned Parenthood will continue to receive funds from a joint Texas and federal program providing health care to low-income women, despite the state's promise to exclude its clinics by Nov. 1 because they are affiliated with abortion providers.

2 Nov 2012

Improving global maternal mortality, women's health and related U.S. foreign policy

In the Center for Strategic & International Studies' "Smart Global Health" blog, Phillip Nieburg, senior associate of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, discusses a recent report he wrote, titled "Improving Maternal Mortality and Other Aspects of Women's Health: The United States' Global Role," "that addresses key challenges to improving maternal mortality and women's health worldwide and talks about what the related priorities of U.S. foreign policy should be."

29 Oct 2012

Obama emphasizes women's health issues

President Barack Obama is differentiating his positions from those of GOP challenger Mitt Romney, saying a Romney win could result in the overturning of Roe v. Wade. He is also assailing efforts to "redefine rape," attempting to link Romney to comments made by Indiana Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock.

29 Oct 2012

Mourdock rape comment roils Indiana Senate race, reignites furor over women's health issues

The statement by Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock, linking God's will to pregnancy resulting from rape, has spurred strong reactions from campaigns across the country - including the presidential candidates.

26 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

Elderly female cancer survivors reap benefits of following prevention advice

Elderly female cancer survivors who adhere stringently to national and international recommendations for cancer prevention have a reduced risk for all-cause mortality compared with their peers who are less adherent, show US study results.

22 Oct 2012

Roundup: Va. health chief quits, citing new abortion clinic regulations; Texas will shutter women's health program if Planned Parenthood participates

Virginia Health Commissioner Karen Remley resigned Thursday over new GOP-backed regulations that could shutter most Virginia abortion providers as reproductive rights take center stage in pivotal Senate and presidential races.

20 Oct 2012

Planned Parenthood funding, abortion and women's health issues create debate flashpoints

President Barack Obama pivoted from a question about women in the workplace to criticize GOP candidate Mitt Romney for his positions on contraceptive coverage, funding for Planned Parenthood, and abortion.

18 Oct 2012

Women's health, Medicare and the health law mark tight races in various states

Asked where he would cut the government, Mr. Brown cited President Obama's health care law, which, he said, was crushing Massachusetts businesses. He said the law would remove $700 billion from Medicare, an assertion that Mr. Romney made in last week's presidential debate. "That's the same playbook that Mitt Romney used a week ago tonight," Ms. Warren said. "It was wrong then, it's wrong tonight."

15 Oct 2012

Roundup: N.J.'s Medicaid decision; Women short on care if Texas dumps Planned Parenthood; La. hospitals seek care gap agreement

WNYC's Fred Mogul, working in partnership with Kaiser Health News and NPR, writes: "As a way to reduce the number of uninsured, states are being encouraged to set more generous income limits for Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act. If states comply, they can get 100 percent federal funding in the first three years, declining to 90 percent funding over time. Typically, states and the federal government share the burden at a ratio that's closer to 50-50."

13 Oct 2012

AIUM to host Ultrasound First Forum on Nov. 12

The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) will host an Ultrasound First Forum on November 12, 2012, in New York, New York. The forum will address the expanding role of ultrasound imaging as a "first" imaging examination and will be devoted to encouraging the use of ultrasound as a safe, effective, and affordable alternative to other diagnostic imaging modalities where scientific evidence supports its appropriateness.

12 Oct 2012

In debates and ads, House and Senate candidates face off on women's health, Medicare and health law issues

Elizabeth Warren and Senator Scott P. Brown kept the pressure on each other throughout a feisty, hourlong debate here Wednesday night. … Asked where he would cut the government, Mr. Brown cited President Obama's health care law, which, he said, was crushing Massachusetts businesses. He said the law would remove $700 billion from Medicare, an assertion that Mr. Romney made in last week's presidential debate.