Reproductive Health News and Research

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UAB receives NIH grants in three perinatal networks to improve maternal and infant health

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is the only university to be awarded grants in all three perinatal networks from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to improve maternal and infant health.

20 Jul 2016

Gates Institute launches new global urban reproductive health program

The Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is launching The Challenge Initiative, a global urban reproductive health program supported by a three-year, $42 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

20 Jul 2016

HOPE study seeks to understand safety of vaginal ring in protecting women against HIV

Women who took part in ASPIRE, a trial that found a vaginal ring containing an antiretroviral (ARV) drug called dapivirine was safe and helped protect against HIV, will soon be offered the opportunity to use the ring as part of a new study called HOPE.

19 Jul 2016

Maturitas provides new holistic model of care for healthy menopause

A new position statement by the European Menopause and Andropause Society published in the journal Maturitas provides a holistic model of care for healthy menopause.

13 Jul 2016

QUT study finds age and education may influence women in selecting sperm donors

With commercial sperm banking giving women more opportunities to become mothers, a world-first QUT study has found the age and education of sperm donors are the most important characteristics considered.

7 Jul 2016

Prenatal butylparaben exposure causes various endocrine disrupting effects in rats

Research suggests that butylparaben - which is used in cosmetics and skin care products such as sunscreen - have more endocrine disrupting effects than previously thought.

7 Jul 2016

Menopause symptoms: can a healthcare professional help? An interview with Dr Heather Currie

The survey showed that only 50% of women consulted a healthcare professional about their symptoms, despite the fact that many women said their symptoms were having a significant effect on their work life, social life, home life and sex life.

6 Jul 2016

First real-time study to test effectiveness of fertility app

In what is believed to be the first study of its kind, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center's Institute for Reproductive Health are recruiting as many as 1,200 women to study, in real time, a smartphone app that calculates a woman's chance for pregnancy on a daily basis.

27 Jun 2016

Revised Zika Strategic Response Plan focuses on preventing, managing medical complications

The World Health Organization (WHO)/the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and partners have set out their strategic response to Zika which will place a greater focus on preventing and managing medical complications caused by Zika virus infection.

20 Jun 2016

Failure to recognise gender diversity causes major gaps in understanding transgender health

2015 was an unprecedented year in the recognition of transgender rights in some high-income countries. However, as a new Series published in The Lancet today reveals, public recognition has yet to translate to a concerted effort to support and improve the health of transgender people across the world.

17 Jun 2016

Study finds link between late onset of puberty and subsequent semen quality in men

A new study from Rigshospitalet and EDMaRC finds a strong association between late onset of puberty and subsequent semen quality. This is the first study of its kind to investigate the influence of pubertal timing on male reproductive health.

9 Jun 2016

Study describes how opioid receptors participate in spermatozoa production

The study conducted at the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country describes for the first time how these receptors participate in spermatogenesis.

8 Jun 2016

Researchers urge specific guidelines for fertility, sexual function counseling in at-risk pediatric patients

The drugs and therapies used to treat medical conditions often come with side effects. Doctors, pharmacists and other health care professionals strive to be sure we are made aware.

20 May 2016

WHO guidelines on the management of health complications from female genital mutilation

Health workers across the world now need to be prepared to provide care to girls and women who have undergone FGM. But, health workers are often unaware of the many negative health consequences of FGM and many remain inadequately trained to recognize and treat them properly. As a result, many women may suffer needlessly from physical and mental health consequences due to FGM.

16 May 2016

High level of folate in mothers may double infant's chances of developing autism

Women who plan on becoming pregnant are told they need enough of the nutrient folate to ensure proper neurodevelopment of their babies, but new research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests there could be serious risks in having far too much of the same nutrient.

12 May 2016

Easy-to-follow care pathway assists health professionals with latest post-reproductive health strategies

A new position statement by the European Menopause and Andropause Society published in the journal Maturitas provides a pathway with the latest post-reproductive health strategies, with the aim of optimizing care at an international scale.

12 May 2016

Lancet study finds unsafe sex as fastest-growing risk factor for ill health in young people

The Lancet Commission's groundbreaking report released today, "Our Future: A Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing," finds that years of neglect and underinvestment have had serious detrimental effects on the health and wellbeing of adolescents aged 10-24 years.

11 May 2016

New study analyzes financial savings and costs of medical complications associated with IVF

Heralded a miracle by many infertile couples, in vitro fertilization (IVF) can pack a painful financial punch for those without insurance coverage for the treatment. This prohibitive cost leads many would-be parents who pursue in vitro fertilization to transfer multiple embryos at once to increase their chances of getting a baby - and reduce the need to pay for subsequent attempts.

8 May 2016

Self-collected vaginal swabs may help identify HPV infection

High risk, potentially cancer causing human papillomavirus infections are common among women in Papua New Guinea. But self sampling with vaginal swabs may provide materials that screen as accurately as the more labor-intensive approach using cervical samples obtained by clinicians.

30 Apr 2016

New study to explore outcomes of pregnancy in Brazilian women with Zika virus

An observational study of pregnant women in Brazil to further understand Zika virus and its impact on reproductive health and fetus development have been launched. William Britt, M.D., professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, leads the study, which complements his current research in Brazil on cytomegalovirus infection during pregnancy.

18 Apr 2016