Vaginal News and Research

RSS

University of Washington team develops electrically spun cloth to prevent pregnancy, HIV

The only way to protect against HIV and unintended pregnancy today is the condom. It's an effective technology, but not appropriate or popular in all situations.

1 Dec 2012

First Edition: November 27, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about how increasing the Medicare eligibility age and making other entitlement program changes are a part of the ongoing "fiscal cliff" discourse.

27 Nov 2012

Significant gaps in quality of clinical information on designer vagina procedures

The quality of internet information available for women opting for "designer vagina" procedures is "poor," and in some cases, inaccurate, reveals a small study published in the Obstetrics & Gynaecology edition of the online only journal BMJ Open.

22 Nov 2012

IUD insertion does not increase risk of pelvic inflammatory disease in women

The risk of developing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) following insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) is very low, whether or not women have been screened beforehand for gonorrhea and chlamydia, according to a joint study of nearly 60,000 women by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research.

21 Nov 2012

IVF process negatively impacts women’s sexual relationships

An Indiana University study has found that women undergoing in-vitro fertilization report that the process of infertility treatment has many negative impacts on their sexual relationship with their partner. Little attention has been given to the sexual dynamics of couples as they navigate infertility and treatments such as IVF, despite the important role that sex plays in a couple's attempt to conceive a child.

30 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

Babies born to HIV positive mothers more likely to acquire measles

Non-infected babies born to HIV positive mothers should be vaccinated early against measles, to avoid them acquiring the virus or passing it on to others.

19 Oct 2012

Offering methadone treatment to drug users significantly reduces HIV infection, transmission risk, study shows

Offering methadone treatment to people who use injection drugs "substantially reduces the risk that they will get HIV or give it to anyone else," according to a BMJ study published this month that pools data from studies done in nine countries, the New York Times reports.

17 Oct 2012

GAPPS announces five new projects for prevention of preterm births

Five innovative research projects aiming to prevent premature birth were announced today by the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS), an initiative of Seattle Children's.

16 Oct 2012

Women's decisions about contraception may depend on factors over which they have little control

Young women who start using hormonal contraceptives for birth control often stop using condoms, but a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health finds that if they later discontinue using hormonal contraceptives, they tend not to resume using condoms. This leaves them open to both unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

15 Oct 2012

Gardasil does not increase sexual activity in girls

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine known as Gardasil is not associated with an increase in pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, or contraceptive counseling, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online today in the journal Pediatrics.

15 Oct 2012

Legal-Bay to donate lawsuit funding sales for October to breast cancer awareness month

Legal-Bay, The Lawsuit Settlement Funding Company, announced today that they will be donating a portion of their October sales to assist with the fight of Breast Cancer for women.

11 Oct 2012

Researchers identify genetic risk allele for uterine fibroids

Uterine fibroids are the most common type of pelvic tumors in women and are the leading cause of hysterectomy in the United States. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) are the first to discover a genetic risk allele (an alternative form of a gene) for uterine fibroids in white women using an unbiased, genome-wide approach.

5 Oct 2012

Obama, Romney spar over Medicare, health reform policies

News outlets offer a variety of coverage on these issues - including how Medicare is playing in the polls and what motivates senior voters. And a new Families USA study offers a critical assessment of Mitt Romney's health policies.

29 Sep 2012

First Edition: September 28, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about political and policy-oriented health care developments.

28 Sep 2012

HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer patients have more rapid and robust radiation-therapy response

UC Davis cancer researchers have discovered significant differences in radiation-therapy response among patients with oropharyngeal cancer depending on whether they carry the human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted virus. The findings, published online today in The Laryngoscope Journal, could lead to more individualized radiation treatment regimens, which for many patients with HPV could be shorter and potentially less toxic.

26 Sep 2012

Aromatase inhibitors impact sex life of postmenopausal women with breast cancer

Women treated for breast cancer after menopause with aromatase inhibitors have very high levels of sexual difficulties, including low interest, insufficient lubrication, and pain with intercourse. It is an important and underestimated problem, say the authors of a study published online in Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society.

25 Sep 2012

NPR blog examines simple cervical cancer screening technique being adopted by African countries

NPR's "Shots" blog examines efforts to reduce cervical cancer deaths in Botswana, noting that "in Africa and other impoverished regions, few women get pap smears because the countries lack the laboratories and other resources necessary to offer them."

20 Sep 2012

Oral contraceptive use can lead to increased pain during intercourse among young women

According to the Guttmacher Institute, over ten million women in the US use oral contraceptives. Although birth control pills are an effective way to prevent pregnancy, keep acne at bay, and treat menstrual pain or irregularity, there may be some health concerns that are undisclosed to patients. A recent study suggests that oral contraceptive use can lead to increased pain during intercourse, with decreased libido and spontaneous arousability as well as diminished frequency of sexual intercourse and orgasm in young women.

19 Sep 2012

Many women undertreat pelvic floor disorders and suffer in silence

New research issued by the PFD Alliance finds that 90 percent of Americans underestimate or are unsure about the prevalence of pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) which will impact one in three women at some point during their lives. This means many women undertreat PFDs and suffer in silence.