Reproductive Health News and Research

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CBIM effective in discouraging adolescent dating violence

Male high school athletes' ability to recognize and intervene to stop dating violence -- the physical, sexual and emotional aggression prevalent in adolescent romantic relationships -- is improved with the intervention of some of the most important role models in young men's lives: their coaches.

27 Mar 2012

Transplanted ovaries can delay menopause and allow for a successful pregnancy

Researchers may have found a way to end menopause after proving that transplanted ovaries remain effective for at least seven years. Of the three women, one has had three children since her transplant, a second has had two and the third is expecting her third child. Medical experts believe the three could be the pioneers for a treatment that would allow women to delay motherhood.

26 Mar 2012

Routine counseling on fertility preservation needed for young women with cancer

A new study has found that very few young women with cancer take steps to preserve their fertility while undergoing cancer therapy. Also, certain groups of young women are more likely to do so than others. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that efforts are needed to provide counseling on fertility preservation in reproductive-aged women diagnosed with cancer.

26 Mar 2012

USAID Administrator Shah addresses agency's FY13 budget proposal at House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing

Speaking Tuesday at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah said USAID's FY 2013 budget proposal "is slightly lower than last year," but that "future U.S. foreign aid investments will be more 'prioritized, focused and concentrated,'" and he "promised that U.S. aid will still be able to meet global development challenges," VOA's "Breaking News" blog reports.

23 Mar 2012

Abortion, contraception legislative battles escalate in states

All across the country, state legislatures and governors are grappling with bills designed to limit access to abortion or contraception. In Virginia, it's affecting a U.S. Senate race.

22 Mar 2012

Exposure to MEHP shortens reproductive life of female mice

Female mouse fetuses exposed to very high doses of a common industrial chemical that makes plastics more pliable develop significant reproductive alterations and precancerous lesions as they grow up, according to a new toxicology study conducted at Brown University.

17 Mar 2012

States considering wide-ranging abortion, contraception legislation give lingering voice to issue

A host of abortion legislation is winding its way through state legislatures: Democrats are focusing on regulating male reproductive health in at least six states; Michigan abortion providers face greater scrutiny; Arizona could require those seeking birth control give a medical reason they need it; and Wisconsin lawmakers decide if a doctor must be present to give abortion pills.

17 Mar 2012

First Edition: March 16, 2012

Today's headlines feature reports that the federal government has cut Texas Medicaid funds because of a Planned Parenthood flap.

16 Mar 2012

Romney's opponents attack him on Massachusetts health law and Planned Parenthood statement

The Massachusetts health law, which GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney signed while governor and which includes an individual mandate, continues to haunt him in the primaries. Meanwhile, Democrats use his recent pledge to 'get rid of' Planned Parenthood to diminish his appeal with female voters.

16 Mar 2012

Teen pregnancies increasing in Philippines because of lack of services, reproductive health information, experts say

A "lack of services and information about adolescent reproductive health [in the Philippines] is fueling the rise of teen pregnancies and hurting child survival rates, according to health experts," IRIN reports.

16 Mar 2012

More women need regular checks for Chlamydia infection: CDC

According to new figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), not many young, sexually active women in the United States are getting screened for chlamydia.

15 Mar 2012

Dominican Republic group focuses on HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment

In this RH Reality Check blog post, Mandy Van Deven, online administrator for International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region (IPPF/WHR), discusses how PROFAMILIA-Dominican Republic, an IPPF/WHR member association, "has integrated HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and testing into its extensive clinical sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services."

15 Mar 2012

Ob-gyns play a major role in reducing effects of toxic chemicals on women and babies

Ob-gyns are uniquely positioned to play a major role in reducing the effects of toxic chemicals on women and babies, according to an analysis led by University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) researchers.

15 Mar 2012

Silver nanoparticles cause more damage to testicular cells

Silver nanoparticles cause more damage to testicular cells than titanium dioxide nanoparticles, according to a recent study by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. However, the use of both types may affect testicular cells with possible consequences for fertility.

15 Mar 2012

New survey shows women trying to get pregnant worry about fertility

For many women, the decision to get pregnant can take on a life of its own. In fact, according to a survey conducted for SpermCheck- Fertility, 42% of those who conceived say they became obsessed with getting pregnant once they started trying. Yet just 10% say their partner shared this obsession.

12 Mar 2012

Virginia uproar frames abortion, contraception legislation in many states

States are grappling with reproduction-related issues after Virginia's pre-abortion ultrasound bill passed: In California, lawmakers are set to consider a bill to give more women access to early-term abortions while lawmakers in Ohio and Minnesota consider legislation on contraception.

11 Mar 2012

GHI, Uganda working together to improve maternal, child health outcomes

A feature article in the Ugandan Observer examines a recent agreement signed by the U.S. and Ugandan governments "to drum up more support for maternal and reproductive health in Uganda." U.S. Global Health Initiative (GHI) Executive Director Lois Quam spoke at the signing, saying, "Investment in health in Uganda is one of the largest we make anywhere else in the world. Government must do more.

10 Mar 2012

World Bank should re-evaluate programs to reduce maternal mortality

"The World Bank boasts that it has positioned itself as a 'global leader' in reproductive health, especially for youth and the poor," but in 2011, it dedicated "just 0.2 percent of its $43 billion budget" to reproductive health projects, and much of that money was provided as loans, which can "leave poor countries indebted and threaten to divert domestic spending away from vital public health services," Elizabeth Arend, program coordinator at Gender Action, writes in the Guardian's "Poverty Matters Blog."

7 Mar 2012

Simple recommendations help reduce environmental exposures for women

Remove your shoes at the door of your home to avoid tracking in pollutants. Decrease consumption of processed and canned foods. Avoid the use of plastics with recycling codes #3, #4 and #7. Don't use chemical tick and flea collars or dips for pets. Reproductive health care providers should share these tips and more scientific information with women who want to become pregnant or who are pregnant, but that does not always happen.

7 Mar 2012

Planned Parenthood poll says Texans want group to remain in Texas women's program, Fla. anti-abortion bill stopped in Senate

A poll commissioned by Planned Parenthood in Texas says voters want to keep the provider in the state's Women's Health Program while an anti-abortion bill in Florida is stopped in the Senate.

7 Mar 2012