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Sociologist studies why families in China choose to abort girls

Why are female foetuses aborted in China? Boys are considered a greater asset for farming, but why has the number of families in the cities who want a boy at any cost doubled? Sociologist Lisa Eklund from Lund University in Sweden has studied why families in China choose to abort girls.

14 Jun 2011

Study explores age differences in barriers to cervical cancer screening attendance

Older women are too embarrassed to go for smear tests, and fear pain, while younger women are too busy, according to a Cancer Research UK study, published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology today.

14 Jun 2011

Severe sleep apnea increases risk of gestational diabetes and preterm birth in pregnant women

Sleep apnea is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, suggests a research abstract that will be presented Monday, June 13, in Minneapolis, Minn., at SLEEP 2011, the 25th Anniversary Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC (APSS).

13 Jun 2011

VOA News examines U.N. Women in series of articles

VOA News has published a five-part series examining U.N. Women. The agency's "success depends on availability of resources and financial support. Member states have agreed to provide the new entity with an initial minimum budget of at least $500 million a year," the news service writes.

13 Jun 2011

Secretary of State Clinton travels to sub-Saharan Africa

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is embarking on a weeklong trip to sub-Saharan Africa, CNN reports.

13 Jun 2011

UNAIDS, PEPFAR announce campaign to eliminate MTCT of HIV by 2015

A team led by UNAIDS and PEPFAR on Thursday at the U.N. High Level Meeting on AIDS announced a plan to virtually eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2015 by "ensuring that all women, especially pregnant ones, have access to quality life-saving HIV prevention and treatment services - for themselves and their children," BBC News reports.

13 Jun 2011

S. African government program reduced MTCT HIV transmission rate to 3.5%, study shows

The South African government's program to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV has reduced the rate of virus transmission to about 3.5 percent, "potentially sparing some 67,000 babies from HIV infection," according to research presented on Wednesday by the Medical Research Council at the 5th South African AIDS Conference in Durban, Health-e/allAfrica.com reports.

13 Jun 2011

LA/hypnosis combination during surgery can aid healing process, reduce drug use and hospital stay time

Using a combination of hypnosis and local anaesthesia (LA) for certain types of surgery can aid the healing process and reduce drug use and time spent in hospital, anaesthesiologists have found. The combination could also help avoid cancer recurrence and metastases, according to new research to be presented today at the European Anaesthesiology Congress in Amsterdam.

13 Jun 2011

GOP senators ask HHS to let Indiana cut Planned Parenthood funding

Twenty-eight Republican senators said Thursday that the Obama administration should not stop the state of Indiana from implementing a new law designed to cut off federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Earlier this month, the federal Medicaid agency denied Indiana's proposal to prevent state residents from using Medicaid at any entity that provides abortions.

10 Jun 2011

Ban calls for global unity to end AIDS by 2020 at U.N. meeting opening

In his opening address at the U.N. High Level Meeting on AIDS on Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "told presidents, ministers and diplomats from across the globe that if all partners involved in the fight unite 'as never before,'" the goal of "zero new infections, zero stigma and zero AIDS-related deaths" can be achieved, the Associated Press/Kansas City Star reports.

10 Jun 2011

Antimullerian hormone test can help indicate number of eggs, pregnancy in women

Given how much patients invest in in vitro fertilization (IVF), both financially and emotionally, tools to inform couples about what they might expect during their treatment can be welcome. A study by researchers at Brown University and Women & Infants Hospital shows that as the IVF cycle is beginning, a blood test for levels of a hormone called AMH, or antimullerian hormone, can help predict the number of eggs that will be harvested.

10 Jun 2011

Tips for pregnant women during summer

Hot, humid and pregnant. Many women would call that a recipe for misery. But UAB obstetrician Kim Hoover, M.D., says there are real medical conditions that pregnant women should guard against to stay safe and healthy as the temperature rises.

10 Jun 2011

Several state legislatures debate abortion restrictions

State legislatures around the country are looking at a variety of measures dealing with abortion.

9 Jun 2011

VOA News examines debate over U.N. Women funding levels

VOA News examines advocates' concerns over funding levels for U.N. Women. "The mandate of U.N. Women is large, and some supporters are concerned that its starting budget of $500 million dollars is not enough to promote women and gender equality around the world, especially at the country level.

9 Jun 2011

Women who receive intrauterine device after abortion less likely to have unintended pregnancy

Women who receive a contraceptive known as an intrauterine device or IUD immediately following a first trimester abortion experience few complications and are less likely to have an unintended pregnancy than those who delay getting an IUD by several weeks, according to a new study at Oregon Health & Science University.

9 Jun 2011

PEPFAR, UNAIDS to announce new plan for preventing MTCT of HIV

At the U.N. High Level Meeting on AIDS, PEPFAR "will join with UNAIDS and other partners in releasing a new global action plan for the prevention of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV/AIDS. The U.S. will also place additional resources into helping move towards eliminating pediatric HIV," according to a State Department press release.

9 Jun 2011

National survey finds women more likely to see doctor on regular basis than men

A national survey found that women were three times more likely to see a doctor on a regular basis than men. Even though men on average die younger than women and have higher mortality rates for heart disease, cancer, stroke and AIDS, trying to get a man to a doctor can be harder than pulling teeth. So, why do men hate it so?.

9 Jun 2011

New NCIN report: Poorer women more likely to die from breast cancer

Poorer women from deprived areas are less likely to survive breast cancer as they are diagnosed at a later stage which means the best available treatments won't be as effective according to a new report out today (Thursday) by the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN).

9 Jun 2011

More women than men are unnecessarily referred for nuclear stress tests

New research from cardiologists at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals suggests a possible gender disparity in how patients are referred for nuclear stress tests, an imaging technique that measures blood flow to the heart muscle both at rest and during periods of stress, such as exercise.

9 Jun 2011

Maternal-child health disparities need to be addressed in the U.S., says expert

Despite billions of dollars spent on health care each year, the United States ranks 27th out of 33 developed countries for life expectancy at birth. Leading causes of infant mortality are complications related to pre-term birth or low birth weight-outcomes that have been linked with domestic violence.

8 Jun 2011