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Women using oestrogen-only HRT at increased risk of asthma after menopause

Oestrogen-only hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may increase the risk of developing asthma after the menopause, suggests a large scale study published ahead of print in the journal Thorax.

7 Feb 2010

Cervical length screening may reduce preterm births

Using ultrasound to screen all pregnant women for signs of a shortening cervix improves pregnancy outcomes and is a cost-effective way to reduce preterm birth, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a new study.

6 Feb 2010

Increased risk of intrauterine fetal death in women with fibroids

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Chicago, researchers will unveil findings that show that there is an increased risk of intrauterine fetal death (IUFD), commonly known as stillbirth, in women who have fibroids.

6 Feb 2010

A program to raise awareness of heart disease

Members of the largest growing women’s organization, the Red Hat Society, kick off the RHS Go Red for Women Program today by trading in their purple dresses for red. The program, which aims to raise awareness of heart disease, the number one cause of death of women in America, encourages Red Hatters from sea to sea to follow the beat and match their hat to their dress.

6 Feb 2010

Bipartisan legislation in House, Senate targets violence against women worldwide

Members of the U.S. House and Senate on Thursday introduced the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA), a bill that "would make violence against women worldwide a priority of the United States government and an enhanced component of its foreign policy and foreign assistance programmes," Inter Press Service reports (Fromm, 2/4).

5 Feb 2010

DOD to investigate mental health care at Camp Lejeune, also will stock morning-after pill

The Associated Press reports that, according to Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., "The Defense Department will investigate complaints of substandard mental health care for Marines at Camp Lejeune. ... Public questions about the quality of mental health care provided by a private contractor at the base were raised last year by the September firing of Dr. Kernan Manion, a brain trauma specialist who had complained to commanders about poor facilities, inadequate care programs and weak security.

5 Feb 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

A Lancet study examines childbirth practices and the relationship between these practices and maternal and perinatal outcomes in nine Asian countries, as assessed by a WHO global survey. Based on the analysis of over 107,000 deliveries, the authors conclude, "To improve maternal and perinatal outcomes, caesarean section should be done only when there is a medical indication" (Lumbiganon et al., 2/6). These findings "should help us to prioritise our strategies to reduce unnecessary interventions in childbirth," write the authors of a Lancet comment.

5 Feb 2010

Exposure to agricultural chemical atrazine linked to birth defect gastroschisis

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Chicago, researchers will unveil findings that demonstrate a link between the birth defect gastroschisis and the agricultural chemical atrazine.

5 Feb 2010

AUL files brief in 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirming state's interest in safeguarding women

Attorneys with Americans United for Life filed a brief in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals arguing that Arizona's 2009 informed consent law is a constitutionally-appropriate expression of the state's legitimate interest in safeguarding the health of women considering abortions.

5 Feb 2010

Researchers may have discovered how hormone progesterone prevents preterm birth

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine believe they may have discovered how the hormone progesterone acts to prevent preterm birth.

5 Feb 2010

Opinions: G8 and maternal, child mortality; rebuilding Haiti

In a National Post opinion piece, Canadian Member of Parliament Keith Martin, "who chaired the drafting committee at the 2009 G8 International Parliamentarians' Conference in Rome, which put together a plan of action to reduce maternal and infant mortality," welcomes the recent announcement by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper that maternal and child mortality will be a focus of the G8 summit this summer.

5 Feb 2010

American Heart Month aims to spread awareness of women and heart disease

More than five times as many women are diagnosed with heart disease each year than with breast cancer. American Heart Month in February aims to spread awareness of women and heart disease, and one Alabama company has found the quickest way to a woman's heart might be through her gynecologist.

5 Feb 2010

Children exposed to acetaminophen prenatally more likely to have asthma symptoms at age five

Children who were exposed to acetaminophen prenatally were more likely to have asthma symptoms at age five in a study of 300 African-American and Dominican Republic children living in New York City.

5 Feb 2010

Sequenom CMM launches SensiGene Fetal RHD Genotyping test for pregnant RhD negative women

Sequenom, Inc. today announced the launch of the SensiGene™ Fetal RHD Genotyping test by Sequenom's CAP accredited and CLIA-certified laboratory, Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine (Sequenom CMM).

5 Feb 2010

VA hospitals urged to accomodate growing number of female veterans

NPR: "The traditionally male-dominated environment often doesn't recognize that women veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have experienced the same psychological, physical and emotional trauma as male veterans." Jill Feldman, manager of the Women Veterans Health Care Program at the Milwaukee VA, says the hospital is working to change a culture that has traditionally been more masculine.

4 Feb 2010

Older married female cancer survivors have added health problems

A recently published study from Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences found 245 older married women who survived cancer had more health problems as compared to a sample of 245 married women without cancer.

4 Feb 2010

Mapping of human genome modification during embryonic development

Scientists at The Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) led an international effort to build a map that shows in detail how the human genome is modified during embryonic development.

4 Feb 2010

Genes of mother and fetus linked to risk of preterm labor and birth

New evidence that genetics play a significant role in some premature births may help explain why a woman can do everything right and still give birth too soon.

4 Feb 2010

Study finds link between genes that regulate maternal inflammatory response, bacterial vaginosis and preterm delivery

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Chicago, researchers will show the use of haplotype tagging (hap-tag) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to study the relationship between genetic predispositions, an environmental factor - bacterial vaginosis, and preterm birth.

4 Feb 2010

Waiting for birth as effective as inducing labor for intrauterine growth restriction

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, in Chicago, researchers will unveil findings that show that waiting for birth is as effective as inducing labor in cases of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).

4 Feb 2010