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Middle-aged women experience more stress but have lower blood pressure

The study is part of the Prospective Population Study of Women in Gothenburg, Sweden. This study was initiated at the end of the 1960s, when 1,462 middle-aged women were examined, and interviewed about their lifestyle and other matters.

5 Jun 2009

Opinion: Governments must take 'concrete action' to reduce maternal mortality, morbidity

With the U.N. Human Rights Council's June session coming up, governments have a "chance to prove that they value women's lives by taking concrete action" to recognize "preventable maternal death as a violation of women's rights," Mary Robinson and Alicia Yamin, advisory council members of the International Initiative on Maternal Mortality and Human Rights, write in a Boston Globe opinion piece.

4 Jun 2009

Help for older women in abusive relationships

A unique research project into the highly sensitive problem of domestic violence towards older women is being carried out by researchers from The University of Nottingham's Division of Nursing.

4 Jun 2009

Women with heavy periods may have an undiagnosed bleeding disorder

According to researchers in the United States many women suffer from bleeding disorders, but are unaware they have one because doctors are not looking for the condition.

3 Jun 2009

Bringing life back into the bedroom for cancer survivors

For the more than 6 million female cancer survivors living in the U.S. today, the celebration of continued life and love can be interrupted by cancer treatment's side effects, including in the bedroom. Experts at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center offer survivors advice on how to get their relationships back on track.

2 Jun 2009

Why does dishing with a girlfriend do wonders for a woman's mood?

A University of Michigan study has identified a likely reason: feeling emotionally close to a friend increases levels of the hormone progesterone, helping to boost well-being and reduce anxiety and stress.

2 Jun 2009

New insights into locally advanced breast cancer

Scientists are reporting two findings that could influence the way researchers screen for, treat and assess prognosis for women with locally advanced breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease. One finding offers a critical message regarding treatment strategy, they say.

2 Jun 2009

Taking a break from hormones doesn't improve mammograms

Some women take a short break from using postmenopausal hormone therapy before getting their breasts screened for cancer with mammography. They hope to lower their risk of being called back afterward for unnecessary extra breast imaging. But taking a short break from hormones doesn't actually work for this purpose, according to the first large-scale randomized controlled trial to address the question. The READ (Radiological Evaluation and Breast Density) trial of more than 1,700 Group Health women is in the June 2, 2009 Annals of Internal Medicine.

1 Jun 2009

New research shows that a “breast cancer gene” causes osmidrosis and makes earwax wet and sticky

If having malodorous armpits (called osmidrosis) and goopy earwax isn't bad enough, a discovery by Japanese scientists may add a more serious problem for women facing these cosmetic calamities.

1 Jun 2009

Popular antidepressants taken with tamoxifen can increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence

A new study found that taking tamoxifen with certain antidepressants more than doubled the risk of breast cancer recurrence in women taking both medications. The antidepressants inhibit an enzyme, CYP2D6, which helps tamoxifen work effectively.

1 Jun 2009

Criminal behavior intervention program found to reduce teens' rate of pregnancy

A program aimed at reducing criminal behavior in juvenile justice teens has yielded a surprising side benefit. The program is also reducing the teens' rate of pregnancy, according to a new study out this week.

1 Jun 2009

Obese women should not gain weight during pregnancy

For years, doctors and other health-care providers have managed pregnant patients according to guidelines issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

31 May 2009

Worldwide increase in assisted reproduction

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is responsible for an estimated 219,000 to 246,000 babies born each year worldwide according to an international study. The study also finds that the number of ART procedures is growing steadily: in just two years (from 2000 to 2002) ART activity increased by more than 25%.

27 May 2009

Black women more likely to have vitamin D deficiency, bacterial vaginosis

Black women are nearly three times as likely as white women to have a vitamin D deficiency, which is linked with an increased risk of the vaginal infection bacterial vaginosis, according to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Nutrition, the New York Times reports.

27 May 2009

Some Black women with advanced breast cancer opt against treatment, study finds

A new study has found that some black women with advanced breast cancer declined treatment with chemotherapy or radiation, though researchers did not know the reason why so many of the women opted against treatment, HealthDay/Las Vegas NOW reports.

26 May 2009

U.N. system lacks 'serious focus on gender' issues, opinion piece says

"The most lamentable and heart-breaking dimension of multilateralism" is the "absence of any serious focus on gender throughout" the United Nations system, Stephen Lewis, founder of AIDS-Free World, writes in a London Independent opinion piece.

26 May 2009

Discovery of biological markers that may indicate poor breast cancer prognosis

A team of researchers has found an association between breast cancer survival and two proteins that, when present in the blood in high levels, are indicators of inflammation.

26 May 2009

Discovery of genetic factors that influence the age at which natural menopause occurs in women

For the first time, scientists have been able to identify genetic factors that influence the age at which natural menopause occurs in women. Ms Lisette Stolk, a researcher from Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today ( Monday 25 May) that a greater understanding of the factors influencing age at menopause might eventually help to improve the clinical treatment of infertile women.

25 May 2009

Transition to menopause may cause trouble learning

The largest study of its kind to date shows that women may not be able to learn as well shortly before menopause compared to other stages in life. The research is published in the May 26, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

25 May 2009

Extreme caffeinated soft drink diet leaves woman with serious health issues

Reports in the media of a New Zealand woman's extreme Red Bull diet where her weight plummeted from 105kg to 60kg by drinking 10 to 14 cans of the 'energy' drink each day say she has been left with serious health issues.

24 May 2009