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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

Breast cancer… do you know who diagnoses you?

Australian women have a 1 in 9 lifetime risk of developing breast cancer and 1 in every 100 breast cancers occurs in men. In 2012, it is estimated that 14,610 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, making it the most common cancer affecting women in Australia. However, despite this, few people realise that pathologists arguably play the most important role in the detection and treatment of breast cancer.

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

Females having multiple sexual partners may be more fertile

Researchers have discovered that females that have multiple sexual partners can be more fertile than those that are monogamous and, very surprisingly, that this is the result of an "overproduction" of sons. The study - still only published as a provisional article but already one of the most accessed in BCM Evolutionary Biology - helps to explain a puzzle that has been haunting evolutionary biologist for decades: why during a mating season so many females chase multiple sexual partners when one is enough to fertilize all her eggs and to do it is costly and dangerous.

15 Oct 2012

Language disparities impact Hispanic women during labor

A study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2012 annual meeting found the role of women's primary language impacts whether or not they receive an epidural for pain relief during labor.

15 Oct 2012

Pregnancy stress can cut brain benefits of motherhood

A new study in animals shows that chronic stress during pregnancy prevents brain benefits of motherhood, a finding that researchers suggest could increase understanding of postpartum depression.

15 Oct 2012

Romney campaign defends abortion policies

Much of the weekend health care political news coverage centered around women's health.

15 Oct 2012

V.P. candidates face questions about abortion and faith

Both candidates explained how their Catholic background helped to shape their policy views, including on abortion. News outlets reported that, based on answers from Vice President Joe Biden and GOP vice presidential pick Paul Ryan, it was clear that both were aiming to the larger, much sought after audience of female voters.

15 Oct 2012

Using public health approach to address unsafe abortion

"The global maternal mortality has dropped dramatically during the last decade," but "too many women continue to die from pregnancy-related causes," Sharon Camp, president and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute, writes in the BMJ Group Blogs.

15 Oct 2012

No link between folic acid, vitamin B6 and 12 and increased risk of colorectal adenoma

Combined folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 supplements had no statistically significant effect on the risk of colorectal adenoma among women who were at high risk for cardiovascular disease, according to a study published October 12 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

15 Oct 2012

Maternal, child health programs must reach poorest families to be successful

"Worldwide, evidence-based interventions are being implemented in an effort to drive down child mortality and there are some signs that they are working," a Lancet editorial states. "However, few countries are on course to meet the targets set by Millennium Development Goal 4," the editorial notes.

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

Women's health, Medicare and the health law mark tight races in various states

Asked where he would cut the government, Mr. Brown cited President Obama's health care law, which, he said, was crushing Massachusetts businesses. He said the law would remove $700 billion from Medicare, an assertion that Mr. Romney made in last week's presidential debate. "That's the same playbook that Mitt Romney used a week ago tonight," Ms. Warren said. "It was wrong then, it's wrong tonight."

15 Oct 2012

Merck announces results from odanacatib Phase II trial on post-menopausal osteoporosis

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced results from a Phase II trial for odanacatib, an investigational cathepsin K (cat-K) inhibitor in development for the treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women.

15 Oct 2012

Roundup: N.J.'s Medicaid decision; Women short on care if Texas dumps Planned Parenthood; La. hospitals seek care gap agreement

WNYC's Fred Mogul, working in partnership with Kaiser Health News and NPR, writes: "As a way to reduce the number of uninsured, states are being encouraged to set more generous income limits for Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act. If states comply, they can get 100 percent federal funding in the first three years, declining to 90 percent funding over time. Typically, states and the federal government share the burden at a ratio that's closer to 50-50."

13 Oct 2012

World observes first International Day of the Girl Child

On the first annual International Day of the Girl Child, observed October 11, "UNICEF and partners are highlighting joint efforts to end child marriage -- a fundamental human rights violation that impacts all aspects of a girl's life," the Times of India reports.

12 Oct 2012

UNAIDS to support Republic of Congo's efforts to reduce HIV MTCT

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe "on Wednesday hailed the efforts of the Republic of Congo government in the fight against HIV/AIDS in general, and particularly in the reduction of transmission from mother to child," Xinhua reports.

12 Oct 2012

Support education to reduce child marriage, maternal mortality among teenage girls

"Pregnancy and childbirth is still the leading cause of death for teenage girls in the poorest corners of the world, and despite all the progress in reducing maternal mortality by 47 percent, we have yet to save these young, vulnerable lives," Sarah Brown, founding chair of the Global Business Coalition for Education, writes in the Huffington Post's "Global Motherhood" blog.

12 Oct 2012

Johns Hopkins, Iverson enter licensing agreement for molecular diagnostics

Iverson Genetic Diagnostics, Inc. announced today an exclusive licensing agreement with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine under which Iverson receives global exclusive commercialization rights for molecular diagnostics that are designed to help physicians to assess cardiovascular risk in men and women and infertility risk in women.

12 Oct 2012

Menstrual cycle alters muscle activation patterns in female athletes

Numerous studies have shown that female athletes are more likely to get knee injuries, especially anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears and chronic pain, than their male counterparts.

12 Oct 2012