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Breast cancer screening false positive results may need more follow up: Study

A Danish study of more than 58,000 women found those who had false positive mammograms, meaning the results suggested breast cancer when there was none, had a 67 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer later in life compared with women who had negative mammograms.

5 Apr 2012

Uterine cancer up by 43% in UK over last two decades

Figures show that the number of diagnoses remained static for many years, but has increased by 43% since the 1990s. As the number of womb cancer cases have increased over the last decade, so have the number of womb cancer deaths. However, survival has also improved during that period, with 77% of women who are diagnosed with womb cancer now surviving for five years or more.

5 Apr 2012

Jakarta Globe examines maternal mortality in Indonesia

The Jakarta Globe examines maternal mortality in Indonesia, writing, "Indonesia may be progressing slowly and steadily toward fulfilling its targets under the Millennium Development Goals, but the issue of maternal health continues to present many challenges."

5 Apr 2012

Only few women consume aspirin to reduce risk of heart disease

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, and evidence-based national guidelines promote the use of daily aspirin for women at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. However, less than half of the women who could benefit from aspirin are taking it, according to an article in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

5 Apr 2012

National program in Mauritania working to end FGM, IPS reports

"A multi-pronged strategy to end female genital mutilation [FGM] in Mauritania is making gradual progress, though campaigners acknowledge much remains to be done in a country where more than two-thirds of girls suffer excision," Inter Press Service reports.

5 Apr 2012

More must be done to increase access to family planning services for women in rural areas

"If family planning services, including information about reproductive health, access to birth control, and health care, were available to all women, the deaths of 100,000 women during childbirth could be prevented every year," Maeve Shearlaw, policy and advocacy coordinator for the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, writes in this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog.

5 Apr 2012

Study tracking progress in maternal, child health highlights inequities in intervention coverage

According to a study published in the Lancet on Saturday, researchers from the University of Pelotas in Brazil tracking progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 -- which promote maternal and child health -- "discovered that the most equitable intervention was early initiation of breastfeeding, and that the attendance of a skilled person at birth proved to be the least equitable intervention," Medical News Today reports.

5 Apr 2012

Negative link between obesity and colon cancer screening in white women

A new study by Johns Hopkins researchers shows that obese white women may be less likely than normal-weight counterparts and African-Americans of any weight or gender to seek potentially lifesaving colon cancer screening tests.

5 Apr 2012

Catholic University ends birth control coverage; Texas plans grant applications to free money for Women's Health Program

A Catholic University in Ohio ends its health plan coverage of birth control, and Texas is planning to apply for federal block grants to free up money to use on its Women's Health Program, which is closing.

5 Apr 2012

Soy may effectively reduce menopausal hot flashes

In the most comprehensive study to date to examine the effects of soy on menopause, researchers have found that two daily servings of soy can reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes by up to 26 percent, compared to a placebo.

5 Apr 2012

Injectable form of progestin may increase breast cancer risk in young women

The first large-scale U.S.-based study to evaluate the link between an injectable form of progestin-only birth control and breast cancer risk in young women has found that recent use of a year or more doubles the risk.

5 Apr 2012

New cell and animal model of IBC

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a very aggressive, often misunderstood type of cancer that is diagnosed more frequently in younger women compared with other types of breast cancer. The five-year survival rate is between 25 and 50 percent-significantly lower than the survival rate for other types of breast cancer. The reason for the poor prognosis is that IBC usually grows rapidly and often spreads quickly to other parts of the body, including the brain, bone and lymph nodes.

5 Apr 2012

Sexually abused young males more likely to cause teen pregnancy

Young males who have been sexually abused are five times more likely to cause teen pregnancy compared to those with no abuse history, according to University of British Columbia research. Sexually abused boys are also three times more likely to have multiple sexual partners and twice as likely to engage in unprotected sex.

5 Apr 2012

Uterine cancer deaths rise 20% in the last decade

Deaths from womb (uterine) cancer have risen by nearly twenty per cent in the last decade, according to new figures from Cancer Research UK today.

5 Apr 2012

Soy isoflavones more effective in alleviating hot flashes

Archer Daniels Midland Company is pleased to share the results of a new meta-analysis on the effects of soy isoflavones in the alleviation of menopausal hot flashes.

5 Apr 2012

Obesity may be under diagnosed using BMI scale

We have relied on body mass index (BMI), a ratio of height to weight, to categorize people as overweight and obese for decades. A new study, however, suggests the use of BMI may be leading us to underestimate the obesity rate.

4 Apr 2012

Ultrasound & MRI as additions to mammograms for breast cancer detection

A new study shows that annual mammogram screenings, combined with ultrasounds and MRIs, significantly increase the detection of cancer in women who had an elevated risk of breast cancer.

4 Apr 2012

Getting pregnant while on a diet may lead to an obese baby: Study

Researchers found in a study on sheep that giving ewes less food at the time of conception caused DNA changes in the brains of their young. The University of Manchester scientists suspect the findings may hold true for humans as well and could explain why twins are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes in adulthood.

4 Apr 2012

Height and ovarian cancer link and diagnosis woes

A review of studies has revealed that taller women have a slightly higher risk of ovarian cancer. Obesity is also a risk factor among women who have never taken HRT, say international researchers. Previous studies have suggested a link, but there has been conflicting evidence.

4 Apr 2012

Norway study raises new U.S. mammogram overdiagnosis questions

An analysis showing significant mammogram overdiagnosis in Norway has raised new questions about mammograms in the U.S., where some say the overdiagnosis problem could be more rampant because of how early most women begin getting them.

4 Apr 2012