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IVF linked to increased relapse rate among MS patients

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is linked to an increased rate of relapse among women with multiple sclerosis (MS), suggests a small study published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

12 Jun 2012

Increased risk of brain aneurysm linked to early menopause

The younger a woman is when she goes through the menopause, the greater may be her risk of having a brain (cerebral) aneurysm, suggests research published online first in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery.

12 Jun 2012

Pharmanest commences SHACT Phase II study in women

Today, Pharmanest AB announced that the first patient has been dosed in a randomized Phase II study of SHACT, a product developed for pain relief associated with intrauterine device (IUD) insertion. Karolinska Development AB (STO:KDEV) owns 58.9 percent of Pharmanest.

12 Jun 2012

International summit to be held in London aims to provide 120M women with family planning services

The Guardian reports on a "major summit" to be held in London on July 11, which "aims to provide access to family planning to 120 million women at an estimated cost of $4 billion." According to the newspaper, the summit "is being organized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the British government's department for international development (DFID)," and "between 20 and 25 countries are scheduled to attend, including the U.S., India, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania."

12 Jun 2012

Menopausal women with high oestradiol levels at greater risk of strokes

Women are less prone to cardiovascular disease then men; but this difference between the sexes becomes less marked after the menopause. This observation is behind a great deal of received wisdom, where oestrogen is assumed to have a beneficial effect on the heart and blood vessels.

11 Jun 2012

Distinct cancer 'signatures' may help predict response to estrogen-lowering therapy

Decoding the DNA of patients with advanced breast cancer has allowed scientists to identify distinct cancer "signatures" that could help predict which women are most likely to benefit from estrogen-lowering therapy, while sparing others from unnecessary treatment.

11 Jun 2012

BioSante to initiate two new LibiGel Phase III efficacy trials in FSD, HSDD

BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today that the Company plans to initiate two new LibiGel Phase III efficacy trials. This decision is based on an extensive analysis of previous efficacy data, consultation with key opinion leaders (KOLs) in female sexual dysfunction, testosterone therapy and placebo effects, as well as a meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

11 Jun 2012

Zafgen announces new data from two Phase 1 studies of beloranib on obesity

Zafgen, Inc., the world's first biopharmaceutical company dedicated to addressing the unmet need of severely obese patients, today announced new data from two Phase 1 studies of beloranib, a selective methionine aminopeptidase 2 inhibitor (MetAP2), which showed significant weight loss and improvements in cardiometabolic risk markers in severely obese women.

11 Jun 2012

Study compares breast milk fatty acid composition in the U.S. and Tsimane women

Working with researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, anthropologists at UC Santa Barbara have found high levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids in the breast milk of economically impoverished Amerindian woman as compared to women in the United States.

11 Jun 2012

VHC extends Obstetrics services to Kaiser Permanente members

Virginia Hospital Center announced today an expansion of services offered at Virginia Hospital Center, to include Obstetrics for Kaiser Permanente's members.

11 Jun 2012

Genentech receives FDA approval for Perjeta to treat HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Perjeta (pertuzumab), a new anti-HER2 therapy, to treat patients with HER2-positive late-stage (metastatic) breast cancer.

10 Jun 2012

New synthetic vaccine effective in killing HPV-derived cancer

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have developed and tested in mice a synthetic vaccine and found it effective in killing human papillomavirus-derived cancer, a virus linked to cervical cancers among others.

10 Jun 2012

Discovery answers why mother's immune system does not reject developing fetus as foreign tissue

Researchers at NYU School of Medicine have made an important discovery that partially answers the long-standing question of why a mother's immune system does not reject a developing fetus as foreign tissue.

8 Jun 2012

La. gov. signs bill increasing wait time between mandatory ultrasound, abortion

The bill signed by Bobby Jindal would also require abortion providers to offer women the opportunity to listen to the fetal heartbeat. In other abortion news, a Michigan legislative panel endorses a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

8 Jun 2012

Patients over 45 years with history of early menopause 50% less likely to develop severe RA

A new study presented today at EULAR 2012, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, shows that early menopause predicts a milder form of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

8 Jun 2012

Political will, health concerns, increased funding driving family planning in Africa, report says

The Nairobi-based African Institute for Development Policy on Tuesday presented a report called "Africa on the Move!" at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, VOA News reports, noting the report "says that in some African countries, political will, maternal and child health concerns as well as more and more funding are helping to develop effective family planning."

8 Jun 2012

Preterm birth rates over past 20 years only dropped in 3 countries

Nearly 15 million babies were born prematurely in 2010—more than one in ten of all births. Sixty percent of these premature babies were born in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, but this is not just a problem of the poorest nations: the USA (517 000 preterm births) and Brazil (279 300) ranked in the top ten countries with the highest number of premature births in 2010. Worse still, over the past 20 years preterm birth rates have decreased in just three countries, according to the first ever national level estimates and time series published in this week’s Lancet.

8 Jun 2012

Aid agencies should support journalists to increase their ability to make a difference in developing countries

In this post in the Guardian's "Poverty Matters" blog, Prue Clarke, an Africa correspondent, media development specialist and the co-founder and executive director of New Narratives -- Africans Reporting Africa, writes, "By not supporting journalists, aid agencies are severely limiting their access to the truth about what is happening in developing countries and, therefore, their ability to make a difference."

8 Jun 2012

Successful pregnancies common for female liver transplant recipients

New research confirms that successful pregnancies are common for female liver transplant recipients. The study appearing in the June issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, found miscarriage risk was lower and the live birth rate higher among women following liver transplantation than in the general U.S. population.

7 Jun 2012

WHO warns of drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea

"Drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea have spread to countries across the world, the U.N. health agency said on Wednesday, and millions of patients may run out of treatment options unless doctors catch and treat cases earlier," Reuters reports.

7 Jun 2012