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Study examines mercury exposure in pregnant women

A new study published by researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center's School of Public Health assesses mercury levels in pregnant women and examines dietary and environmental sources of exposure to mercury. The research, which focuses on an urban immigrant community, examined risk factors that may be associated with elevated mercury levels, measured through urine and cord blood samples.

18 Feb 2012

Atomoxetine drug may restore memory deficits in menopausal women

Memory lapses and changes in mental functions occur naturally as we get older. But for many women going through menopause, these memory lapses occur more frequently.

17 Feb 2012

First Edition: February 17, 2012

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations include reports about the latest debate on the Obama administration's regulation to mandate free birth control for women.

17 Feb 2012

Canadian study quantifies effects of safe water, sanitation on health for first time

"In a study of 193 countries to be released Thursday, Canadian-based researchers say they've been able to quantify -- for the first time -- how safe water and public sanitation efforts affect health when factoring out other variables such as a nation's wealth, fertility or location," USA Today's "Your Life" reports.

17 Feb 2012

Birth control rule will apply to self-insured groups, Sebelius says; Political fallout continues

The revised rule on insurance coverage of birth control that HHS will formulate, finalize and implement by August 2013 will apply to self-insured entities, as well as policies issued by insurance companies, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters. The details of the revised birth-control rule - announced after a furor from Catholic employers who object to funding something to which they are morally opposed - remain undefined, except that it will require insurance companies to pay for the drugs instead of religious employers.

17 Feb 2012

Viewpoints: Contraception conscience vs. political objections; Is the mandate the 'non-tax' tax?

The president's new birth control plan would insure coverage of women's birth control without copayments or deductibles. Sounds fair, especially given that men's anti-impotence Viagra treatments have been covered by insurance plans for years.

17 Feb 2012

Low choline intake increases risk of liver scarring in menopausal women with NAFLD

Menopausal women with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) who don't consume enough of the essential nutrient choline appear to be at higher risk for liver scarring, according to research led by scientists at Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

17 Feb 2012

Contraception battle flares on two fronts

Two female Democrats walked out of a House oversight committee hearing on the contraceptive coverage rule Thursday morning, accusing Chairman Darrell Issa of manipulating committee rules to block female witnesses from testifying. "What I want to know is, where are the women?" asked Rep. Carolyn Maloney before walking out. "I look at this panel of witnesses, and I don't see one single individual representing the tens of millions of women across the country who want and need insurance coverage for basic preventive health care services, including family planning."

17 Feb 2012

U.N. meeting delegates urge international community to respond thoroughly, rapidly to drought-stricken Sahel

"Delegates at a meeting convened by the United Nations to draw up strategies to respond to the humanitarian crisis in West Africa's drought-prone Sahel region on Wednesday called for comprehensive and rapid assistance to the millions of people affected, especially children and women," the U.N. News Centre reports.

17 Feb 2012

Female dog owners more physically active during pregnancy

Collaborative research from the WALTHAM- Centre for Pet Nutrition and the University of Liverpool has shown that pregnant women who own dogs are more physically active than those who don't.

17 Feb 2012

STRAW+10 report provides general road map to reproductive aging

Published simultaneously today in four top-tier journals, a new report provides a framework within which physicians and researchers can systematically and consistently identify the different reproductive stages women go though from adolescence to menopause and beyond. The report, named STRAW+10, will help clinicians predict when a woman will enter menopause and guide the selection of treatment options for menopausal symptoms and other related conditions.

17 Feb 2012

Cryoablation increases survival rates in ovarian cancer patients

Ovarian cancer, which killed 15,000 American women last year, is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. A team of Wayne State University School of Medicine researchers recently proved that freezing tumors increases survival rates in ovarian cancer patients.

17 Feb 2012

New devices could hold key to predicting premature births

Scientists and doctors in Sheffield are developing two novel devices that they say could lead to the improved prediction of premature births.

16 Feb 2012

Understanding the economic impact of the 'girl effect'

"The ability to choose if and when to have children is a huge piece of the puzzle to the 'Girl Effect,' but it is not the only piece. ... The 'Girl Effect' is an amalgamation of exactly these three components: security, health, and power."

16 Feb 2012

Private U.S. investments improve maternal care capacity in Ethiopia

Writing on the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition's website, Sarah Sagely Klotz, executive director of Hamlin Fistula USA, reports on how private U.S. investments "are building maternal care capacity and producing tremendous results" in Ethiopia.

16 Feb 2012

Women with cancer have worse health behaviors after mammography

A recent study conducted by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., has found that female cancer survivors receiving screening mammography have "worse health behaviors" than women receiving mammography screening and who had never had cancer.

16 Feb 2012

Bishops plan united front campaign against contraception rule

While most of the public favors the Obama administration's contraception compromise, the Catholic bishops will launch TV and radio ads against the mandate.

16 Feb 2012

More than half of women with SLE and RA have fewer children than desired

New research shows that more than half of women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have fewer children than desired. While patient choice has some influence on the smaller family size, findings published today in Arthritis Care & Research, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), suggest that higher rates of infertility and miscarriage may also impact the number of offspring born to women with these chronic conditions.

16 Feb 2012

Reid will allow repeal vote on contraception mandate

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will allow a vote on a Republican amendment to allow employers to opt out of health coverage mandates - including one requiring free coverage of birth control for women - that they find immoral.

16 Feb 2012

Small cash transfers to young women may help them avoid HIV infection, study suggests

Cash transfer programs involving small amounts of money paid to schoolgirls and their families who live in low-income settings can help the young women "resist the attentions of older men and avoid HIV infection, according to a new study" published online Wednesday in the Lancet, the Guardian reports.

16 Feb 2012