Women's Health News

RSS

Pregnant women with H1N1 more likely to have low birth weight baby

In 2009, the United States was gripped by concern for a new winter threat: the H1N1 strain of influenza. According to research conducted through that winter, pregnant women were right to be concerned.

3 May 2011

Watson launches Generess Fe low-dose oral contraceptives in the U.S.

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced the U.S. commercial launch of Generess Fe 0.8 mg/25 mcg, a new low-dose oral contraceptive option that's highly effective at preventing pregnancy and proven to provide users with short, lighter, predictable periods.

2 May 2011

USPSTF recommendations negatively impact yearly mammograms among 40-49 year old women

Two new studies reveal that the United States Preventative Services Task Force's recommendation to no longer screen women ages 40-49 for breast cancer using mammograms has begun to negatively affect the number of yearly mammograms performed in this age group and thus decrease the benefits of early detection.

2 May 2011

Survey underscores education importance on risks of tanning in young women

Despite repeated warnings from dermatologists on the health dangers of tanning, results of a new survey by the American Academy of Dermatology confirmed that a large percentage of Caucasian teen girls and young women admitted using tanning beds or intentionally tanning outdoors in the past year.

2 May 2011

Women with PCOS show high levels of blood markers linked with cardiovascular disease

A new study presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology shows that women with polycystic ovary syndrome show higher levels of blood markers associated with cardiovascular disease than control groups.

2 May 2011

Obese pregnant women are less able to fight infections

Pregnant women who are obese are less able to fight infections than lean women, which could affect their baby's health after birth and later in life, according to research to be presented Sunday, May 1, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver.

2 May 2011

SaneVax criticizes FDA for approval of Roche's cobas HPV genotyping test

In an April 22, 2011 letter to FDA Commissioner; Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Norma Erickson on behalf of the SaneVax Inc. Board of Directors, criticized the FDA for not following its own guidelines and recommendations in approving Roche's cobas HPV Test for cervical cancer screening and for HPV-16 and HPV-18 genotyping.

30 Apr 2011

MarginProbe System meets its primary endpoints: Dune Medical Devices

Dune Medical Devices, Inc. today announced that the landmark, 664-patient pivotal trial evaluating the MarginProbe System met its primary endpoints. The MarginProbe System provides surgeons with a real time, intraoperative technology to detect microscopically-positive margins on excised tissues.

30 Apr 2011

White youths less likely to be tested for STI in pediatric emergency department

When adolescent females visit a pediatric emergency department with complaints that may signal a sexually transmitted infection, white youths are less likely to be tested than blacks, according to a study to be presented Saturday, April 30, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver.

30 Apr 2011

ED providers need to assess STI risks in adolescents: Instructor of pediatrics

All adolescent females who show up in the emergency department complaining primarily of lower abdominal pain and/or urinary or genital symptoms should be tested for sexually transmitted infections, according to the authors of a study to be presented Saturday, April 30, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver.

30 Apr 2011

Mammography screening can benefit women under age 50

Screening mammography benefits women between 40 and 49 years of age, and excluding this population from annual exams under the revised Preventative Service Task Force mammography guidelines would negatively impact survival, according to research presented this week at the American Society of Breast Surgeons Annual Meeting.

30 Apr 2011

Centocor Ortho Biotech Products withdraws NDA for trabectedin for treatment of women with ROC

Centocor Ortho Biotech Products, L.P., today announced that it has voluntarily withdrawn the New Drug Application for trabectedin for the treatment of women with recurrent ovarian cancer. The withdrawal is based on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recommendation that an additional Phase 3 study be conducted to obtain approval.

30 Apr 2011

Babies born to obese mothers may face risk of iron deficiency

Babies born to obese mothers are at risk for iron deficiency, which could affect infant brain development, according to a study to be presented Saturday, April 30, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver.

30 Apr 2011

Penn Nursing, Surgeon General partner to promote breastfeeding awareness in the U.S.

While 75 percent of U.S. babies start out breastfeeding, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports only 13 percent are exclusively breastfed at the end of six months. Six months of exclusive breastfeeding is the American Academy of Pediatrics' minimum recommendation.

30 Apr 2011

Abortion-rights supporters face tough choices about where to focus efforts

News outlets also report on restrictive legislation advancing in the Florida and Kansas legislatures. Meanwhile, funding issues related to Planned Parenthood continue to receive attention.

30 Apr 2011

PAM to launch national pregnancy awareness campaign for women

Pregnancy Awareness Month, is proud to announce PAM's annual "Motherhood Begins Now" event, to launch a month-long national campaign of education and social connection for women across the country.

30 Apr 2011

IMPAKT 2011 conference to highlight new breast cancer studies

"The presentations at this year's IMPAKT reveal the innovative and diverse approaches that investigators are taking to identify the most encouraging new agents both before clinical evaluation and in early clinical studies. These range from ideas for novel clinical designs to the development of more sensitive and specific biomarkers and to data sharing that allows a more objective assessment of compounds prior to commitment of major clinical resources."

30 Apr 2011

Reimbursement policy influences choice of IMRT for treating breast cancer

What Medicare would pay for and where a radiation oncologist practiced were two factors that strongly influenced the choice of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for treating breast cancer, according to an article published April 29 online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The use of IMRT and the cost of radiation therapy increased sharply over the period of the study.

29 Apr 2011

Annual mammogram sufficient follow-up after BCT for breast cancer patients

An annual mammogram is sufficient follow-up after breast conserving therapy (BCT) for breast cancer patients, according to a study presented today, at the Cancer Imaging and Radiation Therapy Symposium in Atlanta. This symposium is co-sponsored by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

29 Apr 2011

USAID announces shift in gender programming, organizational structure

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah this week announced the agency has transformed its Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade (EGAT) Women in Development Office into a new Office of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, Devex reports (Leonzon, 4/27).

29 Apr 2011