Women's Health News

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A little alcohol goes a longer way in women than in men

Alcohol can be a boon or a bane for health. The difference lies in the dose - a little is good, a lot is bad. But the dividing line between a little and a lot differs from person to person. It depends on many things, including sex.

6 Oct 2008

CDC officials did not know HPV vaccination recommendation for U.S. women also would affect prospective immigrants

Some of the CDC officials who supported a recommendation for young women in the U.S. to receive the human papillomavirus vaccine said they did not intend for it to lead to an immigration policy requiring young immigrant women to receive the vaccine, the Wall Street Journal reports (Jordan, Wall Street Journal, 10/1).

5 Oct 2008

Birth size a marker of susceptibility to breast cancer later in life

The findings from a study by a team based at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) are published in PLoS Medicine.

2 Oct 2008

Women who smoke at risk for major depression

A new study by Australian scientists has revealed that women who smoke are at greater risk of developing a major depressive disorder.

1 Oct 2008

Birth size a marker for breast cancer later in life

A new study by researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has found that birth size is a marker of susceptibility to breast cancer later in life - they say birth size, and in particular birth length, is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in adulthood.

30 Sep 2008

Breast feeding lowers breast cancer risk

Experts say women who breastfeed for a year over the course of their lifetime are less likely to develop breast cancer.

29 Sep 2008

Women warned about talcum powder ovarian cancer risk

Scientists have issued a warning to women about using talcum powder - they say it increases their risk of developing ovarian cancer.

29 Sep 2008

Breast, ovarian cancer prediction models more accurate for white women than Asian-American women

Two widely used prediction models for identifying a woman's risk for breast and ovarian cancer appear to be less reliable for Asian-American women compared with white women, according to a study in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Reuters Health reports.

29 Sep 2008

New WHO efforts to save the lives of women and newborns

During the next five years, we will enhance support to the countries with the highest maternal mortality. We will support countries in strengthening their health systems to achieve the two MDG 5 targets of reducing the maternal mortality ratio by 75% and achieving universal access to reproductive health by 2015. Our joint efforts will also contribute to achieving MDG 4: "To reduce child mortality".

25 Sep 2008

Catholic school refuses to allow girls to have cervical cancer vaccine on school grounds

A Catholic school in Britain has refused to allow girls attending the school to have the cervical cancer vaccination on its premises.

25 Sep 2008

Weak bladders stop many women doing sport

New research has revealed that many young women avoid participating in sporting activities because of weak bladders.

25 Sep 2008

Oversize waistlines are a potent risk factor for heart disease in women

A heart expert at Johns Hopkins is calling for all women with a waistline measuring more than 35 inches to get an annual check-up and detailed risk assessment for heart problems because excess abdominal fat, even in the mildly obese and overweight, leads more than a third of women to underestimate their lifetime risk of having a heart attack, stroke or chest pain (angina).

24 Sep 2008

What to do with leftover embryos in fertility clinics?

The majority of infertility patients are in favor of using left-over embryos for stem cell research and would also support selling left-over embryos to other couples, according to a recent survey.

24 Sep 2008

Exercise helps pregnant women quit smoking

New research from the United Kingdom has found that exercise is effective in helping pregnant women quit smoking.

24 Sep 2008

Some cases of breast cancer overtreated

According to a new study standard radiation therapy for some breast cancer patients may not be medically required and may, therefore, be causing unnecessary serious side effects.

24 Sep 2008

One week radiation treatment for breast cancer as effective as standard 6 to 7 week course

A new type of radiation treatment rapidly speeds up treatment for some breast cancer sufferers.

24 Sep 2008

Abortion rate declines to lowest level since 1974; disparities persist, study finds

Although abortion rates have declined among all racial and ethnic groups and are at the lowest level since 1974, the rate for black and Hispanic women remains three to five times higher than that of whites, according to an analysis by the Guttmacher Institute, the Washington Post reports.

24 Sep 2008

Obesity linked to repeated miscarriages

Research carried out by specialists in Britain has found that women who have experienced a number of miscarriages are more likely to continue to miscarry if they are obese - they say obesity significantly increases the risk of further miscarriages.

23 Sep 2008

Breast MRI scan could determine need for radiation therapy

For women whose breast cancer has spread to their lymph nodes, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan could replace exploratory surgery as the method for determining whether those women need radiation therapy to treat their disease, according to a study to be presented during the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) which opens today in Boston.

21 Sep 2008

24 percent of U.S. women affected by pelvic floor disorders

Nearly 24 percent of U.S. women are affected with one or more pelvic floor disorders, report researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health. Their analysis is the first to document in a nationally representative sample the extent of pelvic floor disorders, a cluster of health problems that causes physical discomfort and limits activity.

17 Sep 2008