Feature Channels: Women's Health

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Postmenopausal women suffered significant bone density loss in their hip after they were treated with an epidural steroid injection for back pain relief, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study. Bone density loss after six months was six times greater when compared to the typical bone density loss seen in a year in a postmenopausal woman who doesn’t receive steroid injection, researchers say.

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Each year, almost 115,000 women in the U.S. will lose their health insurance in the months following a divorce, finds a study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

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About 70 percent of women who have both breasts removed following a breast cancer diagnosis do so despite a very low risk of facing cancer in the healthy breast, new research from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center finds.

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New Johns Hopkins research showing a more than four-fold increase in the incidence of breast cancer in women with neurofibromatosis-1 (NF1) adds to growing evidence that women with this rare genetic disorder may benefit from early breast cancer screening with mammograms beginning at age 40, and manual breast exams as early as adolescence.

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The risk of developing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) following insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) is very low, whether or not women have been screened beforehand for gonorrhea and chlamydia, according to a joint study of nearly 60,000 women by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research.

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Female athletes are far more likely than males to suffer serious ACL knee injuries. But many of these injuries could be prevented by doing preseason conditioning and using proper landing techniques after jumping.

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Age at onset of menarche (first menstrual cycle) is associated with increased body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and overall obesity in adulthood, according to a recent study.

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8 tips from a Pharmacist on Feeling Better After Holiday Parties. Included is advice on which antacids to take and when, along with ideas on food and drinks to avoid altogether.

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Being overweight is linked to a higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis in women, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Older women with osteoarthritis who view themselves as dependent on others because they seek help to perform daily activities — such as housework — experience more sadness and depressed moods, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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With some planning and preparation it is easy to keep your family on track so when January rolls around you don’t feel so guilty. Deborah Boutwell, a registered Dietician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, says it’s all about balance. She offers these tips for your family to stay healthy during the holidays.

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Respiratory symptoms vary significantly during different stages of the menstrual cycle, with higher frequencies during the mid-luteal to mid-follicular stages, according to a new study.

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UAB experts say that while physical activity is necessary for both men and women, there are gender-specific benefits that women need to know.

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Specialty stores do not have to compete with supermarket prices to increase sales, according to a recent study from the University at Buffalo School of Management.

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Black men and women have twice the risk of fatal coronary heart disease as whites, but the disparity could be eliminated with better risk factor control.

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Anesthesiology residents may not be prepared to manage rare but life-threatening emergencies involving cardiac arrest during labor and delivery, suggests a stimulation study in the November issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

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Clinical hypnosis can effectively reduce hot flashes and associated symptoms among post-menopausal women, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Baylor University’s Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory.

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Elevated risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal health complications and possible longer term neurobehavioral abnormalities, including autism, suggest that a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) should only be prescribed with great caution and with full counseling for women experiencing depression and attempting to get pregnant, say researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Tufts Medical Center and MetroWest Medical Center.

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Holiday dinners are filled with heaping dishes of comfort foods, fattening favorites and savory treats. It is no wonder these meals often leave us feeling stuffed with guilt and holiday remorse.

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For women of mixed racial or ethnic backgrounds, a new method for measuring bone health may improve the odds of correctly diagnosing their risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures.

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Loyola Center for Fitness will host a free women’s health and wellness day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 2160 S. First Ave., Maywood.

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UAB experts say women experience stress differently from men and that can take a physical toll, but simple changes can help.

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Erica Krause, MSN, CNM, received her Master of Science in nursing with a concentration in nurse-midwifery from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich. She was awarded her board-certification from the American Midwifery Certification Board in August 2011. She also has experience as a labor and delivery nurse and holds certification in inpatient obstetrics. Krause is currently a certified nurse-midwife with Certified Nurse-Midwives of Toledo, based at ProMedica Toledo Hospital.

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Young women who start using hormonal contraceptives for birth control often stop using condoms, but a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health finds that if they later discontinue using hormonal contraceptives, they tend not to resume using condoms, increasing their risk of both unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

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A new report finds that Texas policies to exclude Planned Parenthood clinics from a state family planning program – the Women’s Health Program (WHP) – would result in leaving tens of thousands of women unable to get care.

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Nerve fibers, and the muscles they control, behave differently at different points along the menstrual cycle, potentially making women more vulnerable to knee injuries. Presentation is part of the Integrative Biology of Exercise VI meeting, co-sponsored by the American Physiological Society.

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Plasma levels of proneurotensin are associated with the development of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular and total mortality, and breast cancer in women during long-term follow-up.

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Women who have a positive urine culture test on the day of surgery for a pelvic-floor disorder are more likely to have a urinary tract infection (UTI) in the first six weeks after the procedure. These findings were presented this past week by researchers from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine at the American Urogynecologic Society’s 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago.

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Providing birth control to women at no cost substantially reduced unplanned pregnancies and cut abortion rates by 62 percent to 78 percent over the national rate, a new study shows.

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Botox® (onabotulinum toxin-A) injections to the bladder are as effective as medication for treating urinary urgency incontinence in women, but the injection is twice as likely to completely resolve symptoms. These findings were published in the latest issue of The New England Journal of Medicine by a National Institutes of Health clinical trials network including Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM).

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Gender-specific group therapy is effective for treating depressed women with Type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the latest issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine and funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research. Evidence suggests that antidepressants may disrupt blood-sugar control and can be associated with increased weight gain; therefore, other treatment options are needed for depression.

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Women who experience early menopause are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than women whose menopause occurs at a later age, according to a new study by Melissa Wellons, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine in the Vanderbilt Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism.

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Male DNA is commonly found in the brains of women, most likely derived from prior pregnancy with a male fetus, according to first-of-its-kind research conducted at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. While the medical implications of male DNA and male cells in the brain are unknown, studies of other kinds of microchimerism – the harboring of genetic material and cells that were exchanged between fetus and mother during pregnancy – have linked the phenomenon to autoimmune diseases and cancer, sometimes for better and other times for worse.

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Study explores psychosocial implications related to relationships, marriage and childbearing.

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Sleep-related breathing problem associated with serious, expensive conditions like preeclampsia, gestational hypertension.

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Low-weight at birth is an additional but independent risk factor.

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Even if you feel fine, screening tests can help you stay ahead of potentially life-threatening illnesses, says American Heart Association president Donna Arnett, Ph.D., chair of the UAB Department of Epidemiology.

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Women who go into early menopause are twice as likely to suffer from coronary heart disease and stroke, new Johns Hopkins-led research suggests. The association holds true in patients from a variety of different ethnic backgrounds, the study found, and is independent of traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors, the scientists say.

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“Rooming in,” keeping mother and her newborn in the same room 24/7 to encourage breastfeeding, does support the practice, at least in the short term, finds a new review in The Cochrane Library.

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Although many women coping with hot flashes and other distressing symptoms of menopause have turned to black cohosh supplements as a treatment alternative, a new review by The Cochrane Library finds no evidence that the herb is effective.

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Exercising conscience in healthcare is usually defined as refusing to provide contested services, like abortion. But in an article to be published Sept. 13 in the New England Journal of Medicine, a University of Michigan faculty member says doctors can be “conscientious” providers of abortion.

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Simple interventions at a primary care visit can alleviate the embarrassment and quality-of-life issues caused by urinary leakage.

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Doctors who believe that women have “atypical” coronary heart disease symptoms are less certain when diagnosing heart disease in women. As a result, women are less likely than men to receive treatments for an urgent cardiac event, finds a new study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

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Roughly two in five women in the United States do not use any form of birth control and many underestimate their risk for pregnancy, according to a recent survey about contraceptive practices in the United States.

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A high-fat diet triggers chemical reactions in female mice that could explain why women are more likely than men to gain fat in the abdomen after eating excess saturated fat, new research suggests. The study also sheds light on why women gain fat following menopause.

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Stressing the importance of urological health and increased funding into women’s health research, Lindsey Kerr, MD, Chair of the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) Board of Directors and founder and director of the Urologic Wellness Center at Eastern Maine Medical Center will address the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) in Tampa, Fla. today.

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A new study published recently in the American Journal of Medicine, conducted by researchers in the Cardiac and Vascular Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center, found there was significantly lower quality of care and worse outcomes in women compared to men – particularly young women under age 35 who had heart attack symptoms.

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A new study suggests that a polyclonal antibody that blocks follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in mice without ovaries might offer a more effective way to prevent or arrest osteoporosis than currently available treatments.

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A study to be published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM) suggests that physical activity for premenopausal women is very effective in reducing sclerostin—a known inhibitor of bone formation. In addition, physical training enhances IGF-1levels, which have a very positive effect on bone formation.