Feature Channels: Women's Health

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Unwed mothers face poorer health at midlife than do women who have children after marriage, according to a new nationwide study.

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Over 9 out of every 10 women giving birth in the United States had some complication in 2008.

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New study finds long-term estrogen exposure generates excessive levels of a compound, superoxide, which causes stress in the body. The build-up of superoxide occurs in an area of the brain crucial to regulating blood pressure, suggesting chronic estrogen may induce a build-up that causes blood pressure to rise.

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Overweight or obese women with less-than-optimal levels of vitamin D who lose more than 15 percent of their body weight experience significant increases in circulating levels of this fat-soluble nutrient, according to a new study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

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Loyola University Health System physician discusses women and coronary artery disease.

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A gynecologist and a molecular biologist have collaborated to show for the first time that pelvic organ prolapse – a condition in which the uterus, bladder or vagina protrude from the body – is caused by a combination of a loss of elasticity and a breakdown of proteins in the vaginal wall.

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Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) Board member and leader in women’s and infants’ health and research, Irma Goertzen, RN, MA wrote an exciting chapter on SWHR in the newly published textbook, Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care, 6th Edition.

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Women trying to fit in beautiful shoes that are too tight can cause a whole host of foot problems.

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For women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy, yoga offers unique benefits beyond fighting fatigue, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

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An Indiana University of Pennsylvania psychology professor has found that only 90 minutes of exposure to pro-eating disorder websites can have significant affects on caloric intake of college-aged women with normal eating behaviors.

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Two Indiana University of Pennsylvania criminologists believe that with recent failed national social policy, jails are being filled once again with the mentally ill.

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Prostitution, which is illegal nationwide except for a few counties in Nevada, continues to create problems for communities and law-enforcement agencies. A new study by an economics researcher at the University of Arkansas analyzes the U.S. prostitution market and provides policy recommendations to increase safety for women and communities and help government agencies regulate or enforce “the oldest profession.”

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Osteoporosis Awareness Month is time to take charge of your own bone health.

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The 6th annual Society for Women’s Health Research Medtronic Prize for Scientific Contributions to Women’s Health was presented to Dr. Denniz Zolnoun from the University of North Carolina at the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) 18th Annual Gala Dinner on May 9, 2011.

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Compared with other mothers, women who deliver twins live longer, have more children than expected, bear babies at shorter intervals over a longer time, and are older at their last birth, according to a University of Utah study.

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The Editors of Women’s Health Issues, the peer-reviewed journal of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (GW), are pleased to announce the publication of a new Supplement entitled, Abortion, Reproductive Rights and Health: Highlights from the Charlotte Ellertson Social Science Postdoctoral Fellowship 2003-2010.

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When it comes to indoor tanning, sometimes mother doesn’t know best. Results of a new survey by the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) found that a large percentage of Caucasian teen girls and young women who use tanning beds reported that their mothers also use tanning beds.

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More than 3 million Americans went to hospital emergency rooms seeking relief from headaches in 2008; 81,000 people were admitted.

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UCSD Experts: 80 Percent of women experience ‘baby blues’ shortly after giving birth.

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Women with congestive heart failure who repress their emotions, especially anger, are more likely than emotionally expressive women to experience symptoms of depression associated with knowledge about their disease, according to new research.

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Results of a new survey by the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) found that a troubling number of Caucasian teen girls and young women are not being warned about the skin cancer dangers of indoor tanning beds by tanning salon employees. The American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA) supports the Tanning Bed Cancer Control Act (TBCCA), which calls on the FDA to examine the classification of indoor tanning beds and implement enhanced labeling requirements.

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The best teacher for a young mother is her baby, contend experts who train social workers to interact with first-time moms. Adjusting to a baby can take work, and the task of social workers often is to help young mothers learn to focus on an infant’s needs, experts say.

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Women are at higher risk than men of developing kidney damage after undergoing a coronary angiogram, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study. Researchers found that women are 60 percent more likely than men to develop radiocontrast-induced nephropathy (RCIN), an adverse side effect that causes kidney dysfunction within 24 to 72 hours after patients are administered an iodine contrast dye during the common heart imaging test.

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Research by the National Association For Continence (NAFC) about nocturia in middle-aged American women appears in the current issue of Urologic Nursing

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A new book by University of Utah School of Medicine faculty Robert E. Jones, M.D., FACP, FACE, and Kathleen B. Digre, M.D., take an in-depth look at diabetes and provide a practical approach for health care providers caring for women with the disease.

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Domestic violence knows no boundaries: cultural, socio-economic, religious, level of education, gender or age. It can occur in any relationship and to anyone, but especially to women. In fact, roughly 25 percent of women will become a victim at one time or another during her lifetime.

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A "low-carb, mixed-carb" sports drink with added protein leads to prolonged endurance performance in trained female athletes, according to a study in the April issue of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, official research journal of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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Women in the treatment group had significantly lower total Postpartum Depression Screening Scale scores, with significantly fewer symptoms common to postpartum depression.

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Research suggests that stress hormones program child's genes

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When researchers had women view magazines for five straight days that only included images of women with thin, idealized body types, something surprising happened: the readers’ own body satisfaction improved.

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New study contradicts prior research suggesting hormonal status affects voice

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Study shows consumption of GTP (at a level equivalent to about 4-6 cups of steeped green tea daily) & participation in tai chi independently enhanced markers of bone health by 3 and 6 months, respectively

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It turns out that exercising during pregnancy might be the earliest intervention strategy available to mothers for improving their child’s heart health after birth.

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Among postmenopausal women with prior hysterectomy who had used estrogen therapy for about 6 years and then stopped, longer-term follow-up indicates that the increased risk of stroke seen during the intervention period had dissipated, the decreased risk of hip fracture was not maintained, while the decreased risk of breast cancer persisted, according to a study in the April 6 issue of JAMA.

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An editorial in the April 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association cautions against estrogen-only hormone therapy in women who have had a hysterectomy because of longstanding evidence that it raises the risk of breast cancer.

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The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) is partnering with Susan G. Komen for the Cure® to sponsor research to study the link between exercise and breast cancer.

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At the Women’s Health 2011: 19th Annual Conference plenary session, A Wake Up Call to Clinicians: Alzheimer’s and Early Diagnosis, Geoffrey Beene Foundation President, Meryl Comer announced the Society for Women’s Health Research’s (SWHR) upcoming one-day Alzheimer’s roundtable, exploring sex differences in this increasingly prevalent disease.

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Women’s appreciation of their bodies is only indirectly connected to their body mass index (BMI), a common health measure of weight relative to height, according to recent research.

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Most women face only a small risk of breast cancer coming back after they complete their treatment. Yet a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center finds that nearly half of Latinas who speak little English expressed a great deal of worry about recurrence.

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A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that higher levels of perfluorocarbons (PFCs) in the body are associated with increased odds of having experienced menopause in women between 42 and 64 years old. Women in this age group with high levels of PFCs also had significantly lower concentrations of estrogen when compared to women who had low levels of PFCs.

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Levels of the hormone ghrelin are low in obese women and a recent study accepted for publication in Endocrinology, a publication of The Endocrine Society, reports that mice whose mothers had low ghrelin levels were less fertile due to a defect in implantation.

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A daily dose of safflower oil, a common cooking oil, for 16 weeks can improve such health measures as good cholesterol, blood sugar, insulin sensitivity and inflammation in obese postmenopausal women who have Type 2 diabetes, according to new research.

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National Women and Girls AIDS Awareness Day, a nationwide observance that raises awareness and promotes action in the fight against HIV/AIDS, took place on March 10. As the nation turns its attention to this important cause, women and girls around the world continue to be affected by HIV/AIDS in high numbers. According to reports from the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, HIV is the leading cause of death and disease among women of reproductive age across the globe.

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Communication technologies that help people stay connected to the workplace are often seen as solutions to balancing work and family life. However, a new study suggests there may be a “dark side” to the use of these technologies for workers’ health—and these effects seem to differ for women and men.

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U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today reintroduced legislation to ensure that heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are more widely recognized and effectively treated in women.

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With actress Natalie Portman in Oscar contention, the movie “Black Swan” has taken center stage. So have concerns surrounding the dramatic weight loss Portman underwent for the role. Her depiction of a dangerously thin ballerina sheds light on a potential downside of this art form.

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Nitroglycerin is best known as a high explosive or a treatment for angina, but a new study in the February 23rd issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association says it may also be an effective therapy to strengthen bones and treat osteoporosis.

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A study led by the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center found women who received treatment such as an angioplasty had higher unadjusted in-hospital heart attack deaths. But these differences appear to be related to women’s ages and additional health problems – not gender.

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While alcohol problems and antisocial behavior tend to decrease in addiction-prone women as they age, depression increases, U-M study finds.

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SWHR is excited to announce that Tuesday, February 15th during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, SWHR and our partner Grace After Fire, a support network for women veterans, will be launching the Fatigues to Fabulous (F2F) campaign – a national program created to honor the service of women veterans and support their transition home. The campaign is working with the fashion industry to help women make the transition to a civilian wardrobe, raise awareness of the challenges women veterans face upon return, and harness resources to support them.