Feature Channels: Women's Health

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A recent study demonstrated increased rates of celiac disease in women who present with unexplained infertility. Published in the May-June 2011 issue of The Journal of Reproductive Medicine, the study evaluated 191 female patients presenting with infertility. Each participant underwent serologic screening for celiac disease as well as routine infertility testing. The 4 patients who had positive serum test results were advised to seek evaluation with a gastroenterologist. All 4 patients were confirmed to have celiac disease.

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Women harbor a fat-stigma even though their family and closest friends may not judge them as “fat,” according to findings by Arizona State University social scientists. Those research results, published Aug. 17 in the journal Social Science & Medicine, have scientists questioning the weight of messages from sources outside one’s social networks, especially those in mass media marketing.

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Mention the word vaccination and most people think of babies, toddlers and school-age children. But as the fact is, adults also need to be vaccinated (when and where appropriate) to keep themselves and their children safe. Unfortunately, far too many adults overlook these lifesaving measures.

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The physical and mental health problems affecting women veterans are a major issue within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense, and the catalyst for the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) congressional briefing, Women Veteran’s Health: Sexx Matters held on Tuesday, August 2.

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A documentary featuring more than 30 women who share their military experiences. The women have served in every branch of the military, from World War II to Afghanistan.

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Women who reported experiencing gender-based violence, such as rape, sexual assault, intimate partner violence and stalking, had an associated higher lifetime prevalence of mental health disorders, dysfunction and disability, according to a study in the August 3 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights.

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A new Supplement of the peer-reviewed journal, Women’s Health Issues, a publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health at the GW School of Public Health and Health Services, shows the tremendous growth and diversity of VA women’s health research in recent years. The special Supplement was sponsored by the Health Services Research and Development Service, in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Research and Development with support from the Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care group.

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Six simple clinical risk factors could help identify women most at risk.

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The cost of treating women for heart disease in 2008 was $43.6 billion, leading a list of the top 10 most expensive conditions for women.

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The Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health will host a media teleconference call to present research from the July/ August Women’s Health Issues supplement titled, “Health and Health Care of Women Veterans and Women in the Military: Research Informing Evidence-based Practice and Policy.” The teleconference call will feature several researchers who will explain their work and take questions from teleconference attendees.

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Menopause has little to no impact on whether women become more susceptible to diabetes, according to a one-of-a-kind study that provides good news for older women.

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The American College of Radiology (ACR) and Society of Breast Imaging applaud and support updated American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ (ACOG) recommendations that women begin getting annual mammograms at age 40. The updated ACOG recommendations now correspond with those of the American Cancer Society, ACR, Society of Breast Imaging (SBI), American Society of Breast Disease (ASBD) and many other major medical associations with demonstrated expertise in breast cancer care.

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We’ve all experienced abnormal sensations in our legs at one time or another, but for as many as 10 percent of the US population, restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a daily occurrence. Characterized by throbbing, pulling, tingling, itching, and crawling sensations, RLS is a neurological disorder that produces unpleasant physical sensations in the extremities and an urge to counteract that sensation by movement.

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Women know that preventive services for women includes family planning. Today the IOM confirmed that contraception is prevention and is part of the prevention package that should be covered by all health care plans. By reducing co-pays and deductibles for women getting contraception, this will help women and couples plan their families, space their children, reduce unintended pregnancies, and promote better health for women and children. Preventing unintended pregnancies is the best way to prevent abortion.

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Women who have breastfeeding difficulties in the first two weeks after giving birth are more likely to suffer postpartum depression two months later compared to women without such difficulties, according to a new study by UNC researchers.

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An updated review of studies confirms that compared to staying sedentary, strength exercises boost bone density in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

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Sex differences in incidence, age of onset, symptoms or outcome are evident in many neurological and psychiatric disorders. Astrocytes, one of the glial cell types of the brain, show sex differences in number of cells, function, and differentiation. Glial cells are involved with physical support for neurons, while others regulate the internal environment of the brain, and provide nutrients to neurons of the brain.

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Pregnant women face a risk of stroke that is 2.4 times higher than the risk in non-pregnant women.

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Tulane University will conduct a $6.5 million study into the effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on the health of pregnant women in Louisiana's coastal parishes.

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South African gender-based violence expert Kate Joyner advances issue at “Secret Killer” symposium and offers advice to sensitize students to relevant HIV-related issues in context of intimate partner violence.

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New research finds breastfeeding doesn’t appear to protect against multiple sclerosis (MS) relapses, despite previous studies suggesting there may be a protective role. The research is published in the July 6, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

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A new animal study from Europe has drawn an association between pregnant mothers’ sodium intake and their newborn’s kidney development.

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Adhering to a healthy lifestyle, including not smoking, exercising regularly, having a low body weight and eating a healthy diet, appears to lower the risk of sudden cardiac death in women, according to a study in the July 6 issue of JAMA.

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Mammograms should not be done on a one-size fits all basis, but instead should be personalized based on a woman’s age, the density of her breasts, her family history of breast cancer and a number of other factors including her own values. That’s the conclusion of a new study in the July 5 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Women with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) are often misdiagnosed because the condition, commonly recognized in early childhood manifests differently later in life. This diagnostic delay places women with TSC at increased risk for morbidity and mortality.

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A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that early, prolonged treatment with the diabetes drug metformin may prevent or delay the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in adolescence.

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A national health journal publishes a paper by a team of researchers that is launching a new direction for research into the social stigma surrounding abortion.

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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of women in the United States. Although scientists have discovered demonstrable sex differences, treatment options remain the same. In response to this important issue, the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) and WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease released the long awaited 2011 10Q Report: Advancing Women’s Heart Health through Improved Research, Diagnosis and Treatment on June 21 to a captivated audience on Capitol Hill.

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Women with urinary incontinence after giving birth are almost twice as likely to develop postpartum depression as those without incontinence.

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Postmenopausal women, including those with atherosclerotic risk factors may see most benefit.

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More than half of the women in a recently published survey reported that near the end of their pregnancies, they tried to induce labor, mostly by walking, having sex, eating spicy food or stimulating their nipples.

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Having a history of eating disorders or abuse may increase a woman’s risk for developing depression during and after pregnancy, according to new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The finding could influence how doctors screen patients during prenatal visits.

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Women are the fastest growing segment in the US military, already accounting for approximately 14 percent of deployed forces. According to statistics from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), 20 percent of new recruits and 17 percent of Reserve and National Guard Forces are women. As the number of women continues to grow in the military, so does the need for health care specifically targeted to their unique concerns.

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Study in primates establishes critical role that undernourishment in mothers-to-be and lactating females has in creating type 2 diabetes in offspring.

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Hot, humid and pregnant. Many women would call that a recipe for misery.

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A new study finds that young bisexual and lesbian women are less likely to get Pap tests than straight women, while young bisexual women face a higher risk of being diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases.

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Post-menopausal women have better memory after daily treatment with a testosterone spray for six months, a new preliminary study finds. The results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

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A lower dose of zoledronic acid than currently recommended for prevention of bone fractures due to osteoporosis decreases bone resorption and increases bone density, and may be effective in reducing the risk of osteoporotic fractures, a study finds. The new research findings will be presented Monday at The Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

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Cartoid endarterectomy is best choice for women in majority of cases.

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To fully optimize a drug therapy for osteoporosis and low bone mineral density, patients should maintain vitamin D levels above the limits recently recommended by the Institute of Medicine, according to a new study by researchers from Hospital for Special Surgery.

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Women with low bone density are seven times more likely to benefit from a bisphosphonate drug when their vitamin D blood levels are above recent recommendations from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) as adequate for bone health. These new study results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

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A test that shows how many eggs a woman has in her ovaries may help young women with breast cancer know what their reproductive function will be after chemotherapy, a new study finds. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

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Young female athletes who have stopped menstruating have a weakening in the quality of their bone structure that may predispose them to breaking a bone, despite getting plenty of weight-bearing exercise, a new study finds. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

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Flaxseed provides no benefit in easing hot flashes among breast cancer patients and postmenopausal women, according to a Mayo Clinic and North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) study.

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A news study finds that the worse a woman’s skin wrinkles are during the first few years of menopause, the lower her bone density is. The results will be presented Monday at The Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

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Estrogen therapy improves low bone density due to anorexia nervosa in teenage girls with the disease when given as a patch or as a low oral dose that is physiological (close to the form or amount of estrogen the body makes naturally). These results of a new study are being presented Monday at The Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

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Today’s announcement that the drug exemestane significantly reduces the risk of breast cancer in high-risk, postmenopausal women is the result of an international, clinical trial in which UB researchers and hundreds of area women played a role.

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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.