Feature Channels: Women's Health

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The Endocrine Society today announced it has selected 14 leaders in the endocrinology field as winners of its prestigious 2018 Laureate Awards.

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Did you know that routine mammograms can lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment of breast cancer? Most American women aren't aware of these risks of breast cancer screening, reports a study in the October issue of Medical Care, published by Wolters Kluwer.

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Examining vitamin D levels in the blood may help predict whether a person is at risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a large new study published in the September 13, 2017, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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A woman’s choice of surgeon plays a significant role in whether she’s likely to receive contralateral prophylactic mastectomy, an increasingly popular aggressive breast cancer surgery.

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A new meta-analysis shows that pregnant women with endometriosis are at greater risk for a host of complications during pregnancy and at delivery, including preterm birth and cesarean section.

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For young women heading off to college, it can be a time filled with the excitement of living away from home. This new sense of independence should also include taking charge of one’s own health.

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After years of pain and excessive and prolonged menstrual cycle bleeding, one Alabama woman found relief at UAB after undergoing a less-invasive fibroid embolization procedure in lieu of a hysterectomy, a major surgery with a long recovery time.

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Cancer is a real concern for many Americans. According to the fourth edition of the Mayo Clinic National Health Checkup, 95 percent of respondents take at least one preventive measure to avoid cancer.

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A new drug that boosts bone formation has been shown to reduce the risk of fracture in women with osteoporosis when compared to one of the most commonly used osteoporosis medications, according to findings from UAB reported online in NEJM.

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A new study from researchers at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Central Florida shows that programs aimed at reducing early-term elective births have been successful, reducing the number of health complications in mothers and babies.

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Females tend to report more symptoms—and more severe ones--and may also take longer to recover from brain injuries than their male counterparts.

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A vaccine that can literally eradicate the majority of cervical cancer cases shows long-term effectiveness in a study published today in The Lancet. This study in 18 countries extends the initial phase 3 efficacy and safety trial of the nine-valent human papilloma virus vaccine, Gardasil 9.

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Mercy Medical Center has achieved initial certification in Uterine and Ovarian Cancer Care from The Joint Commission, Disease-Specific Care Certification process. Mercy is the first hospital in Maryland to achieve Uterine and Ovarian Cancer care certification, and is only one of five institutions nationwide to be so honored.

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Young females may have the greatest level of protection against acute kidney injury (AKI) caused by the chemotherapy drug Cisplatin, commonly used to treat lung, ovarian, bladder and stomach cancer. Nearly a third of all people who are treated with Cisplatin develop AKI. The study is the first to investigate combined sex and age differences in the response to kidney injury.

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An existing drug may one day protect premenopausal women from life-altering infertility that commonly follows cancer treatments, according to a new study.

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UAB provides ovarian cancer care beyond traditional interventions to include nutrition, supportive care, counseling and genetic testing.

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Z-endoxifen, a potent derivative of the drug tamoxifen, could itself be a new treatment for the most common form of breast cancer in women with metastatic disease. This finding was reported from a clinical trial conducted by researchers at Mayo Clinic and the National Cancer Institute, and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center is the first site actively recruiting for a clinical trial researching a new, gentle, automated technology for imaging dense breasts.

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For young women heading off to college, it can be a time filled with the excitement of living away from home. This new sense of independence should also include taking charge of one’s own health.

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For women undergoing risk-reducing mastectomy to prevent breast cancer, reconstruction can be challenging in those with larger breasts. A two-stage approach—with initial breast reduction and "pre-shaping" followed by mastectomy and reconstruction—appears to be a safer procedure with better cosmetic results, reports the September issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

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Women who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) and are diagnosed at an earlier age with the condition, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. The nationwide study is the first to show a connection between T2D development and PCOS.

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A new study published in Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society has found that low-dose hormone therapy may be effective in easing sleep issues in this population.

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Early placement of a hormonal IUD is a safe, long-term birth control method that does not negatively affect women who want to breastfeed their baby.

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A recent study finds that 21 percent of recent mothers experiencing postpartum mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression, do not disclose their symptoms to healthcare providers.

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The August tip sheet from Fred Hutch includes stories on breast cancer, skin cells as a cancer repair mechanism, an HIV prevention study, air pollution risk and more -- Here are quick summaries for journalists that offer sources and story ideas from Fred Hutch.

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People tend to adjust behaviors across their lifespans as they adopt new roles – such as marriage or parenting – that are incompatible with prior behaviors. The transition to parenthood appears to be particularly relevant for women, leading to a reduction in alcohol consumption. This study of maternal alcohol use is the first to focus on age at transition to motherhood as a predictor of trajectories of risky drinking during a 17-year span.

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University of Colorado Cancer Center paper describes how immune response designed to scramble HPV DNA can scramble human DNA as well, sometimes in ways that cause cancer.

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Vanderbilt University researchers have relieved symptoms of Rett syndrome in a mouse model with a small molecule that works like the dimmer switch in an electrical circuit.

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A large proportion of the world’s estimated 9.3 million breast cancer survivors experience menopausal symptoms or clinical manifestations of estrogen deficiency. A comprehensive review published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism focuses on current and future approaches to management of menopausal symptoms after breast cancer.

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Researchers found a relationship between the genetics of tumors with germline BRCA1/2 mutations and whether the tumor retains the normal copy of the BRCA1/2 gene, and risk for primary resistance to a common chemotherapy that works by destroying cancer cells’ DNA.

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Female patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer that is treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy before surgery are more likely to have a favorable response to the treatment than male patients are, and women are less likely to experience cancer recurrence.

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A screening program conducted by University of Alabama at Birmingham Callahan Eye Hospital ophthalmologists is helping cut negative outcomes from ROP in infants by half.

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Licorice roots have a diverse and flavorful history, having been used in ancient Egyptian times as a tea and in traditional Chinese medicines, all the way to today as a flavoring agent and as an ingredient in some licorice candies. Some women now take licorice extracts as supplements to treat hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. But scientists caution that the substance could pose a health risk by interacting with medications.

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A new study has found that sugars in mother's' milk do not just provide nutrition for babies but also help protect them from bacterial infections, making them a new class of antimicrobial agent.

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More than 80 percent of women living with a history of breast or ovarian cancer at high-risk of having a gene mutation have never taken the test that can detect it.

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Dr. Carlos L. Arteaga, internationally recognized for his work in laboratory-based translational research and advancing the care of breast cancer patients, has been selected as Director of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern, after an extensive nationwide search.

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Commentary calls for policies to protect women, especially minority women, from exposure to toxic chemicals in beauty products

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Women who have gone through menopause and who have been using a vaginal form of estrogen therapy do not have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer than women who have not been using any type of estrogen.

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A new study finds that more than half of women with early stage breast cancer considered an aggressive type of surgery to remove both breasts. The way women generally approach big decisions, combined with their values, impacts what breast cancer treatment they consider, the study also found.

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The research, which is the first of its kind to look at breast cancer awareness in India, found that cultural and religious issues mean that women don’t access health services, are reluctant to consult male doctors, neglect their own health due to family obligations and are over-dependent on other family members to seek medical help, all of which causes delay in diagnosis.

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High physical fitness is known to be related to enhanced blood vessel dilation and blood flow (endothelial function) in aging men. However, for women, endothelial function and the effect of exercise may be related more to menopausal status than fitness.

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Ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of death in American women and according to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 22,000 women will be diagnosed with the disease and 14,000 will die from it.

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Heavy drinking can have a number of negative consequences, including sex that is later regretted. Low sensitivity (LS) to alcohol’s effects – which characterizes the person who can “drink everyone under the table” – is a known risk factor for heavy drinking and its consequences. This study investigated LS and regretted sex from an unusual perspective, asking whether LS could be protective in some contexts, given that LS drinkers are generally less impaired from drinking at a given level. More specifically, the investigators tested whether LS was associated with differences in reports by men and women of alcohol-related regretted sex.

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Research was based on data from the START Birth Cohort study, which includes more than 1,000 women in their second trimester of pregnancy.

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The overall rate of stroke in the United States has been declining in recent years and while that has been good news, a new study suggests it may be primarily good news for men. The research, published in the August 9, 2017, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, found that while the stroke rate for men declined during the study period, for women it remained the same.

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If you or a loved one is having difficulty conceiving, you may have researched in vitro fertilization options. A key member of an IVF patient’s clinical team is her embryologist.

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First-in-class drug holds promise for therapy-resistant breast cancer

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A systematic review links extreme heat exposure to changes in gestation length, birth weight, stillbirth and neonatal stress

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Over a four-year period, new research suggests, a program led by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP) in six large Nigerian cities was associated with a 10 percentage-point increase in the use of modern contraceptive methods.

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Dana-Farber /Brigham and Women's Cancer Center is ranked no. 4 in cancer by U.S. News and World Report.