Feature Channels: Women's Health

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New Mayo Clinic research suggests that blood may hold clues to whether post-menopausal women may be at an increased risk for areas of brain damage that can lead to memory problems and possibly increased risk of stroke. The study shows that blood’s tendency to clot may contribute to areas of brain damage called white matter hyperintensities. The findings are published in the Feb. 13 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Women with a high concentration of anti-Müllerian hormone stand a better chance of giving birth after in vitro fertilization, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

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New research from the University of Adelaide will rewrite the textbooks on how an ovary is formed, as well as providing new insights into women's health and fertility.

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Perinatologists at Greenwich Hospital are helping women start and grow families when a pregnancy is considered “high risk” due to age or other factors. These factors include multiple miscarriages, carrying multiples such as twins or triplets, high blood pressure, diabetes, lupus and obesity, which is more common in older mothers.

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A landmark study published in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health shows that birth centers, home-like settings where midwives provide care to healthy pregnant women provide safe care. The study reports excellent outcomes for the more than 15,000 women having birth center care in 79 midwife-led centers across 33 states. These findings are particularly remarkable in an era characterized by increases in obstetric intervention and cesarean birth nationwide.

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Although heart disease remains the No. 1 killer nationally for women—responsible for one out of every three deaths—many of today’s women still underestimate the seriousness of the disease and their risks, says Liliana Cohen, MD, a board-certified cardiologist with The Robert Wood Johnson Medical Group.

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A new study by University of Kentucky researchers shows evidence that certain forms of abuse negatively influence women cancer patients’ quality of life.

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Estrogen levels drop dramatically in menopause, a time when the risk of urinary tract infections increases significantly. Researchers have found new evidence in mice that the two phenomena are connected by more than just timing.

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A new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is the first to report that high blood calcium levels might predict ovarian cancer, the most fatal of the gynecologic cancers.

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Women who have migraines with aura, which are often visual disturbances such as flashing lights, may be more likely to have problems with their heart and blood vessels, and those on newer contraceptives may be at higher risk for blood clots, according to two studies released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013.

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Women who undergo surgical menopause at an earlier age may have an increased risk of decline in memory and thinking skills, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013. Early surgical menopause is the removal of both ovaries before natural menopause and often accompanies a hysterectomy.

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Two-thirds of mothers with sick babies in Ghana at risk of depression, which could put babies at higher health risks such as low birth weight and poor nutrition.

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Arturo Figueroa, a researcher in the Florida State University College of Human Sciences, has confirmed with a team of researchers that Nutrisystem, with or without low intense resistance exercise, improves arterial function in obese, postmenopausal women.

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Hospitals clamor to claim the first baby of the New Year but what are the rules? Karen Deighan, a Loyola OB, explains how the game is played, and won.

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Investigators at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have concluded research on a new postmenopausal hormone therapy that shows promise as an effective treatment for menopausal symptoms and the prevention of osteoporosis without increasing the risk for heart disease or breast cancer.

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Using brain imaging and other measures, Indiana U. and Kinsey Institute researchers showed that new mothers were less interested in threats unrelated to the baby. The use of oxytocin produced similar results in other women.

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A medication being tested to help smokers kick the habit also may help avoid the weight gain that is common after quitting -- but only in women. This is the first medication shown to reduce weight gain for up to one year in women smokers who quit.

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Good news may be on the horizon for Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, and other women stricken with severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, thanks to the work of a University at Buffalo professor who is conducting research on a drug that is showing success treating pregnant women with this condition.

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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).