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Important that menopause not viewed as a disease

An independent panel convened last week by the National Institutes of Health found that many women move through the menopausal transition with few disabling symptoms, and that it is important that menopause not be viewed as a disease.

28 Mar 2005

Risky surgery not always necessary to treat cervical disease

Revolutionary advancements in the treatment options for diseases associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) now include nonsurgical options such as chemoprevention and vaccines. A review of these methods is published in the latest issue of the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer.

28 Mar 2005

Risky surgery not always necessary to treat cervical disease

23 Mar 2005

Pregnant women should exercise to keep depression away

While much research focuses on healthy babies for pregnant mothers, little has been published about the physical and emotional health and changes that the mothers go through themselves.

23 Mar 2005

Women’s attitudes toward a potential cervical cancer vaccine

In a study of 200 women, a group of physicians has found that a vast majority of women would be willing to take a cervical cancer vaccine themselves and would allow it to be administered to their children.

23 Mar 2005

Women with HIV need cervical cancer check every 3 years

Tiffany G. Harris, Ph.D., from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, N.Y., and colleagues in a study to see if a single, initial human papillomavirus (HPV) test result could be used to decide how often an HIV-seropositive woman with normal cervical cytology should be screened for cervical cancer, looked at the incidence of abnormal cervical lesions among HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative women enrolled in the Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS).

22 Mar 2005

Oral contraceptives may protect against breast cancer

Women at high genetic risk of breast cancer could reduce their risk of developing the disease at an early age by taking oral contraceptives, a new study has found. The findings contradict previous studies, which suggested oral contraceptive use would increase the risk of developing breast cancer.

22 Mar 2005

The good news and the bad news on epilepsy drugs for pregnant women

Two new studies on the effects of epilepsy drugs taken during pregnancy show mixed results. The risk of birth defects with a newer drug, lamotrigine, was similar to that in women without epilepsy.

21 Mar 2005

African-American women with advanced endometrial cancer have more aggressive tumors than Caucasian women

In two studies of African-American women with endometrial cancer, a group of investigators from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Cancer Institute has found that African-American women with advanced endometrial cancer have more aggressive tumors than Caucasian women, potentially leading to worse outcomes.

21 Mar 2005

Conference to assess evidence on management of menopause-related symptoms

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will hold a State-of-the-Science Conference on Management of Menopause-Related Symptoms, March 21-23, 2005, at the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.

16 Mar 2005

Pelvic floor exercises versus ‘holding on’ in treatment of incontinence

Pelvic floor muscle exercises could feel the squeeze when they go up against toilet techniques in a new study to find the best way to treat incontinence.

15 Mar 2005

Knowledge of stroke warning signs remains low among U.S. women

Knowledge of stroke warning signs remains low among U.S. women, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities, according to a national survey reported in a special disparities themed issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

15 Mar 2005

Heart disease risk in older women identified by simple blood test

Postmenopausal women who are not identified by traditional cardiovascular risk factors, could benefit from a simple blood test to show their white blood cell (WBC) count which may predict cardiovascular events and risk of death.

15 Mar 2005

Effects of education level on rates of obesity differ by race

There are significant racial differences in the association between education level and weight change for middle-aged women, according to an article in the March 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

14 Mar 2005

Africa faces potential increases in breast cancer rates

A new review finds similarities between the clinical presentation and course of breast cancer in Africans and African-Americans, suggesting that genetic factors may play a significant role in the racial differences encountered in the epidemiology of breast cancer in America.

9 Mar 2005

Pregnant women should exercise to keep depression away

While much research focuses on healthy babies for pregnant mothers, little has been published about the physical and emotional health and changes that the mothers go through themselves.

8 Mar 2005

Should women be more dominant in the bedroom?

Research by Sue Venn of the University of Surrey shows that women are much more likely to passively accept their partner’s snoring than men.

8 Mar 2005

Are older women better in bed?

We all dream that when we are older we will be free to sleep as much as we want. But for many women life doesn’t work out that way according to new research by Dr Jenny Hislop of the University of Surrey.

8 Mar 2005

A weighty issue: can your eating habits make you infertile?

The societal pressures on women to be attractive, successful, and thin are stronger than ever. The desirable woman portrayed in the media is much thinner than the average woman. Popular slogans such as "thin is in" and "you can never be too rich or too thin" have equated thinness with happiness. The result is that for the first time in history, being attractive means being thin.

7 Mar 2005

Middle-aged women who take an active role in their health care may be less likely to develop cardiovascular disease

The results, presented today at the American Psychosomatic Society Annual Meeting, suggest women who believe they should take charge of their health, rather than rely solely on treatment by doctors, have fewer signs of pre-clinical atherosclerosis.

28 Feb 2005