Critical childhood exposure bodes ill
for baby boomers
Los Angeles Times Sep 30, 07 1:50 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Women heavily exposed to DDT during childhood are five times more likely to develop breast cancer, according to a new study. Those born between the years 1945 and 1965— when the pesticide was used routinely in the US to kill mosquitoes—likely suffered the greatest exposure, reports the Los Angeles Times . The research suggests that as this generation ages, breast cancer rates may rise.
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Epidurals delivered through a tattoo may run risk of nerve damage
Wall Street Journal Sep 23, 07 5:07 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Tattooed moms-to-be may have added reason to opt for natural childbirth: Recent studies have investigated the risk of nerve damage resulting from epidural anesthesia. Commonly injected into the lower back, doctors postulate that some women experience inflammation when the needle pushes a small piece of tattoo ink into the nerves outside the spinal column, the Wall Street Journal reports.
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Cholesterol compound blocks hormone's cardiac benefits
Wall Street Journal Sep 17, 07 3:30 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A compound created as the body processes cholesterol was to blame for giving scientists conflicting data about the effect of hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women, researchers say. Initial studies had found that estrogen helps keep the heart healthy, but a later study reported that women taking estrogen actually exhibited higher levels of coronary disease.
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Oral contraception
is beneficial—but
only if used for less than 8 years
Times (UK) Sep 12, 07 5:57 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The pill has a possible new side effect: preventing cancer. Women who took oral contraceptives for less than eight years have up to a 12% lower risk of developing the disease, according to a new British study, one of the largest ever conducted. The risk of developing bowel and rectal, uterine and ovarian cancers was most reduced.
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Pregnant women in the UK will be given $240 to support a healthy diet
Guardian (UK) Sep 9, 07 10:23 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Starting 2009, all expecting moms in the UK will receive a lump sum of $240, intended to be spent on a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables to help prevent low-birth-weight complications in newborn children. The "pregnancy grants" are part of Britain's new health secretary's plan to close the gap between rich and poor, the Guardian reports.
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Study explains why breast cancer is
more fatal in black women
Associated Press Sep 6, 07 10:53 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Doctors have long known that breast cancer is more deadly in black women; new research suggests why: They are more likely to suffer from treatment-resistant tumors, a major study at the University of Michigan concludes. Analysis of data from nearly 100,000 women with later-stage breast cancer shows that black patients have higher incidence of tumors that don't respond to hormone-blocking drugs that inhibit growth.
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Women under 50 derive benefit; hormone is 'harmful' after 65
Time Aug 30, 07 5:18 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Women under 50 who've had their ovaries removed double their risk of disorders like dementia and Parkinson's disease later in life if they don't undergo estrogen-replacement therapy, new research reveals. The findings may lead to more aggressive treatment for premenopausal women who don't produce estrogen naturally, Time reports.
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Review of current guidelines in the works
Associated Press Aug 15, 07 12:03 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The current guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy may be contributing to the nation's obesity epidemic, some doctors say, and radical changes in the recommendations are under consideration. Docs say a revision is long overdue, the AP reports. "Most of us think overall the weight gain recommendations are too high," says a Yale med school expert.
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Experts worry about increasing infection rate among women
New York Times Aug 12, 07 9:22 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Just two years after it was almost eradicated, syphilis is experiencing a stunning comeback across the nation, health officials report. Nearly twice as many cases were reported in New York City in the first three months of this year, compared to the same time last year, the New York Times reports. The rate more than doubled nationally in 2005, according to the most recent statistics available.
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Drink up, and maybe you won't forget where you set your cup down
Reuters Aug 7, 07 3:02 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The world’s most popular stimulant may slow age-related memory loss in older women, Reuters reports. Drinking three or more cups of coffee per day reduced verbal memory loss in French women aged 65 and up by 33% compared to women who drank a cup or less, researchers say. The effects were more pronounced in women over 80.
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As use of emergency contraceptive grows, controversy continues unabated
Washington Post Jul 13, 07 2:42 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Nearly a year after Plan B became available over the counter, sales of the emergency contraception have doubled, the Washington Post reports. Since the FDA approved nonprescription access to the morning-after pill, sales for 2007 are on track to approach $80 million, the manufacturer says. Proponents laud the trend, but conservative groups continue to argue against easier availability.
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5-year-old study linking to heart risks was misinterpreted, researchers now say
Los Angeles Times Jun 21, 07 6:09 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Estrogen replacement therapy was wrongly villified five years ago, when researchers told millions of post-menopausal women to stop taking it because it increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, a reanalysis of the same data shows. It was a false alarm, the Los Angeles Times reports. In fact, the new analysis says, it reduces heart risks.
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Stealth gene at fault in half of inherited cases; better screening urged
Associated Press Jun 20, 07 4:53 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Half of congenital breast cancer victims inherit the disease from their fathers, not their mothers, according to a new study. And unless dad has female relatives with the affliction, the responsible gene may go undiscovered. The study in JAMA warns doctors, increasingly screening family trees for cancer, not to overlook the paternal genetic danger of the devastating disease.
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