Federal regulators say some companies are selling products that make unproven claims to treat sexually transmitted diseases—claims that could pose a threat to public health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says only prescription medicines and diagnostic tools available through a…
If a bone density scan has placed you at risk for osteoporosis, you might want to think twice before starting a bone-building medication as a first course of action. Changing your diet to include more calcium and vitamin D is an…
Most of us get heartburn from time to time. It may come as a burning sensation in the chest, or a bitter taste in the back of the throat. Heartburn is one word people use to describe reflux. It happens when…
The more I learn about contaminants in the environment, the more I shop at the local organic market—but it can be expensive. At a recent lecture held at Northwestern on the Environment and Women’s Reproductive Health, I learned that some fruits…
An inexpensive instructional program to teach routine newborn care skills to midwives in Zambia resulted in a substantial reduction in the death rate of infants in the first week of life, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of…
Fat talk (women speaking negatively about the size and shape of their bodies) is a popular phenomenon among college women according to a study done by researchers at U of Wisconsin and Northwestern University. Rachel Salk and Renee Engeln-Maddox interviewed 168…
Choosing a treatment option for breast cancer can be almost as confusing and frightening as the diagnosis itself. But it doesn’t have to be. A new study from the University of Michigan has found that women make smarter choices about treatments…
It has been reported in the past that obesity (body fat mass) is protective against osteoporosis and fracture. However, a recent study has documented a high prevalence of obesity in postmenopausal women with fragility fracture.
An international group of researchers has presented…
Now that so many women are balancing school, family, and work, it’s hard to find time to stand up for women’s causes. But it is important and it does work. Recently a prominent surgeon wrote a Valentine’s Day editorial about the…
Today, over 250 health professionals attended our monthly forum on the environment and reproductive health and I am certain that no one left the room doubting that the chemicals we are exposed to at home, at work, in our food, and…
Male fetuses most vulnerable to alcohol.
Exposure to alcohol in the womb doesn’t affect all fetuses equally. Why does one woman who drinks alcohol during pregnancy give birth to a child with physical, behavioral or learning problems — known as…
Addictive eating behavior and substance dependence have similar patterns of brain activity, finds a new study from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale. The study is published in the Archives of General Psychiatry and…
We aren’t sure how Bisphenol A (BPA) (found in plastic food containers) affects human beings — especially developing fetuses and young children — and if concerning test results in animal subjects translate to people. Should BPA be banned from…
We all keep hearing that we need to eat more whole grains, but does everyone know what they are? It’s pretty obvious they are NOT that swishy white bread that we used to make dough balls out of when we were…
Scientists have discovered four new genes associated with an increased risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The findings will help researchers explore new therapies and allow doctors to better predict who will develop the disease.
The Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Consortium conducted the research…
About 3 percent of U.S. adolescents are affected by an eating disorder, but most do not receive treatment for their specific eating condition, according to an National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded study published online ahead of print March 7, 2011,…
The White House and Congress have reached a budget deal over last weekend to keep the federal government running for the short term. Congress is expected to vote on the longer-term budget soon. Women’s health and reproductive health was taken…
Chemicals and other substances that pollute the environment can also cause serious health problems in human reproductive health. There is increasing evidence that some toxic substances harm the body by disrupting the endocrine (hormone) system which regulates biological processes from conception…
High-fiber diets during early adult years may lower lifetime cardiovascular disease risk
A new study from Northwestern Medicine shows a high-fiber diet could be a critical heart-healthy lifestyle change young and middle-aged adults can make. The study found adults between 20 and…
Women who tend to have high blood pressure (HBP) should be particularly vigilant if they are on oral contraceptives, are pregnant, or on hormone replacement therapy.
Women on oral contraceptives (OC) experience small but detectable increase in both systolic and diastolic blood…
Women who have experienced hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause may have a 50 percent lower risk of developing the most common forms of breast cancer than postmenopausal women who have never had such symptoms, according to…
A woman suffers a heart attack every 90 seconds in the United States. Yet according to a 2009 American Heart Association survey only half of women indicated they would call 9-1-1 if they thought they were having a …
This is Poison Awareness Week and the Institute for Women’s Health Research sponsored a forum featuring Dr. Carol DesLauriers a pharmacist from the Illinois Poison Center, the nation’s oldest poison center. Did you know that nearly 75% of poisoning deaths in…
As the tragedy of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan continues to make headlines, it is only natural to be concerned about the fallout on our own countries. You read stories about a run on pharmacies for potassium iodine and hear…
Getting regular, moderate-intensity exercise may be critically important for postmenopausal women who want to reduce their risk of cancer, heart disease and other chronic diseases, according to a study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center…
Scientists crack code to create neurons whose early death causes memory loss
Northwestern Medicine researchers for the first time have transformed a human embryonic stem cell into a critical type of neuron that dies early in Alzheimer’s disease and is…
Grapes or Raisins?
Almost everyone who is health conscious agrees that American food portions are out of control! One of our most visited blogs “Eat less, Move More” has generated a lot of comments and many readers are surprised how small…
No inks on the market today have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for injection into the skin – and yet one in four Americans age 18 to 50 has a tattoo. On Tuesday, the FDA hosted a webinar…
March is Women’s History Month in the USA–a good time to reflect on the status of women today. Here are a few facts from the U.S. Census Bureau:
U.S. Women outnumber men 157.2 million vs. 153.2 million. Twice as many women…
Colorectal cancer screening saves lives. If everyone aged 50 years old or older were screened regularly, as many as 60% of deaths from this cancer could be avoided. Among cancers that affect both men and women, colorectal cancer—cancer of the colon…
First new lupus drug approved in 56 years.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Benlysta (belimumab) to treat patients with active, systemic lupus erythematosus who are receiving standard therapy, including corticosteroids, antimalarials, immunosuppressives, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Prior to Benlysta, FDA…
Researchers have identified a key step in the establishment of a pregnancy. The discovery may shed light on fertility disorders and diseases of the uterus, including endometrial cancer.
At the start of each menstrual cycle, levels of the hormone estrogen begin to…
A higher proportion of women on a company’s board leads to greater opportunities at the executive level for women, according to new research. Despite continued gains in low- to mid-level management positions, women still struggle to break through the corporate glass…
Women, on average, live one-third of their lives post menopause. Some women find menopause an easy transition. Other women are chronically bothered by persistent hot flashes and night sweats that impact their quality of life. For years, hormone therapy was the…
Multiple sclerosis (MS) disrupts communication between the brain and other parts of the body. In the worst cases, it can bring partial or complete paralysis. Researchers don’t yet know what causes this disease or how to cure it, but they’ve been…
Pregnant women who are unaware that they have HIV miss the chance for drug treatment that can benefit not only their own health, but could also prevent them from transmitting the virus to their infants. When HIV is not diagnosed until…
Women who have more than two alcoholic drinks a week — particularly nonlight beer — appear to be at increased risk of developing the skin condition psoriasis. The cohort study of almost 83,000 nurses — over 1,000 of whom had cases…
Study finds women who suffer from hot flashes when they begin menopause are at lower risk for cardiovascular events
You are enjoying a night out with friends when it starts; first you feel flush, then a sensation of warmth crawls…
Maternal cigarette smoking in the first trimester was associated with a 20 to 70 percent greater likelihood that a baby would be born with certain types of congenital heart defects, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and…
Breast-feeding may help reduce some long-term negative side effects of cancer treatment in women who survived childhood cancer, according to a new study.
The findings suggest that making women aware of the benefits of breast-feeding should be part of routine recommendations for…
Painful Hip Fractures Strike Breast Cancer Survivors
A hip fracture is not common in a 54-year-old woman, unless she is a 54-year-old breast cancer survivor, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. Researchers found that a combination of early menopause due to…
A new report Women at High Risk for Diabetes: Access and Quality of Health Care, 2003–2006 was released on February 14, 2011 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality…
Acupuncture is a traditional medicine that’s been practiced in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years. Its proponents say it can do everything from relieving pain to bringing a general sense of wellness. Others think the only benefits you…
Research has shown that women are not treated as aggressively as men after a heart attack or stroke. A new study has found that women benefit more than men from a device that improves the heart’s pumping ability and corrects abnormal…
As more people turn to organic lifestyles, we thought it would be a good idea to share this post on raw milk.
Posted February 15, 2011 By LCDR Casey Barton Behravesh, DVM, DrPH, US Public Health Service
There are many reasons why…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first 3-D mammography imaging system that may boost accuracy in breast cancer detection and diagnosis.
A mammogram is a safe, low-dose X-ray of the breast that is the best tool for early…
Juice bar in Manaus, Brazil
Acai berry palm tree
During a recent trip to the Amazon region of Brazil I got to see “up close and personal” the palm trees that produce the acai berry (ah-sigh-EE) which has gained popularity across the U.S.…
Fatigues to Fabulous to Aid Women Veterans
The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) announced today that Tuesday, February 15th during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, SWHR and their partner Grace After Fire, a support network for women veterans, will be launching the…
This weekend, the Oncofertility Consortium, along with the Institute for Women’s Health Research, is hosting the fifth annual Oncofertility Saturday Academy (OSA) at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. OSA is an informal science education program designed to expose…
Starting Hormone Therapy at Menopause Increases Breast Cancer Risk
Women who start taking menopausal hormone therapy around the time of menopause have a higher risk of breast cancer than women who begin taking hormones a few years later. The finding, from the…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Feb. 4, 2011, approved Makena (hydroxyprogesterone caproate) injection to reduce the risk of preterm delivery before 37 weeks of pregnancy, in pregnant women with a history of at least one spontaneous preterm birth. The…
Women with peripheral artery disease (PAD) lose ability to walk short distances and climb stairs sooner than men.
Peripheral arterial disease occurs when plaque builds up in the arteries that carry blood to your head, organs, and limbs.…
In celebration of Women’s Heart Month, the Institute for Women’s Health Research featured heart disease in women in its February E-newsletter. To view this free newsletter, click Heart Disease in Women Enewsletter.
Women taking a low dose of the antidepressant escitalopram had fewer and less severe hot flashes than those taking a placebo, a new clinical trial reports.
Menopause is a transition that affects many women as they approach age 50. It marks the…
Due to the blizzard expected in Chicago today, Hot Flash Havoc —a film of menopausal proportions, will be rescheduled at Northwestern University and be shown on Thursday night, February 3. The award winning film will be followed by a panel of…
The safety and comfort level of a popular unstructured boot has recently been in the news. These slipper-like boots, originally from Australia but copied by many manufacturers, have become the darling of celebrities and the fashion “must have” for women and…
Though the risk of gout is low in women, a new study reported in JAMA found that increasing intake of sugar-sweetened soda was associated with an increasing risk of gout. Women who consumed 1 serving per day (compared to women who…
After an intensive review of known cases of a rare form of cancer in breast implant recipients, the Food and Drug Administration says women with implants may have a very small, but increased risk of developing anaplastic large cell lymphoma, or…
A new drug delivery technique may hold promise for more efficient cancer therapies. The technique involves storing a cancer drug inside tiny objects called nanoparticles which can carry drug molecules and …
The January 2011 issue of Chicago Magazine features 250 MDs in 15 specialties in women’s health. Click HERE to read articles that feature many women’s health specialists including Dr. Teresa K. Woodruff, Director of the Institute for Women’s Health Research.