Your spouse or partner says your snoring is driving him nuts. You wake up feeling unrested and irritable.
These are common signs that you may have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder that—left untreated—can take its toll on the body and…
Obesity appears to increase the risk of breast cancer–related deaths by about one-third in premenopausal but, surprisingly, not postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor–positive disease, investigators report.
An analysis of pooled data on 80,000 patients enrolled in 70 clinical trials showed that among…
Stephen Colbert’s show featured clips from the Women’s Health Research Institute’s recent 60 Minutes segment on sex inclusion in research. More than ever, it is essential to include male and female animals at the research level to ensure that sex is…
Collaborative depression care adapted to women’s health settings appears to improve depressive and functional outcomes and quality of depression care, according to a report online in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. Researchers at the University of Washington randomized 102 women to…
On Monday, May 12, 2014, Dr. Katherine Wisner, Director of the Asher Center for Research and Treatment of Depressive Disorders at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, was a featured television guest on WCIU, The U. Dr. Wisner discussed sex differences in…
Registration is now open for the 2014 Oncofertility Conference, Bench to Bedside: Oncofertility Advances in Males and Females which takes place September 22-23, 2014 in Chicago, IL.
This year’s conference will attract more than 150 researchers, clinicians, advocates and trainees from around…
The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University is proud to host a Cancer Survivors’ Celebration Walk & 5K on Sunday, June 1st in Chicago’s Grant Park. No pledges are required to participate and registration is open until May…
The Korean Society for Fertility Preservation
The Oncofertility Consortium is pleased to announce another Global Partner in Korea: The Korean Society for Fertility Preservation (KSFP). Please see below information provided by KSFP in both English and Korean and review the Oncofertility Global…
A new AHRQ-funded study suggests that emergency department physicians should be especially vigilant for the possibility of stroke in younger, female and nonwhite patients who complain of headache or dizziness. Based on AHRQ Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project data from 2008…
The Oncofertility Consortium is pleased to spread the word about an upcoming Stupid Cancer Meet-up with founder and CEO (and a wonderful friend of the Oncofertility Consortium), Matthew Zachary. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, June 25th - read more below!
Got cancer? Under…
The average age of menopause in the United States is around 51 years old, but the onset can widely vary. Premature menopause refers to menopause of onset at or before 40 years of age. This can occur because of a variety…
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is hosting a contest for songs and videos demonstrating the cutting edge science funded by the office of the director. The Oncofertility Consortium has two videos in the running and we’d love your support!
To…
It is only fitting that the theme for this year’s National Nurses Week is “Nurses: Leading the Way.” After all, nurses lead the way in showing an elderly patient how to manage his or her diabetes. They lead the way in…
The Oncofertility Consortium is excited to announce another Global Partner: The Cheil General Hospital (CGH) & Women’s Healthcare Center in Seoul, Korea! We had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Chanwoo Park last week at the Oncofertility Consortium offices here in Chicago,…
May Is National High Blood Pressure Education Month, and nearly one in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure, also called hypertension. High blood pressure is dangerous because it increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure,…
SHARE Cancer Support is hosting an educational event, Having Children After Cancer, on Wednesday, May 14th from 6:00-7:30pm EST. Dr. Diana Chavkin, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) specialist at Genesis Fertility and Reproductive Medicine, will discuss fertility preservation options before and after cancer treatment with a Q&A session to follow.…
The Oncofertility Consortium is happy to announce the translation of Repropedia into Portuguese. Repropedia is a reproductive dictionary created by an international team of scientists and clinicians led by investigators at Northwestern University. This site provides information on common reproductive science…
The Oncofertility Consortium is pleased to welcome Dr. Jennifer Hirshfeld-Cytron as a guest blogger today.
This is a blog post based on the article, Toward theoretical understanding of the fertility preservation decision-making process: examining information processing among young women with cancer by authors P.E.…
Pain from inflammation may greatly reduce sexual motivation. The direct impact of pain on sexual behavior was studied, possibly for the first time in any species, and reported by researchers in Canada. They found that pain due to inflammation greatly reduced…
It’s 2014 and women are still getting paid less than men in the workforce. While we’re all aware that this is happening, what’s less clear is why it’s happening. Earlier this month, some politicians voted down the equal pay bill by…
Yesterday, the Huffington Post published an article outlining states that are ‘Fertility-Friendly’. The article, ‘State-By-State ‘Fertility Friendliness’ Ranking Show Wide Range’ was written by Resolve: The National Infertility Association in partnership with EMD Serono Inc., a biotech drug company that makes…
Depression, especially in pregnancy, is a sensitive subject. It impacts the woman, her child and her family and it affects between 14 and 23% women during pregnancy. Because of hormonal changes during pregnancy, a woman may not realize she is suffering…
Most women think menopause means low estrogen, hot flashes, and the end to regular and monthly periods. This may not be the case, however. Researchers have found that women may experience an increase in the amount and duration of bleeding, which…
Today, FDA issued a safety communication discouraging the use of laparoscopic power morcellation for the removal of the uterus (hysterectomy) or uterine fibroids (myomectomy) in women. This type of procedure poses a risk of spreading unsuspected cancerous tissue, notably uterine sarcomas,…
Chapter 14 of Oncofertility Communication: Sharing Information and Building Relationships across Disciplines addresses an extremely important issue in healthcare, insurance coverage. The authors, Dr. Laxmi Kondapalli and Alice Crisci, wrote Incorporating Insurance Education into the Fertility Preservation Process to outline strategies…
A surprising new strategy for managing your weight? Bright morning light!! A new Northwestern Medicine® study reports the timing, intensity and duration of your light exposure during the day is linked to your weight — the first time this has been…
Loss of bladder control, or urinary incontinence, is a problem that millions of women face. The involuntary loss of urine can range in presentation; it can be minimal, from a few drops when you laugh, exercise, or cough. Or, it can…
Women continue to be underrepresented in senior roles in the sciences and in the corporate world. According to data from the NSF, there are nearly 5.4 million men and women employed as scientists and engineers in the United States, but women…
Dental health is often overlooked or thought of once a year in our annual cleaning in the dentist’s office. But practicing good oral care can save you expensive dental repair procedures down the road! Three simple steps can help you keep…
The increased risk of death associated with alcohol intake is not the same for men and women. A study that compared the amount of alcohol consumed and death from all causes among nearly 2.5 million women and men showed that the…
Drinking milk is not just for kids but also for post-menopausal women, new research shows. A new study from the Women’s Health Initiative just published by the North American Menopause Society, reveals that calcium and vitamin D after menopause can improve…
Prentice Women’s Hospital: Under the Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago, was recently named one of the top ten women’s health providers by HealthCare Global Magazine. It was noted that the hospital provides a wide variety of services and specialized care…
Recently, Mashable featured Jenna Benn in a wonderful article: Wedding, Career, Chemo: When Cancer Derails the Millennial Dream. Jenna Benn is a patient of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at and a wonderful friend and supporter of the Oncofertility…
In early February, the American Heart Association published new guidelines aimed at preventing stroke in women. Due to several factors, women are more prone to stroke and generally have more difficulty recovering from stroke than men. A stroke occurs when a…
Today, we are honored to have another patient guest blogger; long-term survivor Colleen Cira. Read through her incredible story below and join the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center this evening, March 25, from 5-8pm for “Drinks with Docs (& Healthcare…
The number of menopausal women is projected to reach 50 million by 2020. With changing views on appropriate therapies to control symptoms and new treatments available and on the horizon, most internists lack the core competencies and experience to meet the…
On April 9, 2014, the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center will host a “Night of Humor & Healing” for young adult cancer survivors ages 16-40 years old at the famed Second City Theater. The evening will include dinner, drinks, networking,…
Be Careful With Contact Lenses
Spring break often means heading to sand and surf!. We hear a lot about sun exposure, staying hydrated and avoiding too much alcohol but is it OK to wear your contacts while in the hot tub or…
Educating Providers on Evidence-Based Medical Guidelines is a chapter of Oncofertility Communication: Sharing Information and Building Relationships across Disciplines where the authors, Lauren N.C. Johnson and Dr. Clarisa R. Gracia, outline previous medical paradigms and how they have changed to incorporate new…
U.S. News & World Report recently released the 2015 rankings of top medical schools, and we’re proud to announce that the Women’s Health program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is now ranked #10 (up one spot from #11 in…
Acupuncture has been used in Eastern countries to address women’s health issues but is not readily adopted in the U.S. especially by the medical establishment. A new study reports preliminary data indicating that acupuncture may improve menstrual health and overcome…
Melissa Simon, MD, and member of the Women’s Health Research Institute’s Leadership Council wrote a powerful opinion piece about the language and socio-economic barriers in health care. Dr. Simon cites a recent case involving 16-year-old Ethan Couch’s lenient sentence for his…
Today we welcome Dr. So-Youn Kim from Dr. Woodruff’s Lab at Northwestern University as our guest blogger. Dr. Kim will review a recent article published by Dr. John C. Schimenti in Science 2014.
ONE MORE STEP TOWARDS PRESERVING OOCYTE RESERVE
By: So-Youn Kim,…
President Obama was right in his recent State of the Union address to call it an “embarrassment” that women are paid only 77 cents compared to men in 2014.
It’s possible, but we have a long way to go and we can’t…
Most of us get headaches from time to time. Some are mild. Others cause throbbing pain. They can last for minutes or days. There are many different types of headaches. How you treat yours depends on which kind you have.
Headaches might…
We live in a digital age where more information is available at our fingertips than ever before. We now have access to information in a matter of seconds that used to take weeks to locate through time intensive literature reviews at…
New research proves yet another reason for women to quit smoking: smoking may cause earlier signs of menopause. Heavier smokers may enter menopause up to nine years earlier compared to nonsmokers.
In the United States, the average age for menopause is 51.…
Oncofertility Communication: Sharing Information and Building Bridges across Disciplines is divided into two parts. Part I is Communicating with Patients and Their Families and outlined in Chapters 1-10. Part II, Communicating with Healthcare Professionals, Stakeholders and the Public starts with Chapter…
Vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) or atrophic vaginitis is a medical challenge because it is under-reported by women, under-recognized by health-care providers and, therefore, under-treated according to a new study out of Italy. More or less 50% of postmenopausal women experience vaginal discomfort…
Oncofertility Communication: Sharing Information and Building Relationships across Disciplines devoted an entire chapter to the communication strategies and issues faced by oncology providers. Chapter 10 is entitled Fertility Communication to Cancer Patients: A Hematologist-Oncologist’s Perspective and is authored by Sara Barnato…
Tomorrow, February 15, 2014, is International Childhood Cancer Day. A day devoted to the strength, courage and resiliency of children with cancer and their families. The International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) and the International Confederation of Childhood Cancer Parent Organizations…
With the recent controversy surrounding Rachel Frederickson’s extreme weight loss on The Biggest Loser, it’s time to shed light on the proper (and safe) way to lose weight. For those unfamiliar with reality television, The Biggest Loser centers around overweight contestants…
A recent report in Fertility & Sterility has indicated that among women between the ages of 18 and 40, there is a significant amount of misconception regarding fertility and becoming pregnant. Dr. Illuzzi, an OB/GYN at Yale University School of Medicine,…
In the late 1800′s there was a growing interest among women in sport, especially cycling, actually leading to some modification in clothing (bloomers!). However, then and even now, there is an undercurrent of discrimination in sport. For example, 19th and 20th…
JOIN US!
This Thursday, February 13th at 10am Central Time, the Oncofertility Consortium is proud to host our next Virtual Grand Rounds. This presentation will be given by Dr. Robert E. Branningan and focus on Fertility Preservation in the Male: Optimizing the Delivery of Care.…
60 Minutes’ Sunday feature “Sex Matters: Drugs Can Affect Sexes Differently” put a huge splash in the medical drug industry! Consulting researchers from Northwestern University, the University California Irvine, and the Food and Drug Administration (among others), reporters at CBS News…
The next chapter in Oncofertility Communication: Sharing Information and Building Relationships across Disciplines addresses Disparities in Adolescent Patient-Provider Communication Regarding Fertility. The authors, Amanda B. Fuchs and Dr. Robert E. Brannigan, provide detailed information regarding the disparities between providers and their…
Dr. Teresa Woodruff of the Women’s Health Research Institute has been a consistent voice advocating for sex-based research. Recently, Dr. Woodruff consulted with CBS on an upcoming feature to shed light on the importance of sex as a research variable—due to…
The American College of Emergency Physicians recently found an increase in children requiring medical intervention in states that have decriminalized marijuana. The call rate in theses states have increased by more than 30% per year between 2005 and 2011, while the…
If you live in a northern climate, winter increases your risk of the flu, head colds, and respiratory illnesses. These are somewhat expected. But winter also brings some less considered infections that you may get if you are lucky enough to…