Gender: Female
Many docs favor OTC access to ‘morning-after’ pill
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The majority of physicians in a recent national survey support over-the-counter (OTC) availability of the emergency contraceptive pill Plan B, but with age restrictions.
The New Jersey-based marketing and communications research company HCD Research surveyed 724 physicians regarding Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc.‘s Plan B “morning-after” contraceptive. Plan B contains high doses of progestin, to interfere with ovulation or prevent fertilization of an egg if taken within 72 hours of sexual intercourse, according to the manufacturer.
Husband’s support can help with breastfeeding
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Though efforts to encourage breastfeeding are usually aimed at new mothers, getting dads on board can also help, according to a study published Monday.
The study, which followed 280 sets of new parents, found that mothers were more likely to breastfeed over the long term when their husbands also got some advice on breastfeeding.
U.S. women taking fewer folic acid supplements
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Fewer American women are taking daily vitamins with folic acid during their childbearing years, raising fears of a jump in spina bifida and other birth defects, a U.S. study suggested on Thursday.
The incidence of these devastating birth defects has been shown to fall by up to 70 percent when women take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily as part of a healthy diet before conception and in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Largest Trial of Vitamin E Shows Heart Health Benefit for Women
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The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) said today it was encouraged by the results of a new study involving nearly 40,000 healthy women-the longest and largest trial ever conducted on vitamin E-that found that vitamin E significantly reduced the risk of death from cardiovascular disease-the #1 killer of women in the United States.
The study, published in the July 6 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, also confirmed that vitamin E is safe, reporting that taking 600 IU of vitamin E supplements every other day did not increase total mortality in healthy women. In reaching the conclusion, the Women’s Health Study (WHS) contradicts a recent meta-analysis that reviewed studies of people already ill with cancer, heart disease or other serious medical conditions.
Frozen-thawed ovaries transplanted in sheep
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Israeli scientists have successfully retrieved eggs from ovaries that had been frozen, thawed and transplanted in sheep in a project that could provide new hope for infertile women.
Researchers at the Institute of Animal Science, Agriculture Research Organisation in Bet Dagan, said on Thursday that the research showed it is possible to restore ovarian function following a transplant in a large animal.
Access to morning-after pill poor in hospital ERs
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The results of a new survey show that the availability of Emergency Contraception, also referred to as the “morning after pill,” to prevent unintended Pregnancy is limited in hospital emergency departments in the US, regardless of circumstances or affiliation with the Catholic Church.
Posing as female patients, trained interviewers telephoned emergency department staff at all 597 Catholic hospitals in the US and 615 non-Catholic hospitals to inquire about the availability of Emergency Contraception.
US official defends “morning-after” pill delay
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U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt on Monday defended the Food and Drug Administration’s delayed ruling on over-the-counter access for a “morning-after” pill, saying officials never guaranteed a “yes or no” decision by this week.
On Friday, the FDA postponed a ruling on Barr Laboratories’ Plan B emergency contraception because it said officials are unsure how to enforce a prescription requirement for younger girls while easing access for women over 16.
Risks of hormone replacement not surprising: report
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The risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) have made headlines only in recent years, but there had long been warning signs that supplemental estrogen might be more hazardous than healthful, a new report contends.
In 2002, a large US clinical trial called the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) was stopped when early findings showed that HRT after menopause slightly raised a woman’s risk of Breast cancer, Heart attack, Stroke and blood clots.
Hormone replacement therapy, called HRT, is the use of man- made or natural hormones to treat a person whose body is no longer making enough of certain hormones. It is often prescribed for women in menopause.
US lawmakers urge emergency contraception for rape
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Under bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. House and Senate on Wednesday, hospitals that receive federal funds would have to advise rape victims of the availability of emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy.
“The idea that someone cannot prevent an unwanted pregnancy that’s the result of an assault is just inconceivable to me,” said Democratic Sen. Jon Corzine of New Jersey, referring to hospitals that do not routinely provide rape victims with access to emergency contraception, a two-pill regime that can reliably prevent pregnancy if taken shortly after unprotected intercourse.
Calcium and vitamin D fail to reduce fracture risk
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Calcium and vitamin D supplements given to elderly, community-dwelling women at high risk of fracture does not appear to reduce their risk, according to the results of a new study published in the British Medical Journal
Though commonly prescribed to prevent the bone-thinning disease Osteoporosis, which often develops in middle and old age, this report is the second one this week showing the supplements to be of little benefit. Researchers who conducted a similar study, published in The Lancet, came to the same conclusion.
