While cardiovascular disease may be top-of-mind in February during American Heart Month, any time is the right time for women to learn more about what has been deemed their number one killer. More deadly than all forms of cancer combined, cardiovascular disease affects approximately 44 million women in the US. Along with stroke, it can… Continue reading Take This to Heart, Ladies
Category: Women’s Health and Wellness
Women’s health + wellness refers to the treatment and diagnosis of conditions that can affect a woman’s physical and emotional well-being.
Flawed Data on High-Risk Women’s Health Devices
Some high-risk medical devices used in obstetrics and gynecology were approved by the FDA based on flawed data, according to a study from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology in May 2016. A release from the university explains that the investigators assessed the regulation of women’s health devices approved by… Continue reading Flawed Data on High-Risk Women’s Health Devices
Nonsurgical Fibroid Treatment Boosts Sexual Desire
Women who underwent a nonsurgical, image-guided treatment, uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), for the treatment of uterine fibroids experienced improved sexual function and a higher overall quality of life. The research, part of a French multicenter study and presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s Annual Scientific Meeting, also found the vast majority of women treated… Continue reading Nonsurgical Fibroid Treatment Boosts Sexual Desire
Clinicians Should Avoid Prescribing Compounded Hormones
A new Scientific Statement issued on April 1st 2016 by the Endocrine Society in Boston advises clinicians to avoid using compounded hormone medications to treat menopausal symptoms, female sexual dysfunction, and other hormone conditions. The state was published in the Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. According to a release from the society, these… Continue reading Clinicians Should Avoid Prescribing Compounded Hormones
Many Women Are Not Informed of Heart Disease Risk
Although nearly three-quarters of women taking a recent survey had one or more risk factors for heart disease, a startlingly small proportion — just 16 percent — had actually been told by their doctors that these factors put them at risk for heart disease, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s… Continue reading Many Women Are Not Informed of Heart Disease Risk
The Menopause Map
According to Dr. Nicholas Sieveking, a Nashville-based, board-certified plastic surgeon and the founder of Ageless Solutions, “menopause can surely be a crazy time in a woman’s life. Not only does it signal the fact that she can no longer procreate, she will most likely suffer from some symptoms; physical, mental or both. As the body… Continue reading The Menopause Map
The Controversy About Insurance Coverage for Breast Cancer Screening
On January 11th 2016, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) published what were called “final” recommendations on screening for breast cancer.” The recommendation statement, which is published in Annals of Internal Medicine, is made up of several recommendations addressing different age groups and screening methods, and is accompanied by an editorial on how… Continue reading The Controversy About Insurance Coverage for Breast Cancer Screening
“Pink Viagra” (Which Is Actually Purple) Is Not Selling Well at All
Back in June of 2015 here at thirdAGE, we gave you advance warning that the female libido booster slated for an approval vote by the FDA was costly and risky. Then in August of 2015, we let you know that the pill — dubbed “Pink Viagra” and bearing the brand name Addyi — had in… Continue reading “Pink Viagra” (Which Is Actually Purple) Is Not Selling Well at All
Ultrasound Is Comparable to Mammography for Breast Cancer Detection
The use of ultrasound (US) in detecting breast cancer has been shown to be comparable in its sensitivity to that of mammography and should be considered when testing for the disease according to a study published December 28th 2105 in the JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. A release from the publisher notes that… Continue reading Ultrasound Is Comparable to Mammography for Breast Cancer Detection
Millions of Women Are Getting Unregulated Hormone-Therapy Treatments
Millions of women are being prescribed hormone therapy with mostly unregulated compounds, according to a new study. The number of prescriptions has reached an estimated 26 to 33 million a year. That approaches the 36 million prescriptions per year for well-regulated and tested FDA-approved hormone therapy, shows an analysis of the market compounded hormone therapy… Continue reading Millions of Women Are Getting Unregulated Hormone-Therapy Treatments
The Hormone Therapy Decision
The end of the “hormone therapy era” appears to have been greatly exaggerated. More than a decade ago, research from the Women’s Health Initiative, a major study, advised menopausal women to stop their hormone replacement therapy due to a reported increase in breast cancer, strokes and heart attacks. In the years since then, though, potential… Continue reading The Hormone Therapy Decision
Helping Women Navigate the Hormone Replacement Therapy Debate
The end of the “hormone therapy era” appears to have been greatly exaggerated. More than a decade ago the Women’s Health Initiative published in an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association advised menopausal women to stop their hormone replacement therapy due to a reported increase in breast cancer, strokes, and heart attacks.… Continue reading Helping Women Navigate the Hormone Replacement Therapy Debate
Risks and Benefits of Hysterectomy with Morcellation Vary with Age
Laparascopic hysterectomies are less invasive than abdominal ones, with fewer perioperative deaths and faster recovery, but in some cases the uterus cannot be removed without prior morcellation, a process that cuts of the organ into small pieces. The use of electric power morcellators was approved by the FDA in 1995 but has become controversial because… Continue reading Risks and Benefits of Hysterectomy with Morcellation Vary with Age
Women with Knee Osteoarthritis Experience More Pain Than Men Do
Among patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, women experienced greater sensitivity to various pain modalities — such as lower tolerance to heat, cold, and pressure — and greater widespread pain than men. The study was published in October 2015 in Arthritis Care & Research. A release from the pubisher notes that the findings may be… Continue reading Women with Knee Osteoarthritis Experience More Pain Than Men Do
Should Women Have an Annual Pelvic Exam?
For decades, pelvic exams have been a regular part of a woman’s annual doctor visit. In 2014, new evidence-based guidelines from the American College of Physicians (ACP) recommended against routine pelvic exam for asymptomatic adult women at average risk. The evidence showed that the diagnostic accuracy of the screening pelvic examination for detecting ovarian cancer… Continue reading Should Women Have an Annual Pelvic Exam?
Taming Hot Flashes Without Hormones
Some three-quarters of North American women have menopausal hot flashes, but many cannot use hormones for medical reasons or choose not to. Numerous products and techniques are promoted for hot flashes, but do they work and are they safe? To answer these questions, a North American Menopause Society (NAMS) panel of experts weighed the evidence… Continue reading Taming Hot Flashes Without Hormones
FDA Approves Controversial “Viagra” for Women
The federal Food and Drug Administration has given its approval to the controversial drug flibanserin (Addyi), also known as “pink Viagra.” It is the first-ever drug aimed at increasing women’s libido. “[The] approval provides women distressed by their low sexual desire with an approved treatment option,” Janet Woodcock, MD, director of the FDA’s Center for… Continue reading FDA Approves Controversial “Viagra” for Women
Structures Reveal Basis of Recurring Urinary Tract Infections
While the best antibiotics can wipe out most of the bacteria that cause notoriously difficult urinary tract infections, a few “sleeper cells” often remain. These “persisters,” as they are called, survive by going dormant, essentially sleeping through the attack that kills off their more active brethren. A new study done at Duke University has shown… Continue reading Structures Reveal Basis of Recurring Urinary Tract Infections