By Sondra Forsyth On January 5th 2006, almost a full decade ago, the National Cancer Institute issued a strongly worded Clinical Advisory alerting the medical field to the importance of “the preferred method of treatment for advanced ovarian cancer”. Yet nearly ten years later, the Advisory has gone largely unheeded. A multi-university study published online… Continue reading The Life-Saving Ovarian Cancer Treatment Many Patients Still Aren’t Getting
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.
White Menopausal Women Have Lower Risk of Dying from Heart Attack Than Men or Black Women Do
While menopause is commonly considered a risk factor for heart disease, menopausal women had a lower risk of dying from heart attack than men, according to research done at the University of Michigan and published in July 2015 in the Journal of the American Heart Association. However, this difference was less pronounced among blacks. A… Continue reading White Menopausal Women Have Lower Risk of Dying from Heart Attack Than Men or Black Women Do
The Debate About Surgery for Stress Urinary Incontinence
A Cochrane systematic review published in July 2015 makes an important contribution to an ongoing debate about surgery for stress urinary incontinence. The paper will help women make more informed choices about treatment, according to a release from the publisher. Inserting a “mid-urethral sling”, a type of tape, to support the muscles of the bladder… Continue reading The Debate About Surgery for Stress Urinary Incontinence
What You Need to Know About Testosterone for Women
Editor’s Note: Following the June 4th FDA hearing about the controversial female libido pill, flibanserin, ThirdAge posted an article called “What You Really Need to Know About Pink Viagra”. In that article, we promised to post an article explaining the role of testosterone in the female sex drive. Here it is: Testosterone is a male… Continue reading What You Need to Know About Testosterone for Women
What You Really Need to Know About “Pink Viagra”
In the wake of a media frenzy over the FDA’s advisory committee vote on June 4th 2015 in favor of approving so-called “Pink Viagra”, thirdAGE is here to give you a digest of the facts about the drug that’s being promoted as a female libido booster. Is “Pink Viagra” an apt nickname for flibanserin (pronounced… Continue reading What You Really Need to Know About “Pink Viagra”
An Enzyme’s Role in Muscle Wasting of Older Women
Researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK have identified the role of an enzyme in muscle wasting and associated age-related problems. The team believes that inhibiting it could hold the key to developing ways of preventing, or reversing, the adverse effects. The research, published in May 2015 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology… Continue reading An Enzyme’s Role in Muscle Wasting of Older Women
Ten Symptoms Women Should Not Ignore
Women around the world struggle to balance work, home, children, errands and so on. Their list of things to do never ends and in this hectic lifestyle, a large number of them end up ignoring symptoms that might be indicators of potential health problems. Here are ten symptoms women should not ignore: Vaginal bleeding or… Continue reading Ten Symptoms Women Should Not Ignore
HRT Neither Raises Nor Lowers Risk of Dying
Menopausal hormone therapy (HT) does not have a significant effect on the risk of death, according to a Mayo Clinic review of the medical literature published over the past three decades. The results, which included studies with follow-up as long as 18 years, were presented in March 2015 at the Endocrine Society’s 97th annual meeting… Continue reading HRT Neither Raises Nor Lowers Risk of Dying
When I’m 64, I’ll Still Have Hot Flashes?
The answer is “yes” for many women. Some 40% of women 60 to 65 years old still have hot flashes. For many, the hot flashes are occasional and mild, but for others, they remain really troublesome. That’s the finding of a study published in March 2015 in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause… Continue reading When I’m 64, I’ll Still Have Hot Flashes?
How Much Do You Know about “Bioidentical” Hormones?
Although many menopausal women are taking so-called “bioidentical hormones,” they may not understand the risk of these unapproved treatments, according to the North American Menopause Society. An analysis to be published in the Society’s journal Menopause found that between 28% to 68% of women using hormones take the “bioidentical” substances without understanding that they are… Continue reading How Much Do You Know about “Bioidentical” Hormones?
Women’s Heart Disease Should Be a Research Priority
The latest gender-specific research on heart disease continues to show differences between women and men, yet gaps remain in how to best diagnose, treat and prevent this number one killer of women, according to studies published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal. A portion of the March 2015 issue, published… Continue reading Women’s Heart Disease Should Be a Research Priority
Menopause Symptoms Reduced With Nanotechnology
Nearly nine out of 10 premenopausal and postmenopausal women in the United States experience hot flashes, night sweats or other disturbances in mood and sleep. Until now, there haven’t been many safe and effective therapies available to manage these symptoms. However, in a pilot study conducted at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North… Continue reading Menopause Symptoms Reduced With Nanotechnology
Estrogen Worsens Life-Threatening Allergic Reactions
Estradiol, a type of estrogen, enhances the levels and activity in mice of an enzyme that drives life-threatening allergic reactions, according to researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study results may help explain why women frequently experience more severe allergic reactions… Continue reading Estrogen Worsens Life-Threatening Allergic Reactions
Next-Generation UTI Treatment
University of Michigan Medical School researchers have identified bacterial genes that cause the urinary tract infections (UTIs) to spread. The discovery points the way to a potential new target for treating UTIs, which are a global public health concern mostly affecting women. UTIs lead to lost work time, emergency room visits, and health care spending… Continue reading Next-Generation UTI Treatment
The Most Recommended Screenings for Women 50 and Above
What kind of screening or diagnostic tests should you take after 50? The SeniorHealth division of the National Institutes on Aging, using material developed by the respected Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, has some suggestions: Breast Cancer BRCA 1 and 2 Genes The agency experts recommend that you consider a genetic test for these… Continue reading The Most Recommended Screenings for Women 50 and Above
Calcium Channel Blockers Don’t Up Breast Cancer Risk
Women who take calcium channel blockers, a common type of medication to control high blood pressure, are not at increased risk of developing breast cancer due to the drug, according to study done in November 2014 by researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Murray, Utah. A release from the medical center explains… Continue reading Calcium Channel Blockers Don’t Up Breast Cancer Risk
Kids Help Ease Menopausal Symptoms
Women enduring the menopausal characteristics of hot flashes and night sweats don’t suffer as much if young children live with them, according to new research from The Kinsey Institute and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Of the 117 women who took part in the study, 69 were menopausal or post-menopausal at the time of… Continue reading Kids Help Ease Menopausal Symptoms
More Injuries with Robotic Surgery – At Least for Now
Robotic surgery for some procedures may be more expensive than conventional surgery – and, at least for now, result in more complications as well, according to researchers from Columbia University Medical Center. The finding, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, focused on surgery for benign gynecological conditions. The researchers in this study looked at… Continue reading More Injuries with Robotic Surgery – At Least for Now