New York Times Publishes Several Women's Health-Related Articles

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs;  Stem Cell Research
Article Date: 31 Jan 2008 - 9:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

The New York Times on Tuesday in its health section published several articles related to women's health. Summaries appear below.

• "New Insights Into Genital Pain in Women": As many as one in six women experience vulvodynia -- a condition characterized by intense pain when pressure is applied to the vulva -- at some point during their lives, according to an NIH-funded study recently conducted by Bernard Harlow of Harvard University, the Times reports. According to recent research led by William Ledger, professor emeritus of obstetrics and gynecology at Weill Cornell Medical College, the condition likely is caused by two genetic factors. In one, women produce an inadequate amount of a substance that blocks inflammation of the vulva. In another, a genetic abnormality causes unstable production of a substance that responds to yeast or bacteria, placing women at increased risk of chronic infections. Ledger said there is solid evidence that many women who experience vulvodynia have excess nerve endings in the vulva. The condition is difficult to treat but has been treated with estrogen, steroids, surgery and pain medications, the Times reports (Brody, New York Times, 1/29).
  
  
• "Maladies: Hormone Levels and Chronic Fatigue": Women with chronic fatigue syndrome have lower amounts of the hormone cortisol when they wake up, according to a study recently published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, the Times reports. Cortisol helps people deal with stress and might play a role in the condition. The study measured cortisol levels in saliva samples taken from 700 male and female volunteers immediately after waking up, 30 minutes after waking up and one hour after waking up. Some of the participants had the condition and some did not. The lower cortisol levels were not found in men, according to the study. William Reeves, a study author from CDC, said the study could "help to explain the higher prevalence" of the condition in women (Nagourney, New York Times, 1/29). An abstract of the study is available online.
  
  
• "Questioning the Allure of Putting Cells in the Bank": Several companies recently have launched services that collect and store stem cells from sources beyond umbilical cord blood -- including menstrual fluid, adult blood, fat removed by liposuction, children's teeth after they fall out and excess embryos at fertility clinics -- the Times reports. Although the new services have a "potentially broader appeal" beyond people who are delivering infants, some experts have said it is not clear how useful the costly services will be in future medical treatments, according to the Times. Collection and storage of menstrual fluid is the latest service. Oldsmar, Fla.-based company Cryo-Cell in November 2007 began a service called C'elle in which women use a silicone menstrual cup that is similar to a tampon to collect two samples from the same menstrual period. One sample is used for disease testing and another is used to extract stem cells. The service costs $499 for collection and processing and an additional $99 annual storage fee. The company has not published research verifying its claim that menstrual stem cells can be used for future treatments, but the company is having outside experts review the stem cells it extracts (Pollack [1], New York Times, 1/29).
  
  
• "Menstruation as a Source of Stem Cells? Maybe Not": Some experts have theorized that menstrual stem cells could be endometrial stem cells that are extracted each month during menstruation, but other experts say it is unlikely the body sheds a large number of stem cells during menstruation, the Times reports. Hugh Taylor, chief of reproductive endocrinology at Yale University, said the healthiest stem cells are from regeneration of the uterine lining during menstruation. Menstrual fluid cells are dying, Taylor said, adding, "I think it's premature to start telling everyone to go in and save their menses. ... A woman can come in and have [an] endometrial biopsy all the time and get those cells in a fresh, pure form" (Pollack [2], New York Times, 1/29).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

© 2007 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.