Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Women's Health / Gynecology News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/womens_health/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114404.php A particular gene variant might make women more susceptible to alcoholism. At least, a study carried out by the Universities of Bonn and Sweden's Karolinska Institute makes this a plausible conclusion. According to this, a gene in the endorphin metabolism is altered in a typical fashion more often in women alcoholics than in healthy women. In mice too, endorphins seem to play an important role in the amount of alcohol consumed, particularly among females. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114345.php New Jersey Rep. Neil Cohen (D) recently proposed legislation designed to encourage private investors to provide funding for stem cell research loans in the state, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114338.php Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals (P&GP) welcome the new Final Appraisal Determination (FAD) Guidance for the primary and secondary prevention of osteoporosis from NICE. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114304.php The UK has the most liberal abortion laws in the Western World and one of the highest abortion rates. 97% of abortions in 2006 were performed under ground C on the abortion form, which ostensibly for reasons connected with mental health, is generally regarded as the ground under which abortions for social reasons are carried out. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114189.php The New York Times on Thursday profiled a "gyno spa" in New York City that addresses "pelvic fitness," which, according to the Times, is not a medical term. The spa markets its services as a means of improving bladder control and sexual satisfaction. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114235.php After 30 years of IVF, the rewards of treatment are still largely confined to industrialised countries and those who can afford it. Now, a Special Task Force of ESHRE has set about the immeasurable task of making fertility treatment more accessible to developing countries through a programme of pilot projects, professional awareness and involvement of government and non-governmental agencies. The Task Force faces a huge challenge. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114162.php Vaginal microbicides currently in clinical trials may be the only weapon that will protect women against infection from HIV. Yet, under likely circumstances, these microbicides may be of more benefit to men than women, according to a new UCLA AIDS Institute study. The study, which used novel mathematical models to simulate clinical trials and population-level transmission of HIV, appears July 7 in the online issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114156.php With today's hectic lifestyle, where most women are juggling careers, family, relationships, and a host of activities, the idea of possibly facing a serious illness in the future is not something that readily comes to mind -- especially when a woman is in the prime of her life. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114148.php Two studies in the July 1 issue of the journal Sleep analyze menopausal sleep problems, finding that complaints may differ according to the stage of menopausal transition and the ethnicity of the woman, and identifying risk factors that may predict sleep problems at any stage of menopause. A multi-ethnic study of more than 3,000 women shows that the odds of having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep increase through the menopausal transition. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114119.php It's an inevitable truth: as we get older, our muscles deteriorate and we become weaker. Not only can this be an immensely frustrating change, but it can also have many other, more serious implications. We become clumsier and begin to have more falls, often resulting in broken bones or even more severe injuries. There is wide interest in this phenomenon, but to date, the majority of research has focussed on therapies for older patients with advanced symptoms. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114089.php ORLANDO, FL (UroToday.com) - Dr. Fabio Bacarat from Sao Paolo, Brazil reported on an unfavorable early outcome of the new TVT Secur ™ in twenty consecutive women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). TVT Secur ™ was reportedly placed into the obturator internus muscle in a "tension free" fashion. Preoperative Valsalva leak point pressure (VLPP) was 38-115 cm H20, but did not predict outcome in this small cohort of patients. Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114007.php Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) found that patients who disclose intimate partner violence (IPV) to their clinicians of any type did not experience serious harm. However, those who disclosed IPV in a primary care or obstetrics/gynecology setting received the most benefit. Sun, 06 Jul 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114020.php The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq (HESR) in London. The MoU aims to improve maternal and neonatal healthcare in the Kurdistan Region, through education and clinical standards setting. Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113911.php ORLANDO, FL (UroToday.com) - (Reported from the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association) Abstract 314 reported that urinary incontinence leads to decreased mental health and high psychosocial stress. Botox was effective in the treatment of overactive bladder syndrome, but up to 4 treatments were needed. 2 of 12 pediatric patients developed immunity to to Botox and antibodies against botox was found in the system. This immunity blocked the effectiveness of Botox. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113926.php Richmond, Va., Roman Catholic Bishop Francis DiLorenzo in a letter published on Monday apologized after Commonwealth Catholic Charities employees helped a 16-year-old Guatemalan girl obtain an abortion in January, the Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113925.php The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control on Tuesday announced the state has allocated $2 million to expand a program that provides no-cost breast and cervical cancer screenings to low-income women, the AP/Charlotte Observer reports.The program, called the Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113863.php As featured on the cover of pause® magazine, Fran Drescher tells women in an accompanying profile, "Once you wake up and smell the coffee, it's hard to go back to sleep." The actress, best known for her role as Miss Fine on "The Nanny," is a tireless advocate for raising awareness of women's cancers and is herself a cancer survivor. "Women need to be able to evaluate whether their doctors are doing all they're supposed to do," says Drescher. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113798.php Black women taking low-dose oral contraceptives have a risk of side effects that can lead to heart disease and diabetes, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology, Reuters Health reports. For the study, Thu, 03 Jul 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113835.php Delaying childbirth has substantially contributed to recent rises in caesarean section rates, according to a paper published this week by scientists at Cambridge University. The findings come from an analysis of a large body of Scottish data performed by a team under Professor Gordon Smith, at the University's Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113833.php Women over 90 are significantly more likely to have dementia than men of the same age, according UC Irvine researchers involved with the 90+ Study, one of the nation's largest studies of dementia and other health factors in the fastest-growing age demographic. The researchers reviewed an analysis of 911 people enrolled in the 90+ Study. Of those, 45 percent of the women had dementia, as opposed to 28 percent of the men. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113578.php ORLANDO, FL (UroToday.com) - Two different groups evaluated the effects of pelvic floor reconstruction on the outcomes of slings. While the UCLA group showed no evidence of any effect of posterior repair on slings outcomes (Abstract #1300), work from Virginia Mason in Seattle suggested a possible protective effect of anterior repair on sling results (Abstract #1299). Wed, 02 Jul 2008 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113628.php The New York Times Magazine on Sunday examined reasons for low fertility rates in Europe, including the "lowest-low fertility" phenomenon in Southern and Eastern European countries. The lowest-low term was coined in a 2002 report that found fertility rates in Southern and Eastern Europe had dropped below 1. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113560.php ORLANDO, FL (UroToday.com) - The recognized association between the intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and male sub-fertility and other chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and the fact that Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) has a major influence on fetal and postnatal growth, led the authors to hypothesize that IUGR induced sub-fertility could be corrected if IUGR could be corrected by placental gene therapy. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113533.php Some medical specialties have expressed concern over the effects of the decrease in junior doctors' working hours as a result of the Working Time Directive (WTD). The WTD will restrict junior doctors' work hours to 48 hours each week from 2009. Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113532.php The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) releases two important documents focusing on women's healthcare. The documents are: - Standards for Maternity Care. A report from a working party, jointly produced by the RCOG, and Royal College of Anaesthetists, Royal College of Midwives, and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.