On Waitlist for Liver Transplants, Women Die More Often Than Men

• Steven Reinberg
• January 5, 2021
• Full Page

Frailty may explain why women awaiting a liver transplant are more likely than men to become too sick for a transplant or die before transplantation, a new study suggests.

Exercise and a healthier diet may help narrow that gender gap, researchers say.

For the...

High Blood Pressure While Pregnant Linked to Poorer Memory Years Later

• Cara Murez
• January 4, 2021
• Full Page

High blood pressure and pre-eclampsia during pregnancy may follow women through the years, causing lower scores on tests of memory and thinking skills, a Dutch study suggests.

The study of nearly 600 pregnant women included 481 with normal blood pressure and 115 who deve...

Surgery Could Boost Survival for Women With Advanced Breast Cancers: Study

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• December 30, 2020
• Full Page

Women with advanced breast cancer who undergo surgery to remove the tumor after chemotherapy or another type of systemic treatment may live longer than those who don't have surgery, a new study suggests.

The findings challenge a long-held belief that surgery confers litt...

Pandemic May Be Tougher on Women's Mental Health Than Men's

• Robert Preidt
• December 30, 2020
• Full Page

The COVID-19 pandemic may be taking a bigger toll on women's mental health than on men's, new research suggests.

For the study, researchers examined the results of an online survey of 112 men and 459 women in Canada. The survey took place between March 23 and June 7, 202...

Black Women at Higher Heart Risk During Pregnancy

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• December 16, 2020
• Full Page

Although heart problems are rare complications of pregnancy, Black women face a heightened risk -- even if they have comfortable incomes and health insurance, a new study finds.

It's well established that the United States has a higher maternal mortality rate than other ...

AHA News: Feeling Stressed About Your Role in Life? For Women, That Could Be a Health Risk

• American Heart Association News
• December 11, 2020
• Full Page

How a woman feels about her roles at home and at work during midlife can affect several factors that influence her heart health, new research shows.

The study, published Dec. 11 in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found women who felt more stressed...

Heart Palpitations Can Be Common During Menopause

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• December 10, 2020
• Full Page

An older woman's heart races and flutters. Is it a sign of cardiovascular problems or is it maybe a symptom of menopause?

New research shows that the palpitations are a distressing problem for roughly 25% of women during menopause, but those feelings of a po...

Some Older Breast Cancer Patients Can Safely Cut Down on Chemo

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• December 9, 2020
• Full Page

More women with early-stage breast cancer may be able to safely skip chemotherapy after having surgery, according to initial results from a major clinical trial.

The trial, conducted in nine countries, found that adding chemotherapy to hormone-blocking drugs brought no a...

Many Breast Cancer Survivors Have Healthy Babies: Study

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• December 9, 2020
• Full Page

When a young woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, many questions go through her mind.

What treatments does she need? Will she survive? And will she still be able to have a baby?

In a review of recent research, an international team of investigators say the answe...

Obesity Plays Role in Higher Breast Cancer Rates for Black Women

• Robert Preidt
• December 7, 2020
• Full Page

Obesity may be a major reason Black American women with early breast cancer are 40% more likely to die than white patients, according to a new study.

Obesity is a known risk factor for several types of cancer, and decades of rising rates of obesity in the United States h...

Could Tanning Raise a Woman's Odds for Endometriosis?

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• December 4, 2020
• Full Page

Young women who regularly visit tanning salons may have an increased risk of developing endometriosis, a new study suggests.

Researchers said the findings, from a large study of U.S. women, don't prove that tanning beds help cause the painful pelvic condition.

But,...

Obesity Ups Women's Odds for Early Hip Fracture

• Robert Preidt
• December 3, 2020
• Full Page

Obese women are more likely to suffer a hip fracture before age 70 than those who aren't obese, a new study finds.

Researchers analyzed data gathered from more than 12,700 women in Finland who were born between 1932 and 1941 and followed them for 25 years.

The Univ...

Menopause Can Make Workplace Tougher for Women: Study

• Robert Preidt
• December 2, 2020
• Full Page

Menopause symptoms can interfere with women's jobs, Japanese researchers report.

For the study, the investigators looked at nearly 600 working women, aged 45 to 65, in Japan. Of those, 61% were postmenopausal.

Women with a higher number of menopause symptoms had po...

Women Have Poorer Survival Than Men in Years After First Heart Attack

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• November 30, 2020
• Full Page

Here's a good reason for women to take a heart attack more seriously than they might: A new study shows that women are more likely to develop heart failure or die within five years of their first severe heart attack than men are.

Though the gender gap was narrower f...

One Type of Injury Should Raise Red Flag for Domestic Violence

• Cara Murez
• November 30, 2020
• Full Page

As many as one-third of adult women who have a particular fracture to their forearms may be victims of intimate partner violence, according to a new study.

The findings underscore the need to screen women who receive fractures to their ulna for possible intimate partner ...

Years Leading to Menopause See Uptick in Women's Heart Risks: AHA

• Robert Preidt
• November 30, 2020
• Full Page

Heart disease risk increases in women as they near menopause, so it's crucial to monitor their health and take preventive measures as needed, a new American Heart Association (AHA) scientific statement says.

"Over the past 20 years, our knowledge of how the menopause tra...

Could the Pill Reduce Asthma Attacks?

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• November 24, 2020
• Full Page

Women with asthma may suffer fewer severe symptom attacks if they are on birth control pills, a large new study suggests.

The study of more than 83,000 women with asthma found that those who used birth control pills for at least three years tended to have fewer severe fl...

Sitting Raises Women's Odds for Heart Failure

• Robert Preidt
• November 24, 2020
• Full Page

Too much sitting or lying down significantly increases older women's risk of hospitalization for heart failure, even if they get recommended amounts of physical activity, a new study warns.

"These findings are consistent with other studies confirming that people with mor...

More Childbearing Women Having Suicidal Thoughts: Study

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• November 20, 2020
• Full Page

The number of women who contemplate suicide or self-harm during or after pregnancy may be on the rise, a large, new study suggests.

Among nearly 600,000 U.S. childbearing women, researchers found that close to 2,700 were diagnosed with suicidality in the year before or a...

Air Pollution May Harm Older Women's Brains

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• November 19, 2020
• Full Page

Pollutants in the air -- fine particulates that are 30 times smaller than the width of a strand of hair -- may be damaging older women's brains.

In a new study, researchers linked breathing in high levels of this polluted air to shrinkage in areas of the brain that are v...

IVF Won't Raise Ovarian Cancer Risk: Study

• Robert Preidt
• November 19, 2020
• Full Page

Fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization don't appear to increase a woman's risk of ovarian cancer, a new study finds.

Previous studies suggested that women who used this assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as IVF to get pregnant may be at risk for o...

'Couch Potato' Time Rises Sharply After Women Retire

• Robert Preidt
• November 17, 2020
• Full Page

Women are at high risk of becoming much less active right after they retire, researchers find.

Inactivity was tracked among nearly 700 participants in an ongoing study of retiring municipal workers in Finland that began in 2013. Most (85%) of the participants were women,...

Working Women Show Sharper Memory With Age

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• November 4, 2020
• Full Page

Women who work outside the home may end up with a sharper memory later in life, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that among nearly 6,200 U.S. women aged 55 and older, those who'd worked for pay in young adulthood and middle-age were less prone to memory decline, v...

Thinking of HRT for Hot Flashes? Here's the Latest Guidance

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• October 30, 2020
• Full Page

Another large study finds that menopausal hormone therapy is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, though it varies with the formulation, timing and duration of use.

British researchers found that among more than 500,000 women aged 50 to 79, those who'd used horm...

Losing a Sibling a Common Tragedy in Poorer Nations, Study Finds

• Robert Preidt
• October 27, 2020
• Full Page

The loss of a sibling is all too common among young women in low- and middle-income countries, according to a new study.

The researchers found that roughly one-third of young women in those countries have experienced the death of a brother or sister by age 25. In sev...

Could Mom's Thyroid Levels Influence ADHD in Kids?

• Serena Gordon
• October 21, 2020
• Full Page

Low levels of thyroid hormone during pregnancy may contribute to the development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in the child, new research suggests.

The study found that children born to mothers with low thyroid hormone levels during the first trimester...

One Big Reason Women May Be Less Prone to COVID-19

• Cara Roberts Murez
• October 21, 2020
• Full Page

One of the reasons women may be less vulnerable to COVID-19 is because they're more likely to adhere to social distancing policies, a new survey suggests.

A survey conducted in eight countries in March and April found substantial gender differences both in numbers of...

Most U.S. Women Under 50 Use Contraception: Report

• Steven Reinberg
• October 20, 2020
• Full Page

Most American women between 15 and 49 years of age use birth control, according to a new U.S. government report.

Between 2017 and 2019, 65% of those women used some form of contraception, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Severe Morning Sickness Linked to Depression Before and After Birth

• Robert Preidt
• October 16, 2020
• Full Page

Women who suffer severe morning sickness may have higher risk of depression during and after pregnancy, according to a new British study.

It enrolled 214 women in London during the first trimester of pregnancy. Half had severe morning sickness; half did not. None had...

Women at Higher Risk When Heart Attack Strikes the Young

• Robert Preidt
• October 15, 2020
• Full Page

Younger women who suffer a heart attack are more likely than men to die in the decade after surgery, a new study finds.

It included more than 400 women and nearly 1,700 men, average age 45, who had a first heart attack between 2000 and 2016.

During an avera...

Fewer Tiny Newborns in States With More Reproductive Rights: Study

• Robert Preidt
• October 14, 2020
• Full Page

Greater reproductive rights for women -- such as access to sex education and birth control -- are associated with lower rates of low birth weight babies, a new study finds.

Reproductive rights refer to a woman's right to plan motherhood. This includes use of birth c...

Cancer Takes Heavy Toll on Women's Work and Finances: Study

• Steven Reinberg
• October 12, 2020
• Full Page

Young women with cancer are at a high risk for employment and financial consequences, a new study finds.

"Our study addresses the burden of employment disruption and financial hardship among young women with cancer -- a group who may be at particular risk for poor f...

Women's Reproductive Health Tied to Later Heart Disease

• Robert Preidt
• October 9, 2020
• Full Page

Pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia and miscarriage, may be linked to an increased risk of heart disease later in life, a new study suggests.

For the study, the researchers analyzed 32 reviews that assessed women of childbearing age and their subsequent r...

Some Breast Surgery Won't Harm Ability to Breastfeed

• Robert Preidt
• October 7, 2020
• Full Page

Having surgery for benign breast conditions won't harm a woman's future ability to breastfeed, new research suggests.

The study included 85 women, aged 18 to 45. Fifteen had a prior history of benign breast conditions, including cysts, benign tumors and enlarged brea...

Early School Sports Reduce ADHD Symptoms Years Later for Girls

• Serena Gordon
• October 6, 2020
• Full Page

Girls who played after-school sports in elementary school seem to have fewer symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) once they reach middle school, a new study suggests.

The research included both boys and girls, but the effect of sports on atten...

Radiation Plus Surgery May Be Best Against an Early Form of Breast Cancer

• E.J. Mundell
• October 5, 2020
• Full Page

Research following patients for nearly three decades finds that surgery plus radiation beats surgery alone for women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) -- a common, early form of breast cancer that can become invasive cancer.

However, the study also found that any ...

Chrissy Teigen's Pregnancy Loss Spotlights a Hidden Source of Grief for Many

• E.J. Mundell
• October 2, 2020
• Full Page

Chrissy Teigen's public disclosure of her pregnancy loss is shining new light on a trauma for couples that's too often left in the shadows.

The 34-year-old model, cookbook author and social media star announced the loss of her baby boy via Twitter Thursday. She was t...

More U.S. Women Using Marijuana to Help Ease Menopause: Study

• Dennis Thompson
• September 30, 2020
• Full Page

A growing number of middle-aged women are turning to marijuana to help soothe symptoms of menopause, new research indicates.

About one-third of older female U.S. veterans said they had either tried to treat their menopause symptoms with cannabis products or planned t...

Women Get Worse Care for Heart Attack

• Steven Reinberg
• September 29, 2020
• Full Page

Young women who suffer a particularly deadly condition after a heart attack are 11% more likely to die from it than men, a new study finds.

Not only that, women aged 18 to 55 are less likely to receive the tests and aggressive treatment that men routinely receiv...

How Important Is Sex as Women Age?

• Steven Reinberg
• September 28, 2020
• Full Page

It's often thought that older women lose interest in sex, but many women continue to rate sex as important, a new study finds.

"In contrast to prior literature reporting that the importance of sex decreases as women move through midlife, we found that for a quarter ...

Fewer U.S. Women Aware of Their Heart Risks

• Amy Norton
• September 23, 2020
• Full Page

Fewer U.S. women these days are aware that heart disease is the number-one threat to their lives -- especially younger and minority women, a new study finds.

Historically, heart disease was seen as a "man's disease," partly because men tend to suffer heart attacks at...

Is an Early Form of Breast Cancer More Dangerous Than Thought?

• Amy Norton
• September 22, 2020
• Full Page

Women diagnosed with an early, highly treatable form of breast cancer still face a higher-than-normal risk of eventually dying from the disease, a large new study finds.

The study looked at women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), where cancer cells form in the li...

1 Woman in 5 With Migraine Avoiding Pregnancy: Study

• Robert Preidt
• September 21, 2020
• Full Page

Many women with severe migraines don't want to get pregnant because of concerns about their headaches, a new study finds.

Migraine, one of the world's leading causes of disability, particularly affects women of childbearing age.

Researchers surveyed 607 U.S...

Experts Offer Guidance on a Common But Underreported Menopause Syndrome

• Serena McNiff
• September 18, 2020
• Full Page

Hot flashes and night sweats are well-known side effects of menopause, but the end of a woman's periods can also lead to other uncomfortable changes.

Vaginal dryness, painful sex and painful urination are common symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause, or GS...

Your Sex Affects Your Genes for Body Fat, Cancer, Birth Weight

• Robert Preidt
• September 15, 2020
• Full Page

Researchers say your biological sex affects gene expression in nearly every type of tissue -- influencing body fat, cancer and birth weight.

Gene expression is the amount of product created by a gene for cell function, the international team of researchers explained....

Workplace Sexual Harassment Might Raise Suicide Risk: Study

• Robert Preidt
• September 3, 2020
• Full Page

In the midst of the 'Me Too' movement, a new study finds that people sexually harassed at work may be at increased risk for attempted suicide and suicide.

The findings out of Sweden show that workplace sexual harassment may "represent an important risk factor for sui...

Clues to Why COVID-19 Hits Men Harder Than Women

• Robert Preidt
• August 26, 2020
• Full Page

Since the pandemic began, it's been clear that men are more vulnerable to getting a severe case of COVID-19 compared to women.

Now, researchers say they've uncovered significant differences in how male and female immune systems respond to the new coronavirus may help...

There's No Safe Amount of Caffeine in Pregnancy: Report

• E.J. Mundell
• August 25, 2020
• Full Page

Women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant may need to forgo coffee, tea, sodas and other sources of caffeine. A new data analysis finds no safe level of the drug during this time.

"The cumulative scientific evidence supports pregnant women and women contempla...

'Morning Sickness' Doesn't Stick to the A.M., Study Confirms

• Robert Preidt
• August 19, 2020
• Full Page

As many expectant mothers can unhappily attest, the nausea and vomiting known as "morning sickness" can occur at any time of the day.

In a new study, British researchers analyzed diaries kept by 256 women from the day they learned they were expecting until the 60th d...

Antibiotics Might Lower Effectiveness of Birth Control Pill

• E.J. Mundell
• August 19, 2020
• Full Page

Doctors have long suspected it, but a comprehensive new study provides more evidence that antibiotics can reduce the effectiveness of birth control pills.

That means women who are using both types of drugs at once should take extra precautions to avoid an unintended ...