Gender: Female
Menopausal Women May Have an Increased Asthma Risk
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Menopause is associated with lower lung function and more respiratory symptoms, especially among lean women, according to a new study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI).
The study, “Lung function, respiratory symptoms, and the menopausal transition,” can be found in the articles in press section of the JACI Web site, http://www.jacionline.org. The JACI is the peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).
Why women stay in abusive relationships
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Domestic violence is one of the dirty secrets that many people like to ignore. They convince themselves it only happens to strangers. But the truth is that 3 women a day are killed by the hands of their husband or boyfriends. Are you aware that, nearly one-third of American women report being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives according to the Family Violence Prevention Fund. They come from all walks of life and could be your daughter, sister, friend or neighbor. So why would a woman stay with a man who is hurting her?
Most heart attacks in women are preventable:
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A new study shows that women can significantly cut their risk of having a heart attack by eating right, drinking a moderate amount of alcohol, staying physically active, maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking.
“If women adopted these five ‘rather simple’ healthy diet and lifestyle factors, most heart attacks (i.e., 77 percent) could be avoided,” Dr. Agneta Akesson from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, noted in an email to Reuters Health.
“Love” hormone helps mom and baby bond
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Levels of the hormone oxytocin circulating in a pregnant woman’s body play a critical role in how closely she will bond with her newborn—both emotionally and behaviorally, a new study shows.
In animals, oxytocin, dubbed “the hormone of love and bonding,” is known to be important for the development of good parenting and maintaining close relationships.
Mental deficits after concussion persist in women
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Up to eight months after suffering a concussion, female college-level soccer players still have impairment in certain mental functions, Canadian researchers report.
“Contrary to what is typically thought, these effects are longer-lasting,” Dr. Dave Ellemberg of the University of Montreal told Reuters Health. “They’re mild, but yet they’re prolonged.”
Young women less attentive to heart risks than men
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Young women with a family history of heart disease may be less careful about following a healthy lifestyle than their male counterparts, a study has found.
It’s well known that people with a parent or sibling who suffered a heart attack at a relatively young age are themselves at higher-than-average risk, so it is especially important for them to maintain a heart-healthy lifestyle—which includes exercising, eating a balanced diet and not smoking.
Testosterone patch sparks sex drive for some women
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Testosterone patches can significantly boost the libido for some women with sub par sex drives after surgery to remove their ovaries, who report an average of one additional sexual encounter a week after starting to use the hormone, a new study shows.
“It doesn’t work for everybody, but when it works it works nicely,” Dr. Sheryl Kingsberg of University Hospitals of Cleveland in Ohio, the study’s lead author, told Reuters Health.
“Fat Eggs” Likely Cause of Infertility in Obese Women
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A researcher at the University of Adelaide, Australia, has discovered scientific evidence that obesity is a key factor in infertility – because of how it affects women’s eggs.
While obesity has long been thought to be a major factor in couples’ inability to conceive, this is the first time the effects of obesity on the egg have been discovered.
Duloxetine calms overactive bladder in women
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The drug duloxetine (sold as Cymbalta) relieves symptoms of overactive bladder in women, according to a study.
Dr. Richard C. Bump from Lilly Research Laboratories, Indianapolis, Indiana, and colleagues evaluated the efficacy and safety of duloxetine versus placebo in 306 women with symptoms of overactive bladder.
Caffeine may slow cognitive decline in older women
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Several cups of coffee or tea per day seem to slow the loss of brain cells in elderly women, but caffeine has no effect on dementia itself, according to results of a new study.
Dr. Karen Ritchie, a scientist at INSERM U888 in Montpellier, France, and her associates followed 2,820 men and 4,197 women, age 65 or older, and free of dementia. The team assessed the participants’ caffeine consumption in terms of 100-milligram “units”; one cup of coffee was considered to contain 100 mg of caffeine and tea, 50 mg.
Western diet ups breast cancer risk among Chinese
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Post-menopausal Chinese women who eat a Western-style diet heavy in meat and sweets face a higher risk of breast cancer than their counterparts who stick to a typical Chinese diet loaded with vegetables and soy, a study found.
The researchers, writing on Tuesday in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, tracked about 3,000 women in Shanghai, about half of whom were diagnosed with breast cancer.
Jefferson oncologists show breast cancers to be more aggressive in African-American women
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A study of more than 2,200 women at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia shows that African American women have more advanced breast cancer at the time of diagnosis than Caucasian women. In addition, African American women tend to have breast cancer tumor types that are more aggressive and have poorer prognoses. The findings, the researchers say, are in line with other recent studies and provide more powerful evidence of the continuing need for early breast cancer screening for African American women and the development of individual treatment strategies.
The research was led by Edith P. Mitchell, M.D., clinical professor of medicine and medical oncology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and Gloria Morris, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medical oncology at Jefferson Medical College.
Triptan’ may safely prevent menstrual migraine
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A drug used to treat acute migraine can be safely taken long term to prevent some of the migraines women may experience around the time of their period, research shows.
Results of the study indicate that naratriptan twice daily is well tolerated when taken for 6 continuous days per month for up to 1 year for the prevention of menstruation-related migraine.
Genetic screening fails women trying for IVF birth
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Genetic screening, often seen as the best hope for older women undergoing IVF treatment to have a child, is ineffective and actually reduces rates of pregnancies, scientists said on Wednesday.
The surprise finding from a controlled clinical trial involving 408 women is a major setback for a technology that is used increasingly in fertility clinics worldwide.
C-section not linked to poorer infant health
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Despite some concerns to the contrary, babies delivered by cesarean may not make more visits to the doctor’s office or hospital early in life, a study has found.
Some research has suggested that C-sections may affect children’s long-term health, possibly increasing their chances of conditions such as asthma, allergies and gastrointestinal symptoms.
