Women's Health

Kaiser Permanente will waive annual tuition for the first 5 classes of its new medical school, following a similar move by the New York University School of Medicine; menopause is typically thought of in terms of the end of fertility, but more attention is being paid to the effects of the lack of estrogen on the brain; a federal judge has ordered the US Air Force to temporarily stop discharging service members who are HIV-positive.

While diet soft drinks may seem like a healthier option, the effects of the drinks given the amount of artificial sugar and flavorings haven’t yet been fully studied. Researchers recently sought to evaluate the association between self-reported consumption of artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) with stroke and its subtypes, coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality in postmenopausal US women.

The February 2019 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) featured research on value-based arrangements, effects of cesarean delivery data, and more. Here are 5 findings from the research published in the issue.

This week, the top managed care news included increased demand for long-acting contraception since President Trump took office; a payer decision on an insulin pump alarmed diabetes advocates; and despite being involved in cancer treatment decisions, many primary care providers don't feel prepared to do so.

Half of children in with treatable mental health disorders in the United States do not get treatment; a small study demonstrated benefit with immunotherapy for glioblastoma; a task force recommends counseling services for new mothers at risk of depression.

While one-third of primary care providers (PCPs) reported participating in breast cancer treatment decisions with their patients, a significant amount of them also indicated that they were not comfortable or did not feel that they had the necessary knowledge to participate in the treatment decision-making process.

Preventive screening and treatment advances have contributed to saving lives for patients with breast cancer. A new study has identified that these changes could be responsible for averting up to 614,500 breast cancer deaths since 1989.

As both men and women age, metabolism tends to slow down with time. A recent study, however, found that women retain a higher metabolic rate throughout their lifespan.

In the 30 days after the 2016 presidential election, demand for long-acting reversible contraceptives increased more than 20% compared with the same time the previous year.

A targeted effort to make hospital cesarean delivery rates transparent and understood by women increased their awareness of this important quality measure, but did not drive them to choose hospitals with lower rates, according to a new study in The American Journal of Managed Care®.

This randomized controlled trial finds that a hospital cesarean delivery rate comparison tool affects women’s perceptions but not where they choose to deliver.

Rates of maternal deaths have climbed over a generation in the United States while falling in other developed countries. African American women are more than 3 times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. A new federal law and efforts in states like New Jersey seek to turn the tide.

Stroke-related health risks of giving birth are highlighted in 2 posters that will be presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2019, being held February 6-9, 2019, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The study followed more than 2300 men and women for 5 years and found different patterns of depression symptoms between the genders.

The study counted all kinds of activity, including walking to work, repairs around the house, and, of course, sports.

A nurse at the Cleveland Clinic launched the initiative after mothers asked to delay their newborns' baths to increase their ability to take to nursing.

Breast cancer risk estimation models identify women who are at high risk based on a variety of factors, and women who are identified as being at high risk may be able to reduce their chance of breast cancer through preventative measures such as prophylactic surgeries or chemoprevention medications. However, uptake of these preventative treatments varies among racial groups, new research from The Ohio State University finds that racial disparities in healthcare are to blame.

Authors noted that because experiments are typically done only on male mice, this brain signaling pathway controlling bone growth had never been discovered.

Rather than offer support, physicians often reinforced the women's feeling of not being in control of their decisions, according to a study looking at why obese women are less likely to start or keep breastfeeding.

Less than two-thirds of women aged 30 to 65 years were up to date with cervical cancer screenings in 2016. The percentage was even lower for women aged 21 to 29, with just over half up to date on screenings.

Publishing a list of conditions for which long-acting birth control is medically indicated increased uptake among women in Medicaid, but overall use remains low.

A woman's risk of later pelvic floor disorders is strongly associated with how her first infant is delivered, according to a recent study.

The Commonwealth Fund report compared the status of health and healthcare for women in the United States to that of 10 other wealthy countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Australia.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 10% of women, but it is often misdiagnosed or missed entirely by physicians. Now, researchers have identified the genetic underpinnings of the syndrome, including 3 new loci, a causal link to depression, and a male phenotype for PCOS.

Women who breastfed for longer than 6 months had a smaller waist circumference and body mass index (BMI) compared with women who have not breastfed or have breastfed for a shorter duration, according to the results of a recent study.

In the past, data-gathering on pregnancy-related deaths has been irregular and review committees have not always addressed prevention.

Only alcohol was found to have a strong positive correlation with breast cancer risk in a recent study looking at diet in postmenopausal women.

The authors of a study conducted in China assessed nearly 2000 women who were to identify whether premature birth leads to variability in long-term systolic blood pressure.

A new study has recommended updated cutoffs for synovial effusion and hypertrophy to help screen for patients with symptomatic radiographic knee osteoarthritis.

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology have released consensus guidelines that will provide guidance for pregnant women as well as their clinical care providers on prenatal physical activity.