Women's Health Activist articles from July 2009

Women's Health Activist archives from July 2009

Bills, barriers and bias--women's health care stories show need for action on costs and quality.
July 1, 2009... OFELIA SIERRA STOOD BEFORE A ROOM OF MORE THAN 120 PEOPLE and told her story, first in Mixteco and then in English: "When I got sick a few months ago, I had a very high fever. I waited and waited, but finally I went to the emergency room. I...

The long, hot summer of 2009.
July 1, 2009... We're expecting a long, hot summer in D.C. this year. No, not because of global warming (in fact, it's been unusually rainy and cool the last few weeks), but because health care reform is heating "up at long last. Legislation to guarantee...

Kudos to Atlanta Collective Voice member Toby Sidman!(Report)
July 1, 2009... In a welcome precursor to our new member campaign--We Want You To Recruit For NWHN!--a Collective Voice member in Atlanta helped build the Network's visibility and membership in the Georgia region. In 2007, Tobyanne Sidman met Jill...

Mammography & breast cancer: sometimes what you see is not what you get.
July 1, 2009... Since the very first study of mammography in the 1960s, everyone has assumed that the breast cancers found via screening mammography were exactly the same as any other breast cancer. After all, the final diagnosis of breast cancer isn't made...

Is your clinician prescribing under the influence?
July 1, 2009... Here's a fun way for your favorite clinician to learn how drug companies try to influence them--and earn Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits at the same time. The Pharmalyzer CME course offers open-minded clinicians a chance to see...

Change we can believe in--new developments in access to emergency contraception.
July 1, 2009... In March, the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York ruled in favor of science and against using political ideology to make women's health policy. In a long-awaited decision, the court ruled that the Federal Drug Administration...

New counseling recommendation to prevent STIs.
July 1, 2009... For decades, we've known that sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a problem for women, but tools that women can use to protect themselves from infection are still limited and strategies to improve screening and II treatment have had...

Correction.(Correction notice)
July 1, 2009... Correction: Our apologies to readers for a misprint in the May 09 article on transgender youth. In the discussion of the "Medical Suspension of Puberty" on (page 4), the medications that affect the pituitary release of gonadatropins were...

Poison earth, poison woman: making the connection.(young FEMINISTS)
July 1, 2009... "From a healthy Earth come healthy women. From healthy women come healthy children." While I have always held these values in my spiritual and personal life, they've recently moved to the forefront of my professional life as well. I work...

Mothers of multiples are 43% more likely to experience moderate or severe postpartum depression and depressive symptoms than are woman who have a singleton birth.(WOMEN'S HEALTH SNAPSHOTS)(Clinical report)
July 1, 2009... Mothers of multiples are 43% more likely to experience moderate or severe postpartum depression and depressive symptoms than are woman who have a singleton birth. The finding comes from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort, a...

If you felt your memory wasn't quite at its best while going through "the change," you were right!(WOMEN'S HEALTH SNAPSHOTS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... If you felt your memory wasn't quite at its best while going through "the change," you were right! Almost two-thirds of women say they experience memory problems during the menopausal transition (when their when periods are either irregular or...

According to a new study, there are grave consequences for women whose healthy ovaries are removed during hysterectomy.(WOMEN'S HEALTH SNAPSHOTS)
July 1, 2009... According to a new study, there are grave consequences for women whose healthy ovaries are removed during hysterectomy. Among women under 5o who had their healthy ovaries removed, the risk of heart attack and stroke nearly doubled and the risk...

Don't get burned at your next MRI.
July 1, 2009... The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned that patients risk potentially severe burns if they wear certain kinds of transdermal patches when having an Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan. Skin that is covered by these patches can be...

Tribute gifts to NWHN: a thoughtful way to-commemorate someone special.
July 1, 2009... IN HONOR OF Regina Edwards Ann B. Herren Sally Hunt Gloria Pastemak Amy Johnson Anne Veague Toby Sidman Dr. & Mrs. Ramon S. Franco Toby Sidman Lois & Larry Frank Toby Sidman Mr. & Mrs....

The problem of unapproved and off-label prescriptions.
July 1, 2009... With the unemployment rate higher than it has been in more than 20 years, news reports have begun to suggest that interest in fertility-controlling measures such as vasectomies and abortions may be rising, as well. (1) Although it is too early...

Thanks to the work of breast cancer action, food product manufacturer general mills has committed to making yogurt without the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone (rbgh), which has been linked to cancer.(G-SPOT)
July 1, 2009... Thanks to the work of Breast Cancer Action, food product manufacturer General Mills has committed to making yogurt without the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), which has been linked to cancer. General Mill's popular yogurt brand...

The Obama Administration proposed a new $110 million Teen Pregnancy Prevention initiative in its 2010 Health and Human Services Budget.(G-SPOT)
July 1, 2009... The Obama Administration proposed a new $110 million Teen Pregnancy Prevention initiative in its 2010 Health and Human Services Budget. The new program would replace funding in place since 1996 to support programs that aggressively promote...

The FDA recently ordered a black box warning to be placed on testosterone gel.(G-SPOT)
July 1, 2009... The FDA recently ordered a black box warning to be placed on testosterone gel. The gel is only approved for men who need testosterone, but it is sometimes promoted (the gel can be used off-label) to increase women's sex drive. The black box...

On May 31, abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was murdered while attending church in Wichita, Kansas.(SORE SPOT)
July 1, 2009... On May 31, abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was murdered while attending church in Wichita, Kansas. Dr. Tiller was one of the nation's few doctors who performed late-term abortions. Tiller endured multiple acts of domestic terrorism aimed at...

Pharmaceutical companies are using the popular website www.RealAge.com to target you for marketing.(SORE SPOT)
July 1, 2009... Pharmaceutical companies are using the popular website www.RealAge.com to target you for marketing. The side has been heavily publicized as a result of its affiliation with Dr. Oz, Oprah's favorite doctor. The site calculates your "real age"...

Nationally, Cesarean section rates have been increasing every year and have increased by more than 50% over the last decade.(SORE SPOT)(Brief article)
July 1, 2009... Nationally, Cesarean section rates have been increasing every year and have increased by more than 50% over the last decade. In Florida, however, many counties have C-section rates well above this average. In Miami-Dade County, the number of...