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☆ Women and doctors challenge taboos on dangers of HPV in Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The woman spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity, fearing ostracization from her community where the subject of sexually transmitted infections remains taboo. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer among women globally, says WHO, and in 2020 it killed some 342,000 women globally. The ministry has also advised women to take the HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine costs between 800 EGP ($25.9) to 1,000 EGP ($32) per dose. Other Middle Eastern countries have added the HPV vaccine to their national immunization programs, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Libya.

Persons: CNN —, ”, ostracization, Lobna Darwish, Egypt’s, they’ve, “, Ola Arafa, Rafik Barakat, Arafa, ” Arafa, Barakat, ” Darwish, Nisreen Salah Omar Organizations: CNN, World Health Organization, WHO, World Bank, Egyptian, Personal Rights, Manchester, University of Mansoura, United Arab, Representatives, Mansoura University Locations: Egypt, Cairo, Mansoura, ”, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Libya

☆ The workplace can be rough for menopausal women. Employers are starting to step up
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“The very topic of menopause has been taboo, particularly in the workplace, potentially further exacerbating the psychological burden of menopause symptoms,” the Mayo researchers noted. A 57-year old woman who has worked for years in the construction industry said she first experienced severe menopausal symptoms in her previous job. Menopausal symptoms might not be as troublesome at work if women could access more reliable information and care from their regular doctors. The plan lets any employee take up to 10 days off to address self-care issues of any kind, which the company notes can include dealing with menopausal symptoms. It was an attempt to find a way to help employees deal with their symptoms in ways they needed, Falcione told CNN.

Persons: “, ”, Mercer, it’s, White, “ I’ll, I’m, didn’t, Stephanie Faubion, you’re, ” Faubion, Faubion, Aaron Falcione, Falcione, Corina Leu, Leu Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, Mayo Clinic, Mayo, Mayo Clinic’s Center, Women’s Health, Merck, Mercer Locations: New York, United States, ”, Mayo

☆ ‘Barbie’ movie’s ending is an important reminder for women’s health
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Madeline Holcombe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The final scene in "Barbie" is important for normalizing women's health, CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen said. Jaap Buitendijk/Courtesy of Warner Bros. PicturesCNN: Do we give enough attention to women’s reproductive health? Dr. Leana Wen: Reproductive health care is still not regarded as part of total health and well-being. It solidifies the understanding that reproductive health is an integral part of overall health. This is a general preventive health visit in which the health care provider begins to establish a relationship of trust with the patient in a one-on-one, confidential setting.

Persons: “ Barbie, ”, Ruth Handler, Barbie, Leana Wen, Margot Robbie, Jaap Buitendijk, Barbie ”, Wen, normalizes, Pap Organizations: CNN, George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Warner Bros . Pictures CNN, American College of Obstetricians

☆ Opill: The FDA approved the US’ first over-the-counter birth control pill. What happens next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Amanda Musa | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the oral contraceptive Opill for over-the-counter use, making it the first nonprescription birth control pill in the United States, but it will be months before it’s available. The typical combination birth control pill, the most commonly used form of oral contraception, uses both hormones to prevent pregnancy. “People use birth control for things outside of preventing pregnancy like [polycystic ovary syndrome], treating heavy periods, painful periods,” she said. “There’s a lot of uses for it outside of birth control that people also will benefit if they can get it over the counter.”Who can use Opill? This could have a major impact for adolescents and young adults who may not otherwise have the resources to access birth control, according to Brandi.

Persons: Gynecologists, ” ACOG, Carolyn Westhoff, they’re, “, ”, Opill, Kristyn Brandi, Brandi, ” Brandi, Anne, Marie Amies Oelschlager, Amies Oelschlager, Jennifer Robinson, ” Robinson, Frederique, Joe Biden, Court’s Dobbs, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Meg Tirrell Organizations: CNN, Food and Drug Administration, American College of Obstetricians, FDA, Columbia University, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Gynecology, of Gynecology, Johns Hopkins University, Treasury, Labor, Human, CNN Health Locations: United States, Opill, New Jersey

☆ Nearly two years after Texas' six-week abortion ban, more babies are dying
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Isabelle Chapman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Texas’ abortion restrictions – some of the strictest in the country – may be fueling a sudden spike in infant mortality as women are forced to carry nonviable pregnancies to term. The increase in deaths could partly be explained by the fact that more babies are being born in Texas. But multiple obstetrician-gynecologists who focus on high-risk pregnancies told CNN that Texas’ strict abortion laws likely contributed to the uptick in infant deaths. Plaintiffs Anna Zargarian, Lauren Miller, Lauren Hall, and Amanda Zurawski at the Texas State Capitol after filing a lawsuit on behalf of Texans harmed by the state's abortion ban on March 7 in Austin, Texas. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/APExperts say that abortion bans in states like Texas lead to increased risk for both babies and mothers.

Persons: ”, Erika Werner, –, Samantha Casiano, she’d, wouldn’t, ” Casiano, ‘, Jay Janner, Casiano, gynecologists, “, Anna Zargarian, Lauren Miller, Lauren Hall, Amanda Zurawski, Rick Kern, Kylie Beaton, Beaton, alobar holoprosencephaly, Beaton’s, couldn’t, Grant, Tom Williams, Zurawski, ” Zurawski, Mae, Lan Winchester, ” Winchester, it’s … Organizations: CNN, Texas, Tufts Medical Center, Center for Reproductive, Capitol, Austin American, Statesman, Texas State Capitol, Getty, ” Locations: Texas, Travis County, Austin , Texas, United States, Ohio

☆ ‘Barbie’ Review: Beyond Her Ken
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Kyle Smith | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Margot Robbie Photo: Warner Bros. PicturesIn “Barbie,” Will Ferrell plays the CEO of Mattel, who muses, “Remember Proust Barbie? That did not sell well.” It’s the film’s second reference to the French modernist novelist, and its makers would have been well advised to heed their own joke and question the wisdom of stuffing this fantasy-comedy with references to the mastectomy and IRS troubles of the doll’s creator, gynecology, the mass devastation of indigenous people by smallpox, and (this comes up many times) “irrepressible thoughts of death.”

Persons: Margot Robbie Photo, “ Barbie, ” Will Ferrell, “, Proust, ” Organizations: Warner Bros, Mattel

☆ People are having babies later and fertility rates are down. Venture capitalists see an opportunity in these 10 reproductive tech startups.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Fertility rates are declining, with those trying for children often needing access to reproductive tech. Insider spoke to seven VCs who named the top startups innovating reproductive and fertility services. "While it is difficult to pin just one number to the size of Europe's reproductive and fertility tech sector, there has definitely been significant growth across the market," said Sasha Astafyeva, partner at Atomico. In 2021, investors poured a record $3.76 billion into reproductive tech startups globally, per Pitchbook data. Insider asked seven VCs about the reproductive and fertility technology startups set to take off.

Persons: Camila Caso, Sasha Astafyeva, Peter Thiel, —, Roe, Wade, Caso Organizations: World Health Organization, Founders Locations: Mexico, Atomico, Europe, Asia

☆ A Blood Test Predicts Pre-eclampsia in Pregnant Women
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Roni Caryn Rabin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To what extent the test will improve outcomes and save lives is not clear, however, as there is no effective treatment for pre-eclampsia, which usually eases after birth. “We don’t have a therapy that reverses or cures pre-eclampsia other than delivery of the baby, which is more like a last resort,” Dr. Woelkers said. The new blood test, made by Thermo Fisher Scientific, has been available in Europe for several years. It is intended for pregnant women who are hospitalized for a blood pressure disorder in the 23rd to 35th weeks of gestation. “A lot of women will have edema and headaches.” (Edema means swelling.)

Persons: “, Woelkers, ”, Sarosh Rana Organizations: Fisher, University of Chicago Locations: Europe

☆ HRT use by younger women linked to dementia, study says. Experts disagree
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

However, experts who treat and study menopause say the study is unable to draw a direct connection to later-life dementia and that the overall benefits of hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, far outweigh the risks for many patients. “One finding in the study was a link between dementia and the use of HRT for a very short time span, under a year. Researchers compared people with dementia who had used hormone therapy, even briefly, with those from the larger group who had not. The chance of being diagnosed with dementia went up with years spent on HRT, the study found. When women used 12 or more years of hormone therapy, the association with a diagnosis of dementia rose to 74%, Pourhadi said.

Persons: ”, Nelsan, Pauline Maki, David Curtis, Kejal, Kantarci, Andrea Lenzi, University of Rome La Sapienza, ” Pourhadi, Pourhadi, Maki, ” Maki, Susan Davis, Amanda Heslegrave, ” Heslegrave Organizations: CNN, Danish Dementia Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, University of Illinois, UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, Mayo Clinic, University of Rome La, University of Illinois’s Center for Research, Women’s, Monash University, Dementia Research Locations: Danish, Denmark, Chicago, neuroradiology, Rochester , Minnesota, Taiwan, Melbourne, Australia, London

☆ Once Roe v. Wade fell, they moved states to go on providing abortions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Evelyn Hockstein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Becoming aware of the risk he faced in choosing to provide abortions suddenly made that work seem even more important. In 2020, she became executive administrator of Braid’s abortion clinics in San Antonio and Tulsa. She didn’t want the staff to know she was his daughter, but Braid could not wait to tell everyone. In Illinois, abortion is legal until a fetus can survive outside the womb, usually around 24 weeks of pregnancy, and later if the patient’s health is endangered. On one trip Reuters joined, she sat for hours on a grounded plane in Oklahoma City as a tornado and hailstorm raged outside.

Persons: Illinois Gallegos, Braid, ” Braid, “, Gallegos, Louis Organizations: Illinois, Tulsa, Reuters Locations: San Antonio, Illinois, Carbondale, Missouri, Florida, Oklahoma City

☆ What is eclampsia, the condition that may have killed Olympian Tori Bowie?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But it can develop in anyone, including someone who’s thin and super healthy,” said Dr. Nicole Calloway Rankins, a maternal health advocate and obstetrician-gynecologist in Richmond, Virginia. However, high blood pressure, often called the “silent killer,” does not always show signs, so the best prevention is regular checkups and blood pressure readings throughout pregnancy, experts say. That’s literally a hypertensive crisis.”For people worried about heart disease, blood pressure at those levels would be concerning, but not a crisis. What is it about pregnancy that makes high blood pressure so dangerous? “We really have to be vigilant and understand that blood pressure in pregnancy is different than outside of pregnancy.

Persons: Tori Bowie, Bowie, ”, Nicole Calloway Rankins, “, Antonia Oladipo, Eclampsia, Eleni Tsigas, Alastair Grant, Rankins, Tori, ” Tsigas, “ We’ve, Tsigas, it’s, don’t, ” Rankins, something’s, Joe Biden, Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, Gynecologists, ” Hoskins, ” CNN’s Jacqueline Howard Organizations: CNN, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, Cleveland Clinic, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Preeclampsia Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Commonwealth Fund, Dimes, Century Foundation, Data, National Center for Health Statistics, American College of Obstetricians Locations: preeclampsia, Richmond , Virginia, New Jersey, Melbourne , Florida, Florida, London, Orlando , Florida, United States

☆ What to Know About Eclampsia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Alisha Haridasani Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The report identified complications of childbirth as the cause of death, listing eclampsia and respiratory distress as possible factors. “Eclampsia occurs in somewhere between one to 10 in 10,000 pregnancies,” said Dr. Joanne Stone, the head of the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Research has suggested that rates of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy — including pre-eclampsia, eclampsia and gestational hypertension — have been on the rise, and increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. What is eclampsia? There can be other causes of seizures during pregnancy, but it’s considered eclampsia “until proven otherwise” through lab tests, including neurological tests, Dr. Longo said.

Persons: Tori Bowie, ”, Joanne Stone, Monica Longo, Eunice Kennedy, Stone, it’s, Longo Organizations: The New York Times, Olympic, Icahn School of Medicine, Research, National, of Child Health, Human, National Institutes of Health Locations: Mount Sinai

☆ Here Come the Flash Periods
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Alisha Haridasani Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In a regular cycle, the ovaries make estrogen to nurture an egg for release and thicken the uterine lining for its arrival, Dr. Munro said. Think of the uterine lining “like grass in your garden,” Dr. Munro said. Or, for other women, there might be so little estrogen that the uterine lining hasn’t grown much, leading only to some light spotting. One of the telltale signs of endometrial hyperplasia, Dr. Kapoor said, is heavy periods. In cases where women have immensely heavy periods, Dr. Munro said, they might also experience iron deficiency and anemia, which in turn can be connected to other common menopause symptoms, including fatigue and brain fog.

Persons: ”, Malcolm Munro, Munro, Dr, “ It’s, “, Harlow, Ekta Kapoor, Kapoor Organizations: David Geffen School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Center, Women’s Health, telltale Locations: U.C.L.A

☆ Fact Check-Pregnancy ultrasound does not cause the DNA damage of ‘250 chest x-rays’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The text in one post sharing the claim (here) reads, “A Single Exposure to Ultrasound Causes DNA Damage Similar to 250 Chest X-Rays” overlayed on an ultrasound image of a fetus. A URL printed across the fetus image leads to an article (here) that makes unfounded claims about the risk of fetal ultrasound, and cites a 1981 study for the “250 chest x-rays” figure. The 1981 study did not draw any such conclusion. In response to a request for comment, the author of the article Jeanice Barcelo said she stands by her claim about the 1981 study. A 1981 study of mouse cells in test tubes did not conclude that ultrasound caused DNA damage equivalent to that of hundreds of x-rays, and extensive research finds ultrasound to be safe for use during pregnancy.

Persons: RAY, “, ”, Safwan, Ann, Robert H, Lurie, Ken Karipidis, Karipidis, Halabi, Jeanice Barcelo, Barcelo, Read Organizations: grays, Reuters, RAY Ultrasound, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, FDA, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Chicago Institute for Fetal, Australian Radiation Protection, Nuclear Safety Agency, International Commission, American Institute of Ultrasound, International Society of Ultrasound, Gynecology, Health Organization Locations: mSv

☆ Simpler hysterectomy may improve quality of life for some women with cervical cancer, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Thanks to more effective screening, more women have been presenting with cervical cancer at a younger age and an earlier stage of the disease. “Simple hysterectomy can now be considered as a new standard of care for patients with low-risk early-stage cervical cancer,” Plante said. “This is a really big deal for women with cervical cancer,” said Moore, who wasn’t involved with the study. If the findings lead to a change in practice for surgeons, it could “change the trajectory of cervical cancer globally,” she said. Cervical cancer is not common in the US or Canada, Moore said, but it is endemic in low- and middle-income countries.

Persons: Dr, Marie Plante, Plante, ” Plante, ”, Kathleen Moore, Virginia Kerley Cade, Moore, Sanjay Gupta, ” Moore, Stephanie V, Blank, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, American Society of Clinical Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Obstetrics, Gynecology, Universite Laval, Studies, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canadian Cancer Society, Virginia, Developmental Therapeutics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, World Health Organization, Get CNN, CNN Health, Mount Sinai Health Locations: Chicago, Quebec, Canada

☆ Complications After Delivery: What Women Need to Know
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Roni Caryn Rabin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After a woman gives birth, the baby’s well-being usually becomes the focus of family attention, and the mother’s health often recedes as a priority. But new research has highlighted the frequency with which serious pregnancy-related medical complications emerge after childbirth — often well after the mother is discharged from the hospital. When are postpartum complications most likely to occur? The first six weeks after delivery are the most dangerous; women and their partners or support teams should be particularly vigilant during the first week. But complications related to pregnancy can emerge up to a year after childbearing.

☆ Andreessen Horowitz and General Catalyst lead $50 million seed round in Hippocratic AI to deliver large language models to healthcare providers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Hippocratic AI is a large language model company aiming to serve healthcare providers. Now, the entrepreneur is marrying his interest in healthcare with his experience as a multi-time AI founder to create Hippocratic AI, a healthcare-focused large language model company. First, Hippocratic AI tested its large language model against 114 different healthcare certifications, 105 of which its model outperformed OpenAI's GPT-4 on, Shah told Insider. Despite its intensive model training efforts and recent hefty capital infusion, Hippocratic AI has yet to release a product. "This language model business has turned software development back into a capital intensive business," he said.

CNN —The leaders of Sudan’s warring military factions have agreed to start preliminary talks in Jeddah aimed at ending the conflict, according to Saudi Arabia and the United States. Clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary RSF erupted in mid-April, since when hundreds have been killed and thousands more injured. The RSF has already fully taken over Omdurman Maternity Hospital, a senior medical employee at a hospital in the state of Khartoum told CNN. However, it has obtained a widely circulated statement reportedly issued by the Omdurman Maternity Hospital administration that says the hospital was “attacked” at dawn on Thursday by RSF forces. CNN has not independently verified these claims, nor has CNN been able to reach the paramilitary RSF for their comments.

☆ Study Shows the Staggering Cost of Menopause for Women in the Work Force
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Alisha Haridasani Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Several other studies have arrived at conclusions similar to those of the Mayo Clinic study. A smaller survey by the corporate health benefits provider Carrot Fertility found that roughly 20 percent of women took time off from work because of menopause. (Dr. Williams was not involved with the research.) Women see in their day-to-day lives that their productivity is impacted.”But most Americans don’t have the ability to choose to cut back on work the way some women in the study did, Dr. Williams said. “Many women don’t have the privilege of saying I’m just not going to teach this course — because maybe if you don’t show up, you will not have a job, and that has economic and personal financial impact too.”

☆ The Mysteries of Ovulation Pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Alisha Haridasani Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

That sensation is most likely pain associated with ovulation, or, as it’s known in the medical world, mittelschmerz (the German term for “middle pain”). It’s difficult to pin down just how prevalent ovulation pain is because, in most cases, it’s so mild that women don’t report it, said Dr. Jenna Turocy, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University. “And very little of the research has to do with the day-to-day experience.” It’s still unclear, for example, why some women don’t experience pain with ovulation at all. “Every ovulation is essentially a ruptured cyst,” Dr. Ginsburg said. Ultrasounds have shown that ovulation coincides with a small explosion of fluid and sometimes blood on the surface of the ovary, Dr. Ginsburg said.

☆ Abortion pill alternative: The drug that could be used if Texas ban on mifepristone upheld
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A federal judge's ruling could take the abortion pill mifepristone off the market — but there is another medication that could provide an alternative for people seeking to terminate their pregnancies. Two states in reaction to that ruling already are stockpiling supplies of misoprostol, the drug that doctors typically prescribe with mifepristone to induce an abortion. That leaves misoprostol available as a safe and effective treatment for women who want to end their pregnancies. Some U.S. abortion providers are prepared to offer misoprostol as a stand-alone treatment, according to Jenny Ma, senior staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, a legal advocacy group that represents abortion providers worldwide. A study released in February by abortion researchers at the University of Texas in Austin found that misoprostol was 88% effective at causing an abortion.

☆ Morning after pill brand speeds up retail access, doubles supply per pack
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The brand is also introducing a new 2-count pack of its emergency contraception (which has a three-year expiration period). Julie rolled out a new two-count pack of its emergency contraception priced at $70. Cleland said a study done last year by the American Society for Emergency Contraception on access to emergency contraception in stores compared price at retail for branded and generic emergency contraception options. “Every time there is a new development on restrictions to reproduction health care, there’s a run on emergency contraceptive. Our retail partners confirmed this,” said Morrison, adding that news events continue to influence buying patterns for emergency contraceptive.

Small icons of scientific papers are lined up in a grid, each representing a study of medication abortion. Studies of abortion pills Each icon represents one study that reported serious complications after medication abortion. For pregnant women considering medication abortion, the alternatives would be childbirth or procedural abortion. Almost all patients will experience bleeding and pain during a medication abortion, because the pills essentially trigger a miscarriage. But the study itself notes that bleeding is expected, serious complications are rare and medication abortion is safe.

☆ Clinics are trying to sell trendy weight-loss injections by flooding TikTok with videos about semaglutide
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The video, which has nearly 60,000 likes, is among a proliferation of TikTok posts tagged with the names of semaglutide weight-loss drugs, including Wegovy and Ozempic. "What drives the video to go viral is if you can generate some kind of discussion," he told Insider. Unlike official ads, partnerships, or promotions, TikTok posts receive little oversight from government agencies or medical boards. All four said the TikTok posts are driving an influx of patients to their clinics. Oden told Insider that her videos are "drumming up quite a bit of new business" among patients of all ages.

☆ Britain’s NHS was once idolized. Now its worst-ever crisis is fueling a boom in private health care
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Private hospital groups flourishTo keep up with growing demand for their services, private health care providers are expanding at a rapid clip. CEO Justin Ash estimates that the market for private health care in the United Kingdom has doubled since before the pandemic to 15 million people. Ash said that appetite for private health care spans a much broader set of ages and incomes than in the past. “We’ve clearly moved into a world in which we’re all NHS patients but have episodes of private care,” he said. There is no universal health care in America and most people have private health insurance because health care is very expensive.

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