Tag: Gynecology

Fewer than half of men and women in Britain aged 16-44 have sex at least once a week, reveals a large study published by The BMJ today. The data show a general decline in sexual activity in Britain between 2001 and 2012, with the steepest declines among the over 25s and those who are married

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found, in mice, that treatment with an antibiotic reduces the size of lesions caused by endometriosis. The researchers are planning a large, multicenter clinical trial to test the drug metronidazole in women who have the painful condition. The study is published online April 30

Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) effectively treats uterine fibroids with fewer post-procedure complications compared to myomectomy, according to new research presented today at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting. Women who received this minimally-invasive treatment also had a slightly lower need for additional treatment than those who underwent surgery. UFE is a minimally-invasive

Racial and ethnic disparities in severe maternal morbidity — life-threatening maternal complications associated with childbirth — have persisted and increased at high rates among U.S. women, according to an analysis of nearly 20 years of California hospital records funded by the National Institutes of Health. Known risk factors for these complications — such as blood

The pill could be blurring your social judgement — but perhaps not enough so you’d notice. By challenging women to identify complex emotional expressions like pride or contempt, rather than basic ones like happiness or fear, scientists have revealed subtle changes in emotion recognition associated with oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use. Published in Frontiers in

Bringing a long quest to a satisfying conclusion, researchers have mapped the active-state structure of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor, the target of widely prescribed drugs to regulate blood pressure and kidney function. The study, published online Jan. 10 in Cell, was conducted by researchers in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School and

Lack of estrogen may play a role in the development of anxiety and memory problems, according to a new rodent study. The findings will be presented today at the American Physiological Society’s (APS) Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Diseases: Sex-Specific Implications for Physiology conference in Knoxville, Tenn. Estrogen, the primary female sex hormone, regulates the female

Evidence of tiny particles of carbon, typically created by burning fossil fuels, has been found in placentas for the first time, in new research presented today (Sunday) at the European Respiratory Society International Congress. Previous research has indicated links between pregnant mothers’ exposure to air pollution and premature birth, low birth weight, infant mortality and

The physical abilities of male and female tennis stars decline at the same rate as they age, new research shows. Men and women are known to have different patterns of ageing — so University of Exeter scientists were surprised to find “similar patterns of decline” among tennis professionals. Using data on first-serve speed and accuracy

The world’s first baby born via in-vitro fertilization turned 40 years old this summer. Still, after four decades, IVF is a relatively new field with ongoing debate on how to get the best results for families who have placed their hopes — and often their personal savings — into fertility treatment. IVF experts disagree about

Pregnant women who had low plasma levels of long chain n-3 fatty acids in their first and second trimesters were at a significantly higher risk of early preterm birth when compared with women who had higher levels of these fatty acids, according to new research from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in collaboration

Can wearing a wet bathing suit cause a yeast infection? The answer, it turns out, isn't so clear cut. Vaginal yeast infections are fungal infections that most women will experience at some point in their lifetime. Though uncomfortable, they're not dangerous. All vaginas have some yeast in them; infections happen when this naturally occurring yeast grows

Body dissatisfaction among women is widespread and can lead to a number of worrisome outcomes, including eating disorders, depression and anxiety. While researchers know a lot about what makes women’s body image worse, they are still short on empirically supported interventions for improving women’s body image. Renee Engeln, a professor of instruction in psychology in

In a recent Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica study, a combined lifestyle intervention including dietary counseling and twice-weekly exercise classes during pregnancy resulted in a slightly longer first stage of labor, without any other effects during labor or delivery. Women reporting to have high physical activity level (>35 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity/day) in late

Results of a recent study to better understand modifiable factors such as physical activity that may affect a woman’s ability to conceive a child suggest that walking may help women to improve their chances of becoming pregnant. The study was conducted by recent graduate Lindsey Russo and her advisor Brian Whitcomb, associate professor of biostatistics

Data from almost 600 participants show that women’s perceptions of male attractiveness do not vary according to their hormone levels, in contrast with some previous research. The study findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. “We found no evidence that changes in hormone levels influence the type of

Attempted vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) is associated with higher rates of adverse effects or death for mothers and infants, although absolute rates were low in mothers who attempted this type of birth, according to research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). “The absolute rates of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes are low with both

A letter from three University of Chicago researchers in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine updates a 47-year-old series of reports on the risks of exposure during pregnancy to a supplement, diethylstilbestrol (DES), that was once widely used but since 1971 has been linked to a rare cancer: clear-cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina and

New research coordinated by Karolinska Institutet in Sweden links certain DNA variants to increased risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in women. The findings, published in the scientific journal Gastroenterology, might help explain why IBS is more common in women than in men. Irritable bowel syndrome is the most common gastrointestinal disorder. More than 10