All News

High levels of estradiol (E2), present during ovulation and immediately after, diminish a woman's ability to protect against infection, according to a recent study from Spain and Austria. This means that women are more susceptible to fungal infection, such as with Candida Albicans (C albicans), or sexually transmitted diseases, such as HPV or HIV, during ovulation than at any other time during the reproductive cycle.

A survey of 72 health organizations found that the growth of physician use of smartphones also has increased the incidence of data breaches, with 96% of respondents experiencing at least 1 data breach in the past 2 years.

Combined oral contraceptives (COCs) reduce menstrual pain in some women, a Swedish long-term study has found. Although COCs are commonly recommended to treat primary dysmenorrhea, a 2009 Cochrane Review called their efficacy into question.

Women with sleep problems have a higher risk of developing fibromyalgia than women who don’t have trouble sleeping, according to a large prospective Norwegian study.

Baseline T score is the most useful way to determine how often to test bone mineral density (BMD) in older postmenopausal women with normal BMD or osteopenia at initial assessment, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2012;366[3]:225-233).

Women feel pain more intensely than men across a number of diseases, including diabetes, arthritis and certain respiratory infections, according to a study of gender differences in self-reported pain.

As a gynecological oncologist, I often see patients who want to be tested for cancer because a close family member has just been diagnosed. Understandably, they want to be sure they don’t have it.

Women with diabetes can bring a host of medical complications to their pregnancy. Recently, research has shown that cesarean section rates are higher in women with diabetes, and some estimates note that more than half of those C-sections are emergency operations and not elective procedures.