Women's Alcohol Use Tied to Delayed Childbearing

Alcoholism is associated with delayed childbearing in women, according to a study that compared women's and men's lifetime history of alcohol dependence and their age when they had their first child. Read more

Strength Training May Ease Fibromyalgia Symptoms

An exercise plan that includes strength training and aerobic activity may help women with the painful disorder fibromyalgia. Read more

Shop 'Til You Drop: You May Feel Better

HealthDay News) -- When dealing with financial worries, some women may actually overspend to try to cheer themselves up, a British survey shows. Read more

More Single Women Are Having Babies

(HealthDay News) -- The number of unmarried women having children has risen sharply in the United States and several other countries, according to U.S. health officials. Read more

Health Tip: Birth Control Pill Side Effects

(HealthDay News) -- Birth control pills contain hormones that prevent the woman's ovaries from releasing eggs -- a process called ovulation.
In many women, the pill causes side effects, which often clear up in two or three months, says Planned Parenthood.

It lists these common side effects of birth control pills:

• Bleeding between periods.
• Sore breasts.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Changes in libido.
• If you have these side effects for more than three months, consult your doctor, Planned Parenthood advises.

Health Tip: Why Baby Won't Breast-Feed

(HealthDay News) -- Sometimes, babies may stop wanting to breast-feed for a short period, for a variety of reasons. This is not necessarily an indication that your baby no longer needs to breast-feed.

The Nemours Foundation offers this list of possible reasons why your baby may take a break from breast-feeding for a few days:

• New foods or other dietary changes may make your milk taste different.
• Your baby is teething, and has sore gums that make feeding painful.
• You are stressed, and your baby notices.
• You've changed your breast-feeding routine.
• You reacted loudly to an accidental bite, frightening your baby.
• You've changed your perfume or deodorant, and your baby notices the different smell.
• Your baby may have an ear infection, stuffy nose or other condition that makes breast-feeding painful or uncomfortable.

Ridiculous Pregnancy Advice Examined

By Erica Kain

Does anyone receive more unsolicited advice than a pregnant woman? Now that my pregnancy is obvious to any passer-by, I’m getting it from all sides.
Although it may be well-intentioned, most of the advice I receive from anyone but my doctor sounds like bunk.
Here are five of the more bothersome bits of “wisdom” I have been told—and the truth behind them. View the slideshow.

“Family Balancing”: Should We Tinker With Nature?

By Erica Kain

Istockphoto
The response to the news that I’m pregnant with a girl has been joy, as well as laughter: ”Whoa, three girls? Now you have to try for a boy.”
Do I?
After the misdiagnosed miscarriage, the hyperemesis, the bleeding, the leaking, and the general drama associated with this pregnancy, I hadn’t given much thought to another pregnancy. In fact, a tubal ligation began to sound like a viable option to me. Read More

Health Tip: Considering Home Birth?

(HealthDay News) -- Home birth is a safe option for many moms-to-be who want to deliver in the privacy and comfort of their home.

But for some women who are at risk of complications, a home birth may not be the safest option.

The American Pregnancy Association lists these factors for women who may be better off at a hospital when they deliver:

• Being diabetic.
• Having preeclampsia or chronic high blood pressure.
• Having had a prior premature birth preterm birth, or being at risk for preterm labor.

Is the Sick Economy Hurting Your Breasts? You Tell Us

By Anne Krueger

Istockphoto/Health
You’ve probably been reading about how a sick economy affects your health in numerous depressing ways, and how consumers are reacting by skimping on medications and skipping doctor visits. Unfortunately, your breasts may be pinched by a recession too. Here, a few ways that Lucy and Ethel may suffer.
Skipped mammosOne of the best ways to prevent breast cancer is with a mammogram. You know you should follow the American Cancer Society recommendation to get one every year after the age of 40. But a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that 31% of Americans skipped a health screening test this year—perhaps due to ballooning medical bills. Missing a mammogram puts your breasts—and overall health—at risk. Please let us know if you’ve skipped a breast health exam for financial reasons. Read More

Health Tip: Talking With Your Daughter About Menstruation

(HealthDay News) -- Discussing menstruation and puberty may be difficult, but necessary, topics of conversation between parents and teenage daughters.

The Nemours Foundation offers these suggestions:

• Use a book or DVD that can help you with your explanation. This also may be more comfortable for your daughter.
• Ask your child's pediatrician for advice on how to approach the subject.
• Do your research. Make sure you are factual and can answer any questions she poses.
• If you hear her talking about the menstrual cycle, ask her gently about where she heard the information. This is a great way to correct any misconceptions she has.
• Before a doctor's appointment, talk to your daughter about questions the doctor may ask her -- including whether she's gotten her period.

What Not to Say to a Woman Who Has Miscarried, and How You Can Help

By Erica Kain

After my three miscarriages, several older people have told me they were sorry about my “disappointment.” “What disappointment?” I always want to ask. I’m disappointed when Lost is a rerun; I’m devastated when I lose the chance to bring a child into the world.

But that euphemistic approach to discussing pregnancy loss is at the heart of why so many people have no idea what to say after you’ve had a miscarriage. Even though it’s surprisingly common, no one talks about it. Read More

Healthy Lifestyle Boosts Women's Longevity

(HealthDay News) -- Women who don't smoke, maintain a healthy weight, eat a healthful diet, and get regular physical exercise significantly reduce their risk of dying from any cause, and particularly from heart disease and cancer, Harvard University researchers report.

Although the finding seems obvious, the scientists hope that by showing the long-term results of healthy living, people will see lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of dying from diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

"Our findings suggest that the combination of lifestyle factors has a substantially larger impact on survival than any single factor," said lead researcher Rob M. van Dam, an assistant professor of medicine at Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School.

Clearly, avoiding smoking is of major importance for health, but regular physical activity, a healthy diet and weight management can result in large additional health benefits, van Dam said. "The results of the study reinforces the need to strengthen public health efforts targeting smoking, as well as efforts that make it easier for people to maintain a healthy weight and diet and to perform regular physical activity," he said.

The report was published in the Sept. 17 online edition of the British Medical Journal.

For the study, van Dam's team collected data on 77,782 women who participated in the Brigham and Women's Hospital-based Nurses Health Study. Over 24 years starting in 1980, the women in the study responded to yearly questions about lifestyle and health. Over that time, 8,882 women died, 1,790 from heart disease and 4,527 from cancer.

For women who never smoked, ate a healthy diet, did not become overweight, and remained physically active, the researchers estimated the overall risk of death was reduced by 55 percent. In addition, these women had a 44 percent reduced risk of dying from cancer and a 72 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease, van Dam's group found.

Looking at individual risk factors, the researchers calculated that 28 percent of the deaths were from smoking, 14 percent were from being overweight, 17 percent were due to lack of physical activity, and 13 percent to not eating a healthy diet. Among women who didn't smoke, 22 percent of the deaths were due to being overweight, the researchers noted.

In addition, 7 percent of the deaths were attributed to not drinking a light to moderate amount of alcohol, which was associated with a lower risk of dying from heart disease. However, heavy alcohol use was associated with a greater risk of dying from cancer.

"Adhering to advice regarding a combination of lifestyle factors -- nonsmoking, healthy diet and weight, regular physical activity -- can have a large impact on avoiding premature death," van Dam said. "This is true even for modest lifestyle changes such as 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking."

Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of Women & Heart Disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said the message of this study is that women can take control of their health.

"In this study, we see the huge impact that these five aspects of life have on causes of death," Steinbaum said. "It's empowering. It allows us to understand that we have control of our lives, of our destiny," she said. "If you really do these things, you can live healthier, you can live longer, and your medical expenditures will actually be less."

It is important for women to understand the amount of control they have over their health, Steinbaum said. "You are not a victim. You don't age and go through menopause and become a sick old woman. That's not how it has to work. We have to understand that aging doesn't have to be associated with illness," she said.

Another expert thinks doctors need to do more to promote healthy living. "These findings are not novel," Dr. Jeffrey S. Berger, from the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Duke University, said. "But it really sends a very strong message to physicians and the community of the importance of routine activities that influence mortality."

The message is particularly important for doctors, Berger said. "Physicians have to see this and read this, and make it a part of their daily practice," he said.

In addition to writing prescriptions, in addition to talking about the latest drug, it is paramount for every physician to spend a significant amount of time with their patients discussing these facts, which are often overlooked, Berger added.

More information
For more on women's health, visit the National Institutes of Health.

You Have to Prepare for Breast-Feeding Success

By Kate Rope

Learn how to breast-feed before you give birth: That’s the advice I gave to a friend of mine who is about to have her first child. With a 10-month-old on my hip, I’m no expert on all things parental, but I did feel confident offering her the “learn now” nugget of wisdom.

It may seem counterintuitive (like putting a condom on before you go out on a date), but I credit that approach with my seamless transition into nursing, which for many women is the first real struggle of motherhood. Read More

Black Raspberries Get Cancer at the Genes

Black raspberries slow cancer by altering hundreds of genes.

New research strongly suggests that a mix of preventative agents, such as those found in concentrated black raspberries, may more effectively inhibit cancer development than single agents aimed at shutting down a particular gene.

Researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center examined the effect of freeze-dried black raspberries on genes altered by a chemical carcinogen in an animal model of esophageal cancer.

The carcinogen affected the activity of some 2,200 genes in the animals’ esophagus in only one week, but 460 of those genes were restored to normal activity in animals that consumed freeze-dried black raspberry powder as part of their diet during the exposure.

These findings, published in the journal Cancer Research, also helped identify 53 genes that may play a fundamental role in early cancer development and may therefore be important targets for chemoprevention agents.

“We have clearly shown that berries, which contain a variety of anticancer compounds, have a genome-wide effect on the expression of genes involved in cancer development,” says principal investigator Gary D. Stoner, a professor of pathology, human nutrition and medicine who studies dietary agents for the prevention of esophageal cancer.

“This suggests to us that a mixture of preventative agents, which berries provide, may more effectively prevent cancer than a single agent that targets only one or a few genes.”

Stoner notes that black raspberries have vitamins, minerals, phenols and phytosterols, many of which individually are known to prevent cancer in animals.

“Freeze drying the berries concentrates these elements about ten times, giving us a power pack of chemoprevention agents that can influence the different signaling pathways that are deregulated in cancer,” he says.

To conduct this study, Stoner and his colleagues fed rats either a normal diet or a diet containing 5 percent black-raspberry powder. During the third week, half the animals in each diet group were injected three times with a chemical carcinogen, N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine. The animals continued consuming the diets during the week of carcinogen treatment.

After the third week, the researchers examined the animals’ esophageal tissue, thereby capturing gene changes that occur early during carcinogen exposure. Their analyses included measuring the activity, or expression levels, of 41,000 genes. In the carcinogen-treated animals, 2,261 of these genes showed changes in activity of 50 percent or higher.

“These changes in gene expression correlated with changes in the tissue that included greater cell proliferation, marked inflammation, and increased apoptosis,” Stoner says.

In the animals fed berry powder, however, a fifth of the carcinogen affected genes – exactly 462 of them – showed near-normal levels of activity, when compared with controls. Most of these genes are associated with cell proliferation and death, cell attachment and movement, the growth of new blood vessels and other processes that contribute to cancer development. The tissue also appeared more normal and healthy.

Lastly, of the 462 genes restored to normal by the berries, 53 of them were also returned to normal by a second chemoprevention agent tested during a companion study.

“Because both berries and the second agent maintain near-normal levels of expression of these 53 genes, we believe their early deregulation may be especially important in the development of esophageal cancer,” Stoner says.

“What’s emerging from studies in cancer chemoprevention is that using single compounds alone is not enough,” Stoner says. “And berries are not enough. We never get 100 percent tumor inhibition with berries. So we need to think about another food that we can add to them that will boost the chemopreventive activities of berries alone.”

Source
Cancer Research
Ohio State University

Hormone Replacement May Raise Women's Gallbladder Risk

(HealthDay News) -- A postmenopausal woman who uses hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may boost her risk for gallbladder disease, researchers say, although the risk appears to vary depending on how she receives the hormones.

"For women who are using HRT, their risk of gallbladder disease is less if they use a patch or gel form of HRT rather than the tablet form of HRT," noted Dr. Bette Liu, a clinical epidemiologist at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

"There is evidence that is developing that the patch may have less negative effects than the pill. We need to make sure that we're talking about the menopausal hormone therapy patch, not the birth control patch -- there may be less adverse effects than when taking estrogen by mouth," said Dr. Patricia J. Sulak, professor of obstetrics/gynecology at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and an obstetrician/gynecologist with Scott & White.

According to Sulak, who was not involved in the study, hormone therapy can be taken non-orally in several ways, including gels (rubbing it on), the patch and even spraying it on.

Not only are patches and gels given at lower doses, but they bypass having to be metabolized through the liver, thus reducing any effect on the gallbladder, the authors explained. The gallbladder stores bile produced in the liver, and less estrogen collected in the bile could explain the reduced risk, the team noted.

The findings were published this week in the online edition of the British Medical Journal.

HRT is still taken by large numbers of women to relieve the symptoms of menopause -- despite evidence of various health risks, including heightened odds for breast cancer and stroke.

The risk of developing gallbladder disease also increases when a woman hits menopause, and experts have long known that HRT contributes to this risk. To date, however, no one has analyzed whether the risk varies depending on how HRT is administered. A recent study did find that the risk of blood clots was lower in women taking HRT via skin patches as opposed to pills.

In the new study, Liu and her colleagues looked at data on more than one million women who had participated in the Million Women Study in England and Scotland. The mean age of participants was 56, and they were followed for an average of six years.

Women currently using HRT were 64 percent more likely to be hospitalized for gallbladder disease, but they were only 17 percent more likely to be admitted if they were using gels or patches.

Higher doses of estrogen were associated with a higher risk than lower doses. The risk also decreased the longer the woman had been off of HRT, although there was still some risk a decade after discontinuing.

The risk seemed mainly confined to estrogen. Adding progesterone did not have a significant impact on the risk of gallbladder disease.

Estrogen implants involved a level of risk that fell between those faced by users of oral HRT and those faced by users of patches or gels.

Among women using HRT, one cholecystectomy (removal of the gallbladder) could be avoided for every 140 women using transdermal therapy rather than oral therapy over a five-year period, the team found.

According to the study, about 1.1 percent of middle-aged women in the U.K. who have never used HRT will end up having a cholecystectomy. That proportion rises to 1.3 percent among women using patches or gel and to 2 percent for women taking HRT in pill form.

"Most people will do fine with pills, but some patients who are prone to gallbladder disease or even blood clots may do better with the patch," Sulak said. "Not all women can tolerate the patch, however. They may have skin reactions, or the patch won't stay on."

More information
There's more on hormone replacement therapy at the Women's Health Initiative.

Balancing Your Hormones Without Drugs... You Can Feel Good Again $19.95 [ learn more ] Hormone imbalance can be reversed! Look and feel better than ever, just take the time to learn about yourself and read the information contained in this just released e-book about reversing hormone imbalance. Are you ready to finally look and feel great? If so... read on... - E-Book Version.(BH)

Breakthroughs Offer Hope to MS Patients

(HealthDay News) -- There's no one single way to suffer from multiple sclerosis.

Every patient exhibits different symptoms as the disease gnaws away at the nerve endings in the brain, the spinal cord and even the eyes.

Doctors aren't even sure what causes MS, or what makes one person more likely to get it than another.

"I have a patient who is 6 years old," said Dr. Daniel Kantor, director of the Comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Center at the University of Florida. "I have a patient who is 71 years old. I have patients from all walks of life, all ages."

But, the recent discovery of a second gene linked to Multiple sclerosis -- hailed as a major breakthrough -- is giving researchers hope that they are zeroing in on useful treatments -- and, ultimately, a cure.

In what is considered the most significant genetic breakthrough in MS research in three decades, scientists last year announced they had found a gene that increases the risk of developing the disease by 30 percent.

"This discovery is very significant, because it is hopefully the first of many, and after more than 30 years of finding nothing," said Dr. Jennie Q. Lou, professor of public health and internal medicine at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

"We will expect to find many more of these genes over the next few years. Either these genes, or genes related to them, may be an excellent target that researchers can use to develop treatments and cures for MS," she added.

The symptoms of multiple sclerosis are many and varied, as the disease attacks different parts of the nervous system.

One MS patient may have trouble walking, while another is wheelchair-bound. One person may experience terrible fatigue, while another might struggle with blurred or double vision. Still another might have slurred speech, tremors, stiffness and bladder problems, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

"A lot of the symptoms are invisible symptoms to an outsider," Kantor said. "Pain, extreme fatigue, memory problems -- these are problems you just can't see."

Multiple sclerosis is considered an autoimmune disease, because it attacks the central nervous system.

The nerve fibers of the central nervous system are surrounded and protected by a fatty tissue called myelin, which helps the fibers conduct electrical impulses. With MS, myelin is lost in multiple areas, leaving scar tissue called sclerosis. Sometimes, the fiber itself is harmed.

When myelin or the nerve fiber is destroyed or damaged, the ability of the nerves to conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain is disrupted, producing the various symptoms of MS.

Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, and twice as many women as men have the disease. About 400,000 Americans are known to have MS, and every week about 200 new cases are diagnosed. Worldwide, the MS toll may run as high as 2.5 million people, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The exact cause of MS is unknown, but doctors suspect it comes from some combination of genetic and environmental factors, Kantor said.

"There's a genetic predisposition and then something happens, they are exposed to something, and it makes the body's defense system attack itself versus attacking a foreign invader," he said.
That's why the discovery of the second gene is so important. Researchers now know they have to cast a wider net.

"We've been looking at one gene the whole time, and we thought that was going to be the answer to understanding MS," Kantor said. "This is just telling us there's another part of the immune system that is important as well. It's made things more complicated, but if it's true, it's true."

The gene discovery is one of a number of advances that are occurring at a rapid pace.

Lou noted that new research has successfully used stem cells to help replace myelin in the brains of mice. "This discovery has shed light on the great potential of using stem cells in MS treatment," she said.

And last year, researchers proved that an experimental DNA vaccine to fight multiple sclerosis is safe and stands a good chance of being effective. The vaccine works by thwarting the immune system's attack on the myelin sheaths protecting nerve fibers.

Other advances noted by Lou include:

• Better and earlier diagnosis owing to advances in imaging technology.


• Improved drugs to reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms, and the accumulation of lesions in the brain and spinal cord.


• More aggressive rehabilitation programs developed specifically for MS patients.

"Every time we get our Journal of Neurology, more than half of it is about MS and how we can treat MS," Kantor said. "The MS of today is not the MS of even 15 years ago. We are learning more about it at a rapid rate."

More information
To learn more, visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Health Tip: Trying Pregnancy Again

(HealthDay News) -- Trying to get pregnant again after a miscarriage can be fraught with a host of emotional and physical concerns.

Here are suggestions when considering another pregnancy after a miscarriage, courtesy of the American Pregnancy Association:

• Doctors routinely recommend waiting six months to one year before trying to get pregnant again. This is to make sure that the woman's body to ready to handle another pregnancy.


• It's also important to make sure that you're emotionally ready to try again.


• About 85 percent of women who have had a miscarriage go on to have a successful pregnancy. Among those who have had more than one loss, the rate is about 75 percent.


• If you do get pregnant again, ask your doctor to help you more carefully monitor your health and progress.


• It's normal to still grieve for an earlier loss while celebrating the arrival of a new baby.
  It's common to be hesitant in bonding with your new baby, fearing another loss.


• Talk to your doctor about counselors or support groups if you are having a difficult time with your pregnancy or new baby.

How Many Drinks Are Too Many for Women?

By Ross Weale

The number of women who drink (and push the limits of safe drinking) is on the rise according to this report by NBC’s Amy Robach. On May 30, Health magazine contributor Roshini Raj, MD, talked with Today show host Meredith Vieira about how alcohol effects women and how much they can drink safely.


Read More

When Cups Do Not Runneth Over: The Breast Implant Debate

By Anne Krueger

1984 was a good year for my girls. My boobs were still small enough that I could go braless, but big enough that no one would mistake me for a boy. It’s one of the few times I actually liked my breasts (aside from a brief stint as a cocktail waitress in 1977 and when I was breast-feeding, adventures best saved for future posts). The rest of my life has been filled with mammary dissatisfaction, and apparently I’m not alone.

When we asked Health.com visitors what they would most like to change about their breasts, they responded:
Breast size: 47%Breast shape: 31%The fact they sit somewhere near my belly button: 22%

Unlike me, lots of women are doing more than just whining about the state of their bosom: In 2007 breast augmentation moved to the top spot on the list of the most popular cosmetic surgeries for women, up 6% from the year before. Nearly 400,000 women in the U.S. had a boob job last year at an average cost of $4,000 a pop—and the numbers are expected to keep pushing up. Read More