Category: Female Health

Diabetes quadruples risk of birth defects, study shows . Diabetic mothers-to-be have a high risk of giving birth to babies with birth defects like congenital heart disease and spina bifida — specifically, a risk four-fold higher than non-diabetic mothers.

That’s according to new findings from a British study that analyzed data from more than 400,000 pregnancies in northeast United Kingdom that occurred from 1996 to 2008.

For the study, researchers from the Newcastle University compared the rates of birth defects in babies born to women with diabetes (numbering 1,677) to those that women without diabetes had. Most of the diabetic women studies (78.4 percent ) had type 1 diabetes.

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New stem-cell enhanced breast reconstruction: Ground-breaking or risky? Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women and a good number of women will suffer from it in their lifetime. In the United States, 200,000 women are diagnosed each year with this cancer, and a fourth of them will go on to die of the dreaded disease.

But while breast cancer survivors are grateful for their chance at a new life, they are also bogged down by pain, disfigurement and the psychological distress that comes with having to have both breasts, one or a part of their breast removed.

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NuvaRing Blood Clot Risks and Side Effects: Is It Safe for You to Use? Are you thinking about using the NuvaRing, the birth control vaginal ring? If so, take note: health experts say that women wanting to use NuvaRing because of its effectiveness and convenience must balance these qualities against the fact that the contraceptive may pose a higher risk for blood clots.

The world’s first when it was approved by health regulators in 2001 and hailed as a “no-muss/no-fuss alternative” to the birth control pill, NuvaRing is currently facing a massive, multidistrict federal case in the United States over safety issues. Trials are scheduled to begin this year.

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Vaginal Mesh Implants: Safety and Side Effects Study Ordered by FDA. If you’re a woman and you suffer from urinary incontinence, take heed. The United States Food and Drug Administration recently issued an order requiring makers of implantable surgical mesh used to treat urinary incontinence in women to study the rates of organ damage and complications linked to vaginal mesh implants.

U.S. regulators were responding to reports by patient advocates claiming the devices have caused infections, pain other complications and even serious injuries in women.

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Ortho Evra Side Effects, Blood Clot Risks and Other Adverse Reactions. Reproductive health advisers to the United States Food and Drug Administration have recommended that the label of Johnson & Johnson’s birth control patch Ortho Evra be simplified to explain the risk of blood clots more clearly.

Voting 20 to 3 with one abstention, the panel said the current label for Ortho Evra inadequately reflects the risks women face by using it.

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Can You Breastfeed After Breast Implant? Yes, You Can! So you want to breastfeed your baby but are afraid that your breast implants will make it difficult or impossible? Or are you thinking of having a breast lift but worry that the implants may make it hard for you to breastfeed when you become a mom?

Worry no more as the verdict is out: Medical and health experts say most women with breast implants can breastfeed without harming themselves or their babies.

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