How Can I Increase My Breast Size Through Exercise

There are perfectly effective and simple exercises you can do at home to achieve the shape and size you are looking for. One thing that you need to understand when using breast enlargement exercises is that you are not increasing the fat, which is the main component of breast tissue but are actually building up the pectoral muscle that is underneath your breasts.

• Chair dips
Using this exercise is one of the best ways to use minimal equipment in virtually any location. You want to make sure that the chair you are using will not move during the exercises. To do this breast enlargement exercises you will need to sit on the chair and put both of your hands on the edge of the seat next to your thighs. Slowly lift your body off the chair and walk your legs out so your body will be directly in front of the chair. Bend your arms to lower your body as far as you are able to. Press back upward. You should repeat this exercise for two sets with ten repetitions in each set.

• Push-ups using an exercise ball
When do push-ups on an exercise ball will not only help to isolate your lower portion of your pectoral muscles but will also help to strengthen your entire chest. You need to make sure when you are doing these breast enlargement exercises that the exercise ball is inflated to what the manufacture recommends and it is on a surface that is non-slip. The reason is that a portion of your body weight will be on the exercise ball and if the ball slips or is not inflated properly you could get hurt. To start the exercises place your stomach on top of the exercise ball while allowing your feet and hands to touch the ground or floor. Walk yourself forward with your hands until you have your lower legs on top of the ball. Make sure that you are keeping your back straight. Bend your arms and then lower yourself as far as you can. Push back up and repeat for ten to twelve repetitions.

• Lying dumbbell pullovers
With these breast enlargement exercises you will be using a weight bench and a dumbbell. Lay on your back on the weight bench, holing one dumbbell with both hands, making sure that your arms are straight. Hold it vertical and over your face. Slowly bend your elbows and lower the weight behind your head as far as you able to. Lift the dumbbell slowly back up to the starting position. Do ten to twelve repetitions.

• Modified push-ups
These breast enlargement exercises will help to stimulate your core and your arms along with helping to develop your pectoral muscles. Get on all fours making sure your hands and chest are aligned. Slightly press your hips forward but make sure that you are keeping your spine straight. Lower your chest toward the floor while you bend your arms. Hold for ten seconds and then slowly come up until the arms are straight. Do three sets of fifteen repetitions

Augmentation With Breast Implants

The procedure of breast implant surgery involves the placement of implants surgically in order to increase the fullness and projection of the breasts or to improve the symmetry of the breasts.

The surgery is performed for:

• Enlarging naturally small breasts
• Restoring breast volume lost due to breast feeding
• Achieving symmetry of breasts which are disproportionate in size and shape
• Enhancing self confidence and self esteem

For those dissatisfied with their breast size, this surgery is a good option which can be considered. It can also be performed for breast reconstruction after any injury or mastectomy.

Breast Implant Surgery Options
There are two types of implants used for adding volume to the breasts -- silicone and saline implants. In both, the shell is made of strong elastomer silicone. While viscous silicone gel is filled in the silicone implants, sterile saline solution is filled in saline implants. There are other implants too like composite ones but FDA approved silicone and saline implants are two of the most preferred choices. Compared to saline implants, silicone implants look and feel more natural because they have a texture similar to that of the breast tissue.

Implant Positioning

The implants are inserted either through an incision made in the armpit, or under the breast or at the edge of the areola. Saline implants require an incision about an inch long, and silicone implants need an inch and a half long incision. This is because saline implants are filled after they are inserted whereas silicone implants come pre-filled.

The location where the incision is made depends upon certain factors such as:
• implant type
• diameter of the areola
• age
• current body mass
• anatomy of the breast

It is placed in a pocket either directly at the back of the breast tissue, beneath the pectoral muscle or above it.

Breast Implants in a Variety of Sizes and Shapes

Implants are available in sizes ranging from 100 - 400 cc. The right size is selected on the basis of one's chest size, height and amount of breast tissue present. They are tear-drop and round shaped.

Complications associated with implants include capsular contracture and rupture. This rupture may go unnoticed for a number of years. To detect early rupture you may need MRI monitoring. If implants rupture, you may require replacement. Capsular contracture is when a capsule of scar tissue is formed around the implant. This can cause pain and also bring about change in the appearance of the implant. If such a condition develops, removal of scar capsule or replacement may become necessary. Apart from discomfort, you may also experience swelling and pain after the surgery. In such cases it is advisable to consult your plastic surgeon.

Recovery

Recovery period post breast implant surgery is around one or two weeks depending upon the type of implantation performed. You can resume your normal activities while adhering to certain precautions such as avoiding strenuous physical activities at least for a few weeks.

WARNING - Retinol Is Harmful For Daytime Use!

Retinol is not all Bad! For certain anti-aging wrinkle free eyes, it is wonderful.

But, you need to Be Careful of When, How and Who you allow to use it. Retinol has chemical products that do not mix well with sunshine, and has been known to enhance wrinkles and skin cancer! Like you, I was completely shocked and irate that no one is making this information known. So, here I am. Providing some information that most corporate giants do not want to discuss.

Sort of reminds me of a movie we saw about 10 years ago where the skin care was making the women ugly, and they were being held hostage over the TV. Our hero exposed the radical clown in his attempts to change the world with his products, that were actually making them just as ugly as he was.

The Facts are actually plastered out there. Retinol has vitamin A. Vitamin A has components that break down when exposed to the sun and air. They do not keep well if not stored in a pump or tube, and should be used quickly over a few weeks.

Never use retinol or derivatives with vitamin A in lipsticks, foundations or sunscreens. As a matter of fact, I am telling you NEVER buy any products that have retinol in their ingredients unless they are in a night cream, and can be washed off in the morning.

Why anyone would put it in a cleanser makes no sense, especially when marked as an anti aging product.

And PLEASE if you know someone who is pregnant, be a busy body and go through her products! Make sure none of them have retinol or vitamin A.

An ingredient called, Tretinoin, is in stronger retinol based products and should be used sparingly. The ingredients that include Tretinoin, actually help deep wrinkles and can help in the fight against anti-aging in the eye and lip areas. But, there are some persons with sensitive skin who may find that Tretinoin has been known to dry out and cause flaking around sensitive areas of the skin, especially under the eyes.

Vitamin A is good! Please do not misunderstand the message. It has important ingredients that reverse sun damage. Vitamin A helps produce healthy cell production and keeps our immunities strong. But topically, in skin care products, the key is to not over indulge. When it comes to your eyes in anti-wrinkle creams or products, use small amounts and wash it off after about 8 hours of sleep.

I hope this helps you make good choices in your skin care regime.

Importance Of Breastfeeding

A mother's milk is the most important feed for an infant and cannot be adequately replaced by any other food including infant formula. For this reason, expectant women should be very keen on what they eat and make sure they eat healthy food during pregnancy.

Human milk is known to provide virtually all the nutrients that an infant may need at that particular stage in life to grow and develop in the healthiest way possible. Regular breast feeding is greatly encouraged to lactating mothers as it benefits their babies as well as them too.

Medical specialists have recommended that breast feeding should be done exclusively for the first six months. This means that for the first six months of the baby's life, there should be no solid food, formula or water that should be given to the baby.

During that period, mothers should also ensure that they are taking the best nutrition for breast feeding to boost the effectiveness of their breast milk. Here are some quick important advantages of healthy breast feeding for children as well as their mothers.

· Boosting your child's intelligence

Studies by various researchers have shown that breast fed children score higher in IQ tests than those who are not breast fed. It has been proven that fatty acids in the breast milk contribute to this. In addition to that, the emotional bonding between the mother and the baby during breast feeding is also said to contribute to these brain power effects.

· Protection against diseases

In addition to containing all the proteins, vitamins, fats that a baby needs in the first six months of his life, breast milk is enriched with disease -fighting substances that protect your baby from all types of illnesses such as meningitis, ear infections, respiratory illnesses and even diarrhea.

Moreover, breast milk protection against diseases extends beyond your baby's breastfeeding stage. This protection is quite unique; milk formula cannot match the chemical makeup of human breast milk.

· Protection against allergies

Breast feeding also reduces the risk of babies getting all sorts of allergies. Babies fed on milk formulae based on cow milk or soy tend to get allergies more often than breast fed children and are even more vulnerable to inflammations and other eventual health issues.

· Cost effective

Mothers who breast feed their babies do not have to spend any money to feed their children. Furthermore, since breast feeding lowers the health risks of your baby, you do not have to spend much on medical expenses related to the health of your baby.

Pelvic Pain During Pregnancy: A Maternity Belt Can Help

Back and pelvic pain are common during pregnancy. The hormone relaxin is released in your body, loosening joints to allow your baby room to grow. Along with pelvic instability caused by loosened joints, your stomach is growing; this changes your center of gravity and adds extra stress on the pelvic muscles and joints.

Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is a general label given to pain in the back, front and/or sides of the pelvis during pregnancy. There are several joints throughout the pelvis, all of which are susceptible to dysfunction and pain during pregnancy. The symphysis pubis joint forms in the front of the pelvis, the hip joint forms at both the right and left sides of the pelvis and the sacroiliac joints forms where the hip bones meet the base of the spine on each side.

Pelvic girdle pain may be dull and achy or severe and sharp. It may be limited to one side of the body, depending on which joint(s) is (are) affected. It will likely be exacerbated by lying on your back, rolling over while lying down, moving from sitting to standing or spreading your legs apart.

Discomfort is a normal part of pregnancy, but there are ways to manage it. For pelvic girdle pain, your best option may be a lumbopelvic belt.

Study: Belt Trumps Exercise

In a study of 105 pregnant women exhibiting pelvic girdle pain, the effects of a lumbopelvic belt on pain and disability scores was compared to the effects of stabilization exercise and information alone over a 6-week period.

At the 3- and 6-week follow-ups, the pelvic belt was found to improve both scores more than either exercise and information or information alone. The type of belt used in the study was non-rigid.

See more on this study at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23640314.

Affordable Short-Term Relief

A soft lumbopelvic belt, also called a maternity belt, can help your pelvis stay stable as your belly grows and your ligaments and joints loosen. These belts are an affordable pain management option, with highly-rated belts selling within the $30-$40 range on Amazon.com.

Once you have your baby and your doctor clears you for exercise, it's wise to pursue postpartum exercise in order to restore muscle tone to your core, which will help alleviate back and pelvic pain. Rebuilding your core after pregnancy will require a slow progression from basic engagement and stabilization to more complex exercises encouraging muscle cooperation and co-contraction.

Super Charge Your Immune System

With the Cold and Flu season right around the corner - now is the time to Super Charge Your Immune System.

As the temperatures drop, we will be spending more and more time indoors. Whether it's the office, the gym, or a classroom, any enclosed, shared environment is like a giant petri dish full of potential to derail your health.

But there's good news! It's actually easier than you think to super charge your immune system with simple yet effective lifestyle techniques - in addition to washing your hands - that will actually cut your risk of colds in half! Let's take a look.

Exercise - some people love to exercise. Others do it because they want to get fit and look good for the holidays or a special vacation. Still others loathe any excess movement and respectfully refrain from working out. Think about which category you fall into. Now think about this: People who don't exercise regularly take twice as many sick days as those who do - and that's not because they're playing hooky! A yearlong study by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center showed that 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day cut the risk of colds in half - and increased immunity over time. By the end of the study, exercisers were three times less likely to get sick.

Exercise can super charge your immune system and boost your resistance to viruses and infections by stimulating the release of immune cells into our bloodstream. These cells hunt down foreign invaders. You want to have a good amount of immune cells in circulation, so if there's an attack they can mobilize to the area.

You don't have to be an elite athlete, either. Research has found that walking briskly for 30 to 40 minutes five days a week lowered the number of colds people got by 40 percent!

Walking for 30 to 45 minutes most days of the week is just the right amount to boost health, improve fitness, reduce sick days and super charge your immune system. Of course, you can also maximize your resistance to colds, cancer and everything in between with a good Multi-Vitamin and Probiotic as well as targeted supplements like Vitamin D to keep your immune system strong and other kinds of moderate exercise. Moderate being the key word. Vigorous training exhausts more than your muscles; it can weaken your immune system as well. Marathon runners, for instance, are six times more likely to get sick after a race.

Another key element to super charge your immune system is to keep chronic stress under control. The effects of long-term stress on the immune system are many and may influence depression, infections, autoimmune diseases, heart disease and even some types of cancer. While it is not completely understood how, studies show that the more a person exercises, the more capable she is of handling psychological stress. Working out regularly also helps build self-esteem, which can make you feel more balanced and capable of handling life's challenges.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The information on this site is for information purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from a physician or other health care professional or any information contained in product labeling. You should consult a healthcare professional before starting any diet, supplement or exercise program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.

Eating more calories in the morning, rather than evening, assists in overcoming reproductive difficulties

Eating more calories in the morning, rather than evening, assists in overcoming reproductive difficulties

A new study by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University reveals that eating a good breakfast can have a positive impact on women with problems of infertility.

In recent years, nutritional research has found that our weight is affected not only by the level of calorie intake, but also by the question of when to consume large amounts of calories.

Now, research, conducted by Prof. Oren Froy, director of the Nutrigenomics and Functional Foods Research Center at the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the Hebrew University, and Ma'ayan Barnea, plus Prof. Daniela Jocabovitz and Dr. Julio Weinstein from Tel Aviv University and Wolfson Medical Center, shows that a big breakfast increases fertility among woman who suffer from menstrual irregularities.

The study examined whether meal times have an impact on the health of woman with menstrual irregularities due to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). PCOS affects approximately 6-10% of woman of reproductive age, disrupting their reproductive abilities. This syndrome creates a resistance to insulin, leading to an increase in male sex hormones (androgens), and can also cause menstrual irregularities, hair loss on the scalp though increase in body hair, acne, fertility problems and future diabetes.

The experiment was carried out at Wolfson Medical Center on 60 women over a 12-week period. The women, from the ages of 25 to 39, were thin with a BMI (body mass index) of less than 23 and suffered from PCOS.

The women were divided into two groups and were allowed to consume about 1,800 calories a day. The difference between the groups was the timing of their largest meal. One group consumed their largest meal, approximately 980 calories, at breakfast, while the other at dinner. Researchers wanted to examine whether the schedule of calorie intake affects insulin resistance and the increase in androgens among woman suffering from PCOS. The women kept records of exactly what they ate.

The findings, recently published in the journal

Clinical Science,

showed improved results for the group that consumed a big breakfast. Glucose levels and insulin resistance decreased by 8%, while the second group ("dinner") showed no changes. Another finding showed that among the "breakfast" group, testosterone (one of the androgens) levels decreased by nearly 50%, while the "dinner" group level stayed neutral. In addition, there was a much higher rate of ovulating woman within the "breakfast group" compared to the "dinner" group, showing that eating a hearty breakfast leads to an increase in the level of fertility among woman with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

According to Prof. Froy, "The research clearly demonstrates that indeed the amount of calories we consume daily is very important, but the timing as to when we consume them is even more important."

Insertable ring could prevent HIV in women

Insertable ring could prevent HIV in women

Scientists from Northwestern University have developed a new intravaginal ring that they say could help prevent women from being infected with HIV.

The device is easily inserted and remains in place for 28 days, delivering a measured amount of the anti-retroviral tenofovir directly to the site of transmission.

HIV affects an estimated 34 million people around the world. In 2011, 2.5 million people were newly diagnosed, and in sub-Saharan Africa, women make up 60% of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Preventative drugs do exist, but many have proved ineffective, especially in developing countries where financial and cultural barriers interrupt their use.

Previous studies have shown that antiviral drugs can prevent HIV infection, but existing delivery methods often fall short: pills need to be taken daily and in high doses, while vaginal gels have to be applied before each sex act, making them inconvenient.

However, the researchers from Northwestern University believe they have found an answer with their new device.

Visiting associate professor Patrick Kiser, an expert in intravaginal drug delivery, claims the ring is easy to use, long-lasting and extremely effective. He says:

"After 10 years of work, we have created an intravaginal ring that can prevent against multiple HIV exposures over an extended period of time, with consistent prevention levels throughout the menstrual cycle."

Unique construction

The ring successfully prevented transmission of SIV in macaques, and human trials start soon.
Photo credit: Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University

The ring has a unique polymer construction, which allows its elastomer to swell in the presence of fluid, delivering up to 1,000 times more of the drug than current intravaginal devices.

Based on its success in preventing transmission of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in macaques, the ring - known as a TDF-IVR (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate intravaginal ring) - will be tested in a clinical trial at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York in November.

Sixty women will be fitted with the ring, and the trial will assess its safety and measure how much of the drug is used.

Other drugs could be integrated in the TDF-IVR, such as contraceptives and antiviral drugs, to prevent other sexually transmitted diseases, which Kiser believes could increase user rates.

"The flexibility to engineer this system to deliver multiple drugs and change release rates is extraordinary and could have a significant impact on women's health," he says.

Medical News Today recently reported that HIV in cells were eradicated with an antifungal drug.

Written by Belinda Weber

Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Breast cancer: 'critical gaps' found in research

Breast cancer: 'critical gaps' found in research

A new study published in the journal Breast Cancer Research has identified 10 "critical gaps" that exist in the research of the disease, which could see the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives if not addressed urgently.

Researchers from the Institute of Cancer Research in London and the University of Dundee have conducted what they say is the most "comprehensive review of breast cancer to have ever taken place," called the Gap Analysis 2013, which has been facilitated by leading UK breast cancer charity Breast Cancer Campaign.

They say the analysis provides information regarding the knowledge and activity needed in order to "prevent, cure and outlive" breast cancer by 2050.

The researchers have identified and prioritized gaps in key areas, including genetics, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and support, which they say if tackled, could have a significant impact on the lives of those affected.

The 10 gaps identified are:

Understanding how genetic changes lead to the development of breast cancer.

Identifying sustainable lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise, which can reduce the risk of breast cancer, and improved chemoprevention for women at increased risk of the disease.

Targeting breast screening at those who will benefit most through finding accurate and practical ways to calculate a woman's individual risk for breast cancer.

Understanding the molecules and processes that encourage different types of breast cancer to grow, as well as those that allow breast cancer tumors to become resistant to treatments and spread to other areas.

Understanding how cancer cells with different characteristics form within a tumor, why cancer cells sometimes go into hibernation, and why some breast cancers are resistant to treatment from the beginning while others take time.

Developing tests to predict patients' response to chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Understanding how to use combinations of drugs and other therapies to improve and tailor treatments for each individual.

Developing better ways of using imaging to diagnose breast cancer, track how the disease responds to treatments and monitor its spread throughout the body.

Providing practical and effective support to help people deal with the emotional impacts of breast cancer and the side effects of treatment.

Collecting tumor tissue and blood samples donated by breast cancer patients at different stages of their disease, as well as detailed information of each patient, to help study the disease and develop new treatments.

Solutions to breast cancer research gaps identified

The researchers then identified five "key strategic solutions," which they say will help close the 10 research gaps. These are:

Reverse the decline in resources targeted toward breast cancer research.

Develop a fully cohesive and collaborative infrastructure to support breast cancer research, including access to "appropriate, well annotated clinical material."

Improve the ways in which breast cancer is studied, and identify accurate methods to use in clinical practice to predict patients' response to treatments.

Encourage collaboration between researchers in different scientific fields.

Improve clinical trial design to "better meet the complexity of modern treatment options," and involve patients in this process.

Alastair Thompson, of the University of Dundee and study author, says he believes the impact of the Gap Analysis could be immediate:

"It gives us scientific rationale to change clinical practice. For example, currently, metastatic disease is not biopsied in order to tailor treatment, but this could change the way one in six women are treated and provide hope to women with secondary breast cancer, with limited treatment options."

Plans to overcome breast cancer by 2050

The research has led to a new action plan for Breast Cancer Campaign, called "Help us find the Cures." The action plan sets out a series of targets to help overcome breast cancer by the year 2050.

The charity is aiming for 25% fewer individuals to develop secondary breast cancer by 2020, and by 2030, they hope more than half of those who do develop this will live longer than 5 years.

By 2023, the charity plans to have a "fully cohesive and collaborative" global infrastructure in place to support breast cancer research. This includes the provision of tissue samples and bioinformatics - improving methods for storing, retrieving, organizing and analyzing biological data.

They plan to ensure breast cancer risk is more predictable by 2025, with up to 20% of all breast cancers prevented, and 60% will be diagnosed before they are symptomatic.

Furthermore, they plan that all women diagnosed with breast cancer and people close to them will receive individually tailored information and support to meet their needs.

The organization is aiming for all patients to benefit from individual care and treatment by 2030, and they plan to have identified what causes different tumors to grow and progress.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of Breast Cancer Campaign, stresses the importance of acting on the findings of the Gap Analysis:

"We want future mothers, daughters and wives to have their breast cancer prevented, cured or for them to outlive the disease, and hope that together we can achieve this by 2050."

Medical News Today recently reported on a study that suggested the majority of deaths from breast cancer occur in younger women who do not have regular mammograms.

Written by Honor Whiteman

Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Mothers with prematurely born infants benefited from personal listening sessions with NICU nurses

Mothers with prematurely born infants benefited from personal listening sessions with NICU nurses

For most women, childbirth is an intense experience, culminating in the joy of delivering a newborn, swaddled and sweet, resting in the mother's arms within hours. Yet for those who deliver their babies prematurely, the experience is bereft of such bonding, laden with anxiety, confusion, and doubt.

"Having a prematurely born baby is like a nightmare for the mother," explains Lisa Segre, assistant professor in the University of Iowa College of Nursing. "You're expecting to have a healthy baby, and suddenly you're left wondering whether he or she is going to live."

These new moms have a tremendous need for help while they're in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). So, Segre and a longtime NICU nurse, Rebecca Siewert, decided to find out whether women who delivered babies prematurely would benefit from having a nurse sit with them and listen to what they had to say. In a new study, published in the Journal of Perinatology, Segre's research team writes that pre-term baby mothers who participated in a series of personal sessions with a NICU nurse reported lower anxiety and depression symptoms, while their self-esteem improved.

Segre says it's the first proof-of-concept study conducted that enlisted NICU nurses in "listening visits" with mothers of pre-term infants. The research shows that "listening matters," says Segre, who is a psychologist. "These mothers are stressed out, and they need someone to listen to them," she adds.

Some 15 million babies are born prematurely worldwide, of which one million die, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In the U.S., more than half a million babies are pre-term each year, WHO reports.

The listening visits concept comes from the United Kingdom, where post-partum mothers are screened in the home for depression. In 2007, the British National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommended the visits as an evidence-based treatment for mild to moderate postnatal depression. Segre found similar, positive results in home visits stateside for full-term infants' mothers in a study published in 2010.

But no one had taken the idea into the NICU, much less had the sessions led by hospital nurses. The closest parallel was a study, published in the journal Pediatrics in 2006, which examined whether intervention in the NICU would reduce premature infants' length of stay and better prepare moms and dads to care for the preemies when they took them home. That study did not address mothers' mental and emotional states, and nurses were not involved, Segre says.

Yet the need seems to be there: Last year, a different research team found that when leaving the hospital, 1 in 5 mothers still had elevated depression levels and more than 4 in 10 reported at least moderate anxiety.

The trial at University of Iowa Children's Hospital involved 23 mothers with pre-term infants and ran from 2010 through the first half of last year. The women received an average of five one-on-one sessions lasting about 45 minutes each with Rebecca Siewert, an advanced registered nurse practitioner who has worked in NICUs for three decades and is a co-author on the paper. The mothers chose the setting - their room, an outdoor patio, or the cafeteria. The first sessions generally focused on the birth, in which the women described the emotional roller coaster of giving birth to a baby they hardly saw afterward and whose health was compromised.

"The mothers wanted to tell their birth stories," Siewert recalls. "They wanted someone to understand what it felt like for their babies to be whisked away from them. They were very emotional."

Subsequent sessions allowed the mothers to focus on themselves and their needs, which many tend to consider subsidiary or perhaps even trivial when compared to their newborns' plight, Siewert maintains.

"A lot of times they suffer in silence because they don't want to sound as if they're weak and not doing well, and because all the focus is on the baby, they become secondary," says Siewert, an associate clinical professor in the College of Nursing.

"But the mother needs to be healthy to be able to take that baby home and for that baby to do well."

The mothers' depression level dropped from a mean of 14.26, considered elevated as measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, before the listening visits to a mean of 9.00, below the standard for professional help, after the sessions ended. Anxiety levels also fell, from a mean of 16.57 as measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory to a mean of 9.13, according to the study. Both drops are considered statistically significant, the authors write.

The participants also felt better about themselves and their situation, according to the Quality of Life, Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire they filled out before and after the listening sessions. A follow-up assessment one month after the last listening visit showed further declines in depression and anxiety on average, and higher quality of life feelings.

The trial has sparked debate whether nurses, rather than mental-health professionals, should be the first line of help for post-natal mothers. Segre acknowledges the study is preliminary and would like to test the results in a larger randomized controlled trial.

Still, she and Siewert think nurses are well suited for the job.

"Listening is what nurses have done their whole career," Siewert says. "We've always been the ones to listen and try to problem solve. So, I just think it was a wonderful offshoot of what nursing can do. We just need the time to do it."

Extended follow-up of hormone therapy trials does not support use for chronic disease prevention

Extended follow-up of hormone therapy trials does not support use for chronic disease prevention

Extended follow-up of the two Women's Health Initiative hormone therapy trials does not support use of hormones for chronic disease prevention, although the treatment may be appropriate for menopausal symptom management in some women, according to a study in the October 2 issue of JAMA.

The hormone therapy trials of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) were stopped after investigators found that the health risks outweighed the benefits. Menopausal hormone therapy continues in clinical use, but questions remain regarding its risks and benefits over the long-term for chronic disease prevention, according to background information in the article.

JoAnn E. Manson, M.D., Dr.P.H., of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, and colleagues provide a comprehensive, integrated overview of findings from the two WHI hormone therapy trials with extended post-intervention follow-up and stratification by age and other important variables. The study included 27,347 postmenopausal women, ages 50 through 79 years, who were enrolled at 40 U.S. centers in 1993. Women with an intact uterus received conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) plus medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) (n = 8,506) or placebo (n = 8,102). Women with prior hysterectomy received CEE alone (n = 5,310) or placebo (n = 5,429). The intervention lasted a median [midpoint] of 5.6 years in the CEE plus MPA trial, and 7.2 years in the CEE alone trial, with 6-8 additional years of follow-up until September 30, 2010.

The researchers found that overall, the risks of CEE+MPA during intervention outweighed the benefits. Risks were increased for coronary heart disease, breast cancer, stroke, pulmonary embolism, dementia (in women 65 years of age and older), gallbladder disease, and urinary incontinence. Benefits included decreased hip fractures, diabetes, and vasomotor symptoms. Most risks and benefits dissipated postintervention, although some elevation in breast cancer risk persisted during follow-up.

For CEE in women with prior hysterectomy, the benefits and risks during the intervention phase were more balanced, with increased risks of stroke and venous thrombosis, reduced risk of hip and total fractures, and a nonsignificant reduction in breast cancer. Post-intervention with CEE, a significant decrease in breast cancer emerged and most other outcomes were neutral. For CEE alone, younger women (age 50-59 years) had more favorable results for all-cause death and heart attack.

Neither regimen affected all-cause mortality.

"In summary, current WHI findings based on results from the intervention, postintervention, and cumulative posttrial stopping phases do not support the use of either estrogen-progestin or estrogen alone for chronic disease prevention," the authors write.

"Even though hormone therapy may be a reasonable option for management of moderate to severe menopausal symptoms among generally healthy women during early menopause, the risks associated with hormone therapy, in conjunction with the multiple testing limitations attending subgroup analyses, preclude a recommendation in support of CEE use for disease prevention even among younger women. Current findings also suggest caution when considering hormone therapy treatment in older age groups, even in the presence of persistent vasomotor symptoms, given the high risk of coronary heart disease and other outcomes associated with hormone therapy use in this setting."

Editorial: The Women's Health Initiative - A Victory for Women and Their Health

"Twenty-two years following its inception, the WHI is a model for publicly funded rigorous, thorough, and objective clinical trials that have broadly affected human health. More than 160,000 women participated (many with great pride), more than 900 peer-reviewed reports from the WHI Publications and Presentations Committee have been published, the WHI data set is publically available, and scores of trainees have been mentored in fields from human biology to public health by participating in its analysis. The WHI has overturned medical dogma regarding the use of menopausal hormone therapy," writes Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, in an accompanying editorial.

"The WHI underscores the decisive importance of taxpayer-funded research conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Further reductions in the NIH budget virtually ensure that vitally important studies like the WHI will not be conducted, and hence, U.S. society will be poorly served. The fact that the public sector undertook this historic project (and that the researchers whose work is now reported have taken it to its next stage) has moved medical science forward by the most effective means of doing so - shattering prior dogma. For that, women and all patients whose health depends on sound science are grateful."

Study, "Sexual assault resource availability on Texas higher education campuses"

Study, "Sexual assault resource availability on Texas higher education campuses"

While research consistently estimates that one in every four women in higher education will experience rape or attempted rape during their college careers, limited proactive approaches to address the issue are found on Texas college campuses, according to the Crime Victims' Institute at Sam Houston State University.

A study of 74 two-and four-year institutions of higher education in Texas, published by the Crime Victims' Institute, found that while campuses have made strides in addressing sexual assault, efforts continue to be necessary to prevent and respond to the issue. The report was distributed to the Texas State Legislature.

On a positive note, most campuses offer health services, law enforcement, and safety infrastructure, but many fall short on counseling services, victim advocacy, educational prevention, awareness raising efforts, men's programs and bystander intervention, the report said.

"Knowing what is currently being offered to students and student victims on Texas college campuses gives us the unique opportunity to augment what is already being done," said Cortney Franklin, one of the authors of the report. "Universities have traditionally put the onus of prevention on the victim, with less attention on promoting education that instructs would-be perpetrators about why it is inappropriate to coerce sex from women."

According to the Uniform Crime Report in 2011, 45 forcible rapes were reported on the 74 public and private campuses included in the study, with more than half of the colleges reporting no forcible rapes that year. Projections based on reporting practices would estimate, however, that approximately 563 students were sexually victimized that year but did not come forward to authorities, a stark figure that doesn't include those exploited through the use of alcohol.

Here are some of the major findings from the study, "Sexual Assault Resource Availability on Texas Higher Education Campuses."

81 percent of campuses offered counseling services, but only three provided rape crisis or victim advocacy centers on campus, with 15 percent offering resource centers for women and only one campus offering a resource center for men.

While 75 percent of college campuses in Texas provide alcohol prevention programs to warn students against the perils of overconsumption, only seven campuses require mandatory sexual assault prevention programs and one in five campuses among those surveyed have no sexual assault prevention programs.

Few prevention programs target men or encourage bystanders to intervene, despite demonstrated success of such programs in changing behaviors, including encouraging empathy among men and women who have the power to stop violence.

Many campuses are relying on strategies that prevent students from becoming easy targets, such as blue light emergency phones, escort service, changes in landscaping and self-defense, but taken alone, these strategies are less likely to be successful than when combined with prevention techniques and educational campaigns.

71 percent of all campuses provide on-site health clinics and nearly three-quarters of those offer woman's wellness exams, although only 15 percent of the campuses are staffed with an OB-GYN physician.

Sex trafficking and exploitation of minors in the U.S: A reminder that these people are victims not criminals

Sex trafficking and exploitation of minors in the U.S: A reminder that these people are victims not criminals

Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors are serious problems in the United States with long-term adverse consequences for children and society as a whole, and federal agencies should work with state and local partners to raise awareness of these issues and train professionals who work with youths to recognize and assist those who are victimized or at risk, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. Minors who are prostituted or sexually exploited in other ways should be treated as victims rather than arrested and prosecuted as criminals, as they currently are in most states, the report says.

"Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors are often-overlooked forms of child abuse," said Richard Krugman, co-chair of the committee that wrote the report, and vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "Our national, state, and local laws and policies should recognize that and provide these children and adolescents with the support they need. Right now, they are often invisible to us, and when we do recognize them, we fail to see them as victims and survivors of abuse and violence. We hope our report will help open our nation's eyes to a serious domestic problem in need of solutions."

Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors refer to a range of crimes, including recruiting or transporting minors for the purpose of sexual exploitation, exploiting them through prostitution, or exploiting them through survival sex (exchanging sexual acts for something of value, such as shelter or food), among other offenses. Young victims and survivors of these crimes face both immediate and long-term social, legal, and health consequences. As directed by its charge, the committee focused its report on exploitation and trafficking of minors who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of the U.S. and its territories, but urged readers and policymakers to consider the broader implications of its recommendations as they apply to all children and adolescents.

Despite the gravity of the problem, there is no reliable estimate of the scope or prevalence of commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors, the report says; estimates of the number of prostituted children and adolescents in the U.S., for example, have ranged from 1,400 to 2.4 million. These crimes are overlooked and almost surely underreported because they frequently happen at the margins of society and behind closed doors, and the young people involved often do not recognize themselves as victims of abuse. Those especially vulnerable to exploitation include youths who have been neglected or abused; those in foster care or juvenile detention; lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual youth; racial and ethnic minorities; and homeless, runaways, and "thrown-away" children who have been asked or told to leave home.

Efforts to prevent the commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of children in the U.S. are largely absent, the report says, and though efforts to respond to these problems are emerging, they are generally insufficient, uncoordinated, and unevaluated. Many professionals who interact with youth -- such as teachers, health care providers, and child welfare and law enforcement professionals -- are either unaware that trafficking and exploitation happen in their communities or lack the knowledge and tools to identify and respond to young people who are at risk.

Commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors should be understood as acts of abuse and violence, the report says. All states have statutory rape laws specifying that a child under a certain age cannot legally consent to having sex and must be treated as a victim of a crime. And federal law on sex trafficking recognizes children as victims. However, in most states, commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors often are viewed through the lens of prostitution laws. As a result, laws allow prostituted minors to be arrested and charged with crimes instead of treating these sexually exploited minors as victims of crimes. These children and adolescents may be subject to arrest, detention, adjudication or conviction, and commitment or incarceration; they may have permanent records as offenders.

The report calls for all national, state, local, tribal, and territorial jurisdictions to develop laws and policies that redirect young victims and survivors of commercial sexual exploitation under the age of 18 away from arrest and prosecution and toward systems, agencies, and services that are equipped to meet their needs. A small but growing number of states have enacted "safe harbor" laws designed to send young victims of exploitation to agencies that provide supportive services instead of sending them to the criminal or juvenile justice systems.

The U.S. departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, and Education, working with other partners, should support national, regional, state, and local efforts to raise awareness of these crimes, the report says. These efforts should include training for professionals and others who routinely interact with minors. Health care and child welfare workers, the education sector, and the private sector have an important role to play in preventing, identifying, and responding to these problems. Efforts should also include campaigns to raise public awareness and specific strategies for raising awareness among children and adolescents. In addition, in the absence of an exhaustive list of resources for victim and support services, a digital information-sharing platform should be created to deliver reliable, real-time information on how to prevent, identify, and respond to the problem.

Despite the hard work of prosecutors and law enforcement in many jurisdictions, individuals who sexually exploit children and adolescents largely escape accountability, the report says. All jurisdictions should review and strengthen laws that hold exploiters, traffickers, and solicitors accountable for their role. These laws should include a particular emphasis on deterring demand, both through prevention efforts and penalties for those who solicit sex with minors.

In addition, the report recommends that the departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, and Education collaborate and partner with others to implement a national research agenda to advance understanding of this kind of exploitation and develop evidence-informed interventions to prevent youth from becoming victims and to assist those who have been exploited.

"It's time to direct greater effort to preventing this kind of abuse, identifying young people who have become ensnared in it, and developing effective approaches that can enable them to reclaim their lives," said committee co-chair Ellen Wright Clayton, Craig-Weaver Professor of Pediatrics and professor of law at Vanderbilt University.

Abused women often fear for pets left behind

Abused women often fear for pets left behind

Veterinarians and women's shelters can make it easier for abused women to decide to leave their homes, particularly when the abuser is using a beloved pet as part of a campaign to control his partner, reports a new University of Illinois study.

He made me stand there and . . . watch [him kill my cat]. And he was like: That could happen to you, one woman in the study said.

"These incidences are very symbolic of what the abuser is capable of doing. He's sending the message: I can do something just as severe to hurt you," said Jennifer Hardesty, a U of I associate professor of human development and family studies.

For the study, Hardesty interviewed 19 abused women about their decisions on what to do with their pets when they were seeking help from a shelter.

A recent study found that 34 percent of women had delayed leaving out of concern for their pets because their abuser had threatened and harmed the animals in the past, Hardesty noted.

"For abused women, a pet can be a treasured source of unconditional love and comfort - maybe even protection - in a time of transition. Many are strongly bonded to their animals," she said.

Hardesty stressed that not all abused women are strongly bonded to their pets, and not all abusers target pets as part of their campaign to control their partner.

She does recommend that shelter personnel ask women if they have pets in their home, if they need help placing the pets somewhere, and if something should be done to protect the animals.

At present, only a few shelters welcome pets. In response, the U of I College of Veterinary Medicine is pioneering a program that provides a safe haven for pets until women in shelters can find housing and reclaim their animals.

"It would be ideal if the pet was able to stay with the woman at the shelter, but you'd need a reasonably well socialized and non-aggressive animal for that, and it would require a major shift in facilities and training for shelter personnel," said Marcella Ridgway, a clinical associate professor in the U of I College of Veterinary Medicine.

According to Ridgway, the U of I program provides up to 30 days of care for pets of women staying at two local shelters. Although many people have a stereotypical idea about pets that have been exposed to violence, the veterinarians typically encounter animals with subtle indicators of a problem, such as having fallen behind on vaccinations or heartworm checks.

"Student volunteers care for the pets and arrange visits between the women and their pets. These students may have some knowledge of interpersonal violence, and they see this as a way to help. Some are able to see the animal come in and then witness the reunion at the end so it's quite fulfilling for them," said Cheryl Weber, student services coordinator and grief educator at the college.

Hardesty advised that domestic violence shelter staff:

Inform women seeking shelter about safe haven programs and other emergency resources for pets, preferably before they arrive at the shelter

Provide opportunities for women to discuss their pets

Incorporate pets into active safety planning efforts

Educate and train staff about sensitive approaches that acknowledge that women have different bonds to their pets Collaborate with community partners to develop safe haven programs or other safe options for pets

Ridgway recommended that veterinary professionals:

Help spread the word about safe haven programs and emergency resources for pets

Become educated and promote awareness about the links between domestic violence and pet abuse

Be knowledgeable and nonjudgmental with clients who disclose domestic violence

Address pet health care issues in an honest and thorough but nonjudgmental manner, using a triaged approach to avoid overwhelming clients

Assist clients in consideration of rational choices for long-term planning for pets

Collaborate with community partners to develop safe haven programs or other safe options for pets

Contribute to broader professional discussions about effective veterinary approaches to domestic violence, including routine screening

"Programs like this one empower abused women. When a woman who has been victimized makes a decision to protect a beloved pet, she's not a victim, and that's important," Hardesty said.

Breast health linked to eating peanut butter and nuts

Breast health linked to eating peanut butter and nuts

By eating more peanut butter during their high school years, girls could be improving their breast health in adulthood, according to a US study published recently in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

Dr. Graham Colditz, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues found that girls aged 9 to 15 who ate peanut butter and nuts twice a week were 39% less likely to develop benign breast disease by the age of 30 than girls who did not.

Benign breast disease includes lumps or tender spots that turn out to be fibrous tissue and/or cysts, as well as other conditions like hyperplasia, an overgrowth of the cells that line the ducts in the glandular breast tissue.

Although benign breast disease is not cancerous, it can raise the risk of developing breast cancer later in life.

Dr. Colditz, associate director for cancer prevention and control at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, says:

"These findings suggest that peanut butter could help reduce the risk of breast cancer in women."

For their study, he and his colleagues looked at health data on over 9,000 American schoolgirls recruited to The Growing Up Today Study between 1996 and 2001. This included detailed information about food consumption as captured in food frequency questionnaires that the girls filled in on enrollment.

The data also included reports from the girls between 2005 and 2010, when they were 18 to 30 years old, that indicated whether they had ever been diagnosed with biopsy-confirmed benign breast disease.

When they compared the two sets of data, the researchers found that participants who had eaten peanut butter or nuts twice a week were 39% less likely than peers who never ate those foods to receive a diagnosis for benign breast disease.

The data suggest pulse foods - soy and other beans and lentils - and corn may also be linked to reduced risk of benign breast disease, but because they did not feature as much in the diets of these girls, the evidence was not so strong.

The researchers also note that:

"Girls with a family history of breast cancer had significantly lower risk if they consumed these foods or vegetable fat."

And they concluded that "consumption of vegetable protein, fat, peanut butter, or nuts by older girls may help reduce their risk of BBD [benign breast disease] as young women."

This is not the first study to tie diets rich in vegetable fats - such as those present in peanut butter, nuts and pulse foods - to a lower risk for benign breast disease. But it is the first to find the evidence by comparing data captured during adolescence with followed-up cases of diagnosed disease, as opposed to asking young women to recall what they ate when they were in high school.

Dr. Colditz says girls would do well to eat more peanut butter and nuts and consume less junk foods and sugary drinks, especially in view of the rise in obesity.

Funds from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) helped finance the study.

Another study published recently in the journal BMC Medicine also suggests eating nuts may cut risk of death from cancer and heart disease.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD

Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

What is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)?

What is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)?

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), also known as Polycystic ovarian syndrome or Stein-Leventhal Syndrome, is a condition that affects a woman's ovaries. It is characterized by polycystic ovaries (cysts develop in the ovaries), irregular or no menstrual periods, irregular ovulation and high levels of androgens in the body. Androgens are male hormones. Women with PCOS usually have problems getting pregnant.

According to the Office on Women's Health, USA, polycystic ovary syndrome affects about 1 woman in every 10. It can even affect girls as young as 11 years of age.

The National Health Service, UK, estimates that 1 in every 5 women has polycystic ovaries, but most of them have no symptoms.

The PCOS Foundation refers to PCOS as the "Silent Killer" because it cannot be diagnosed with one simple test and many women are undiagnosed. Signs and symptoms vary from patient to patient.

PCOS has been associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease and high cholesterol. That is why early diagnosis is so important - the earlier it is treated, the better the outcome for the patient.

In PCOS, the ovaries produce excess male sex hormones. Small cysts form on the ovaries, which do not produce enough of a hormone that triggers ovulation. The ovarian follicles, which have filled with fluid in preparation for ovulation, remain as cysts when ovulation does not occur.

What are the signs and symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome?

A symptom is something only the patient feels and describes, such as pain, while a sign is something others can identify, such as a lump or rash.

Signs and symptoms tend to emerge during late adolescence or early adulthood.

Some women do not have all the symptoms, and each one can range from mild to severe. In many cases, all the woman complains of is the inability to get pregnant or menstrual problems.

The most common signs and symptoms of PCOS are:

Irregular or no menstrual periods

Problems getting pregnant - this could be because there is no ovulation, or it is irregular

Hirsutism - excessive hair growth, usually on the buttocks, back, chest or face

Hair loss (from the head)

Acne

Pelvic pain

Patches of dark skin at the back of the neck, possibly some other areas of the body. This is caused by too much insulin.

Infertility

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common cause of infertility among women. In fact, a large proportion of women do not know they have PCOS until they go and see their doctor because they are having problems getting pregnant.

A fertile woman should ovulate once during each menstrual cycle - an ovum (egg) should be released into the uterus. Women with PCOS either ovulate irregularly or not at all.

Polycystic ovaries

Polycystic ovaries are when the ovaries have a collection of little cysts that look like beads around their edge. The cysts do not cause any real problem, but they could be a sign of something else that is wrong.

Usually, when a woman ovulates during each menstrual cycle, a number of eggs develop in each ovary and eventually one, the "dominant" egg, is released during ovulation. The other eggs shrivel back down into the ovary. In PCOS, the bead-like cysts around the ovary are the remains of dominant eggs that were never released.

Although this may sound unlikely, polycystic ovaries alone do not necessarily mean the woman has PCOS. For a PCOS diagnosis the woman needs to have abnormal menstrual cycles and some sign(s) of androgen excess (acne, excessive hair, etc).

Some women with PCOS have "normal" ovaries with no apparent cysts, while others with polycystic ovaries may not have PCOS.

In January, 2013, the National Institutes of Health convened an independent panel to determine whether polycystic ovary syndrome is the right name for the common hormone disorder. The experts concluded that the current name, which focuses on a criterion - ovarian cysts - causes confusion and is a barrier to research progress and effective patient care.

Dr. Robert A. Rizza, panel member and professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said "The name PCOS is a distraction that impedes progress. It is time to assign a name that reflects the complex interactions that characterize the syndrome. The right name will enhance recognition of this issue and assist in expanding research support."

Researchers from Monash University in Australia found that new mothers with PCOS were more likely to be overweight and less likely to breastfeed.

What are the causes of polycystic ovary syndrome?

Experts are not sure what the causes of PCOS are. Most agree that hormone levels probably play a key role.

Insulin resistance - insulin resistance leads to higher levels of blood insulin, which in turn makes the ovaries produce too much testosterone hormone (androgens). This undermines the development of sacs in the ovaries where eggs develop (follicles), leading to abnormal or non-existent ovulation.

Insulin resistance can also make people put on weight, which makes PCOS symptoms worse.

Hormonal imbalance - an imbalance in certain hormones is common in women with PCOS, including:

High testosterone - although females produce small amounts of testosterone, it is a "male" hormone.

High luteinizing hormone (LH) - LH stimulates ovulation, but if levels are excessively high, the proper functioning of the ovaries may be disrupted.

Low SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) levels - SHBG helps reduce the effects of testosterone.

High prolactin levels - prolactin stimulates the production of milk in the breast glands in pregnancy. High prolactin is present only in some patients with PCOS.

Nobody is sure why these hormonal problems emerge. Some say that the problem could originate in the ovary itself, part of the brain that controls hormonal production, or in other glands in the body. It is also possible that insulin resistance triggered these changes.

Genes - a woman is more likely to develop polycystic ovary syndrome if her mother, aunt or sister also has/had it.

Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University reported in the journal Diabetes that high activity levels of a microRNA called miR-93 in fat cells hinders insulin's use of glucose, contributing to PCOS and also insulin resistance.

Scientists from the University of Oxford and Imperial College London found that a gene implicated in the development of obesity is also linked to susceptibility to PCOS.

Bisphenol A (BPA) - researchers at the University of Athens Medical School in Greece found higher BPA levels in women with PCOS compared to other women of the same age. They also found a significant positive association between male sex hormones and BPS in women with PCOS. This suggests that BPA probably has a role in ovarian dysfunction.

BPA is a common industrial compound used in dental materials, plastic consumer products, and food and drink packaging. Study leader, Evanthia Diamanti-Kandarakis, MD, PhD, said "These women should be alert to the potential risks and take care of themselves by avoiding excessive every-day consumption of food or drink from plastic containers."

Exposure to androgens in the womb - according to a study published in Human Reproduction Update in 2005, excessive exposure to androgens (male hormones) while in the womb may have a permanent effect on gene expression, making some genes not work in the way they are supposed to, leading to PCOS later on, as well as insulin resistance.

Diagnosing polycystic ovary syndrome

If you have some of the typical hallmark symptoms of PCOS you should see your doctor as soon as possible. You will be asked about your medical history, symptoms, menstrual periods, and weight changes.

The doctor will also carry out a physical exam, which will include checking your blood pressure.

Pelvic examination - the doctor will visually and manually check your reproductive organs.

The following diagnostic tests may be recommended:

Ultrasound scan - to determine whether you have polycystic ovaries.

Blood test - to determine hormone and cholesterol levels, and screen for diabetes.

According to the National Health Service, UK, for a diagnosis of PCOS to be made, other causes of the same symptoms need to be ruled out and the patient must meet at least two of the following criteria:

The patient has infrequent or irregular menstrual periods

According to blood tests, the patient has high levels of androgens, such as testosterone. In some cases, just the signs of excess androgen

Scans show the patient has polycystic ovaries.

What are the treatment options for polycystic ovary syndrome?

Polycystic ovary syndrome is incurable. However, there are several ways it can be treated. Treatment options depend on the symptoms, and may include:

Losing weight - obese or overweight women with PCOS who lose weight and adopt a healthy lifestyle can significantly reduce their risk of long-term health problems.

If you lose weight your insulin levels also drop, resulting in lower testosterone levels. Lower testosterone is a better environment for ovulation. Lower testosterone improves fertility, reduces excessive hair growth and acne.

The contraceptive pill - if you are not trying to get pregnant and are aiming for regular periods. This treatment will also reduce your long-term risk of developing endometrial cancer if you have no periods.

An article published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) reported that women with PCOS on combined oral contraceptives have double the risk of blood clots compared to women without PCOS taking the same combination.

Anti-male hormone medications - these reduce the masculine effects of testosterone, such as loss of hair from the head, and excess facial hair.

Clomifene - this medication fixes your hormone imbalance, increasing the likelihood that you ovulate, which in turn improves your fertility.

Gonadotrophins - may be recommended by your doctor if you have not responded to clomifene. There is a risk of multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets), because gonadotrophins might overstimulate the ovary.

Metformin (Glucophage) - a medication used for treating diabetes can increase ovulation in patients with PCOS. Metformin may also minimize the health problems caused by insulin resistance, as well as regulating excessively high levels of male hormones. Metformin can be taken together with clomifene.

Swedish researchers found that metformin in combination with liraglutide led to more weight loss than administering either drug alone.

Eflornithine - a cream that is applied to the skin to slow down the growth of facial hair. Eflornithine does not remove hair. Electrolysis or laser hair removal are permanent hair removal options.

Surgery - laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD) involves surgically treating the ovaries using laser or heat. This procedure destroys the tissue that produces androgens.

LOD corrects the hormone imbalance in women with PCOS, thus restoring normal function of the ovaries. LOD lowers levels of luteinising hormone and testosterone and raises levels of follicle-stimulating hormone.

Doctors may recommend surgery if the patient has not responded to clomifene.

What are the complications of polycystic ovary syndrome?

Women with PCOS have a higher risk of developing the following conditions or diseases, especially if they are obese/overweight:

Abnormal bleeding from the uterus

Blood cholesterol and lipid abnormalities

Endometrial cancer - cancer of the lining of the uterus

Gestational diabetes - diabetes during pregnancy

High levels of C-reactive protein, a disease marker for cardiovascular diseases

Hypertension (high blood pressure)

Metabolic syndrome

Pregnancy induced hypertension

Severe liver inflammation (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis)

Sleep apnea - women with PCOS who also have obstructive sleep apnea have a much higher risk of pre-diabetes, researchers from the University of Chicago Center for PCOS reported

Type 2 diabetes

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, reported in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) in October, 2011, that women with polycystic ovary syndrome have a higher risk of complications during pregnancy, including diabetes, pre-eclampsia and giving birth prematurely.

Video - Dr. Ruman discusses PCOS

Dr. Jane Ruman, Infertility Specialist at RMA of New York, discusses polycystic ovarian syndrome, its causes, symptoms, treatment options and getting pregnant with PCOS.

Written by Christian Nordqvist

Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Risk of kidney stones in women appears to be increasing, along with related ER visits

Risk of kidney stones in women appears to be increasing, along with related ER visits

The risk of women developing kidney stones is rising, as is the number of cases being seen in U.S. emergency departments, while the rate of hospitalization for the disorder has remained stable.

Those are among the findings of a new study led by Henry Ford Hospital researchers that set out to look at trends in visits, hospitalization and charges during a four-year period for patients who went to U.S. hospital emergency departments for treatment of kidney stones.

"While the number of patients visiting the emergency department had increased over that time period, it was women who had the greatest increase in visits," says Khurshid R. Ghani, M.D., of Henry Ford's Vattikuti Urology Institute and lead author of the study.

The study is published online in the Journal of Urology.

Citing recent population-based studies that have shown an increase in kidney stones among women, Dr. Ghani says his team's findings in the ER provide further evidence that the risk of stones in women appears to be increasing.

"Women are becoming more and more obese. Obesity is a major risk factor for developing a kidney stone. And one fascinating thing about women versus men is obese women are more likely to develop a stone than an obese man," says Dr. Ghani.

Drawing raw data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS), the research team looked for related emergency room visits from 2006 - 2009. They found a total of more than 3.6 million visits for upper urinary tract stones.

During the study period, the incidence of the disorder rose from 289 to 306 per 100,000 people. Among the study group, 12 percent were hospitalized as a result of their visits and rates remained stable during the study period.

"I think in the last 10 years, the way urologists manage kidney stone patients in the ER has changed dramatically," says Dr. Ghani. "Today, the emergency room physician and urologist have access to better diagnostic tools that allow for a more precise diagnosis. We use a CT scan, which is a quick test that allows for an immediate diagnosis and is available in every emergency department.

"Better diagnosis may be contributing to our findings that patients are not being admitted to the hospital as frequently as they had in the past.

Also, medication can help with the spontaneous passage of these stones. As a result, some of these patients may be safely managed through the outpatient system with follow-up visits."

For those who do get admitted to the hospital, the study showed that the highest likelihood was related to sepsis, or blood infection, which can sometimes occur when the stone causes a blockage and urinary tract infection.

Most notably, in 2009, the charges for emergency department visits rose to $5 billion in 2009 from $3.8 billion dollars in 2006.

"One of the possible reasons for the increase in charges is the use of a CT scan to diagnose a kidney stone," Dr. Ghani says.

"Fifteen years ago, around 5-10 percent of patients visiting the emergency department for a kidney stone would get a CT scan. Today, 70 percent of patients who visit the emergency department get a scan. While they're wonderful tools of technology that allow an accurate diagnosis, they are expensive," says Dr. Ghani.

New research sheds light on previously under-researched area of study - females with autism

New research sheds light on previously under-researched area of study - females with autism

Autism affects different parts of the brain in females with autism than males with autism, a new study reveals. The research is published in the journal Brain as an open-access article.

Scientists at the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge used magnetic resonance imaging to examine whether autism affects the brain of males and females in a similar or different way. They found that the anatomy of the brain of someone with autism substantially depends on whether an individual is male or female, with brain areas that were atypical in adult females with autism being similar to areas that differ between typically developing males and females. This was not seen in men with autism.

"One of our new findings is that females with autism show neuroanatomical 'masculinization'," said Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, senior author of the paper. "This may implicate physiological mechanisms that drive sexual dimorphism, such as prenatal sex hormones and sex-linked genetic mechanisms."

Autism affects 1% of the general population and is more prevalent in males. Most studies have therefore focused on male-dominant samples. As a result, our understanding of the neurobiology of autism is male-biased.

"This is one of the largest brain imaging studies of sex/gender differences yet conducted in autism. Females with autism have long been under-recognized and probably misunderstood," said Dr Meng-Chuan Lai, who led the research project. "The findings suggest that we should not blindly assume that everything found in males with autism applies to females. This is an important example of the diversity within the 'spectrum'."

Dr Michael Lombardo, who co-led the study, added that although autism manifests itself in many different ways, grouping by gender may help provide a better understanding of this condition.

He said: "Autism as a whole is complex and vastly diverse, or heterogeneous, and this new study indicates that there are ways to subgroup the autism spectrum, such as whether an individual is male or female. Reducing heterogeneity via subgrouping will allow research to make significant progress towards understanding the mechanisms that cause autism."

A new mother's personality may affect her decision to breastfeed

A new mother's personality may affect her decision to breastfeed

A new analysis has found that mothers who are more extroverted and less anxious are more likely to breastfeed and to continue to breastfeed than mothers who are introverted or anxious. Published early online in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, the study indicates that new mothers with certain personalities may need additional support and education to help them feel confident, self assured, and knowledgeable about breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is important for the health of both mother and baby: breastfed babies have lower levels of infections and allergies and are less likely to be overweight, while mothers who breastfeed are less likely to develop certain cancers.

Many factors can affect whether a mother breastfeeds, but mothers who have lots of support, feel confident, and know how to overcome problems are more likely to breastfeed for longer. Understanding what makes a mother feel confident and supported is important to increasing breastfeeding rates. Many studies have looked at the role of mothers' education, age, and relationships, but the link between breastfeeding and a mother's personality has not been explored.

To investigate, Amy Brown, PhD, of Swansea University in the United Kingdom, surveyed 602 mothers with infants aged six to 12 months old. The questionnaire examined the mothers' personalities, how long they breastfed, and their attitudes and experiences of breastfeeding. Data were collected between March and June 2009.

Mothers who indicated that they were extroverts and were emotionally stable were significantly more likely to initiate and continue breastfeeding for a longer duration. Mothers who were introverted or anxious were more likely to use formula milk or only breastfeed for a short while.

Dr. Brown believes that the findings can be explained by the link between mothers' personalities and their attitudes and experiences of breastfeeding. Mothers who were introverted felt more self-conscious about breastfeeding in front of others and were more likely to formula feed because other people wanted them to. Meanwhile mothers who were anxious found breastfeeding was more difficult and felt that they couldn't get the support they needed. These factors are known to be linked to low breastfeeding rates.

"The important message from the findings is that some mothers may face more challenges with breastfeeding based on their wider personality. Although they may want to breastfeed, more introverted or anxious mothers may need further support in boosting their confidence and learning about how to solve problems, and they may need encouragement to make sure they access the breastfeeding support services that are available," said. Dr. Brown.

Data collection is hiding the truth about the health of ethnic minorities

Data collection is hiding the truth about the health of ethnic minorities

A new report calling for health data to be broken down by ethnicity has been published by international development organisation Health Poverty Action, ahead of the International Day of the World's Indigenous People this Friday.

Health Poverty Action is calling for the measurement of any new goals on health and wider development to be broken down by ethnicity in the run up to the UN high level meeting on the new framework for international development in September. In May the High Level Panel report, which will inform the UN's deliberations, called for a 'data revolution,' but it failed to make a clear call for data to be disaggregated by ethnicity.

Working in 13 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America, Health Poverty Action works in partnership with marginalised communities struggling for health. These communities are often indigenous and ethnic minorities. They face many barriers to health care and experience significantly worse health outcomes than the majority of the population, but this is hidden in most countries because health data is not broken down by ethnicity.

This report states that to improve global health we must disaggregate data by ethnicity and shine a light on the true health status of ethnic and cultural minority groups.

The report is part of the Mothers on the Margins campaign and has a focus on maternal health amongst ethnic and cultural minority groups.

The report covers:

Why it is vital that major health surveys and governments disaggregate health data by ethnicity.

An analysis of current practices in the collection of health data.

Recommendations for overcoming the barriers to obtaining and using ethnically disaggregated data including analysis of proxy indicators such as language or geographical region.

Examples from Ethiopia, Laos, Namibia and Guatemala that illustrate the vast differences in health outcomes experienced by ethnic minority groups and majority group populations.

Sarah Edwards, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Health Poverty Action, comments:

"Around the world there are marginalised communities that experience extreme poverty and poor health, and we must use every tool we have to end this, including disaggregating data by ethnicity.

"When it comes to improving maternal health the world has achieved a lot but many ethnic minority communities have been left behind; in some countries, indigenous women can be twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than women from the majority population.

"If we continue to ignore this we are effectively turning our back on the most marginalised communities on our planet. We have the capacity to identify the different health statuses of minority groups. To improve health policies and ultimately, save lives, we must do it."

The full report can be downloaded here.

Long-term calcium-channel blocker use for hypertension associated with higher breast cancer risk

Long-term calcium-channel blocker use for hypertension associated with higher breast cancer risk

Long-term use of a calcium-channel blocker to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) is associated with higher breast cancer risk, according to a report published by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

Antihypertensive medications are the most commonly prescribed class of drugs in the United States and in 2010 totaled an estimated 678 million filled prescriptions, Christopher I. Li, M.D., Ph.D., of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, and colleagues write in the study background.

"Evidence regarding the relationship between different types of antihypertensives and breast cancer risk is sparse and inconsistent, and prior studies have lacked the capacity to assess impacts of long-term use," the study notes.

The population-based study in the three-county Seattle-Puget Sound metropolitan area included women ages 55 to 74 years: 880 of the women had invasive ductal breast cancer, 1,027 had invasive lobular breast cancer and 856 of them had no cancer and served as the control group. Researchers measured the risk of breast cancer and examined the recency and duration of use of antihypertensive medications.

According to the results, current use of calcium-channel blockers for 10 or more years was associated with higher risks of ductal breast cancer (odds ratio [OR], 2.4) and lobular breast cancer (OR, 2.6). The relationship did not vary much based on the type of calcium-channel blockers used (short-acting vs. long-acting or dihydropyridines vs. non-dihydropyridines). Other antihypertensive medications - diuretics, -blockers and angiotensin II antagonists - were not associated with increased breast cancer risk, the results indicate.

"While some studies have suggested a positive association between calcium-channel blocker use and breast cancer risk, this is the first study to observe that long-term current use of calcium-channel blockers in particular are associated with breast cancer risk. Additional research is needed to confirm this finding and to evaluate potential underlying biological mechanisms," the study concludes.

Commentary: Calcium-Channel Blockers and Breast Cancer

In a related commentary, Patricia F. Coogan, Sc.D., of the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University, writes: "Given these results, should the use of CCBs [calcium-channel blockers] be discontinued once a patient has taken them for 9.9 years? The answer is no, because these data are from an observational study, which cannot prove causality and by itself cannot make a case for change in clinical practice."

"Should the results be dismissed as random noise emanating from an observational study? The answer is no, because the data make a convincing case that the hypothesis that long-term CCB use increases the risk of breast cancer is worthy of being pursued," Coogan continues.

"In conclusion, the present study provides valid evidence supporting the hypothesis that long-term CCB use increases the risk of breast cancer. If true, the hypothesis has significant clinical and public health implications," Coogan concludes.

Prevent Osteoporosis With Bioidentical Hormone Therapy

Osteoporosis occurs when the bones in the body start to lose density and become brittle. This can be caused by poor nutrition and a lack of exercise. Causes that are more common include age, disease or changes in hormonal levels. Women who have gone through menopause and older men both have decreased hormonal levels in the body. The reduction of hormones like estrogens takes away the body's ability to regulate the normal cycles that would maintain bone density and bone health. Several treatments for osteoporosis exist although some have serious side effects. Bioidentical hormone therapy is a safe and effective treatment that can help to prevent osteoporosis.

Bone Remodeling

Osteoporosis develops because of issues with the process known as bone remodeling. Bone remodeling is the natural cycle where bone tissue is absorbed by the body and replaced with new tissue. This maintains bone density as well as flexibility and strength. The bone marrow creates cells called osteoclasts that absorb bone tissue. Other cells called osteoblasts then create new tissue to replace what was absorbed. These cells are regulated by a collection of estrogen hormones in women. Decreased levels after menopause result in a disruption where more bone tissue is absorbed and less or none is produced to replace it.

A bioidentical hormone is a special combination of the different hormones and other natural chemicals that are deficient in the body. A saliva or blood test is given to a person in order to determine the current production levels of the important hormones. The bioidentical hormone is created by compounding the amount of each hormone that is missing from the body. Bioidentical therapy might involve taking a pill, taking an injection or applying a cream to the skin. This therapy will compensate for the reduced hormone levels in the body and will eventually start to have several positive effects including the prevention of osteoporosis.

The behavior of osteoclasts and osteoblasts start to change as the levels of estrogens and other hormones start to rise. Restoring the proper balance can help to reduce the rate of absorption of the bone. This gives osteoblasts the opportunity to deposit new tissue at the same rate or slightly faster than it is reabsorbed. This stops the loss of bone density and the development of fractures, broken bones and other serious problems. The level of hormones in the body is re-tested at regular intervals in order to determine if the bioidentical compound needs to be adjusted due to increases or reductions in natural hormone production.

Anyone who is starting bioidentical hormone therapy should understand that it is also very helpful to begin eating a balanced diet that is high in vitamins C, D and K. Weight-bearing exercise can actually increase the production of new bone tissue. Combining these lifestyle changes with bioidentical hormone therapy will reduce the chances of developing full osteoporosis for many people.

Female deaths much less likely to be reported to coroner in England and Wales, UK

Female deaths much less likely to be reported to coroner in England and Wales, UK

Doctors in England and Wales are much less likely to report a woman's death to a coroner than they are a man's, reveals research published online in the Journal of Clinical Pathology.

Furthermore, women's deaths are less likely to proceed to an inquest, and those that do are less likely to result in a verdict of "unnatural" death than men's, with some coroners particularly likely to favour a verdict according to the sex of the deceased, the research shows.

The authors analysed figures from the Ministry of Justice on the numbers and proportions of deaths reported to all 98 coroners, in each of the 114 jurisdictions in England and Wales, between 2001 and 2010.

These figures were then set in the context of official national statistics on the number of deaths registered in England and Wales over the same period.

Doctors are not obliged to report a death to a coroner, and the legal duty to hold an inquest resides with the coroner, usually prompted by a death in unnatural or violent circumstances, or when the death is sudden, of unknown cause, or happens in prison.

The analysis of the figures showed that coroner reporting rates varied widely across England and Wales.

Plymouth and South West Devon topped the league table, with 87% of registered deaths reported to the coroner between 2001 and 2010, while Stamford in Lincolnshire came bottom, with only 12% of deaths reported to the coroner.

There were no obvious explanations to account for such wide differences, which remained stable throughout the decade, suggesting that local demographics or medico-legal practice had a part to play, say the authors.

Similarly, coroners varied widely in their use of verdicts, which again remained consistent over time, the analysis showed. This is likely to reflect the personal decision making style of the coroner rather than any local patterns in deaths, say the authors.

But when they looked at reporting rates according to the sex of the dead person, a striking gender divide emerged.

While jurisdictions with high reporting rates for men also had high reporting rates for women, and vice versa, male deaths were 26% more likely to be reported to the coroner than female deaths.

Higher reporting rates for men were common across all jurisdictions in England and Wales, and in some areas male deaths were 48% more likely to be reported.

Not only were female deaths less likely to be reported, but they were also less likely to proceed to an inquest.

Female deaths were half as likely to proceed to an inquest as men's, with just 8% going to this stage compared with 16% of all male deaths. And even when female deaths did get an inquest, they were more likely to be given a verdict of natural causes than men (28% compared with 22%).

Among verdicts of unnatural deaths, men were overrepresented in occupational diseases and suicide while women were overrepresented in narrative verdicts - where cause of death is given in the form of a narrative rather than as a single "short form" definition - and accidents, implying that sex of the deceased influences the verdict, say the authors.

Furthermore, some coroners were "gendered," in their approach to inquest verdicts, and more likely to favour a particular verdict when dealing with a death, according to the gender of the deceased.

The government is currently reforming the death certification process in a bid to strengthen arrangements and improve the quality and accuracy of causes of death, but there are some concerns that the move will prompt a fall in deaths reported to the coroner from the present national average of 46% to around 35%, say the authors.

Personalized risk calculator for women's cancers

Personalized risk calculator for women's cancers

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Researchers have discovered a new way of predicting whether a woman is at risk of cancer of the breast, ovaries, or uterus, according to a study published in the journal PLoS Medicine.

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute and colleagues from other US medical institutes developed "absolute risk prediction models" that could help women predict their chances of developing breast, ovarian or endometrial cancer.

The researchers say that these models could help with clinical decision-making for patients.

To create the models, the researchers analyzed common cancer risk factors in women involved in two large US studies - the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study (NIH-AARP) and the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO).

The studies included white, non-Hispanic women aged over 50 years.

Some of the common risk factors included were:

Parity (the number of children a woman had delivered)

Body mass index

Use of oral contraceptives

Menopausal status

Use of menopausal hormone therapy.

The study authors say their research gave absolute risk prediction models that were able to predict women's individual risks of each of the three cancers.

The individual risk of endometrial cancer, for example, ranged from 0.5% to 29.5% over the next 20 years - with each woman's results depending on their exposure to certain risk factors.

The study authors say their findings show that breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer can all be predicted using easily-obtainable information on known risk factors.

They add: "We developed and assessed models that project the probabilities of developing breast, endometrial, or ovarian cancer among white, non-Hispanic women aged over 50 years."

The authors say:

"These models might improve the ability to identify potential participants for research studies and assist in clinical decision-making related to the risks of these cancers."

The models are not always applicable though, the researchers warn. They will not predict a cancer risk for women who already have a previous diagnosis of the particular condition, or who are already known to be at a much higher risk.

They explain: "Our models are not intended to predict the probability of the three cancers among women known to be at much higher than average risk. For example, women with a mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 or with hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC)."

The calculations can, however, predict a woman's risk of a type of cancer that is different from one she has already suffered.

"Each model is applicable to women without a prior diagnosis of that particular cancer, and thus in principle the breast cancer model can be applied to predict breast cancer risk for women with a prior diagnosis of any other cancer, including endometrial cancer."

Since the prediction models were developed from studies involving white, non-Hispanic women, the researchers caution that they may not be accurate for women of other ethnicities.

Written by Honor Whiteman

Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

BPA may be linked to infertility in women

BPA may be linked to infertility in women

A new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) recently analyzed the effects of Bisphenol-A (BPA) on human eggs, and it may reveal why some couples are unable to conceive.

The study, published recently online in the journal Human Reproduction, is the first of its kind to show the direct effects of BPA on egg maturation in humans.

BPA is a chemical that is used to make certain plastics and resins, and it can be found in some water bottles, food cans, bottle tops or water supply lines.

The experiment was led by Dr. Catherine Racowsky, director of the Assisted Reproductive Technologies Laboratory at BWH. She and her team conducted a randomized trial using 352 discarded eggs from 121 patients, who were undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) at the hospital from 2011 to 2012.

Subjects' eggs were exposed to varying levels of BPA in the laboratory, but an egg from each patient was held aside and not exposed to BPA to serve as the control.

After being exposed to BPA, researchers examined the eggs and found the following results:

Percentage of eggs that matured decreased

Proportion that degenerated fell

Percentage of eggs that underwent spontaneous activation increased

Genetic parts of eggs exposed to BPA (images B, C, D, E) compared with unexposed eggs (A). In green: spindles. Red: chromosomes. Right: combination of both. Courtesy of Brigham and Women's Hospital

(Spontaneous activation is an abnormal process in which an unfertilized egg acts as if it has been fertilized.)

Researchers also noticed with eggs that did mature, they tended not to have bipolar spindles and aligned chromosomes, as unaffected eggs do.

Dr. Racowsky says:

"Our data show that BPA exposure can dramatically inhibit egg maturation and adds to a growing body of evidence about the impact of BPA on human health.

I would encourage further research to gain a greater understanding of the role BPA plays in infertility."

The researchers note that the prevalence of BPA in our society is such that the general population is exposed to it on a regular basis. They also say that BPA has been detected in human follicular fluid.

Katherine Zeratsky from the Mayo Clinic notes that although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says BPA is safe at very low levels, the organization is continuing to review BPA and supports ongoing research.

She makes a few recommendations for those consumers who are concerned about BPA, including:

Use BPA-free products

Cut back on cans

Avoid microwaving or dishwashing plastics.

Researchers from the recent study note that though they "used sibling oocytes (eggs) to overcome potential confounders, such as infertility diagnosis and maternal age, additional studies with a larger number of oocytes are required to confirm present results."

Written by Marie Ellis

Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

New study explores the pathways that lead to jail time for women

New study explores the pathways that lead to jail time for women

How do pathways to jail vary for females who are victims of specific types of trauma? New research published in Psychology of Women Quarterly, a SAGE journal, pinpoints the types of trauma such as caregiver violence, witnessing violence, and intimate partner violence, that lead to specific types of offending later in life and offers explanations based on real experiences.

Researchers Dana DeHart, Shannon Lynch, Joanne Belknap, and Bonnie Green conducted life-history interviews with 115 female inmates from five U.S. states and found the following patterns:

Intimate partner violence increased women's risks for property crimes, drug offending, and commercial sex work. These relationships often related to intimate involvement with violent men who fluctuated between roles as the women's co-offenders, drug dealers, and pimps.

Witnessing violence increased risks for property crimes, fighting, and use of weapons. These relationships often stemmed from affiliation with criminal networks, and often women's use of weapons or aggression arose from efforts to protect themselves or others.

Experiences of caregiver violence increased risk of running away as a teen. Runaway youth often enact this behavior as a means of escaping intolerable maltreatment at home.

The researchers wrote, "The research is critical to development of gender-responsive programming, alternatives to incarceration, and problem-solving court initiatives that address girls' and women's specific needs."

The researchers also found that the women they interviewed had high rates of mental health disorders, especially serious mental illnesses (50%) such as major depression, bipolar disorders, or psychotic spectrum disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder (51%), and/or substance use disorder (85%).

"Existing studies note that many offenders with serious mental illness are not identified as mentally ill upon entry into the system," the authors wrote. "Given that mental health problems in offenders are linked to greater likelihood of violent crimes, longer sentences, rule violations, and physical assaults in the corrections environment, greater knowledge and understanding of these offenders and their needs is critical for the success of behavioral health treatment programs, jail management, and correctional staff safety."