Women’s health czar needed to lead on radical overhaul

A women’s health czar shoud be appointed to take on a radical overhaul of women’s healthcare services, argues an expert advisory group in a new report from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), published today.

The group, which includes GPs, nurses, anaesthetists, paediatricians, and representatives from Association of Early Pregnancy Units, the British Association of Perinatal Medicine, and the British Fertility Society, among others, says the current configuration of services is unsustainable.

This is due to the combined forces of the NHS reforms and workforce pressures, including the Working Time Regulations, financial pressures, rising demand, increasing complexity, and demographic changes.

And it calls for the appointment of a national clinical director for women’s health to lead on the quality agenda and ensure that service configuration, workforce and commissioning issues are championed in women’s healthcare.

Among the raft of recommendations, the report says that services should be provided in managed clinical networks which link primary, community, secondary and tertiary services, with more midwifery led care, and that a life course approach to women’s healthcare should be adopted, with a focus on prevention of ill health.

The current wide variations in health service provision need to be ironed out by implementing universal clinical standards and guidelines and mandating the reporting of outcomes, it says.

And medical workforce planning will need to take account of the Working Time Regulations and the likely reduction in the number of specialist trainees. This will require greater flexibility in the settings in which healthcare is delivered as well as in the make- up of the professional team providing services.

Hospitals should be reconfigured so that safe and timely care can be provided by multiprofessional teams on fewer sites than at present. Currently, too much care is provided within secondary and tertiary settings, says the report.

With an ageing female population, more specialist attention is also needed for women in later life, including an invitation to attend a health and lifestyle consultation to discuss a personal health plan for navigating the menopause and beyond once a woman reaches 50, says the report .

And it calls for the appointment of a national clinical director for women’s health to lead on the quality agenda and ensure that service configuration, workforce and commissioning issues are championed in women’s healthcare.

Chair of the Expert Advisory Group, Dame Joan Higgins, said: “Women’s health services need to be planned in a way that enables integration across different levels of care, delivered in partnership between local health and social care services and the voluntary sector. This network of providers should ensure that women experience co-ordinated and appropriate care which meets their needs.

Dr Tony Falconer, President of the RCOG added: “The UK has declining infant, neonatal and maternal mortality rates. However, there is scope for significant improvement and an urgent need to elevate the standards of care in all parts of the UK.”

Commenting on the report, NHS Confederation chief executive Mike Farrar said:
“If the NHS is to maintain the recent improvements in quality and access to care, we will need to change the way we deliver healthcare and we’ve got to do it quickly over the next 18 months. This means looking at where services are provided and taking some tough decisions.

Maternity care is a classic example of where, in many parts of the country, there is a desperate need to reorganise our services into fewer specialist centres with more care in the community. This would be better for mums and their babies and in many cases we have the opportunity to save lives.”

He added: “Where the case for change is clear, politicians should stand shoulder to shoulder with managers and clinicians to provide confidence to their constituents that quality and care will improve as a consequence of this change.”

Health care disparities at issue in abortion rates among black Americans

OAKLAND, Calif. — The abortion rate in the African-American community is several times higher than any other group, but community members and health providers say a recent anti-abortion billboard campaign in Oakland is misguided and simplistic.

The billboards, financed and distributed by the anti-abortion organization Issues4Life have prompted outrage among abortion rights groups and women’s health care organizations who say the ads are inflammatory, racist and demeaning. But Walter Hoye, who directs the group, says the billboards are a way of bringing attention to what he has described as an abortion-created “genocide” in the African-American community.

Nationwide, African-American women receive approximately five times as many abortions as white women, according to U.S government statistics collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those numbers hold true across all income levels. In 2006, the CDC recorded 45.9 abortions per 100 births among African-American women, versus 16.2 for white women.

The Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights research center that focuses on issues around women’s reproductive health, said African-American women are three times as likely as white women to have an unintended pregnancy.

“This is a topic we ought to talk about,” said Hoye, a Berkeley pastor and Union City resident. “It’s the number one killer in the African-American community.” Hoye’s efforts are part of a nationwide anti-abortion movement that has erected billboards in Atlanta, Chicago and New York, among other cities.

Women’s health experts, abortion rights groups and several prominent African-American activists have decried the billboards’ appearance as a simplistic and demeaning response to a complex concoction of social ills.

“It is reprehensible, and disrespectful to the African-American community,” said Lupe Rodriguez, spokeswoman for the Alameda County branch of Planned Parenthood. “They’re trying to single out one part of the overall health care of that community, and using a wedge issue to divide people.”

Rodriguez and others say the high number of African-American abortions is due to a widespread pattern of health disparities in low-income and minority communities that prevents women from obtaining effective contraception and then sustaining its use over long periods of time.

A 2008 report from the Guttmacher Institute showed that the vast majority of abortions in the U.S. were due to unintended pregnancies, regardless of race or economic status.

“Life events such as relationship changes, moving or personal crises can have a direct impact on (contraceptive) method continuation,” wrote Susan Cohen, the author of the report, “Abortion and Women of Color: The Bigger Picture.” ”Such events are more common for low-income and minority women than for others, and may contribute to unstable life situations where consistent use of contraceptives is lower-priority than simply getting by.”

Moreover, say critics of the billboards, the high abortion rates are just part of the picture. More broadly, the abortion figures fit into a pattern of poor health outcomes for African-Americans and Latinos in a number of areas. In 2008, the CDC reported that black teens were more than twice as likely to have some form of sexually transmitted disease. The incidence of AIDS rates nationwide is eight times higher for African-American men than for whites.

Meanwhile, across California, African-Americans represent 6 percent of the population, but 16 percent of the uninsured. In Alameda County, there are roughly four times as many uninsured African-Americans as whites, even though their population numbers are on par.

“This was a longer effort to shame and blame black women to make some tough reproductive health decisions,” said Toni Bond Leonard, a spokeswoman for Black Women for Reproductive Justice, a national group based in Chicago where billboards have also appeared. “At no point has anyone attempted to reach out to black women in the community to find out what we believe. They want to make this about abortion, but this is about health disparities.”

In Oakland, the billboards are prominently visible. One of the 60 or so scattered across the city sits above a liquor store in West Oakland. It shows a pastiche of an African-American infant below the words “Black is Beautiful.” At the bottom of the sign is a website address: toomanyaborted.com.

Across the street, a young woman named Nikki glances up and frowns. “We’re approaching it backward,” she said. “The message up there should say, ’Do you have enough support?’ or ’Do you have resources to help you during this pregnancy?’ ”

One young African-American man in the area said he supported the overall message, largely because of the two young daughters he works so hard to support.

“I don’t believe in abortion,” said Auntrell Brooks, 32, a carpenter. “I have two daughters, and once you see them grow up, you see what you have.”

Brooks had his first daughter when he was 16. But he says he knows many women who have aborted their pregnancies. “They said it hurt, they couldn’t afford it, the baby’s daddy was gone, they just had sex and got pregnant.”

Planned Parenthood and a number of other local health organizations have begun responding to the billboards by meeting with community leaders and doing outreach programs to counter Hoye’s message.

“It really boils down to people not having access to care, not being able to prevent those unintended pregnancies,” Rodriguez said.

Access is not the real issue, counters Hoye.

“One side is comfortable taking the life of a human being, and one side isn’t,” he said. “That baby should be protected by love and by law. If there’s any confusion about that, we can wait and find out.”

Ultimately, the billboards may be more of a distraction than a help, said Belle Taylor-McGhee, national communications director for Trust Black Women, an abortion rights advocacy group.

“Across the country, you’re going to find a majority of African-American women support a woman making a private decision about when and whether to be a parent,” she said. “But you have to engage people to assess that.”

Vitamin D, Calcium May Lower Risk of Melanoma for Some Women

Women who have a history of skin cancer and take supplements of calcium and vitamin D may lower their risk of developing melanoma, according to a new study published Monday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine analyzed data collected from 36,000 women for the Women’s Health Initiative and found that women with a history of non-melanoma skin cancer who took a daily dose of 1,000 mg of calcium plus 400IU of vitamin D had a 57 percent lower risk of developing melanoma than women with the same cancer history who didn’t take the supplements.

However, the study’s authors found that the combination of supplements did not have this protective effect in women without a history of non-melanoma skin cancer.

The authors noted that although these results should be interpreted with caution, it may be that vitamin D and calcium could prevent melanoma in high-risk women.

Health researchers try to link up with more Hispanic women

Illinois’ number of Hispanic women reporting that they were in fair or poor health was the highest in the nation, according to a 2009 study, and efforts are growing to figure out why.

Researchers want specifics on why 34.3 percent of Latino women in Illinois said their health was not good, compared with about 8.5 percent of non-Hispanic white women, in the study by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Hispanic women in the state also have higher rates than non-Hispanic white women of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity, according to the study.

But enlisting people to be studied can be complicated by a distrust of medical research and an inability to overcome language barriers and other concerns.

Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine is taking a step toward finding answers through a recently launched Spanish-language version of its Illinois Women’s Health Registry. The idea is to boost the number of Hispanic women who participate in clinical trials and provide data to help researchers understand their health needs and access to care.

“It will really give us the statistical power we need for analysis of ethnic differences,” said Candace Tingen, director of research programs at Northwestern’s Institute of Women’s Health Research. “There’s a strong desire among Illinois women to join research trials, but we knew the language barrier might be a problem for Hispanic women.”

Almost 6,300 women have joined the registry since it began in 2008, but only 4 percent describe themselves as Hispanic. The registry’s Spanish-language website, whr.northwestern.edu/es, went live in May.

Tingen hopes to attract 1,000 Hispanic women to the registry in the next year. Building up the number of Hispanic women involved is crucial to gaining a better understanding of their health across the state, she said.

The disparities between ethnic groups are striking. Hispanic women in Illinois have a 9 percent rate of diabetes compared with the 3 percent rate among non-Hispanic white women, and about 4 percent of Hispanic women have cardiovascular disease while fewer than 2 percent of non-Hispanic white women do, the Kaiser Foundation study says.

In addition, about 30 percent of Hispanic women in Illinois are obese compared with about 21 percent of non-Hispanic white women, the study says.

Contributing factors are inadequate access to and use of health care, a lack of health insurance, lower socioeconomic status and lower levels of education.

“We need to have better planning and coordination,” said Esther Sciammarella, director of the Chicago Hispanic Health Coalition, “to make sure we help people reach the services they need.”

Sciammarella, who advocates for a “good state plan” to tackle health disparities in Illinois, said her coalition will promote Northwestern’s effort to reach Hispanic women. Involving them in clinical trials allows access to the latest treatments and quality care, she said.

Northwestern has matched women already in the registry with about 20 clinical trials, including studies related to hearing, fertility, postpartum depression, osteoarthritis, HIV, menopause and gestational diabetes.

In the past, women were excluded from clinical research, but the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993 requires women and minorities to be included unless their involvement is inappropriate for the purpose of the research or the health of the subjects.

On its website, the registry poses these questions: “Why do some diseases affect women more than men? Why do women respond to some drugs and treatment therapies differently than men? What environmental factors and behaviors most influence women’s health? We don’t know. But we want to find out. And we need your help.”

“We make the connection between women and researcher, disallowing any excuse for researchers not to include women,” Tingen said. “We want to do the same for Spanish-speaking women. They’re hard to recruit because they’re often hard to reach.”

The registry intends to focus recruitment efforts on church groups and other small-group gatherings, but Northwestern’s Institute of Women’s Health Research does not have funding to hire a Spanish-speaking community liaison.

Northwestern professors Aida Giachello and Dr. Martha Daviglus plan to help with outreach and to use the data collected from the registry. The two recently submitted a National Institutes of Health grant application for $950,000 over five years to establish something that would be called the Center of Health Disparities for Cardiovascular Health. They are seeking funds for research, research training and community engagement.

“In poor communities, people don’t understand what research is. There is distrust,” said Giachello, former director of the Midwest Latino Health, Research, Training and Policy Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “If we receive funding, we can do a comprehensive community campaign, outreach and a media effort to get the word out about research, clinical studies and the importance of studies to improve their own health.”

Giachello and Daviglus are working on a six-year study of Hispanic health by targeting 16,000 participants in Chicago, Miami, New York and San Diego. They have a $65 million National Institutes of Health grant funding the research.

The lack of data on Hispanic health is more apparent among recent immigrants and Hispanics with low income and low levels of education, Giachello said. In Illinois, advocates say they are fighting the perception that Hispanics are clustered in the Southeast, Northeast, Texas and California, and not the Midwest.

About 13 percent of the state’s population — 1.7 million people — is Hispanic, according to U.S. census figures, constituting the 10th-highest Hispanic population in the nation.

“Latinos are all over the place, but that’s something not a lot of policymakers are necessarily aware of,” Giachello said. “That lack of awareness has led to a lack of funding to do research in Illinois. We need the data for better programs, services and public policy.”

Kansas’ Stringent New Licensing Law Shuts Down Abortion Clinic, Others Fear ‘We’re Doomed’

Kansas is now down to just two abortion providers, after one clinic failed to meet the rigorous licensing requirements established by a new state law. Abortion advocates see the new regulations — which require abortion clinics to obtain a state license to continue operating past July 1 — as an effort by opponents to chase abortion providers out of the state. Kansas’ remaining clinics worry they could be next“:

A lawyer for the Aid for Women clinic in Kansas City, Kan., said Friday that it received a notice that its application for a license had been denied by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment without an inspection. Attorney Cheryl Pilate said the clinic was looking at its legal options but would have to close, at least temporarily.

The clinic received its notice on the same day the leader of a regional Planned Parenthood chapter said inspectors who spent two days at its Overland Park clinic found it will comply with all new regulations. An inspection of the third provider is scheduled for Wednesday. All three are in the Kansas City area.

“We’re doomed,” said Dr. Herbert Hodes, who performs abortions for the third provider, the Women’s Health Center, also in Overland Park.

The new requirements are far more specific than anything the state requires for hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, and are much more detailed “than the rules for most clinics and offices in which doctors perform many surgical procedures.” The abortion providers were informed of the new standards earlier this month and given just weeks to comply with the new licensing requirements. For instance, the room where the abortions occur must maintain a temperate of between 68 and 73 degrees, have at least 150 square feet (excluding ‘fixed’ cabinets), and come with its own janitor’s closet with 50 or more square feet. Women also have to remain in recovery for at least two hours afterward.

No such requirements exist for hospitals or surgical centers and the state doesn’t mandate specific room sizes or temperature standards. Instead, “they’re tied to standards from the American Institute of Architects for medical facilities, which call for at least 360 square feet of unrestricted space for surgery rooms. But those standards apply to new construction.” The health department also doesn’t “set a minimum recovery time.”

If the licensing standards succeed in closing down the two remaining abortion clinics and discourage any new providers from entering the market, it will pose a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade. In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the Supreme Court held that states may enact some abortion regulations, but they may not “strike at the right itself” to terminate a pregnancy.

New website aims to help inform aboriginal Canadians on sexual health issues

Experts behind a new website devoted to aboriginal sexual health hope it will be a culturally relevant tool for a population vulnerable to health issues such as high-risk pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.

The launch of AboriginalSexualHealth.ca by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada coincided with the kickoff of the organization’s annual clinical meeting in Vancouver on Tuesday, which also marked National Aboriginal Day. The meeting began with a day-long International Indigenous Women’s Health Symposium.

Dr. Don Wilson, chair of the SOGC’s aboriginal health initiatives committee, said the website will target both aboriginal people and health professionals.

“All cultures have their own takes on reproductive health, having children, family life,” said co-chair Dr. Sandra de la Ronde.

“Each culture has its own sort of special importance and ceremony around it, and so this will provide a place where non-aboriginals but also aboriginals can learn more about cultural practices.”

Wilson said the site’s homepage, which features a medicine wheel, was selected as the centre image because it’s symbolic of the cycle of life and how everything in life is connected.

The online component is key, as one of the significant barriers to accessing health care is geography, said Wilson, a member of the Heiltsuk Nation from the north-central coast of British Columbia.

“There are many rural and remote aboriginal communities that don’t have ready access to health-care personnel that are there in their communities, but they’ll still be able to access this information via the Internet, because it’s becoming a more important tool to reach the rural and remote populations.”

Wilson said the information is also intended for urban aboriginal populations to help them understand what resources are available for them to access.

A section aimed at health-care professionals is focused on supporting the delivery of culturally safe care. Another section is designed specifically for aboriginal women and youth. It includes public health materials and information related to contraception, sexually transmitted infections and women’s rights.

Among the contributors is actor Adam Beach, who grew up on the Dog Creek First Nations reserve at Lake Manitoba. The film and TV star addresses subjects such as healthy and safe sexual relationships and sex education in videos produced with the SOGC’s sexualityandu.ca website.

“I think it’s very important for aboriginal people to hear from some people within their own communities about these topics and to bring education and information and advocacy forward in a way they feel comfortable and in a way they can relate to when they see it,” said Wilson.

The project was challenging “because the aboriginal world is not homogeneous,” he noted. Within Canada’s three main aboriginal groups — Inuit, Metis and First Nations — and even from community to community, there can be significant cultural variations.

“We’ve tried to take some representative examples from some communities and from some well-known aboriginal people to convey the necessary information in these domains.”

The SOGC recently released a new joint policy statement approved by more than a dozen organizations including the Assembly of First Nations and the Canadian Medical Association reaffirming sexual and reproductive health rights of aboriginal women and youth.

According to the statement, First Nations, Inuit and Metis women experience a disproportionately high rate of STIs, high-risk pregnancies, complicated and pre-term deliveries, teenage pregnancies and sexual violence. They are also more likely than the general population to have both low and high-birthweight babies, and infants born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and other developmental disorders.

First Nations, Inuit and Metis women also experience higher than average rates of obesity, diabetes, postpartum depression and cervical cancer, the statement said.

Wilson said when considering the social determinants of health, most outcomes are ultimately driven by factors like poverty, education or access to health services.

The doctor, who practises general obstetrics and gynecology in Comox, B.C., on Vancouver Island, said one of the biggest issues he sees affecting Canada’s aboriginal women is that some have to be evacuated from their home communities to give birth.

What should be a straightforward event can result in a “tremendous amount of emotional and economic upheaval,” Wilson said. Some women have to leave their communities up to four weeks before they give birth. This could lead to obstetrical interventions such as inducing a woman’s labour so that she can return sooner to her family, he noted.

“From a medical perspective, social inductions should be considered a no-no, but on occasion, we have to do them because there’s other mitigating factors that make it very important for a woman to rejoin her family.”

De la Ronde has been seeing patients since February at the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health in Ottawa. She hopes to develop a maternal-child program similar to one she helped establish at the Calgary Urban Project Society. Around 60 per cent of the population she saw at CUPS were aboriginal — primarily First Nations — many of whom were homeless or prostitutes.

“I saw a lot of families that had been broken up, people that I had met had been products of foster care themselves, a lot of addiction, I saw HIV, but it all went together,” she recalled. “The thing that I noted the most was the strength in those women that had been on the street, some of them from early teens, with their strength to survive.”

The SOGC is in the process of updating its guidelines for providing care to aboriginal people. De la Ronde said they’re hoping to get more information about cultural practices related to family life and childbirth across the country.

Wilson said there has been a steady decline in both maternity and obstetrical care providers over the past few decades as well as in the number of family physicians willing to do obstetrics. What’s more, there hasn’t been a dramatic increase in the number of other health-care providers who could possibly offer such care, such as registered midwives or nurse-practitioners.

“It requires a commitment on the part of the government, on the part of the training institutions and of individuals who go into these fields to be willing to go out into the smaller sites,” he said.

“If we had a magic wand and could create more health-care providers, it would certainly help the situation — no doubt at all.”

At the Heart of the Matter

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer of women in the United States. Although scientists have discovered demonstrable sex differences, treatment options remain the same. In response to this important issue, the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) and WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease released the long awaited 2011 10Q Report: Advancing Women’s Heart Health through Improved Research, Diagnosis and Treatment on June 21 to a captivated audience on Capitol Hill.

The 2011 10Q Report is an update to the 2006 10Q Report that identified the top 10 unanswered research questions concerning the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in women. Because these and other questions still lack answers, SWHR and WomenHeart are issuing an updated 2011 report.

Over 8.6 million women die annually of CVD and more women than men die each year of heart disease. Experts also estimate that one in two women will die of heart disease or stroke per year. There are known sex differences in symptoms and treatment of CVD, yet medical treatment of women has not changed substantially nor has it resulted in appropriate research into these distinct sex differences. The 10Q Report is a call to action to members of Congress, administration officials, researchers, health care providers, and women.

“The 10Q Report shows the major need to focus research funding appropriately for CVD to understand the important sex differences in heart health,” said Phyllis Greenberger, MSW, President and CEO of SWHR. “SWHR and WomenHeart consulted with cardiovascular experts to identify these top 10 unanswered questions to aid researchers in the study of prevention and treatment of this number one killer of women.”

The lack of understanding of sex differences in CVD can be attributed to insufficient recruitment of women and minorities for clinical trials. Improved participation rates would result in more accurate data and understanding of how CVD affects women differently than men. This in turn would produce more appropriate prevention and early detection plans, accurate diagnosis and proper treatment of all women with heart disease.

“The 10Q Report reveals a startling lack of research into how women and men are genetically differently in CVD symptoms, diagnosis and treatment,” said Lisa M. Tate, CEO, WomenHeart. “To better care for women, these 10 crucial questions must finally be addressed.”

Society for Women’s Health Research

The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR), a national non-profit organization based in Washington D.C., is widely recognized as the thought leader in women’s health research, particularly how sex differences influence health. SWHR’s mission is to improve the health of all women through advocacy, education and research. Visit SWHR’s website at swhr.org for more information.

WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease

WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease is the only national organization dedicated to promoting women’s heart health through advocacy, and patient support. As the leading voice for the 42 million American women living with or at risk of heart disease, WomenHeart advocates for equal access to quality care and champions prevention and early detection, accurate diagnosis and proper treatment of women’s heart disease.

Migraines – A Serious Women’s Health Issue

We have all known someone who has been devastated by migraines that may come on unexpectedly and bring symptoms like throbbing pain, sensitivity to light, nausea, and vomiting and lasts for hours or days. Chances are that someone was female. Migraine is not only a debilitating illness, it is an important women’s health issue. Of the over 36 million Americans afflicted with migraine, 27 million are women. Women suffer from migraines three times as often as men, in the U.S that is 18% vs 3% respectively, making it one of the leading serious health problems affecting women, according to the Migraine Research Foundation. In fact, of the women who suffer from migraines, 25% have four or more severe attacks per month, which can cause a serious interruption in their personal and professional lives.

Migraine is not just a bad headache. It is an extremely debilitating collection of neurological symptoms that usually includes a severe recurring intense throbbing pain on one or both sides of the head that lasts from four hours to three days, often accompanied by one or more of the following: visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, extreme sensitivity to sound, light, touch and smell, and tingling or numbness in the extremities or face. These symptoms, which can last 20-60 minutes, are referred to as the aura phase of the headache. Of course, everyone is different, and symptoms vary by person and sometimes by attack. The challenge for neurologists is that migraine is difficult to treat because the symptoms are hard to evaluate and can change from one attack to the next. Since symptoms vary widely, migraine is often misdiagnosed and many sufferers are never diagnosed.
Prescription drugs from Mexico
So many women suffer from this incapacitating condition, yet the causes remain unknown and there is no cure. Women report pain that lasts longer and occurs more frequently than among men. There is much evidence connecting hormones to migraine, but not all migraines are hormonal. Curiously, during childhood, migraine is more prevalent in boys than in girls, but once puberty kicks in and estrogen acts up, girls are more susceptible. In fact, girls are more likely to have their first migraine during the year of their first period than at any other time in their lives, according to Cathy Glaser, President of the Migraine Research Foundation. After puberty, migraine in women increases until about age 45, when it begins to taper off. Many women find their migraine symptoms are affected for better or worse by menstruation, hormonal contraception, pregnancy, and menopause. Hormonal fluctuations, especially estrogen withdrawal, are thought to trigger migraines. During perimenopause, which can start in the mid 30s with hormonal fluctuations, migraines often get worse. Fortunately, migraine incidence decreases during menopause and drops to 5% in women after age 60.

“By helping research scientists discover the root causes of migraine and determine how to treat them, the Migraine Research Foundation hopes that everyone who suffers from migraine will eventually have an effective treatment that they can count on to allow them to live a healthy, happy and productive life, says Stephen Semlitz, co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Migraine Research Foundation.

Study finds people in Appalachia, Deep South live the shortest lives

Living to the ripe old age of…60? Where you live could factor into how long you live.

A new study published in the online journal Population Health Metrics showed life expectancy is falling in many US counties, hitting women especially hard.

Appalachia and the deep South have the lowest life expectancy numbers (mid-60′s for men, early 70′s for women).

In our area:

Highest life expectancy for men (age 72): Montgomery, Bedford and Botetout Counties.

Lowest life expectancy for men (age 67): Roanoke City, Martinsville, Danville.

Highest life expectancy for women (age 80): Bedford and Salem.

Lowest life expectancy for women (age 77): Halifax, Danville, Martinsville, and Smyth and Grayson Counties.

One of the biggest trends in this study has to do with women.

Women have, historically, always lived longer than men, but this study found that the age a women is expected to live to, is declining in many counties.

A women’s life expectancy has remained the same, or even dropped, in more than 850 counties, over a 20 year period. That’s compared to just 84 counties where mens life expectancy declined, according to the study.

Southwestern Virginia doctors say higher poverty rates, less health education and culture could contribute to the life expectancy discrepancies in different areas, specifically for how long women are living.

“This study tells us there are issues in the rural areas that are particularly hard hit socioeconomically,” said Mary Arnold, a women’s health navigator at Carilion’s New River Valley Medical Center. “Women take care of everybody but themselves; their kids, family, home, and if given the choice, they are going to focus on those things.”

“But there are also stress factors that come with having less money to deal with or a loss of jobs, which may lead to the choice of poor life style habits,” Arnold said.

Carilion has a outreach programs to help combat some of the factors leading to shorter lives, like smoking, obesity, chronic illness, said Arnold, but taking advantage of those services is up to the individual.

Affordable contraception vital to women’s health care

In 1965, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Connecticut law making it illegal for married couples to use birth control. The case of Griswold v. Connecticut, initially brought against one law in one small state, ensured that women can make personal decisions about if and when to have children — monumentally improving their health and the health of their families.

Forty-six years ago, women had few choices in planning their lives and their families. Thus, they were more likely to experience poor health outcomes, and their children were, too. They faced enormous barriers in pursuing educational and professional goals. And communities suffered.

The Griswold case set women, and our country, on a new, healthier path. Today, family planning is widely recognized by the medical community as integral to improving women’s health and the health of their children. For many women, access to contraception has allowed them to go to college, to pursue a career and to have a healthy pregnancy. Thirty-eight million women — more than 60 percent of those between 15 and 44 — use some contraceptive method at any given time. Not surprisingly, communities are healthier than they were in 1965.

When women plan their pregnancies, they are more likely to seek prenatal care, improving their own health and the health of their children. Access to family planning is directly linked to declines in maternal and infant mortality rates. In 2005, pregnancy-related deaths were down 52 percent from 1965. At the same time, the number of women in the U.S. labor force more than doubled.

Yet still, for millions of American women, birth control is beyond their reach. For uninsured women, out-of-pocket costs are prohibitive; even for women with health insurance, related co-payments are often unaffordable. More than a third of women have struggled with the cost of prescription birth control at some point and have thus failed to use it consistently.

A woman with insurance faces co-pays of $15 to $50 a month ($180 to $600 annually) for birth control pills and hundreds of dollars in out-of-pocket costs for longer-acting methods. Studies show that when cost barriers are removed, women switch quickly to more effective methods, and experience fewer unintended pregnancies — a critical outcome in a nation where nearly half of all pregnancies are unintended. Ultimately, removing cost barriers to birth control could mean as much today as removing legal barriers did a half-century ago.

The Affordable Care Act holds enormous promise for expanding access to birth control. Under the new law, millions of women will become insured for the first time, and health care — including birth control — that they have gone without will finally be attainable. Moreover, the law offers an unprecedented opportunity to make birth control more affordable. Efforts by some states to oppose the law is shortsighted.

The Griswold anniversary is a time to celebrate and also an occasion to recommit ourselves to improving our nation’s health.

Meredith Vieira comes to New Jersey to promote women’s health

In one of her final appearances before a live audience as co-anchor of NBC’s Today show, Meredith Vieira — who is leaving her five-year successful run to pursue other challenges — came to central New Jersey on Wednesday to moderate a panel at the Healthy Woman’s Forum, a day for women to discuss “vital concerns and learn new, healthy practices that can boost confidence and competence both personally and professionally.”

Over 350 New Jersey women gathered at the Forum in West Windsor to listen to advice on how to lead more healthy and meaningful lives.

A segment of the Forum will air on Today on Tuesday, June 7th.

The Healthy Woman’s Forum is the brain and heart child of Joyce Hofmann and Sharon Rose Powell, Ed.D., two residents of the Princeton area. Hofmann has run the Princeton Weight Loss Corp. for over 25 years; Powell, directed the Princeton Center for Leadership Training for 22 years and now provides counseling through her firm, Princeton Psychological Partners, LLC.

The day’s goal was “to examine how to find balance in our daily living and promote our physical and mental health.” Workshops focused on promoting physical and mental health, including how to lose weight and keep it off, alternative approaches to medicine, the challenges of midlife and beyond, including menopause, raising children with less stress, and overcoming anxiety and fears.

Prior to the Vieira-moderated panel, we attended two of seven workshop offerings on promoting physical and mental health. I attended “Midlife and Beyond: Balancing Hormones, Emotions, Nutritional, and Metabolic Need” and “Matters of the Breast,” since I thought I might hear some sexual health discussion.

The “Midlife and Beyond” workshop, led by two physicians, focused on menopause and the controversial issue of hormone replacement therapy. The take-home messages of the workshop were that there’s nothing wrong with taking hormones safely, and an educated patient is an important part of the decision.

When sexuality finally surfaced in the session, the discussion focused on clinical aspects connected with women at midlife: painful intercourse, lack of desire, vaginitis, yeast infections, pelvic pain, and fibroids. Although one of the physicians mentioned the need for “adult sex education,” there was, sadly, no discussion about the emotional, non-medical aspects of sexuality at midlife, involving love, intimacy, and new relationships.

Similarly, the discussion in “Matters of the Breast” focused solely on the medical aspects of breast cancer. I understand this approach, as there were breast cancer survivors in the workshop who wanted the latest information about surgical choices, treatments, cure rates, reoccurrence, and how to have a positive attitude. Yet the subject of sexual desire after breast surgery and partners’ roles in post-surgical relationships never arose.

The workshop’s message was reassuring: Most lumps are not malignant and 75 percent of breast cancers show no family history. We also learned that about 200,000 cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed this year— the median age at diagnosis is 67 years. Twenty-two percent of new cases will be diagnosed among women 75 to 84 years old. (The message here: keep getting an annual mammogram.)

The physicians leading both workshops stressed the importance of good health practices that include diet and exercise in order to control weight gain and reduce the intake of estrogens, which are connected to breast cancer.

Vieira, who was introduced as “the warmest, most down-to-earth anchorperson in broadcast news,” moderated a star-studded panel. It included Anne-Marie Slaughter, Ph.D., who resumed her named professorship at Princeton university after doing a stint in Washington D.C. as director of Policy Planning in the U.S. Department of State; Amy Robach, the Saturday Today anchor and national correspondent for NBC Nightly News who lives in Hightstown, NJ; Andrew Shue, the actor who is married to Robach; Stephanie Byerly, M.D., a professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and Dr. Kate Thomsen, M.D., who after a distinguished medical career started an innovative private practice in integrative health care for women in Pennington, NJ.

The panel discussed how busy women could find balance in their lives. Slaughter went so far to say that “women can’t have it all.” She recommended that they make choices and compromises, even giving up a dream job, as she has recently done, and redefining a career to accommodate family responsibilities.

Robach and Shue cautioned that “you don’t have to be your kids’ best friend.” (They became the poster couple for “blended families” after marrying; her two daughters and his three sons now live under one roof.) Their point was that hovering over children and trying to have them love you all the time puts undue pressure on adult parents. Shue went so far as to say “a parent’s job is to love a child, not necessarily the reverse.” They plan their lives so they have two kid-free days a week.

Dr. Byerly said that women have to learn to ask for help as well as give it and added that “most people don’t find themselves until they are 30.” Dr. Thomsen talked about her theory that change happens “in a spiral pattern: you make improvements and then fall back only to spiral up again.”

An audience member asked Vieira and the panelists how they defined success. The answers included such thoughts as “love and knowing that you are loved, making a difference to others, raising empathetic children, keeping your sense of humor, and making breakfast for my kids, every day.”

New funding law is easy to sidestep

Planned Parenthood cried foul after the Indiana General Assembly adopted a law that blocked funds to agencies that provide abortion services.

The matter is headed to court, but in the meantime, federal health officials have said Indiana can’t deny Medicaid funds to clinics because the agencies provide abortions.

State officials aren’t so sure and are preparing for court.

Let’s not kid ourselves. Planned Parenthood is not fighting this law to protect its women’s health clinics. They’re fighting to defend a woman’s right to receive an abortion. At least state lawmakers are honest enough to admit the fight is over abortion, not women’s health.

Planned Parenthood’s abortion services are funded privately, not through taxpayer money.

Medicaid funds pay for health screenings, contraceptives and reproductive health services to low-income clients.

The new state law pulled Medicaid funds from clinics that provide abortion services.

This fight over funding is avoidable and easily resolved without impeding women’s health or abortion services.

Planned Parenthood has argued that its health services — excluding abortion services — are vital to low-income clients, and we believe that to be true. But Planned Parenthood, which has been receiving private donations to continue its services since the law took effect last month, could easily continue to receive public funding for low-income clients if it ended abortion services.

It’s likely a relatively easy separation without a real distinction.

Much as religious-affiliated hospitals refer patients to specific clinics for services that contradicts their faith, Planned Parenthood could sever its abortion services. This would mean the abortion services would operate under a different name and different board members. Since funding for abortions is private, money would simply be donated to a different organization or clinic.

But Americans with a cause love a good fight.

Regardless of where one stands on the abortion issue, Planned Parenthood’s health screenings and clinics provide a valuable service that should be continued.

But rather than sidestep the new Indiana law for the greater good of providing health care to low-income women, the two sides are prepared to slug it out in court.

The body-image war

A survey done by Women’s Health Magazine found that the No. 1 priority among women isn’t to live long. It isn’t to have a successful marriage, either.

It’s being thin.

It seems as if it’s a never ending body-image war with women. An alarming 97 percent of women experience “I hate my body” thoughts daily, according to a Glamour Magazine poll.

Why?

Many times people blame celebrities, but they can’t shoulder all the blame, can they? At some point, experts say, individuals must take the responsibility upon themselves.

Good Day welcomed psychologist Dr. Lavinia Rodriguez, author of “Mind Over Fat matters,” to discuss the issue.

Quarter of new HIV patients are women

One in four new HIV infections in Ontario are among women, a new survey shows.

Even though there have been significant advances in HIV care, 25% of new HIV infections from 2006 to 2008 were in women, according to a health study by researchers from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and St. Michael’s Hospital.

Marvelous Muchenje is one of the 4,700 women in Ontario living with HIV, most of whom contracted the disease through sexual contact.

“For women in some communities, it can be difficult to negotiate safe sex,” said Muchenje, 38, who is originally from Zimbabwe.

Women who emigrated from a country plagued by HIV make up more than half of the new infections in Ontario.

“HIV still has a stigma and some people don’t disclose to their sexual partner,” Muchenje said.

The findings, from Project for an Ontario Women’s Health Evidence-Based Report (POWER), say targeted prevention and intervention efforts are necessary to eliminate gaps and inequities in care for HIV patients.

“We have made real progress in preventing HIV infection and in treating people living with HIV, but we also identified several groups for whom important disparities persist, including older women, Aboriginal women, and women who have immigrated from countries where HIV is endemic,” Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi, a physician at St. Michael’s Hospital, said. “We also identified differences related to poverty, injection drug use, and geography. Our findings suggest that addressing such factors will be important for delivering universal, high-quality HIV care in Ontario.”

The POWER Study is the first in Ontario to provide a overview of women’s health in relation to income, education, ethnicity and geography.

“The POWER Study HIV Infection chapter reveals important gaps in prevention, access and clinical care,” said Pat Campbell, CEO of Echo: Improving Women’s Health in Ontario.

“Findings support the need for strategies to promote HIV prevention and testing directed at hard to reach groups,” she said. “We also need to improve access to care for women aged 55 and older to ensure earlier diagnosis and or earlier entry to care. At the same time, findings are helping to track improvements in care, evident in the high prenatal HIV screening rate (of 95%).”

High rates of prenatal HIV screening show a targeted program can achieve measurable improvements in care, said Dr. Arlene Bierman, a physician at St. Michael’s Hospital and principal investigator of the study.

“We need to develop programs that ensure that all women who are at risk are screened and when tests are positive that they receive HIV care in a timely manner. Routine monitoring of quality indicators will allow us to evaluate these programs,” said Dr. Bierman.

One in four new HIV infections in Ontario are among women, a new survey shows.

Even though there have been significant advances in HIV care, 25% of new HIV infections from 2006 to 2008 were in women, according to a health study by researchers from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and St. Michael’s Hospital.

Marvelous Muchenje is one of the 4,700 women in Ontario living with HIV, most of whom contracted the disease through sexual contact.

“For women in some communities, it can be difficult to negotiate safe sex,” said Muchenje, 38, who is originally from Zimbabwe.

Women who emigrated from a country plagued by HIV make up more than half of the new infections in Ontario.

“HIV still has a stigma and some people don’t disclose to their sexual partner,” Muchenje said.

The findings, from Project for an Ontario Women’s Health Evidence-Based Report (POWER), say targeted prevention and intervention efforts are necessary to eliminate gaps and inequities in care for HIV patients.

“We have made real progress in preventing HIV infection and in treating people living with HIV, but we also identified several groups for whom important disparities persist, including older women, Aboriginal women, and women who have immigrated from countries where HIV is endemic,” Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi, a physician at St. Michael’s Hospital, said. “We also identified differences related to poverty, injection drug use, and geography. Our findings suggest that addressing such factors will be important for delivering universal, high-quality HIV care in Ontario.”

The POWER Study is the first in Ontario to provide a overview of women’s health in relation to income, education, ethnicity and geography.

“The POWER Study HIV Infection chapter reveals important gaps in prevention, access and clinical care,” said Pat Campbell, CEO of Echo: Improving Women’s Health in Ontario.

“Findings support the need for strategies to promote HIV prevention and testing directed at hard to reach groups,” she said. “We also need to improve access to care for women aged 55 and older to ensure earlier diagnosis and or earlier entry to care. At the same time, findings are helping to track improvements in care, evident in the high prenatal HIV screening rate (of 95%).”

High rates of prenatal HIV screening show a targeted program can achieve measurable improvements in care, said Dr. Arlene Bierman, a physician at St. Michael’s Hospital and principal investigator of the study.

“We need to develop programs that ensure that all women who are at risk are screened and when tests are positive that they receive HIV care in a timely manner. Routine monitoring of quality indicators will allow us to evaluate these programs,” said Dr. Bierman.

One in four new HIV infections in Ontario are among women, a new survey shows.

Even though there have been significant advances in HIV care, 25% of new HIV infections from 2006 to 2008 were in women, according to a health study by researchers from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and St. Michael’s Hospital.

Marvelous Muchenje is one of the 4,700 women in Ontario living with HIV, most of whom contracted the disease through sexual contact.

“For women in some communities, it can be difficult to negotiate safe sex,” said Muchenje, 38, who is originally from Zimbabwe.
Women who emigrated from a country plagued by HIV make up more than half of the new infections in Ontario.

“HIV still has a stigma and some people don’t disclose to their sexual partner,” Muchenje said.

The findings, from Project for an Ontario Women’s Health Evidence-Based Report (POWER), say targeted prevention and intervention efforts are necessary to eliminate gaps and inequities in care for HIV patients.

“We have made real progress in preventing HIV infection and in treating people living with HIV, but we also identified several groups for whom important disparities persist, including older women, Aboriginal women, and women who have immigrated from countries where HIV is endemic,” Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi, a physician at St. Michael’s Hospital, said. “We also identified differences related to poverty, injection drug use, and geography. Our findings suggest that addressing such factors will be important for delivering universal, high-quality HIV care in Ontario.”

The POWER Study is the first in Ontario to provide a overview of women’s health in relation to income, education, ethnicity and geography.

“The POWER Study HIV Infection chapter reveals important gaps in prevention, access and clinical care,” said Pat Campbell, CEO of Echo: Improving Women’s Health in Ontario.

“Findings support the need for strategies to promote HIV prevention and testing directed at hard to reach groups,” she said. “We also need to improve access to care for women aged 55 and older to ensure earlier diagnosis and or earlier entry to care. At the same time, findings are helping to track improvements in care, evident in the high prenatal HIV screening rate (of 95%).”

High rates of prenatal HIV screening show a targeted program can achieve measurable improvements in care, said Dr. Arlene Bierman, a physician at St. Michael’s Hospital and principal investigator of the study.

“We need to develop programs that ensure that all women who are at risk are screened and when tests are positive that they receive HIV care in a timely manner. Routine monitoring of quality indicators will allow us to evaluate these programs,” said Dr. Bierman.

Blumenthal Voices Support for Veterans and Women’s Health Care

Wednesday afternoon, Senator Richard Blumenthal attended a luncheon for the New Canaan League of Women Voters. The luncheon, which took place in a dining room at the Country Club of New Canaan, was without an unfilled seat.

Blumenthal began his discussion with his thoughts on women’s health, offering a short and concise idea of where he stands on this issue.

“Part of what I have been doing is stopping bad things from happening. It makes no sense to defund Planned Parenthood,” he said.

A good part of the room applauded, agreeing with the Senator’s statement.

“First of all, on the issue of abortion, only a small part of the work Planned Parenthood is doing is abortions. They provide cancer screenings and prenatal care,” he said.

With hospitals, Medicaid and Medicare on the minds of many, Blumenthal brought up the efforts of all three.

“We ought to be very proud of the hospitals in Connecticut,” he stated. “Medicaid is working to ease up on pressure in emergency rooms; I think that it will be a continuing effort in this area.”

With one-fourth of births in Connecticut funded by Medicaid, Blumenthal said government needs to make more of an effort to make both the experience of patients and hospitals easier. One of the hindrances he sees in making healthcare more accessible comes from the Consumer Financial Product Commission.

“Essentially, for opponents of Consumer Protection, coming forward is to rob and reduce funding,” Blumenthal said.

Senator Blumenthal on Veterans

Blumenthal spoke passionately on the state of United States military veterans.

“This country is failing its veterans,” he stated. “Tonight about 100,000 United States veterans will be homeless. One in four veterans in their twenties are unemployed, that’s double the rate of their peers. You are double as likely to be unemployed if you serve this country.”

Blumenthal, who is on the Armed Services Committee, has proposed a bill called Honoring All Veterans.

“This bill, I think, is really important,” Blumenthal said. “This is a bi-partisan issue that this country has an obligation to keep.”

Questions and Answers

After his prepared remarks, the League of Women Voters provided a list of questions for the Senator to answer. One question pertained to Blumenthal’s efforts to interact with other members of government and the way he goes about it.

“There’s no sort of set procedure,” he stated. “We talk frequently; I will see all of our congress men and women each weekend because we all come home. There is a school of thought that government worked better when people in my position couldn’t go home on the weekends. [Government officials and representatives] used to be captives in Washington,” he joked. “There’s nothing like a social relationship to soften the edges.”

Last Tuesday’s debt ceiling outcome was on the list next.

“I believe we do need to raise the debt ceiling, but also cut spending,” Blumenthal said. “We need to do it together. I believe there will be tough negotiations. We need to cut healthcare costs, we need to go after wasteful and unnecessary spending. There are millions, even billions of dollars that we have failed to recover. “

With Medicare stating it would not be able to satisfy its obligations by 2024, Blumenthal said action needs to be taken immediately.

“Reducing healthcare costs has to be done,” he told the group. “We need to eliminate waste and fraud in Medicare and Medicaid programs.”

Other efforts that Blumenthal thinks would be beneficial to Connecticut are the continued manufacturing of submarines in Connecticut, continued fuel cell usage due to the fact that Connecticut is the fuel cell capital of the United States, and a potential energy policy put in place by the government.

Health Effects for Single Moms

Unmarried mothers face poorer health at midlife than do women who have children after marriage, according to a new study.

This is the first U.S. study, led by Kristi Williams, associate professor of Sociology at the Ohio State University, to document long-term negative health effects for unwed mothers.

About 40 percent of all U.S. births are to unmarried women, compared to fewer than 10 percent in 1960, Williams said. This suggests there will soon be a population boom of single mothers suffering middle-aged health problems.

“We are soon going to have a large population of single mothers who are entering midlife, when many health problems just begin to emerge,” Williams was quoted as saying. “This is a looming public health crisis that has been pretty much ignored by the public and by policymakers.”

In addition, the study suggests that later marriage doesn’t usually help reverse the negative health consequences of having a first birth outside of marriage. This calls into question that government’s effort to promote marriage among low-income, single mothers, at least in terms of the consequences for these women’s health.

In one analysis, the researchers used data on 3,391 and a second analysis involved data on 1,150 women. By 2008, the researchers had data on marriages and other unions for a 29 year period.

Most notably, the results shows Hispanic women who had a first child outside a marriage didn’t have the same negative health effects at 40 that white and black women did. Researchers believe this is because Hispanic women may have children out of wedlock, but it’s usually in a long-lasting cohabitation that mocks marriage.

“Research has clearly shown the toll that long-term stress takes on health, and we know that single mothers have a great deal of stress in their lives,” Williams said. “Their economic problems only add to the problem.”

“Marriage tends to help by providing women with economic and social support, but black women are disadvantaged in marriage in both of those respects,” Williams said.

Planned Parenthood and ACLU File Lawsuit in South Dakota to Protect Women’s Health and Safety

Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (PPMNS), represented by attorneys from Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and joined by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union, filed a lawsuit today in federal district court against a new law that severely restricts abortion access.

The lawsuit charges that HB 1217, which passed the South Dakota legislature in March and is scheduled to go into effect on July 1, is unconstitutional because it requires a woman who is seeking an abortion to first prove that she has received so-called “counseling” from an unlicensed, unaccredited and unregulated crisis pregnancy center. Further, it imposes a 72-hour mandatory delay for an abortion after a woman’s initial consultation with her doctor and requires her doctor to obtain written proof from her that she sought counseling at a crisis pregnancy center. The mandatory delay would be the longest in the nation.

“The voters of South Dakota, by resounding measures at the ballot box, twice have told their legislators that the decision to have an abortion is between a woman, her family and her doctor and the government should not intrude on that decision,” said Sarah Stoesz, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota. “This law goes farther than any other in the country in intruding on the doctor-patient relationship and putting women and families at risk.”

“The Act has both the purpose and the effect of severely restricting access to health care, and violates patients’ and physicians’ First Amendment rights against compelled speech and patients’ right to privacy in their personal and medical information,” said PPFA attorney Mimi Liu.

“It is demeaning for the government to force a woman to visit a non-medical facility with a political agenda when she is making one of the most personal medical decisions of her life,” said Brigitte Amiri, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. “We hope the court will stop the law from going into effect.”

In addition to the 72-hour mandatory delay and counseling requirements, the act requires a physician to identify every article that mentions any ostensible risk factor associated with abortion published in the past 40 years and to discuss with women seeking an abortion all manner of so-called risk factors and complications related to abortion discussed in these articles, no matter how questionable, out of date or refuted by the medical community they may be.

South Dakota’s abortion regulations are the most burdensome in the country. The state already has a 24-hour mandatory delay in place. In addition, a woman must be offered the opportunity to view a sonogram and her responses must be recorded as part of her permanent medical records. She must also receive a government-dictated message from her doctor that is designed to intimidate and dissuade her.

“We will muster everything in our power to counter this law and to protect the health and well-being of South Dakota’s women and families,” said Stoesz. “The voters have made their wishes clear. It’s a travesty that their lawmakers have ignored them.”

Pro-RH groups celebrate International Women’s Health Day

MORE than 10 booths from government and non-government organizations were set up inside the Davao Recreation Center Friday as RH Network Davao celebrated the 15th International Women’s Health Day.

The International Day of Action for Women’s Health was started in 1987 during the 5th International Health meeting in Costa Rica.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, in her speech read by Councilor April Marie C. Dayap, said the celebration is timely in the wake of heated debates on the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill.

“But here in Davao City, we have always advocated for the sexual and reproductive rights not only on women but of all the members of the society,” Duterte’s speech read.

She added that the fight for reproductive justice goes on until all can be assured that no woman loses her life due to abuse or sexually transmitted disease, or gives up her life as she gives life.

Lyda Canson, RH Network Davao convenor, cited the different struggles of the women and children have encountered, adding it is about time to push for the approval of the RH bill.

“Gusto ba nato magpadayon ang kalisud sa mga kababaihan labaw na ang mga nagbubuntis o ang mga pagdaghan sa mga bata nga nagasakit kay may kakulangan financially sa pamilya. Pwes, dapat na ipasa ang RH bill,” Canson said.

Different barangay women’s groups displayed their livelihood products to the public while Talikala — a center for abused women – also showcased the creations of children in their care.

Non-government organizations who were present include Gabriela, Lawig Bubai, Iwag Davao,Tambayan, Public for RH, Kaugmaon, Alagad, Luna, No to Coal-Davao, City Integrated Gender and Development Division and Catholic for RH.

The Brokenshire Women’s Center, Department of Health, Family Planning Organization of the Philippines and City Health Office set up booths to accommodate queries about family planning.

The Office of City Councilor Leah A. Librado also put up a booth to give free legal services.

Optimistic that the RH bill will be passed soon, everybody in the gymnasium showed their support in saying “RH Bill Ipasa Na. Now Na” and sang a revised version of “Lagkaw” with lyrics changed, depicting the urgency to pass the RH bill.

Guest Column: The Case for Family Planning Funding

This session we have seen an all out assault on women’s health driven by the erroneous assumption that family planning is synonymous with abortion. This narrow construction ignores the comprehensive nature of family planning, which is central to women and children’s health before, during and after pregnancy. Eliminating these services will have huge repercussions on the demand for (i.e., the cost of) state services, access to care and the number of unintended pregnancies.

Let’s be clear about what family planning actually means. According to the Department of State Health Services, the state’s family planning budget — which is a combination of state and federal dollars — helps fund more than 300 sites across the state. Most of this money goes toward reducing expenditures for Medicaid-paid births and providing reproductive health care to low-income and uninsured women who are U.S. citizens. Family planning services are offered by a range of providers and can take many forms, whether it’s providing contraception, screening for breast or cervical cancer or conducting a postpartum evaluation.

Probably the most well-known program is a family planning waiver called the Medicaid Women’s Health Program (WHP). Texas ranks highest in the nation in the number of its residents who are uninsured women between the ages of 18 to 44, creating a huge need for this program, which matches $9 from the federal government for every $1 the state contributes. During the first two years of its implementation, Texas saved $37,640,727 and served 141,506 clients. If the Legislature does not reauthorize the WHP this session, as it appears will be the case, these women will lose access to family planning and basic health services, and the state will leave significant federal dollars on the table — meaning other states will get the money set aside for Texans.

According to the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), 26 other states had Medicaid waivers for family planning services as of June 2009, and studies comparing the various waivers have found that the WHP is structured to include several design features that are considered best practices. In fact, the LBB recommended expanding eligibility for the WHP and establishing an outreach program to encourage pregnant women in the Medicaid program to enroll before their post-partum coverage expires.

Much of the rhetoric surrounding the family planning budget cuts appeared to be an effort to defund Planned Parenthood. However, most amendments debated on the House floor would have significantly reduced family planning funding altogether for local health departments, medical schools, hospitals, and community and rural health centers. This is the proverbial throwing the baby out with the bath water.

While Planned Parenthood’s non-profit health centers do serve almost half of the women participating in the WHP, none of the funds they receive are used to pay for abortions because the law already requires that Medicaid providers must be legally separate organizations from abortion providers. To clarify this mandate, a ruling from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has defined separation requirements for Medicaid providers that include audits to ensure compliance. In addition, WHP providers are paid on a per patient, per procedure basis and are only reimbursed for certain, specified family planning healthcare services.

The fact is that Texas already has a shortage of health care providers who are willing to accept Medicaid patients and half of all births in the state are covered by Medicaid. Each Medicaid birth costs taxpayers more than $16,000 in Medicaid coverage for prenatal care, delivery and first-year health coverage for the child, while care provided through the WHP costs approximately $250 per patient.

Eliminating funds for family planning services is not a responsible or compassionate choice. It will shift the burden of care to our already overloaded local hospitals and leave the women who depend on these services with few options. Unfortunately, fewer options can mean unintended consequences for these women and their families and, ironically, unintended consequences for those pushing the funding cuts: an increase in the number of abortions.

The Fight Against Cervical Cancer During National Women’s Health Month

Cervical cancer (CCA) is one of the most common cancers among women. Despite being easily prevented and highly treatable and curable, it persists as one of the oldest, most stigmatized and deadliest illness among women, worldwide.

Women in the Inland Empire have some of the highest cervical cancer rates in California. It is estimated that 1,495 women will be diagnosed with CCA and 430 women will die of CCA in California by 2011. Recent reports show an increase in CCA cases, illness and deaths among specific communities in California, including the Inland Empire. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be an estimated 860 new cases of cervical cancer and an estimated 150 deaths in the Inland Empire in 2011.

Also African- and Latina- Americans have higher rates and poorer survival. CCA is one of the most preventable cancers since the Papanicolaou (PAP) test can effectively, safely and cost effectively detect cellular changes even before cancer develops.

What is Cervical Cancer?

Cervical cancer is one of the more common cancers of the female reproductive system. Most cervical cancers are linked to infection by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Cervical cancer may cause vaginal pain and bleeding, however, a woman can have cervical cancer and not know it since there may be no symptoms.

How to prevent cervical cancer:

A PAP test can find abnormal cervical cell changes before they can become cancerous. A PAP test can also show if cervical cancer is present. If cancer is found early, it’s easy to treat and highly curable. A PAP test is a healthy habit for women and a healthy habit for you.

Preventing an HPV infection with a new vaccine called Gardasil is now possible. The vaccine provides protection against the four types of HPV that cause most cervical cancers and genital warts. The HPV vaccine is recommended for 11 and 12 year-old girls, and young women age 13 – 26 who are not yet sexually active. The HPV vaccine is available at your doctor’s office, clinic, and local health department or student health services.

This women’s health information is sponsored by a study at City of Hope National Medical Center. City of Hope is a biomedical research and treatment center dedicated to the prevention, treatment and cure of cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

City of Hope is a Comprehensive Cancer Center, the highest distinction awarded by the National Cancer Institute, signifying the breadth, depth and quality of the institution’s research and clinical care.

City of Hope mailing address: 1500 E. Duarte Road Duarte CA, 91010; 626-256-4673 or visit www.coh.org — Center of Community Alliance for Research and Education (CCARE), 866-704-0474 or 626-256-4673 Ext 63345 Phyllis Clark, CEO, Healthy Heritage Movement, Inc., 3637 9th Street, Riverside, CA 92501 or visit www.healthyheritagemovement.com, 951-288-4375.

Texas Should Cut Planned Parenthood From Women’s Health Program

The Women’s Health Program (WHP), a Medicaid reimbursement program for family planning services, was established by the Texas Legislature as a five-year demonstration project in 2005. The program is set to expire this August unless authorized by new legislation. When the 2005 bill to establish the program originally passed, language was added to restrict the program from abortion providers, but the Health and Human Services Commission was unable to implement the restrictions in the program’s operations due to federal Medicaid rules.
Very recently, Attorney General Greg Abbott released opinions ruling that our state’s Health and Human Services Commission could adopt rules for this program, and more importantly, that adopting rules does not conflict with federal Medicaid rules. Thus, legislators interested in renewing the WHP have incorporated stricter requirements for participation in the WHP, excluding abortion providers from the program while being mindful not to step outside federal Medicaid rules.
By its own admission, Planned Parenthood (PP) serves almost half of the clients enrolled in the WHP, receiving tax dollars through Medicaid reimbursements for each client served. Understandably and predictably, the bills to renew the program would indeed disqualify PP from the participation in the program since Planned Parenthood is America’s largest abortion provider. Planned Parenthood Federation of America just issued a requirement that all clinics affiliated with its brand must now provide abortion or release affiliation with the PP brand name.

The language to restrict abortion providers or agencies that are affiliated with abortion providers from the WHP is now more important than ever.
Like all family planning funds, the WHP has become yet another funding stream for the abortion industry. TRTL’s legislative team has worked closely with members of both the House and the Senate to ensure that the WHP’s reauthorization would exclude the abortion industry and its affiliated clinics.
State Senator Bob Deuell (R-Greenville) redrafted his bill, Senate Bill 1854, to address concerns about the funds to the abortion industry. The new language ensured that Texas women have adequate access to preventative care and family planning services while simultaneously excluding abortion providers and affiliates from participation in the WHP. In fact, Senator Deuell’s new language is so well done that PP now opposes the bill since PP will no longer be eligible for participation in the WHP.
SB 1854 now stipulates if the law is challenged in court and found to be unconstitutional, then the WHP will altogether cease. This provision guarantees that no agency or clinic that provides or refers for abortion or affiliates with such an agency or clinic will receive any tax dollars through the WHP. Texas Right to Life commends Senator Deuell for his leadership on restricting the program to agencies and organizations that provide a full spectrum of health care services and that are not colored by participation in the abortion industry.
Desperate to keep every cent of blood money flowing into their coffers, the abortion giant’s leadership is crying foul. Even Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and daughter of former pro-abortion Texas Governor Ann Richards, came to Texas last week to protest the exclusion of PP from the WHP. Ms. Richards spoke at a sparsely attended gathering of nags on the steps of the Texas Capitol, calling for sympathetic legislators to kill SB 1854. If PP cannot kill SB 1854—in a surprising twist of the WHP drama, PP will pursue litigation.
Ironically, the program needs renewing legislation to continue. PP does not like the renewing legislation because it is excluded. PP will sue, but the language says that the program is cancelled if challenged in court. So, PP is out either way, which is a major victory for life.
Texas Right to Life has identified over 300 health care clinics and agencies that provide a very wide spectrum of services; these are clinics in real need of the funds. A boost from WHP reimbursements could enhance their other services and expand their client base. Contrary to what PP officials chant, SB 1854 will still enable women to be served, but women will be served at hundreds of Federally Qualified Health Centers, Community Health Centers, and county and city health centers around the state that are not involved in the deadly abortion business. HOWEVER, women and teens, regardless of their income level, should not be going to facilities that are also in the abortion business for their reproductive health care.

The state budget allocated $166,030,952 to family planning. Estimates are that PP receives approximately $30 million a year in tax-payer funds in Texas, and its own annual report confirms $363 million received nationwide (on top of the $600+ million from private donations and “services”). An organization that is plagued with failed inspections, maiming women, harboring sexual predators AND with $1 Billion in assets (that’s Billion with a “B!”) should not be given ANY public funds. PP does not need to participate in the WHP!

Maternal deaths still high in Nigeria – Expert •Malaria kills 4,500 pregnant women in Nigeria yearly -Ogun Health Commissioner

A reproductive health expert, Dr Ejike Oji, says maternal mortality rate is still high in Nigeria and requires urgent attention to check the trend.

Oji is the Country Director of IPAS Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation that protects women’s health and advances women’s reproductive rights.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt, on Wednesday, that in spite of efforts made by government and stakeholders, maternal mortality rate was still high in Nigeria.

He said that Nigeria was second to India in maternal deaths in the world.

“If you look at the maternal mortality rate, which is an indicator of maternal health in any country, a few years ago, our maternal mortality was one thousand one hundred.

“But the last check has now put it at 545 maternal deaths for every hundred thousands live births.

“But you can see that 545 is still huge, is still very, very high when you compare it to some countries who have maternal mortality of about five, four.

“And that means , it is translating to about fifty something thousand women dying annually in Nigeria.

“That is a lot of women dying. In fact, Nigeria contributes second largest maternal deaths in the world after India.

“And you know, India is 1.2 billion and we are just about 152 million. So, India is 10 times our size and we are second to them in terms of total maternal deaths in the world,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Isiaq Salako, has disclosed that about 4,500 pregnant women die of malaria in the country annually.

Salako spoke during a symposium to commemorate this year’s World Malaria Day, which took place in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Wednesday.

Describing malaria as a major public health problem which ravages Nigeria’s population, the commissioner lamented that the scourge affects the growth and development of the country.

He also estimated that 50 per cent of the population had at least one episode of malaria each year while children below five years of age had two to four attacks of malaria each year.

Malaria, he stressed, remains a great threat to the survival of the young African children, accounting for 30 per cent of all childhood deaths.

The commissioner, who addressed participants at the symposium, stated that the major burden of diseases in the African region, including Nigeria, is attributable to vector-borne diseases.

He said: “The disease malaria is no respecter of age, sex or tribe. People of all ages have regular attacks throughout their lives.

“However, young children and pregnant women are most at risk of severe malaria and death.

‘’Malaria also contributes to other children deaths by affecting immunity to other diseases. Successful malaria control measures could therefore result in a large reduction of deaths more than that due to malaria alone.”

‘’We must all be concerned in malaria in pregnancy, whether we are still within the child-bearing age or not. It is our responsibilities to make sure that we do everything humanly possible to prevent and control the menace of malaria in our society.

‘’For us in Ogun State, we believe that prevention is better than cure. It is not only better to prevent malaria, but it is also cheaper. He urged pregnant women not to hesitate to always go for ante-natal.

According to him, it was estimated that 80 per cent to 90 per cent of global clinical malaria cases (300 million) and malaria-related deaths (one million) occur on the African continent in Nigeria.

He added that about 40 per cent of the population of the world is at risk and about 300 to 500 million cases occur globally every year.

Women’s Health Week in Retrospect

Looking back over this past Women’s Health Week, it’s important to remember that paying attention to our health is a daily job for life, not just for seven days.

According to the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, “improved public health, medical care, and prevention efforts” have increased the life expectancy of women in the United States, and on average, women are living longer than men.

But health and life expectancy can be compromised by the increase in chronic conditions seen in women of Los Angeles County. Depression, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes have been identified as contributing to many of the leading causes of death and premature death in adult women. A 2007 women’s health survey conducted by Los Angeles County, found that the percentage of women with chronic conditions increases with age, but poor diet, obesity, and smoking cigarettes are major contributors to these conditions.

Accoreding to the survey, in Los Angeles County, the number one cause of death and premature death in women is coronary heart disease, caused by the narrowing of artery walls due to the build up of fatty materials that causes plaque. This narrowing causes blood flow to the heart to slow down or even halt. Coronary heart disease can increase a woman’s risk of stroke and heart attack.

“We often think of heart attacks as a men’s problem,” Sharon Soper, RN, and Parish Manager ofQueens Care Family Clinic in Hollywood said. “But it actually kills six times more women than breast cancer.”

Soper also noted that learning the early warning signs and symptoms of stroke and heart attack is essential for both older and younger women, who may recognize the symptoms in those they care for as well as themselves. The American Heart Association website provides more detailed information. “Being educated and aware can save lives.” Soper noted.

Queens Clinics also offer $10 osteoporosis screenings at their Hollywood clinic and regularly at churches throughout the neighborhood. While usually associated with older women, Soper explained that osteoporosis screenings can be practical for women as young as their 30s. “We only build so much bone,” she explained, noting the importance that younger women eat healthy diets and exercise to promote bone mass. “Bone density peaks at about age 30,” Soper said.

Dr. Rita Singhal, Medical Director, Office of Women’s Health, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, notes that for younger women, issues relating to reproductive health may be “more imminent.” Singhal pointed to information from the US Department of Health and Human Services on proper screenings for women, including pap smears every one to three years for women aged 21 to 65, and STD testing for sexually active women. Pap smears can help detect cervical cancer. For women aged 18 and over, blood pressure screenings are recommended every two years, as well as screening for diabetes and depression.

Many local clinics, such as the Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic and Queens Care Clinics, offer sliding-scale options for women who lack health insurance, and also offer many free screenings and educational programs in the community. Many programs are offered in Spanish as well as English.

The Department of Public Health recommends that women eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins like fish. Regular exercise, including walking 30 minutes per day, and not smoking are also key to good health.

“Best advice for women of all ages” Singhal said. ”Be active, eat smart, stay active, don’t smoke, and get checked – prevention matters.”

Why it’s the weather that makes South Australia women happiest in the nation

NT women are the most sexually satisfied in the country, while South Australians the happiest, a study shows.

Western Australian women get the most sleep – with at least seven hours of shut-eye a night, according to Women’s Health magazine’s Biggest Health Check survey.

Victorians are the least likeliest to suffer diet-related illness.

However, it is in SA where the nation’s healthiest and happiest women reside.

Our residents are an unstressed bunch and are 27 per cent less likely to have high blood pressure than other Aussies.

Adelaide is rated the friendliest city in the nation and we are the most concerned about fat levels and our diet.

Woodville West is also said to be the best place for a woman to find a male partner, with a ratio of three single men for every single woman.

A lack of sunlight is blamed for causing higher-than-average rates of depression in Tasmania, with women there 40 per cent more likely to experience depression.

Women’s Health, which publishes the full results of its research today, surveyed 25,000 Australians to examine trends in lifestyle and physical and mental health.

“It’s important we recognise the importance of healthy living and this guide is an opportunity for everyone to reflect on their personal health and happiness,” editor Felicity Harley said.

Women’s Health Programme On Its Way Out

Insufficient votes in the Senate for bringing up a bill for renewing the family planning and preventative care programme, may see the Women’s Health Programme on its way out.

According to Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, the measure is opposed by many Democrats, as it would formally ban the participation of Planned Parenthood.

A cash strapped budget has GOP lawmakers opposed to keeping money for family planning, unless the programme gets amended into another bill, or renewed with a special budget provision.

Democratic Rep. Garnet Coleman’s House Bill 2299, containing the same anti-abortion elements is the programme’s remaining hope, Deuell said. However, Coleman said HB 2299 locked up in the Calendars Committee will not be able to make it to the floor for being voted on.

Coleman’s passing of the first Women’s Health Programme bills in 1999 and 2001, saw both of them vetoed by Gov. Rick Perry. He does not think the Women’s Health Programme is dead, but feels it is on life support.

The Women’s Health Programme had explicit restrictions, such as, no abortions or promotion of them by participating clinics, including no affliation with clinics that did. However, Planned Parenthood that has provided abortions at some of its clinics for the last five years, without receiving state or federal dollars, has been the biggest participant in the Women’s Health Programme.

In renewing the Women’s Health Programme, Deuell’s bill, would have written out all ‘specialty family planning clinics’ like Planned Parenthood in favour of clinics providing comprehensive health care, including a measure for eliminating the Women’s Health Programme, if Planned Parenthood sued the state successfully.

National health-care law benefits women

Last Sunday, Americans across the country said thank you to their moms with flowers, cards and phone calls.

This week, as we celebrate National Women’s Health Week, you can show your appreciation for the women in your life by making sure they know about the important new protections in the Affordable Care Act, leading to better health and lower costs.

Here are four things about the law all women should know:

First, pre-existing conditions will no longer keep you from getting affordable private insurance. Because of the work we do, women are less likely to have jobs with health coverage than men.

That meant we often had to look for a plan on the individual market where insurers were free to deny us coverage because of a breast cancer diagnosis or even because you had been a victim of domestic violence.

If your daughter had diabetes, they could deny her coverage, too. But that’s changing.

Today, insurers are prohibited from denying coverage to children because of their pre-existing health conditions. And in 2014, this protection will extend to all Americans.

The second thing women should know is that being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition in the insurance market. We all know women have different health needs than men. Before the health-care law, insurers could charge women up to 50 percent more for exactly the same health insurance, even if it didn’t cover women’s basic health needs.

But that’s changing too. Starting in 2014, if you buy your own insurance, there will be a new, competitive marketplace where you can see all the available plans in one place and pick the coverage that best suits your needs. And these plans will be forbidden from charging women more than men and required to cover newborn and maternity care.
Medicare continues to get stronger

A third key change is that it’s now easier to get preventive care. Over the years, too many women have gone without potentially life-saving cancer screenings such as mammograms because of expensive co-pays.

Now, anyone who joins a new health plan will be able to get key preventive care from pap smears to mammograms without paying a co-pay or deductible. And that also applies to preventive care such as vaccinations for your children.

Finally, Medicare is getting stronger. The health-care law addresses gaps in coverage by gradually closing the Medicare prescription drug doughnut hole. This year, seniors in the doughnut hole will get a 50 percent discount on covered brand-name drugs. By 2020, the doughnut hole will disappear.

At the same time, the law provides new tools and resources to crack down on fraud, which drains billions of dollars from the Medicare trust fund each year.

And it includes new support and incentives to help doctors and nurses across the country adopt best practices that can improve care and lower costs.

The health-care law won’t fix all the problems for women in our health-care system.

But it’s a big step in the right direction.

So this National Women’s Health Week, give the women in your life the gift of better health and make sure they know what the health-care law is doing for them.

Get serious about personal health for women’s health week

Popular culture often portrays American mothers as busy models of efficiency — appointment coordinators for their families’ trips to the doctor, dentist and school-related events.

But while mom often becomes Dr. Mom when cold-season or the flu bug hits the family, studies have shown that many American women tend to neglect their own health.

The “It’s Your Time” theme of National Women’s Health Week, celebrated in these days following Mother’s Day, encourages women to make their own health a top priority.

“Women are the caregivers for their families, yet oftentimes they forget or are simply too busy to take care of themselves,” said Morgan E. McGill, director of the Office of Women’s Health at the Indiana State Department of Health.

Her statement probably rings true for many busy mothers. It certainly does for a certain Tribune-Star journalist, who found herself hospitalized for six days after a nagging medical concern turned into a debilitating gall bladder attack. Two surgeries later, this journalist received a thorough scolding from a physician appalled that my last physical occurred more than, let’s just say, five years ago.

Husband and friends exacted a promise to take better care of myself.

So, when Women’s Health Week came onto the newsroom radar, getting a mammogram this week at the Clara Fairbanks Center for Women became my first step in that transition from caregiver to care receiver.

The recommended age for a women to receive her first mammogram is age 40. I missed that milestone. Not that I was unfamiliar with the procedure. I have driven my own mother-in-law to her annual mammogram appointments many times. In fact, 15 years ago, a mammogram detected my mother-in-law’s first sign of breast cancer, and she credits her annual checkups with adding years to her life.

Having enjoyed generally good health most of my life, aside from a few sports-related injuries, it has seemed to me that submitting to annual health screenings would be an admission of potential weakness. And my family genes contain no medical tendencies other than diabetes after age 60, so why worry?

I don’t smoke, still play softball and occasionally shoot hoops with my kids, and I don’t consume alcohol near as often or as much as I think appropriate for my profession. So what health concerns could I possibly have?

Well, I won’t know until I get screened, will I?

A sign in the waiting area of the Clara Fairbanks Center notes that the center has diagnosed 565 breast cancers since 2005. Of those, 98 have been in women younger than 50. That got my attention, along with the admonishment that delayed or late diagnosis may lead to more drastic and expensive treatments, anxiety and harm.

But there was no anxiety associated with the process of getting the mammogram. Radiology technician Leslie Voils specializes in the testing.

“Breast exams are totally different than anything because we are looking at tissue, not bones,” Voils said. “It’s one of the hardest exams for radiologists to read.”

Every person’s breasts are different, she explained, so what may appear normal in one person’s test may not be the same in another person’s test.

A visual exam is conducted to mark any moles or scar tissues, because those spots can show up in the mammogram as a lump. And then, one side at a time, a digital image is made of the breast tissue from a couple of different angles.

Now, many times, I have heard complaints from women who have said that their mammogram felt like their body part was being smashed. I can’t say I agree. It was painless. A bit awkward maybe, but nothing to fuss about.

Leslie told me that the center’s radiologist specializes in reading mammograms, and should read the films within 72 hours. I will receive a letter about my report, and my family doctor will receive a detailed report to add to my medical record.

So with that milestone now behind me, I will move on to other general screenings and immunizations for women. But which one to do next?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a chart online that gives guidelines for women’s health testing based upon ages. You can access recommended screenings for women at www.womenshealth.gov/prevention/general.

McGill from the state’s Office of Women’s Health said state leaders are making a big effort to raise awareness of women’s health in the state. The top three cancers for women in Indiana are breast, lung and colon cancer, she said.

Looking at the screening chart, I shamelessly breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that colorectal health screening should begin at age 50. That is one test I will admit to dreading. But I’ve promised to be screened on time.

Among the steps McGill’s office recommends that women can take to improve their health are:

• Get at least 2 1/2 hours of moderate physical activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of both, each week.

• Eat a nutritious diet of foods, including vegetables and fruit.

• Visit a health-care professional for checkups and preventive screenings.

• Avoid risky behaviors such as smoking and not wearing a seatbelt.

• Pay attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress.

Eye doctor, you are next on my list.

Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com.

Five important facts to know

The American Cancer Society lists five important facts to share with friends about breast cancer.

• All women can get breast cancer — even those who have no family history of the disease.

• The two most important risk factors for breast cancer are being a woman and growing older.

• Women diagnosed with breast cancer early, when the cancer is small and has not spread, have a high chance of surviving it. Getting a mammogram is the best thing you can do to help fight breast cancer early. If you notice any breast changes, tell your doctor without delay.

• You can help reduce your chances of having breast cancer by doing regular physical activity, keeping a healthy weight and limiting the amount of alcohol you drink.

• Through early detection and improved treatments, more women than ever are surviving breast cancer.

DOH-CHD Caraga to strengthen women’s health teams in every barangay

The Department of Health – Center for Health and Development (DOH-CHD) Caraga headed by Regional Dir. Leonita Gorgolon will strengthen the Women’s Health Teams (WHTs) in every barangay being chaired by the barangay captains and co-chaired by Rural Health Midwives that is also supervised by doctors in the Rural Health Unit (RHU).

According to Dr. Grace Lim of DOH-CHD Caraga, the WHTs guarantee an efficient support system in the implementation of the Maternal Newborn Child Health and Nutrition (MNCHN) strategy.

Lim said that among the functions of the WHT are, to wit: 1) track every pregnancy in the community; 2) assist pregnant women in accomplishing the birth plan; 3) provide quality maternal care, family planning, STI prevention and HIV control and adolescent and youth health services appropriate at community level; and 4) make accurate recordings.
She also emphasized that their priorities are as follows: 1) to ensure every pregnancy is wanted, planned and supported; 2) every pregnancy is adequately managed throughout its course; 3) every delivery is facility-based and attended by physicians; 4) every mother and newborn care secures proper postpartum and postnatal care with appropriate package of services.

With this initiative, DOH-CHD looks forward to the full support of barangay officials for this program.

Members of the WHTs also include Barangay Health Workers, Barangay Nutrition Scholar, Day Care Center Workers, volunteers and others. (PIA-Caraga)

Hispanic women sought for research

Hispanic women in Illinois fare worse than others on many health measures, and Northwestern University doctors are trying a new tactic to address the problem.

This week, they’re launching a Spanish-language version of a women’s health registry website to encourage Hispanic women to participate in local medical research.

Cardiovascular disease, obesity and new AIDS cases disproportionately affect Hispanic women in Illinois.

Candace Tingen, research programs director at Northwestern’s Institute of Women’s Health Research, says including Hispanic women in research is important to help explain the disparities.