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Last Updated: Nov 17th, 2006 - 22:35:04 |
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Menstruation Disturbances
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Menopause
Treatment with hormones improves visual memory of postmenopausal women
Many women experience declines in their memory during and after menopause, a change thought to be due, in part, to the rapid hormonal changes they weather during that time. Now, research from the University of Michigan Health System suggests that hormone therapy might help women retain certain memory functions. In a study in the new issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, they report that a group of postmenopausal women showed more brain activity during a visual memory test than did women who were not taking the hormone therapy.
Nov 17, 2006, 13:38
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
Hormone therapy does not improve quality of life for women
A postmenopausal hormone therapy trial conducted in Estonia indicates that hormone therapy does not improve women's quality of life. The group receiving hormones and the comparison group showed no differences in general quality of life. Only those women that experienced hot flashes and night-time sweating reported beneficial effects. These results were obtained from the Estonian Postmenopausal Hormone Therapy trial (EPHT) funded by the Academy of Finland and conducted under the leadership of Research Professor Elina Hemminki from the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (Stakes).
Nov 7, 2006, 14:20
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
How useful is the 'morning after' pill?
Easy availability of emergency contraception does not have a notable effect on rates of pregnancy and abortion, according to an editorial in this week's BMJ.
Sep 15, 2006, 17:26
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Menstruation Disturbances
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Menopause
Ultra low-dose estrogen shown safe for post-menopausal women
A study led by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center has shown that extremely low doses of estrogen had no ill effects on the cognitive abilities or general health of older women over the course of two years.
Jul 17, 2006, 20:18
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Infertility
Spermatogonial stem cells could aid male infertility
Scientists have shown for the first time that sperm grown from embryonic stem cells can be used to produce offspring. The experiment was carried out using mice and produced seven babies, six of which lived to adulthood. The breakthrough, reported today, Monday July 10, in the academic journal Developmental Cell, helps scientists to understand more about how animals produce sperm. This knowledge has potential applications in the treatment of male infertility.
Jul 11, 2006, 00:05
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Menstruation Disturbances
Gabapentin as effective as estrogen in treating hot flashes
University of Rochester researchers, who have been investigating new therapies for hot flashes for several years, report in the July Obstetrics and Gynecology journal that the seizure drug gabapentin is as effective as estrogen, which used to be the gold standard treatment for menopause symptoms.
Jul 3, 2006, 22:51
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Menstruation Disturbances
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Menopause
To what extent can hot flashes in midlife women be considered a cause of chronic insomnia?
Millions of women experience menopause each year, and many find themselves having to cope with a plethora of unpleasant symptoms. Hot flashes, headaches and mood swings all come with the territory and, for some women, so does insomnia. Maurice Ohayon, MD, PhD, DSc, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and director of sleep epidemiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, recently sought to determine the factors that contribute to insomnia among these midlife women. Below is a snapshot of his research findings, which will appear in the July 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Jun 27, 2006, 19:19
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Infertility
Dopamine agonist can prevent ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
A class of drug widely used in a number of gynaecological conditions can prevent ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), an infrequent but serious complication of assisted reproduction treatments, a scientist told the 22nd annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Prague, Czech Republic, on Wednesday 21 June 2006. Dr. Claudio Alvarez, from the Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad, Valencia, Spain, said that his team's work, using the dopamine agonist cabergoline, was the first successful attempt to prevent this disorder.
Jun 22, 2006, 05:07
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Infertility
CBT can restore ovulation in infertile women
Fertility can be restored in some women by the use of behavioural therapy, thus avoiding recourse to expensive medicines and complex procedures, a scientist told the 22nd annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Prague, Czech Republic on Tuesday 20 June 2006. Professor Sarah L. Berga, from the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, said that her work was the first to show that reducing stress through psychological intervention could restore ovulation in women whose ovarian function had previously been impaired.
Jun 20, 2006, 21:39
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Infertility
New method of testing ova for abnormalities
Italian researchers have shown for the first time that it is possible to test a woman's egg, before fertilisation, for chromosomal abnormalities that might make an embryo less likely to implant successfully or more likely to miscarry at a later stage.
Jun 20, 2006, 02:59
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Infertility
New Hope For Preserving Future Fertility
A new and highly successful method of freezing human eggs will help to even out the current inequality between men and women whereby, until now, men have been able to use their previously frozen sperm for IVF treatment but women have not been able to do the same with their eggs. The research gives hope to hundreds of women who want to preserve their future fertility but who, for whatever reason, only have eggs, not embryos, available for freezing. Dr Masashige Kuwayama told a news briefing that although sperm could be frozen, thawed and used for in vitro fertilisation with high levels of success, the freeze-thawing process could damage eggs and, until now, it had been very difficult to perform successful IVF using frozen-thawed eggs. Research by Professor Stefania Nottola and Dr Sandrine Chamayou, presented at the conference, gave examples of the current problems of conventional freeze-thawing and the need for more effective techniques. It is thought that worldwide less than 150 babies have been born using eggs that have been frozen.
Jun 20, 2006, 01:12
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Infertility
How IVF could be causing genetic errors in embryos
The conditions in which embryos are cultured in the laboratory during in vitro fertilisation could be causing genetic errors that are associated with certain developmental syndromes and other abnormalities in growth and development, such as low birth weight. Researchers told the 22nd annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology today (Monday) that preliminary work investigating genetic imprinting in mouse embryos had shown that certain culture media and concentrations of oxygen altered the expression of several imprinted genes. Imprinting is the process by which some genes are activated or inactivated depending on whether they have been inherited in chromosomes from the mother or the father.
Jun 20, 2006, 00:39
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Menstruation Disturbances
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Menopause
Dry eye in women related to menopause
Women suffer from dry eye more than men and the change in hormone levels due to menopause could be one reason for it, according to a new survey.
Apr 23, 2006, 18:28
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Infertility
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Letrozole
Fertility drug letrozole given 'all-clear' in new study
Concerns about the use of letrozole, an easy-to-use and inexpensive drug for the treatment of infertility, appear to be unfounded, according to a major study co�authored by Dr. Togas Tulandi, Director of Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Jewish General Hospital, and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at McGill University. Their findings, which are currently available in an early online edition of Fertility and Sterility, showed that babies whose mothers were treated with letrozole had the same rate of birth defects as those whose mothers were treated with clomiphene citrate � the low-risk, first-line treatment for infertility for more than 40 years.
Apr 22, 2006, 18:57
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Menstruation Disturbances
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Menopause
Early Transition To Menopause May Increase Risk For First Onset Of Depression
In a study, Lee S. Cohen, M.D., from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and colleagues from the Harvard Study of Moods and Cycles examined the association between the menopausal transition and onset of first lifetime episode of depression among women with no history of mood disturbance. The Harvard Study of Moods and Cycles is a study of premenopausal women with and without a lifetime history of major depression.
Apr 5, 2006, 19:28
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Menstruation Disturbances
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Menopause
Transition To Menopause Associated With New Onset Of Depressive Symptoms
Women with no history of depression may be at an increased risk of new onset depressive symptoms and disorders as they transition to menopause, according to two studies in the April issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Apr 5, 2006, 19:26
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Menstruation Disturbances
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Menopause
Women approaching menopause may face depression
Women approaching menopause are likely to face depression, says a study that suggests that such women should go for aggressive treatment.
Apr 5, 2006, 13:42
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
Fewer periods could help women reduce cancer risk
Women who regularly skip menstrual periods using methods including contraceptive pills may reduce their risk of getting some gynaecological cancers, scientists say.
Mar 3, 2006, 12:51
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Menstruation Disturbances
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Menopause
Exploring memory problems at menopause
Women who feel that they become more forgetful as menopause approaches shouldn't just "fuhgetabout it": There may be something to their own widespread reports that they're more likely to forget things as menopause approaches, say scientists who reported results from a small study today at the annual meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society in Boston.
Feb 4, 2006, 22:03
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
No weight gain due to oral contraceptive pills - Systematic Review
Contrary to popular belief, women who take contraceptive pills do not pile on the pounds, says a study.
Jan 26, 2006, 16:35
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
Call for ultrasound imaging before using mifepristone
The abortion drug mifepristone (Mifeprex,TM RU-486), initially touted as a more convenient alternative to surgical abortion, has been linked to serious adverse reactions, including several deaths in otherwise healthy women. In "Analysis of Severe Adverse Events Related to the Use of Mifepristone as an Abortifacient," researchers Margaret M Gary MD and Donna J Harrison MD provide an in-depth study of mifepristone adverse event data gathered through the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System.
Dec 29, 2005, 16:46
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
Prolonged Mental distress due to abortion
Women who have had an abortion still experience mental distress related to the abortion years after it happened. A study published today in the open access journal BMC Medicine reveals that five years on, women who have had an abortion suffer higher levels of mental distress than other women and than women who have had a miscarriage. Anne Nordal Broen and colleagues from the University of Oslo, in Norway, collaborated with colleagues from the Buskerud Hospital in Drammen, Norway. They studied 40 women who had had a miscarriage and 80 women who had undergone an induced abortion. The women were interviewed and asked to complete questionnaires 10 days, six months, two years and five years after the pregnancy termination. The aim was to assess the women's feelings about the event and measure their levels of stress, anxiety and their quality of life.
Dec 12, 2005, 17:55
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Infertility
Major birth defect risk more for IVF babies
Babies conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF), a method of assisted reproduction, have a slightly increased risk of major birth defects, such as heart or muscle and skeletal defects, compared to babies conceived naturally, according to a University of Iowa study. The risk for IVF babies was 6.2 percent compared to 4.4 percent for naturally conceived babies. While the finding suggests a relationship between IVF and slightly more birth defects, it does not prove that the IVF procedure itself is the cause. However, questions raised by the investigation are important to address because nearly 1 percent of all children born in the United States are conceived through IVF, said Brad Van Voorhis, M.D., the F.K. "Ted" Chapler Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology in the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and a study author.
Dec 1, 2005, 05:40
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
Single-Visit Program For Cervical Cancer Screening Increases Rate Of Follow-Up
Low-income women with abnormal Pap tests who participated in a program that combines screening and treatment in one visit had a higher rate of treatment and follow-up than women who did not participate, according to a study in the November 2 issue of JAMA. Cervical cancer incidence rates in the United States have progressively declined because of the widespread application of cervical cancer screening and treatment of precancerous lesions, according to background information in the article. The majority of cervical cancers diagnosed in this country are among women who have never received a Papanicolaou test or who are noncompliant with screening and follow-up. The incidence of cervical cancer is higher among low-income and minority women. The barriers to cervical cancer screening and management include poverty, lack of health insurance, limited transportation, language difficulties, lack of child care and lack of telephone access. The researchers believe that the usual approach to cervical cancer screening, diagnosis, and management accentuates some of these barriers because it is cumbersome and expensive, ordinarily involving multiple clinic or hospital visits and requiring a period of months to complete. Previous research has reported that between 20 percent and 50 percent of women with abnormal Papanicolaou test results do not have follow-up.
Nov 2, 2005, 03:25
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Infertility
Treatment of Men with ED Improves Women's Sexual Function
Couples share wine, movies, vacations and bedrooms. Do couples also share sexual problems and solutions? In the November issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, researchers have published the first-ever prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-institutional treatment study with multi-dimensional psychometrically valid outcomes and concluded that an effective erectile dysfunction treatment in men also significantly improved sexual function and sexual satisfaction in untreated women partners. The research concluded that women partners' sexual function improvements related significantly and consistently to treatment-related improvements in men's erectile function. Furthermore, erectile dysfunction management should acknowledge that both members of the couple may be affected by erectile dysfunction and its treatment.
Oct 27, 2005, 00:04
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Infertility
Fertility awareness-based methods of family planning & timing - Study
Couples who use fertility awareness-based methods of family planning have sex just as often as couples who use other contraceptive methods -- they just time it differently, according to a new Georgetown University Institute for Reproductive Health study to be published in a forthcoming edition of the Journal of Biosocial Science. The study is now available online on the journal's website.
Oct 12, 2005, 04:50
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Infertility
Fertility enhanced with Vitamin E- Galactose hybrid polymer
The sperm vitality of pigs can be enhanced and fertility rates increased through the use of a new hybrid polymer, according to research led by Dr Ben Davis of the Department of Chemistry. The approach might be used to increase sperm vitality and lifespan in other mammals, for example during human infertility treatment.
Sep 29, 2005, 20:56
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Infertility
New way of studying sperm function
A new way of studying sperm function has been developed which will aid research into male infertility. An international team led by Oxford researchers has shown for the first time that it is possible to introduce a synthetic gene (a transgene) directly into a normal, live animal in such a way that the gene is expressed in mature sperm. The new method could be extremely important for fertility research because it allows many different aspects of gene function in sperm to be studied. The study showed that the gene coding for a fluorescent green protein, originally taken from a jellyfish, could be introduced into sperm precursor cells within the testicles of a hamster, resulting in green, glowing sperm. Hamsters were used in the study because their sperm have many attributes in common with those of humans, and thus offer an excellent model for studying human sperm development and how defects in this process might result in infertility.
Sep 20, 2005, 22:11
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
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Infertility
Successful transplant of frozen-thawed ovaries
Israeli scientists report today in Human Reproduction Journal that they have successfully transplanted whole frozen and thawed ovaries in sheep, retrieved oocytes from these ovaries and triggered them in the laboratory into early embryonic development.
Sep 15, 2005, 17:47
Latest Research
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Gynaecology
Why can Mifepristone cause fatal infections
The abortion drug mifepristone (Mifeprex,TM RU-486) has been linked to rare cases of fatal bacterial infections, but until now the connection has not been clearly understood. In "Pathophysiology of mifepristone-induced septic shock due to Clostridium sordellii," author and Brown University professor Ralph P. Miech, MD, PhD, proposes two models of how this devastating reaction may occur.
Aug 3, 2005, 21:39
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