Latest Women’s Health News
If you are looking for information, tips, and answers to women’s health questions, you have come to the right place. As a program of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Specialized Women’s Health, we can offer you expert advice and current articles from the women’s health community about maturing women related health topics, including:
- Dietary concerns
- Fitness
- Menopause management
- Necessary medical tests
- Nutrition
- Osteoporosis prevention
You’ll also find cutting edge women’s health news from the Cleveland Clinic, as well as developments from other women’s health news outlets all within the Speaking of Women’s Health community section.
Make sure to stay up-to-date on current women’s health news, articles and videos by viewing the releases below.
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Combined hormonal contraceptives and migraine: An update on the evidence
Combined hormonal contraceptives are contraindicated in women who have migraine with aura, in whom these drugs can increase the risk of ischemic stroke. However, this contraindication is based on data from the 1960s and 1970s, when oral contraceptives contained much higher doses of estrogen.
Stroke risk is not significantly increased with today's oral contraceptives, many of which contain less than 30 μg of ethinyl estradiol. Ultra-low-dose formulations—those that contain less than 20 µg of ethinyl estradiol—may help prevent menstrual migraine and reduce the frequency of aura.
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New study shows Hormone Replacement Therapy not linked to premature death
September 2017 -- Many women avoided or stopped using hormones for menopause symptoms since 2002, when the federally funded Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study linked the treatments containing man-made versions of the female hormones estrogen and progestin to an increased risk of breast cancer, heart attacks and strokes.
The current study, however, looked at longer-term data from the WHI study and found no increased risk of death from all causes, or from cancer or cardiovascular issues in particular, associated with hormone use.
Dr. Holly Thacker, Director of Cleveland Clinic's Center for Specialized Women's Health says this news should be reassuring to both women who want to take hormones and those who never have.
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Researchers: Hormone Replacement Therapy Does Not Increase Early Death In Women
September 2017 -- PHILADELPHIA (CBS)— Fifteen years ago, scientists said hormone replacement therapy was risky. Now the research is showing it does not increase premature deaths.
Hormones were once considered a fountain of youth for menopausal women, but millions stopped taking them after the 2002 landmark study revealed hormone therapy could increase the risk of breast cancer, strokes and heart disease.
But now, follow-up research says women who took either estrogen or a combined estrogen-progestin therapy showed no increase in their risk of death from all causes, including cancer and heart disease.
“They don’t necessarily have to take hormones if they’re not hormonally deficient, but if they are, they can take them safely and effectively,” said Dr. Holly Thacker, with the Cleveland Clinic.
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Internist involvement crucial to easing early menopause
September 2017 -- About half of women begin menopause by age 51 years, according to the National Institute on Aging, and some women may experience its symptoms as much as a decade before that.
“It is very important for primary care physicians to be involved and assess for menopause in women of this age because a lot of women past childbearing years do not necessarily continue to see their OB/GYN,” said Holly L. Thacker, MD, professor and chair of the Center for Specialized Women's Health at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine in Ohio.
Assessments should begin when women are in their 40s and may be entering perimenopause, Dr. Thacker said. Women in perimenopause often experience many of the same symptoms as women in menopause, including hot flashes and night sweats, vasomotor symptoms, irregular periods, lower sex drive, vaginal dryness, pain during intercourse, urine leakage, urinary urgency, mood swings, or difficulty sleeping.
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Live Well: August 2017
Dr. Holly L. Thacker shares advances and innovations in women's health.
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Dr. Holly Thacker Named "Top Doctor"
August 2017 -- Dr. Holly L. Thacker is named "Top Doctor" in the August 2017 edition of Cleveland Magazine.
This is a tremendous honor that recognizes both Dr. Thacker's commitment to her patients and to Cleveland Clinic.
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Speaking of Women's Health Named Best Women's Health Blog of 2017
July 2017 -- Speaking of Women's Health's column is named best women's health blog in 2017.
Healthline carefully selected the most up-to-date, informative, and inspiring blogs that aim to uplift their readers through education and personal stories.
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Metformin: New Benefits (and Risks) For This Old Diabetes Drug
July 2017 - If type 2 diabetes is part of your life—whether you have the condition or are at risk of developing it—you’ve probably heard of a drug called metformin. Perhaps your doctor has told you about it, has recently started you on it or has been prescribing it to you for years to keep your blood sugar under control.
It’s no newbie. Metformin has been available by prescription in the US for more than 20 years and in Europe for more than 40 years. US doctors write nearly 60 million prescriptions a year. It’s recommended as the go-to-first prescription for people with diabetes by the American Diabetes Association, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the American College of Physicians.
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NAMS Releases Its 2017 Hormone Therapy Position Statement
June 2017 -- “Hormone therapy remains the most effective treatment for vasomotor symptoms and the genitourinary syndrome of menopause and has been shown to prevent bone loss and fracture,” says Dr. JoAnn V. Pinkerton, NAMS Executive Director and Chair of the Position Statement Advisory Panel. “NAMS discovered through its review of the literature published since the 2012 Position Statement that its previous position that hormone therapy should be prescribed only for the ‘lowest dose for the shortest period of time’ may be inadequate or even harmful for some women. NAMS has clarified this position to the more fitting concept of the ‘appropriate dose, duration, regimen, and route of administration’ that provides the most benefit with the minimal amount of risk.”
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Breast-feeding linked to lower risk of endometrial cancer
An analysis of 17 past studies suggests that while breast-feeding for any period of time appears to lower a woman’s risk of endometrial cancer, mothers who breast-fed for the recommended six months lowered their risk even further.
Surpassing the 6-9 month recommended timeframe for breast-feeding seemed to have little benefit, the researchers said, but those who had ever breast-fed their children were 11 percent less likely than women who had children but didn’t breast-feed to be diagnosed with endometrial cancer, Reuters reported.
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