Study Looks at Potential New Test to Screen for Breast Cancer in High-Risk Women

Dec. 14, 1999 (New York) -- Some types of non-cancerous breast lesions that typically are not associated with increased risk of breast cancer could be more dangerous than doctors previously thought. But a new study in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute finds that there may be a way to predict which lesions have cancer potential and possibly give those women drugs that can prevent the cancer from ever occurring.

Taking Medications Correctly

Claudia was doing well. The Prozac she'd been prescribed was working to treat her depression. She was handling a high-stress job, enjoying life as a newlywed, and making progress in therapy.

Then she went to a birthday party for her boss. She knew alcohol was off-limits for people, like herself, on anti-depressants. "Alcohol is a depressant," her psychiatrist had warned. "It could counteract the Prozac."

Women Can Expect More Questions From Gynecologists

Dec. 3, 1999 (Cleveland) -- American women should expect questions about use of herbal remedies as well as new tests for diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases, and hepatitis C when they visit their gynecologist for an annual Pap smear, according to revised screening guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Pap Technology

Women have been going to their gynecologists for Pap tests for more than 50 years. And their vigilance has paid off: Mortality rates from cervical cancer have dropped 70%, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. But a woman's chance of getting a false negative -- a result that says she's healthy when she really has cancer or pre-cancerous cells -- is still between 10 and 25%, according to the ACOG.

Exploring Pap Smear Effectiveness

Nov. 19, 1999 (Minneapolis) -- Women probably don't give much thought to the device that's used to perform their routine Pap smear. But a new study by British researchers suggests that maybe they should.

Cervical screening is effective in decreasing incidence and death from invasive disease of the cervix. When a woman has a Pap, or cervical smear, test, clinicians obtain cells from the cervix using a collection device that helps the laboratory technician detect disease, such as cancer.

Natural Childbirth Options

Natural childbirth, which women have experienced for centuries, is undergoing a renaissance of sorts as a growing number of women are electing to have a midwife shepherd them through the delivery at home or in a birthing center.

Cystitis: Risk Factors and Treatment

I woke up one morning and every time I had to urinate it became more and more painful," says Amy, a 28-year-old publicist. The pain worsened throughout the day until she noticed she was "peeing pink."

"I thought it was because I was drinking so much cranberry juice," she says. It turned out the discoloration was due to blood in her urine, caused by a bladder infection (cystitis).

PMS: Signs and Symptoms

If the sadness and mood swings don't get you, the cramps and headaches just might. In fact, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) affects almost all women to some degree during their reproductive years.

In 30 percent to 40 percent of cases, symptoms are so severe that they interfere with normal day-to-day functioning. Once passed off as simply an unpleasant-but-inevitable part of being a woman, the symptoms many experience in conjunction

Menopause: What it is, What to do

Every women knows that if she lives long enough, she will go through menopause, the "change of life." But what is it? What should we expect, and when should we expect it? And, perhaps most importantly, what can we do to make this transition as physically and emotionally comfortable as possible?