By Karla Gale
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When breast cancer develops during pregnancy, its diagnosis and treatment of are often delayed. As a result, the woman's long-term survival may be jeopardized, doctors at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report.
"Pregnancy-associated breast cancer is the most frequent cancer associated with pregnancy," Dr. George H. Perkins told Reuters Health, but it is low on the list of possible diagnoses that most doctors consider.
Furthermore, pregnancy can mask symptoms of breast cancer, making it more difficult to recognize, he noted.
The team identified all the cases of breast cancer associated with pregnancy that were treated at their institution between 1973 and 2006; 51 developed during pregnancy while 53 occurred within a year after pregnancy.
Women with pregnancy-associated breast cancer had more advanced tumors than similar young women who were not pregnant, indicating delayed diagnosis. Nevertheless, outcomes were similar in the two groups, the researchers report in the medical journal Cancer.
That's probably because most women were given a course of chemotherapy before undergoing surgery, Perkins said.
Among the 51 women who developed breast cancer during pregnancy, 25 received no treatment until after delivery. There was a trend toward worse 10-year survival rates with deferred treatment compared with treatment during pregnancy.
In addition to timely treatment, the research team also urges thorough diagnostic evaluation of breast symptoms that occur during pregnancy, using ultrasound or, with proper shielding of the fetus, mammography.
Showing posts with label Women Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Women Health. Show all posts
Monday, February 9, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Have A Heart For Women's Health
Many women who need to hear this message the most aren't getting it: Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women.Nationally, only 28 percent of African-American women and 24 percent of Hispanic women understand this reality, said Elizabeth Cisco, a member of the board of the American Heart Association's Midwest Affiliate. The comparable figure for all women is 57 percent, according to association data.
Cisco hopes the association's annual Go Red for Women campaign (www.goredforwomen.org) during February will increase awareness.
"I lose sleep thinking about the fact that the audience we need to be communicating to has a higher rate of heart disease. We have a lot of work to do to educate all women," said Cisco, system marketing executive at St. Vincent Health.
On National Wear Red Day on Friday, everyone is encouraged to wear red -- symbolizing the fight against heart disease. During the Love Your Heart Casting Call from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Indianapolis Artsgarden, above the intersection of Washington and Illinois streets, women who have improved their health can apply to star in local, possibly national, promotions to inspire other women.
Another event is the annual Go Red for Women Luncheon Feb. 20 at the Downtown Marriott, presented by St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana. For information, call (317) 873-3640.
While one in 30 women will die of breast cancer, one in three will die of heart disease, said Cisco. "Women are taught to think a lot about the outside of our chest, with respect to breast cancer, but we also need to be thinking about the inside of our chests."
Friday, January 30, 2009
Octuplets' Mother Already Has Twins, Four oother Children
By Jessica Garrison, Andrew Blankstein and Jeff Gottlieb
When she learned that she was expecting multiple babies, doctors gave her the option of selectively reducing the number of embryos, but she declined.
The woman who gave birth to octuplets this week already has six young children and never expected that the fertility treatment she received would result in eight more babies, her mother said Thursday.
Dr. Harold Henry, right, a member of the octuplets' delivery team at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Bellflower, leaves a news conference with neonatalogist Mandhir Gupta, left, and Karen Maples, chief of service for obstretics and gynecology. The doctors were peppered with questions about how the hospital handled the pregnancy. Hospital officials said the mother came to Kaiser already in her 12th week of pregnancy. They did not say where she received her fertility treatment.
The woman, who has not been publicly identified, had embryos implanted last year, and "they all happened to take," Angela Suleman said, leading to the eight births Monday. "I looked at those babies. They are so tiny and so beautiful."
She acknowledged that raising 14 children is a daunting prospect.
"It's going to be difficult," Suleman added, noting that her daughter's father is going back to Iraq, where neighbors said he worked as a contractor, to help support the expanded family.
The mother of the octuplets lives on a well-kept cul-de-sac in Whittier, where more than a dozen reporters and camera crews descended Thursday.
Neighbors said she and her six children -- ages 7, 6, 5, 3 and 2-year-old twins -- live there with her mother. Her marital status is unknown. Family members did not answer the door, but when a reporter called the home asking for Suleman, she spoke briefly.
According to her account, when her daughter discovered that she was expecting multiple babies, doctors gave her the option of selectively reducing the number of embryos, but she declined.
"What do you suggest she should have done? She refused to have them killed," Suleman said as the sound of children could be heard in the background. "That is a very painful thing."
The information about the family came amid growing questions about the medical ethics of the case and how the woman came to carry eight babies to term.
Although the successful births at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Bellflower have received worldwide attention, they also have prompted disapproval from some medical ethicists and fertility specialists, who argue that high-number multiple births endanger the mother and also frequently lead to long-term health and developmental problems for the children.
Under the guidelines of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, U.S. doctors normally would not implant more than two embryos at a time in a woman under the age of 35. After that age it is more difficult to become pregnant. The mother of the octuplets is believed to be 33, based on available public records.
The doctors who delivered the babies held a news conference Thursday in which they were peppered with questions about how the hospital handled the woman's pregnancy.
Hospital officials said the woman came to Kaiser already in her 12th week of pregnancy. They did not say where she received the fertility treatment.
Dr. Harold Henry, a member of the delivery team, said doctors counseled her regarding the options and risks -- among them aborting some of the fetuses.
"Our goal is to provide the best possible care, no matter what the situation or circumstances are," Henry said. "What I do is just explain the facts. I always talk about the risks. The mother weighs those options, and she chooses the option based on spiritual or personal makeup."
Henry said the eight children would "require quite a bit of resources. You need many diapers, bottles, car seats, food -- quite a bit."
Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel had planned for the births for months. They were expecting to deliver seven babies but discovered the eighth during delivery. It took only five minutes to deliver all eight by Caesarean section.
The births marked only the second time that octuplets had been successfully delivered in the United States.
At the news conference, Dr. Karen Maples read a statement from the mother in which she thanked the Kaiser staff for its help and support.
"We understand that you are all curious about the arrival of the octuplets, and we appreciate your respect for our family's privacy. Please know in our own time, we will share additional details about this miraculous experience," the statement said.
"The babies continue to grow strong every day and make good progress. My family and I are ecstatic about their arrival. Needless to say, the eighth was a surprise to us all, but a blessing as well."
"We thank all of you for the positive thoughts, prayers and generosity."
Already, Kaiser officials said, the mother is receiving gift baskets, sealed envelopes and flowers.
source: latimes.com
When she learned that she was expecting multiple babies, doctors gave her the option of selectively reducing the number of embryos, but she declined.
The woman who gave birth to octuplets this week already has six young children and never expected that the fertility treatment she received would result in eight more babies, her mother said Thursday.
Dr. Harold Henry, right, a member of the octuplets' delivery team at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Bellflower, leaves a news conference with neonatalogist Mandhir Gupta, left, and Karen Maples, chief of service for obstretics and gynecology. The doctors were peppered with questions about how the hospital handled the pregnancy. Hospital officials said the mother came to Kaiser already in her 12th week of pregnancy. They did not say where she received her fertility treatment.The woman, who has not been publicly identified, had embryos implanted last year, and "they all happened to take," Angela Suleman said, leading to the eight births Monday. "I looked at those babies. They are so tiny and so beautiful."
She acknowledged that raising 14 children is a daunting prospect.
"It's going to be difficult," Suleman added, noting that her daughter's father is going back to Iraq, where neighbors said he worked as a contractor, to help support the expanded family.
The mother of the octuplets lives on a well-kept cul-de-sac in Whittier, where more than a dozen reporters and camera crews descended Thursday.
Neighbors said she and her six children -- ages 7, 6, 5, 3 and 2-year-old twins -- live there with her mother. Her marital status is unknown. Family members did not answer the door, but when a reporter called the home asking for Suleman, she spoke briefly.
According to her account, when her daughter discovered that she was expecting multiple babies, doctors gave her the option of selectively reducing the number of embryos, but she declined.
"What do you suggest she should have done? She refused to have them killed," Suleman said as the sound of children could be heard in the background. "That is a very painful thing."
The information about the family came amid growing questions about the medical ethics of the case and how the woman came to carry eight babies to term.
Although the successful births at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Bellflower have received worldwide attention, they also have prompted disapproval from some medical ethicists and fertility specialists, who argue that high-number multiple births endanger the mother and also frequently lead to long-term health and developmental problems for the children.
Under the guidelines of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, U.S. doctors normally would not implant more than two embryos at a time in a woman under the age of 35. After that age it is more difficult to become pregnant. The mother of the octuplets is believed to be 33, based on available public records.
The doctors who delivered the babies held a news conference Thursday in which they were peppered with questions about how the hospital handled the woman's pregnancy.
Hospital officials said the woman came to Kaiser already in her 12th week of pregnancy. They did not say where she received the fertility treatment.
Dr. Harold Henry, a member of the delivery team, said doctors counseled her regarding the options and risks -- among them aborting some of the fetuses.
"Our goal is to provide the best possible care, no matter what the situation or circumstances are," Henry said. "What I do is just explain the facts. I always talk about the risks. The mother weighs those options, and she chooses the option based on spiritual or personal makeup."
Henry said the eight children would "require quite a bit of resources. You need many diapers, bottles, car seats, food -- quite a bit."
Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel had planned for the births for months. They were expecting to deliver seven babies but discovered the eighth during delivery. It took only five minutes to deliver all eight by Caesarean section.
The births marked only the second time that octuplets had been successfully delivered in the United States.
At the news conference, Dr. Karen Maples read a statement from the mother in which she thanked the Kaiser staff for its help and support.
"We understand that you are all curious about the arrival of the octuplets, and we appreciate your respect for our family's privacy. Please know in our own time, we will share additional details about this miraculous experience," the statement said.
"The babies continue to grow strong every day and make good progress. My family and I are ecstatic about their arrival. Needless to say, the eighth was a surprise to us all, but a blessing as well."
"We thank all of you for the positive thoughts, prayers and generosity."
Already, Kaiser officials said, the mother is receiving gift baskets, sealed envelopes and flowers.
source: latimes.com
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Surrounded By Friends? It's All In Your Genes
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Are you a social butterfly, or do you prefer being at the edge of a group of friends? Either way, your genes and evolution may play a major role, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
While it may come as no surprise that genes may help explain why some people have many friends and others have few, the researchers said, their findings go just a little farther than that.
"Some of the things we find are frankly bizarre," said Nicholas Christakis of Harvard University in Massachusetts, who helped conduct the study.
"We find that how interconnected your friends are depends on your genes. Some people have four friends who know each other and some people have four friends who don't know each other. Whether Dick and Harry know each other depends on Tom's genes," Christakis said in a telephone interview.
Christakis and colleague James Fowler of the University of California San Diego are best known for their studies that show obesity, smoking and happiness spread in networks.
For this study, they and Christopher Dawes of UCSD used national data that compared more than 1,000 identical and fraternal twins. Because twins share an environment, these studies are good for showing the impact that genes have on various things, because identical twins share all their genes while fraternal twine share just half.
"We found there appears to be a genetic tendency to introduce your friends to each other," Christakis said.
There could be good, evolutionary reasons for this. People in the middle of a social network could be privy to useful gossip, such as the location of food or good investment choices.
But they would also be at risk of catching germs from all sides -- in which case the advantage would lie in more cautious social behavior, they wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"It may be that natural selection is acting on not just things like whether or not we can resist the common cold, but also who it is that we are going to come into contact with," Fowler said in a statement.
source: uk.reuters.com (Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Are you a social butterfly, or do you prefer being at the edge of a group of friends? Either way, your genes and evolution may play a major role, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
While it may come as no surprise that genes may help explain why some people have many friends and others have few, the researchers said, their findings go just a little farther than that."Some of the things we find are frankly bizarre," said Nicholas Christakis of Harvard University in Massachusetts, who helped conduct the study.
"We find that how interconnected your friends are depends on your genes. Some people have four friends who know each other and some people have four friends who don't know each other. Whether Dick and Harry know each other depends on Tom's genes," Christakis said in a telephone interview.
Christakis and colleague James Fowler of the University of California San Diego are best known for their studies that show obesity, smoking and happiness spread in networks.
For this study, they and Christopher Dawes of UCSD used national data that compared more than 1,000 identical and fraternal twins. Because twins share an environment, these studies are good for showing the impact that genes have on various things, because identical twins share all their genes while fraternal twine share just half.
"We found there appears to be a genetic tendency to introduce your friends to each other," Christakis said.
There could be good, evolutionary reasons for this. People in the middle of a social network could be privy to useful gossip, such as the location of food or good investment choices.
But they would also be at risk of catching germs from all sides -- in which case the advantage would lie in more cautious social behavior, they wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"It may be that natural selection is acting on not just things like whether or not we can resist the common cold, but also who it is that we are going to come into contact with," Fowler said in a statement.
source: uk.reuters.com (Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Monday, January 26, 2009
Octuplets' Births Surprise California Doctors
(CNN) -- A woman in California delivered what may be the nation's second live-born set of octuplets on Monday morning, surprising doctors who expected seven babies.
The first three to seven days will be critical for the infants, Dr. Mandhir Gupta said.
The six boys and two girls -- ranging in weight from 1 pound 8 ounces to 3 pounds 4 ounces -- were generally doing well in incubators following their Caesarean-section delivery at Kaiser Permanente hospital in Bellflower, California, doctors said.
Three of the babies need breathing assistance, but otherwise the eight don't appear to have serious problems, doctors said at a news conference Monday evening.
"It was a truly amazing delivery," said Dr. Karen Maples, chief of the hospital's obstetrics and gynecology department.
Doctors initially believed the mother -- whom they did not identify -- was pregnant with seven fetuses. The woman was 23 weeks pregnant when she was hospitalized seven weeks ago and ordered to bed rest.
Over a seven-week period, a team of 46 physicians, nurses and other staff prepared for the births. When they started the delivery Monday -- more than nine weeks before the babies would be full term -- they were in for a surprise.
"After we got to Baby G, we were surprised by the discovery of a Baby H," Maples said.
Getting the number correct with ultrasounds before delivery is difficult with so many babies, said Dr. Harold Henry, the hospital's chief of fetal medicine.
"It is quite easy to miss a baby when you're expecting seven," Henry said.
The hospital said the woman didn't want her personal information released to the news media, and it would not answer questions about whether she'd had fertility treatments.
Preliminary research indicates this is the second set of live-born octuplets in the United States, according to the hospital.
Eight babies believed to be the United States' first set of live octuplets were born in Houston, Texas, in 1998. One of the infants died days after birth. The seven other siblings recently celebrated their 10th birthday, the Houston Chronicle reported last month.
The first three to seven days will be critical for the California babies, said Dr. Mandhir Gupta, one of the doctors at the news conference. The infants could be in incubators for six to eight weeks and in the hospital for 10 weeks, Gupta said.
The mother is doing "very well" after the deliveries, which took about five minutes, Gupta said.
"She is very excited that she [has] all these babies and that the babies are looking good so far," Gupta said.
The first three to seven days will be critical for the infants, Dr. Mandhir Gupta said.The six boys and two girls -- ranging in weight from 1 pound 8 ounces to 3 pounds 4 ounces -- were generally doing well in incubators following their Caesarean-section delivery at Kaiser Permanente hospital in Bellflower, California, doctors said.
Three of the babies need breathing assistance, but otherwise the eight don't appear to have serious problems, doctors said at a news conference Monday evening.
"It was a truly amazing delivery," said Dr. Karen Maples, chief of the hospital's obstetrics and gynecology department.
Doctors initially believed the mother -- whom they did not identify -- was pregnant with seven fetuses. The woman was 23 weeks pregnant when she was hospitalized seven weeks ago and ordered to bed rest.
Over a seven-week period, a team of 46 physicians, nurses and other staff prepared for the births. When they started the delivery Monday -- more than nine weeks before the babies would be full term -- they were in for a surprise.
"After we got to Baby G, we were surprised by the discovery of a Baby H," Maples said.
Getting the number correct with ultrasounds before delivery is difficult with so many babies, said Dr. Harold Henry, the hospital's chief of fetal medicine.
"It is quite easy to miss a baby when you're expecting seven," Henry said.
The hospital said the woman didn't want her personal information released to the news media, and it would not answer questions about whether she'd had fertility treatments.
Preliminary research indicates this is the second set of live-born octuplets in the United States, according to the hospital.
Eight babies believed to be the United States' first set of live octuplets were born in Houston, Texas, in 1998. One of the infants died days after birth. The seven other siblings recently celebrated their 10th birthday, the Houston Chronicle reported last month.
The first three to seven days will be critical for the California babies, said Dr. Mandhir Gupta, one of the doctors at the news conference. The infants could be in incubators for six to eight weeks and in the hospital for 10 weeks, Gupta said.
The mother is doing "very well" after the deliveries, which took about five minutes, Gupta said.
"She is very excited that she [has] all these babies and that the babies are looking good so far," Gupta said.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Donors Up But Organs Still Short
The number of people on the organ donor register in the UK has hit a record 16 million, meeting a government target of doubling 2001's numbers a year early.
However, the gap between supply and demand for organs is still growing and 1,000 people are expected to die this year while waiting for a transplant.
A multi-million pound campaign is to be launched to encourage donation
The NHS figures show people in Scotland and the south-west of England are the most willing to become donors.
It is thought the debate on presumed consent may have boosted numbers.
The idea of introducing presumed consent, under which people would be placed on the organ donor register automatically unless they "opted out", was rejected last year by a panel of experts appointed by the government.
They said such a move was unlikely to increase donor numbers and posed a significant risk of eroding patient trust.
Instead, a £4.5m public awareness campaign is to be launched in England aimed at boosting voluntary donor numbers.
More than one in four people in the UK are now on the donor register.
But, despite the rise in numbers, the UK still has one of the lowest organ donation rates in Europe.
Since 2001, nearly 24,000 transplants have been carried out using donor organs, but at least 4,500 people have died while waiting for a suitable organ to become available.
This year, about 1,000 people are expected to die waiting for an organ.
There is a particular shortage of organs for black and Asian patients, who on average wait about three or four times longer for an organ than white patients, according to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).
Organ donor register rates are, at 32%, highest in the health regions that cover Scotland and south-west England, followed by the south-east coastal area of England at 30%, according to figures collated by NHSBT.
Lynda Hamlyn, the body's chief executive, said: "Reaching 16 million on the NHS Organ Donor Register a year before planned is testament to the support that exists for donation in the UK.
"More than a quarter of the population have demonstrated their commitment by signing the register.
"But, with almost 8,000 people in the UK currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, we need to do more."
NHSBT said it was looking at draft plans to try to increase the number of organ donors by a further nine million by 2013.
A spokesman said this was "a challenging target that we cannot achieve without a huge amount of public support".
However, the gap between supply and demand for organs is still growing and 1,000 people are expected to die this year while waiting for a transplant.
A multi-million pound campaign is to be launched to encourage donationThe NHS figures show people in Scotland and the south-west of England are the most willing to become donors.
It is thought the debate on presumed consent may have boosted numbers.
The idea of introducing presumed consent, under which people would be placed on the organ donor register automatically unless they "opted out", was rejected last year by a panel of experts appointed by the government.
They said such a move was unlikely to increase donor numbers and posed a significant risk of eroding patient trust.
Instead, a £4.5m public awareness campaign is to be launched in England aimed at boosting voluntary donor numbers.
More than one in four people in the UK are now on the donor register.
But, despite the rise in numbers, the UK still has one of the lowest organ donation rates in Europe.
Since 2001, nearly 24,000 transplants have been carried out using donor organs, but at least 4,500 people have died while waiting for a suitable organ to become available.
This year, about 1,000 people are expected to die waiting for an organ.
There is a particular shortage of organs for black and Asian patients, who on average wait about three or four times longer for an organ than white patients, according to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).
Organ donor register rates are, at 32%, highest in the health regions that cover Scotland and south-west England, followed by the south-east coastal area of England at 30%, according to figures collated by NHSBT.
Lynda Hamlyn, the body's chief executive, said: "Reaching 16 million on the NHS Organ Donor Register a year before planned is testament to the support that exists for donation in the UK.
"More than a quarter of the population have demonstrated their commitment by signing the register.
"But, with almost 8,000 people in the UK currently waiting for a life-saving organ transplant, we need to do more."
NHSBT said it was looking at draft plans to try to increase the number of organ donors by a further nine million by 2013.
A spokesman said this was "a challenging target that we cannot achieve without a huge amount of public support".
Repeat Abortions Among Teenage Girls Have Risen By 70%
The number of abortions performed on teenage girls who have had at least one before has risen by almost 70 per cent since 1991, fuelling fears that terminations are being carried out for lifestyle reasons.
Experts yesterday warned that binge drinking among teenagers had also contributed to the increase.
A third of terminations are carried out on women who have had at least one before
In 2007, 5,897 girls under 20 had their second, third or even fourth termination.
Sixteen years earlier, in 1991, the figure stood at just 2,934, the journal Contraception reported.
The analysis by scientists at Nottingham University, found that - even taking into account the rise in abortion among all age groups - the proportion of repeat terminations carried out on teenagers rose by 68 per cent in 16 years.
Abortions in the UK have reached record levels - almost 200,000 a year in England and Wales - a rate second only in the western world to the U.S. Researcher Jacqueline Collier, a professor of health services research, said that although there were probably many reasons behind the 'radical increase' in repeat abortions in teenagers, it is likely that alcohol played a part.
Calling for more research into the issue, she said: 'It is right for us to put it as a priority. It is not good for society, let alone for teenagers, to be having repeat terminations or repeat pregnancies they are not wanting or not able to continue with.'
When all age groups are included in the analysis, a third of terminations are carried out on women who have had at least one before.
The evidence shows that some women have had eight or more.
Thirteen girls aged under 18 were on at least their fourth abortion in 2007, the Department of Health figures showed.
Dr Trevor Stammers, a GP and a lecturer in healthcare ethics, said: 'I think that young women who have had one abortion fall into two camps.
'There is one that understands the ongoing consequences and another that (is) very cavalier and hardened about it and have entered a phase of regarding it as a backup method of contraception.
'We have got to communicate that abstinence is not folly.'
Norman Wells of Family and Youth Concern, which campaigns against family breakdown, said we were living in a 'contraceptive culture'.
He added: 'High abortion rates and the alarming number of repeat teenage abortions are the inevitable fruit of a society that has made an idol of sexual pleasure and failed to respect its proper place and purpose.'
But Ann Furedi of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, which carries out almost a third of UK abortions, said: 'A lot has changed the past two decades.
'Abortion has become more acceptable, easier to access for all age groups, better funded by the NHS, and more integrated into mainstream healthcare - all of which are good things.'
She added: 'Everyone agrees that it would be better for young people to avoid unwanted pregnancies and there is an extensive range of research and ongoing practical initiatives to address this.
'All of these moves contribute to young people feeling more able to make choices about whether or not they should have sex and how best to handle the consequences.'
source: dailymail.co.uk/health
Experts yesterday warned that binge drinking among teenagers had also contributed to the increase.
A third of terminations are carried out on women who have had at least one beforeIn 2007, 5,897 girls under 20 had their second, third or even fourth termination.
Sixteen years earlier, in 1991, the figure stood at just 2,934, the journal Contraception reported.
The analysis by scientists at Nottingham University, found that - even taking into account the rise in abortion among all age groups - the proportion of repeat terminations carried out on teenagers rose by 68 per cent in 16 years.
Abortions in the UK have reached record levels - almost 200,000 a year in England and Wales - a rate second only in the western world to the U.S. Researcher Jacqueline Collier, a professor of health services research, said that although there were probably many reasons behind the 'radical increase' in repeat abortions in teenagers, it is likely that alcohol played a part.
Calling for more research into the issue, she said: 'It is right for us to put it as a priority. It is not good for society, let alone for teenagers, to be having repeat terminations or repeat pregnancies they are not wanting or not able to continue with.'
When all age groups are included in the analysis, a third of terminations are carried out on women who have had at least one before.
The evidence shows that some women have had eight or more.
Thirteen girls aged under 18 were on at least their fourth abortion in 2007, the Department of Health figures showed.
Dr Trevor Stammers, a GP and a lecturer in healthcare ethics, said: 'I think that young women who have had one abortion fall into two camps.'There is one that understands the ongoing consequences and another that (is) very cavalier and hardened about it and have entered a phase of regarding it as a backup method of contraception.
'We have got to communicate that abstinence is not folly.'
Norman Wells of Family and Youth Concern, which campaigns against family breakdown, said we were living in a 'contraceptive culture'.
He added: 'High abortion rates and the alarming number of repeat teenage abortions are the inevitable fruit of a society that has made an idol of sexual pleasure and failed to respect its proper place and purpose.'
But Ann Furedi of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, which carries out almost a third of UK abortions, said: 'A lot has changed the past two decades.
'Abortion has become more acceptable, easier to access for all age groups, better funded by the NHS, and more integrated into mainstream healthcare - all of which are good things.'
She added: 'Everyone agrees that it would be better for young people to avoid unwanted pregnancies and there is an extensive range of research and ongoing practical initiatives to address this.
'All of these moves contribute to young people feeling more able to make choices about whether or not they should have sex and how best to handle the consequences.'
source: dailymail.co.uk/health
More Delays for Women in Emergency Care
A new study has found surprising evidence of delays in getting women with heart trouble to the hospital.
Researchers at Tufts Medical Center in Boston examined 5,887 emergency calls about suspected cardiac symptoms in Dallas County, Tex. About half of the calls were made by women.
Ambulances arrived just as quickly for women as for men, the researchers found. Patients of both sexes spent an average of 34 minutes in the care of emergency medical workers, including about 19.9 minutes of care on the scene and 10.3 minutes spent traveling to the hospital.
But 647 patients, about 11 percent, were delayed, spending 45 minutes or longer in the care of emergency workers.
Women were 52 percent more likely than men to be among the delayed, said Thomas W. Concannon, an assistant professor of medicine at Tufts University who was lead author of the study, published this month in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
It is not clear what caused the waits, he said, but other studies have suggested that heart problems in women are not recognized as readily by medical personnel.
Until now, much of the research on treatment delays has focused on how long a patient waits for care once he or she arrives at the hospital, not on holdups that occur en route.
“The time it takes to get to treatment is very important in cardiac care,” Dr. Concannon said. “It’s one of the most important factors in good patient outcomes.” RONI CARYN RABIN
source: health.nytimes.com
Researchers at Tufts Medical Center in Boston examined 5,887 emergency calls about suspected cardiac symptoms in Dallas County, Tex. About half of the calls were made by women.
Ambulances arrived just as quickly for women as for men, the researchers found. Patients of both sexes spent an average of 34 minutes in the care of emergency medical workers, including about 19.9 minutes of care on the scene and 10.3 minutes spent traveling to the hospital.
But 647 patients, about 11 percent, were delayed, spending 45 minutes or longer in the care of emergency workers.
Women were 52 percent more likely than men to be among the delayed, said Thomas W. Concannon, an assistant professor of medicine at Tufts University who was lead author of the study, published this month in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
It is not clear what caused the waits, he said, but other studies have suggested that heart problems in women are not recognized as readily by medical personnel.
Until now, much of the research on treatment delays has focused on how long a patient waits for care once he or she arrives at the hospital, not on holdups that occur en route.
“The time it takes to get to treatment is very important in cardiac care,” Dr. Concannon said. “It’s one of the most important factors in good patient outcomes.” RONI CARYN RABIN
source: health.nytimes.com
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