Women Health Online

June 22, 2011 — Testing chemicals to determine their impact on breast development and breast cancer risk should be a standard part of the regulatory process, according to a new report in . However, few chemicals on the market undergo such evaluations.

“Our review advocates modifying testing protocols so that they have a better assessment of breast tissue,” says researcher Ruthann Rudel, MS, director of research at the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Mass.

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FRIDAY, June 24 () — Pregnant women with depression receive inconsistent treatment and, as a result, may spend more time in the hospital before their babies are born, a new study finds.

Researchers followed 20 health care providers at six Michigan clinics and found a lack of uniformity in treating pregnant women with depression. Often, health care providers felt burdened by the responsibility of needing to make instant decisions about issues, and there was great variation in those decisions — even within the same clinic.

“There was no system-level support for providers.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ordered a new warning label for the cholesterol medication Zocor (simvastatin), saying that the drug has an increased risk of muscle damage (myopathy) when taken at its highest dosage. Researchers in two different studies have found muscle damage in people taking 80 mg of Zocor, especially in the first year of treatment. FDA officials say these findings suggest that this dose should only be given to people who have been using Zocor for more than 12 months without damage, and not to new patients. People taking this dose of Zocor should speak to their healthcare providers before making any changes to their medication.  

OTTAWA — Cancer fundraising could get a leg up, thanks to some Canadian women who are bringing attention to their nether regions for a good cause.

Willson and her friends were inspired by Movember — a popular fundraising campaign in recent years that’s seen men grow moustaches in November to raise awareness of prostate cancer.

Women are being encouraged to choose from almost a dozen stencil designs — there’s Charlie Chaplin’s moustache, the bare-all Brazilian, a slim landing strip, or the David Suzuki, which features the Canadian environmentalist’s famous moustache and goatee.

It’s a drive that began as a friendly dinner with friends that turned into a brainstorming session.

“We were playing with the names Vulvember, Beavember, then one of our friends blurted, ‘Julyna,’ and we started to laugh and said, ‘That’s it!’” said Willson, 29, who is hoping at least 100 women will sport one of the fun designs, which could be easily done at home or by an esthetician.

Toronto’s Gee Beauty is currently donating a portion of their waxing proceeds for the cause.

Willson said she’s not sure what design she’s going with yet, but will probably end up sculpting the letter “J” — an emblem for the group’s name.

The major cause of cervical cancer, human papillomavirus, will affect approximately 75 per cent of sexually active men and women at least once in their lifetime. Willson

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THURSDAY, June 23 () — Who do teens look to as role models for healthy sexual behavior? According to a new Canadian study, they look first to the example set by their parents, not to friends or the media.

In their survey of more than 1,100 mothers of teenagers and almost 1,200 teens between the ages of 14 and 17, researchers found that when it comes to sexuality, 45 percent of the teens considered their parents to be their role model, compared to just 32 percent who looked to their friends.

Only 15 percent of the teens said celebrities influenced them, the investigators found.

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