Nearly Half of U.S. Patients Keep Vital Secrets From Their Doctors

THURSDAY, Aug. 15, 2019 -- Nearly half of U.S. patients don't tell their physicians about potentially life-threatening risks such as domestic violence, sexual assault, depression or thoughts of suicide, a new study finds.

"For physicians to achieve your best health, they need to know what you are struggling with," said study senior author Angela Fagerlin.

PTSD a Risk Factor for Ovarian Cancer?

THURSDAY, Sept. 5, 2019 -- Struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may make a woman more vulnerable to ovarian cancer, a new study suggests.

Researchers analyzed data from a national study of nearly 55,000 U.S. women and concluded that those who'd had six to seven symptoms of PTSD -- such as being easily startled by common noises or avoiding reminders of the traumatic experience -- at some point in their life had twice the risk of ovarian cancer compared to those who never had any PTSD symptoms.

Aging Narrows Gender Gap in Flu Vaccine Response

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 21, 2019 -- Here's some bad news for older women during flu season: Aging reduces the stronger immune response that women typically have to vaccination, a new study finds.

"We need to consider tailoring vaccine formulations and dosages based on the sex of the vaccine recipient, as well as their age," said study senior author Sabra Klein. She is an associate professor in the department of molecular microbiology and immunology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

Women's Mid-Life Stress Might Have Long-Term Effect on Memory

TUESDAY, Aug. 20, 2019 -- Stressful experiences in middle age are associated with greater memory loss among women later in life, but this link is not found in men, a new study says.

It included more than 900 adults who were assessed twice in the early 1980s; once between 1993 and 1996; and once between 2003 and 2004. Their average age was 47 at their third visit in the '90s.

Many Americans Take Antibiotics Without a Prescription

MONDAY, July 22, 2019 -- No one would argue that antibiotics are an amazing 20th-century innovation, promising a quick cure for bacterial illnesses that might otherwise cause serious harm or death.

But they are not without risk, especially when taken without a doctor's supervision.

Bigger Waistlines a Threat to Women's Health, Even Without Obesity

WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2019 -- A widening waistline can harm the health of older women, even if they avoid obesity, new research suggests.

It's a condition known as "central obesity" -- a concentration of fat around the abdomen. Central obesity can occur even if it's not enough to shift a person's body mass index (BMI) into the obese range, explained researchers led by Wei Bao, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Iowa.