A new combo pill can substantially reduce bleeding caused by uterine fibroids — possibly offering some women yet another alternative to surgery, a new trial finds. The once-daily medication, which combines a drug called relugolix with estrogen and progestin, is not yet approved in the United States. But it is under review by the U.S.… read on > read on >
All Lifestyle:
You’ve Had Your COVID Vaccine: Here’s What to Expect After
Worried or wondering about COVID-19 vaccines? Many Americans are, so experts at Penn State Health are offering some reassuring insight. “People are approaching this vaccine with more hesitation because it was approved quickly, but that really just speaks to how far we have come in vaccinology,” said Dr. Mohammad Ali, an infectious disease physician at… read on > read on >
Pregnant Women Face Higher Odds of Coronavirus Infection
Pregnant women have high COVID-19 infection rates — especially women of color — and they should be near the front of the line for vaccines across the United States, researchers say. “Our data indicates that pregnant people did not avoid the pandemic as we hoped that they would, and communities of color bore the greatest… read on > read on >
Even Low Levels of Air Pollution Harm Heart, Lungs
Breathing in air that has even low levels of pollution poses a threat to older adults’ heart and lungs, a new study warns. Researchers analyzed medical records of more than 63 million Medicare patients from 2000 to 2016. They found that long-term exposure to low levels of air pollution could increase the risk of pneumonia,… read on > read on >
Pfizer Says COVID Shot 85% Effective After 1 Dose; May Not Require Deep Freeze
There was a double dose of good news Friday from COVID vaccine maker Pfizer: The company said just one dose may provide 85% protection against SARS-CoV-2, and vials of the vaccine might not require ultra-cold storage after all. The latter finding could be a game-changer for vaccine distribution, because the need for refrigerators capable of… read on > read on >
Approved U.S. COVID Vaccines Are Safe, New Review Confirms
Only a tiny fraction of the nearly 14 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the first month of vaccinations produced any sort of adverse event, U.S. health officials report. There were 6,994 reports of adverse events following a shot of the COVID vaccine between Dec. 14, 2020 and Jan. 13, 2021, amounting to about half… read on > read on >
Urinary Incontinence a Common Issue for Older Women, But Treatments Can Help
Nearly 1 in 2 women over the age of 50 deal with the indignities of urinary incontinence, but experts say no one has to suffer in silence. Frequently considered an inevitable problem of aging, most women never even try to get treatment for the urinary leakage that they experience, said Dr. Christopher Hartman, chief of… read on > read on >
Lockdowns Are Leaving Kids With ADHD in Crisis
When clinical psychologist Maggie Sibley thinks about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, she worries most about the older teens who may drop out of high school and those kids who may be experiencing depression. It would be hard to argue that this year hasn’t been difficult for… read on > read on >
Battered by Winter Storms, U.S. Vaccine Rollout to Redouble Efforts Next Week
After a week of brutal winter storms that stalled the country’s coronavirus vaccination rollout, U.S. health officials said Thursday that vaccination efforts will have to ramp up rapidly as soon as the bad weather ends. “We’re going to just have to make up for it: namely do double-time when this thing clears up,” Dr. Anthony… read on > read on >
Communities of Color Struggling to Get Vaccines to Those in Need
The greatest threat from COVID-19 has been for Black and Hispanic Americans, who are three times more likely to be hospitalized and about twice as likely to die from an infection with the novel coronavirus, compared with white people. Now, street-level community groups are stepping in with innovative ways to overcome longstanding racial disparities in… read on > read on >