Stressed-out teens are likely to have more heart health risk factors in adulthood, a new study says. Teens with elevated stress levels tended to have high blood pressure, obesity and other heart risk factors as they aged, compared to those teens with less stress, researchers found. “Our findings suggest that perceived stress patterns over time…  read on >  read on >

Art therapy has the potential to help women deal with menopause, a new study reports. Creative arts therapies combined with nutrition education significantly improved quality of life, stress, anxiety and body image in a group of overweight women who had entered menopause, researchers said. All participants also experienced decreases in body mass index and blood…  read on >  read on >

Women are four to five times more likely than men to develop early-onset rheumatoid arthritis, and a few hormonal factors could be why, new research suggests. Entering menopause early (before age 45), taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and having four or more kids are all related to heightened odds for developing rheumatoid arthritis, the study…  read on >  read on >

Could the immune system play a role in why some women become depressed during and after a pregnancy?   Swedish researchers have uncovered a “bidirectional relationship” between pregnancy-linked depression and autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis and celiac disease. In other words, women who experienced depression specific to a pregnancy were more…  read on >  read on >