Experts at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) are recommending that maternal age no longer be a major criterium for testing pregnant women for Down syndrome. Currently, doctors don't routinely order the test for women under 35, due to risks linked to invasive amniocentesis, the Associated Press reported. However, the advent of accurate, less invasive testing technologies means that younger women should now be screened for the birth defect, experts say. The new ACOG guidelines are published in the January issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. About 1 in every 800 babies is born with Down syndrome, which is caused by an extra chromosome.  More...

Estimates are that one out of every four women in the U. S. will be a Latina by 2050. However, despite their growing numbers, Latinas continue to face serious health care access barriers and, consequently, higher incidences of disease and poorer health outcomes, especially in the area of reproductive health. The reasons for these outcomes are complex.  More...

Women attempt suicide three times as often as men, according to the National Center of Injury Prevention, and young Latinas and elderly Asian-American women are at even greater risk. (NY) According to city and state health officials testifying at a state Assembly hearing yesterday, access to mental health services for these women is sometimes lacking, because of language barriers and insufficient training among community health providers in spotting mental illness. "Hispanic adolescents think about suicide at an alarming rate," Sharon Carpinello, commissioner of the state Office of Mental Health, said. "Forty-six percent of Latinas reported they felt sad or hopeless; one in four seriously considered attempting suicide; and, according to the [Centers for Disease Control], one in six attempted suicide. " For Asian-American women over the age of 65 in the city, two out of five suffer from depression — twice the rate of other women in their age group —and they have the highest suicide rate of that group, Carpinello said.  More...

Forty-eight percent of us will experience a bout of insomnia this year, and women are more likely to be affected than men. Researchers are discovering that insomnia is a risk factor for other serious maladies, including heart disease and depression. It often appears as a side effect of a different problem — pain from a medical complaint or a stressful life-changing event, such as a breakup or the loss of a job. But it can linger after the primary difficulty has been resolved. As a result, experts say that if you find yourself suffering from acute insomnia — a week or two of very poor sleep quality — you need help.  More...

A group representing America's obstetricians is recommending that women avoid the antidepressant Paxil if they are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant, due to a potential heightened risk for birth defects. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) also cautioned that treatment with other antidepressants should be considered on a case-by-case basis. ACOG's Committee on Obstetric Practice "recommends that treatment with all SSRIs [selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors] or selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors or both during pregnancy be individualized and paroxetine [Paxil] use among pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant be avoided, if possible," read the statement, which is in the December issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. The guidelines come a full year after the U. S.  More...

Women who suffer from vaginal itching, burning or swelling after sex may actually be having an allergic reaction to their partner's semen, according to a report being presented today. Couples, though, might be eager to fill the surprising prescription: sex every two to three days. Allergy shots and exposure to increasingly concentrated semen samples can desensitize women to the proteins that trigger a reaction. But couples must have sex regularly for the effect to hold. Good luck and enjoy the remedy.  More...

From BBN Editors. Please post your experience with Thyroid disorder on BBN Women. . . .  More...