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EVERYTHING
When You Study Females, You Find Important Biology
What: It’s a mouse study, BUT it’s just one small example of why it’s important to actually study the female sex. Researchers at UCSF discovered a hormone that keeps the “bones of breastfeeding women strong could also help bone fractures heal and treat osteoporosis in the broader population.” In mice, the hormone increases bone density and strength.
Why it matters: “’One of the remarkable things about these findings is that if we hadn’t been studying female mice, which unfortunately is the norm in biomedical research, then we could have completely missed out on this finding,’ said Holly Ingraham, PhD, the senior author of the new paper and a professor cellular molecular pharmacology at UCSF. ‘It underscores just how important it is to look at both male and female animals across the lifespan to get a full understanding of biology.’”
Source: UCSF
National Academies Finds Women’s Health Research ‘Significantly Lacking’
What: A report from the National Academies of Sciences found unsurprising news: research on chronic conditions specifically affecting women is “significantly lacking.” The 500-page report calls on the NIH to lead efforts to develop diagnostic tools for conditions like endometriosis, and “distinguish between overlapping symptoms of various chronic conditions.”
Why it matters: “’One of the biggest frustrations is how often we [saw] examples where women were not incorporated into research, where women’s experiences and symptoms were undermined or not given enough attention,’ said [Farida] Sohrabji, the director of women’s health in the neuroscience program at Texas A&M University.”
Source: Washington Post
PREGNANCY + POSTPARTUM
Federal Government Issues First-Ever Safety Standards for OBGYN Care
What: Vice President Harris introduced the “first-ever baseline federal health and safety requirements” for hospitals when it comes to OBGYN care. To qualify for federal funding (something basically all hospitals need), hospitals must meet minimum standards for how OBGYN units are staffed, among other requirements.
Why it matters: Two of the new requirements gives you an idea of how bad it was at some hospitals: requiring emergency departments have “crash carts” for obstetrical emergencies, and making sure hospitals that can’t care for OBGYN emergencies have a process to transfer those patients as quickly as possible.
Source: The White House
ABORTION ACCESS
Democrats Ask for Report on Federal Funding at Crisis Pregnancy Centers
What: Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin and Maxwell Frost are asking the Government Accountability Office to investigate how federal funding is used at so-called “crisis pregnancy centers.” The centers often lie to patients as part of an effort to convince them to not get abortions.
Why it matters: According to one study “more than 650 CPCs in 49 states and Washington, D.C., received $400 million in federal funding, including block grants, between 2017 and 2023.”
Source: The Hill
WELLNESS + BEAUTY
Beyond Botox: ‘Natural’ Replacements Flourish in LA
What: Breaking news from LA—botox is out, and “plasma injections” are in. LA Times’ Lina Abascal explores whether the “natural” anti-aging movement is any “better” than well-known cosmetic procedures.
Why it matters: The women in this article are spending thousands on questionable-at-best treatments…like a “platelet-rich fibrin matrix.”
Source: LA Times
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