Top in women's health: Risks of heat exposure; caregiving may worsen menopause symptoms

Both long-term and short-term heat exposure were linked to an increased risk for maternal morbidity in pregnant women, researchers reported.

It was the top story in women’s health last week.

The second top story was about how half of midlife women who spent 15 hours or more per week acting as a caregiver reported moderate to severe menopausal symptoms. The severity of symptoms rose as caregiving hours increased.

Read these and more top stories in women’s health below:

Long-, short-term heat exposure in pregnancy linked to severe maternal morbidity

During pregnancy, both long-term and short-term heat exposure were associated with increased risk for severe maternal morbidity, researchers reported in JAMA Network Open. Read more.

Menopause symptoms worsen with caregiver burden

Midlife women who identified as a family caregiver reported worse menopause-related symptoms as hours of caregiving rose, according to a presenter at the Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society. Read more.

Is menopausal hormone therapy linked with dementia risk? Studies offer conflicting views

The short-term effects of postmenopausal hormone therapies on the vascular system and the brain may differ from long-term effects and could be influenced by HT formulation and administration route, according to a speaker. Read more.

Single or panel of biomarkers could not diagnose, rule out endometriosis, adenomyosis

Neither a single nor a combination of biomarkers could successfully diagnose or rule out endometriosis and/or adenomyosis with high certainty, according to results published in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Read more.

Ovarian cancer screening ineffective, preemptive surgery can reduce risk

Current ovarian cancer screening methods are ineffective, but women can reduce their risk for ovarian cancer with opportunistic salpingectomy — removing the fallopian tubes at time of other surgeries, according to a presenter. Read more.