Top in women’s health: Hormone therapy after age 65; OTC birth control pill hits shelves
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The use of hormone therapy among women aged 65 years or older was associated with reductions in the risks for mortality, certain cancers and cardiovascular outcomes that varied by hormone therapy type, a recent study found.
The findings “could assist in tailoring postmenopausal hormone therapy on an individual basis,” Seo H. Baik, PhD, a computational health research branch biostatistician at the Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications at the National Library of Medicine within the NIH, and colleagues wrote. It was the top story in women’s health last week.
In another top story, Healio spoke with health care providers about Opill (norgestrel 0.075 mg, HRA Pharma), the first over-the-counter birth control pill in the United States.
“This is something that advocates for women’s reproductive health have been fighting for years for in the U.S. Birth control pills outside of the U.S. had been available without prescription for a long time now,” Frank B. Williams, MD, MPH, a maternal and fetal medicine specialist and research medical director of the Women’s Health Center of Excellence at Ochsner Health, New Orleans, said.
Read these and more top stories in women’s health below:
Effects of menopausal hormone therapy vary after age 65 years
Outcomes of using menopausal hormone therapy beyond age 65 years varied based on hormone therapy types, administration and strengths among women on Medicare, researchers reported in Menopause. Read more.
Health care providers ‘excited’ about convenient, safe OTC birth control pill
In March, the first nonprescription, over-the-counter contraceptive pill became available to buy in stores and online. The progestin-only pill is an important step in boosting access to birth control, according to women’s health providers. Read more.
Permanent contraception procedures substantially rose for young women vs. men after Dobbs
Numbers of tubal ligation and vasectomy procedures increased after Dobbs for young adults, with a substantial increase observed among women vs. men, according to a research letter published in JAMA Health Forum. Read more.
VIDEO: Cedars-Sinai efforts aim to reduce disparities in Black maternal health
Risk for maternal mortality for Black women in the U.S. is double that of white women. Barriers to improving maternal health outcomes for Black women stem from years of structural racism and bias, according to Kimberly Gregory, MD, MPH. Read more.
Coping methods for endometriosis-associated acyclic pelvic pain vary by age group
Coping methods for acyclic pelvic pain associated with endometriosis vary by age group, with adolescents reporting sleep and music as most helpful and exercise as less helpful, researchers reported in Frontiers Reproductive Health. Read more.