NBCNews.com: Women's health

NBCNews.com is a leader in breaking news and original journalism.

Woman's pre-wedding jitters linked to divorce

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 20:28:46 GMT

New research shows that a woman's hesitation before her wedding might predict a bumpy road ahead.

When your heart breaks, your whole body hurts

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 13:56:03 GMT

Getting dumped ignites a series of reactions that ends up feeling like a full-body blow. We tell you why love can hurt.

Want to be happy? Ladies, it's in your genes

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 17:15:47 GMT

The "warrior gene" in men might be the "happiness gene" for women.

Black women more likely to die of breast cancer

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:52:28 GMT

Most women can go as long as five years between cervical cancer screenings as long as they make sure to get both a Pap smear and an HPV test when they do get examined, a government panel said Wednesday.

Free birth control under health law starts today

Wed, 1 Aug 2012 16:52:48 GMT

Starting Wednesday, millions of American women will no longer pay for birth control pills, Pap smears or mammograms -- not even a co-pay.

Study reignites controversy over mammograms

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 23:12:31 GMT

As many as a third of cancers detected through routine mammograms may not be life threatening, according to a study published on Wednesday that raises fresh questions about the benefits of breast cancer screening.

Parasite may make women more suicidal

Fri, 6 Jul 2012 20:08:07 GMT

Women who are infected with a common parasite may be more likely to hurt themselves or attempt suicide, a new study of over 45,000 new moms in Denmark suggests.

Free birth control cuts abortion rate dramatically, study finds

Thu, 4 Oct 2012 20:37:19 GMT

A surprising new study with implications for next month’s presidential election finds that offering women free birth control can reduce unplanned pregnancies -- and send the abortion rate spiraling downward.

Birth control pills shouldn't need prescription, docs say

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 22:57:55 GMT

Women should be able to buy birth control pills over-the-counter at pharmacies without a prescription, a group of doctors says.

Mammograms: For 1 life saved, 3 overdiagnosed

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:46:49 GMT

Breast cancer screening for women over 50 saves lives, an independent panel in Britain has concluded, confirming findings in U.S. and other studies. But, the review found that for every life saved, roughly three other women were overdiagnosed.

Women who have heart attacks more likely to call 911

Tue, 9 Oct 2012 18:45:40 GMT

By Amy Norton, ReutersNEW YORK - Women suffering symptoms of a heart attack are more likely than their male counterparts to dial 911 - but there's a lot of room for improvement for men and women, alike, a new study finds.

Mom's older age doesn't hurt kids later in life

Thu, 6 Sep 2012 19:22:51 GMT

A new study finds that contrary to current thinking, children of older mothers do not appear to be at increased risk of diseases when they are adults.

Ob-gyns recommend annual well-woman visit

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 21:21:45 GMT

Women should have a well-woman appointment with their doctor every year, typically including pelvic and breast exams as well as any recommended screening, according to a group of U.S. ob-gyns.

Prolonged sitting may raise women's diabetes risk

Fri, 4 May 2012 21:11:39 GMT

A woman's likelihood of having risk factors for diabetes, such as insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, increased with the more time she spent sitting, according to a new study.

Exhausted all the time? 4 easy ways reenergize

Sun, 6 May 2012 16:11:00 GMT

Young women have accepted exhaustion as a normal state of being. But even youth is no defense against the health hazards that come with such grueling schedules. Here's how to rejuvinate yourself.

Ohio has three of 10 best cities for working moms

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 22:40:02 GMT

Women seeking the best place to work and raise children in the United States may want to head to Ohio, where three of its cities have been voted among the 10 best for working mothers.

Angelina Jolie: I have had double mastectomy

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:21:59 GMT

Angelina Jolie says she has undergone a double mastectomy, after being told that she had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer, along with a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer.

Therapy can help scared moms avoid C-sections

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 21:57:57 GMT

Group therapy can help women avoid risky and costly cesarean sections, especially first-time mothers fearful of childbirth, according to a new study from Finland.

Dove ad highlights women's distorted self image

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:08:49 GMT

In its latest “real beauty” campaign, Dove harnesses the voice of that harsh internal critic to literally illustrate how distorted these perceptions can be when it comes to a woman’s actual appearance.

Most can wait up to 5 years between Pap tests

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 23:53:42 GMT

Most women can wait three to five years between Pap tests to screen for cervical cancer, according to new guidelines released by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

'Mad Men' star sings praises of eating placenta

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:14:02 GMT

January Jones swears by a hearty serving of placenta to help fight exhaustion, and other advocates say it helps battle post partum depression. But studies have yet to prove the maternal benefits.

Marriage may protect a woman's heart

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 18:20:38 GMT

For women, continuous marriage without divorce or widowhood is linked to fewer cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, according to new research.

Here's why you really do need a man

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:12:27 GMT

A new book, “The End of Men,” has people talking about whether women are adapting better to modern society and therefore wondering if men are really necessary. Scientists, however,  say males are vital to the survival of the human race.

Women with endometriosis may be more attractive

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 18:06:14 GMT

Observing that women with the most severe form of endometriosis happen to be unusually attractive, researchers in Italy speculate that the qualities that led to the women's good looks also predisposed them to the painful gynecological condition.

Court: Ill. pharmacists don't have to give 'Plan B'

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 08:00:12 GMT

An Illinois appellate court Friday affirmed a lower court finding that the state cannot force pharmacists to sell emergency contraceptives - also known as "morning after" pills - if they have religious objections.

Soy may help cool hot flashes after all

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:09:26 GMT

Despite a good amount of evidence to the contrary, a new research review suggests that soy supplements can indeed help women find relief from menopausal hot flashes.

Quitting smoking harder for women? Blame nicotine

Tue, 3 Apr 2012 17:52:40 GMT

Women tend to find it harder to quit smoking than men because their brains respond differently to nicotine, a new study suggests.

Check the baby! Many new moms show signs of OCD

Mon, 4 Mar 2013 20:03:38 GMT

Is the baby breathing? Most new moms are anxious, but a new study finds that 11 percent may suffer from obsessive-compulsive symptoms, compared with 2 percent to 3 percent in the general population.

Docs use hormones more often than prescribe them

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:04:25 GMT

Doctors may be more willing to use hormone replacement therapy (HRT), or recommend it to their wives, than to prescribe it to their patients, a study of German gynecologists suggests.

Mom of first IVF baby has died

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 18:08:10 GMT

Lesley Brown, the woman who gave birth to the first test tube baby has died at age 64 after a brief illness, the British newspaper The Telegraph reports.

Don't look for emergency contraception soon

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:26:01 GMT

The Obama administration may have backed down after a decade of fighting over emergency contraception, but don’t expect to see Plan B, or any other morning-after birth control product, out from behind the counter anytime soon.

Pap smear every five years? Panel says it's safe

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:11:40 GMT

Women who drank low amounts of alcohol — about half of a glass of wine per day, on average — were 17 percent less likely to have a stroke compared with women who drank no alcohol.

Trying on swimsuits really is the worst, study shows

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:00:29 GMT

By Stephanie PappasLiveScienceIf trying on a bikini under unflattering dressing room lights has ever soured your mood, rest assured you're not alone. A new study finds that, for women, even just imagining trying on swimsuits can increase a bad mood.

Toothpick blamed for woman's liver problems

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 12:59:13 GMT

When a woman who had been feeling progressively weaker for months visited an emergency room with nausea, vomiting and low blood pressure, doctors diagnosed her as having an abdominal infection and treated her with antibiotics, according to a report of her case.

Study: Fertility treatments may lead to PTSD

Wed, 8 Aug 2012 19:19:48 GMT

Women who undergo fertility treatments may find the situation so distressing that they develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new study says.

Blacks slow to clear cervical cancer virus

Sun, 1 Apr 2012 17:04:19 GMT

Provocative new research might help explain why black women are so much more likely than whites to develop and die from cervical cancer: They seem to have more trouble clearing HPV, the virus that causes the disease.

Folic acid in pregnancy may reduce autism risk

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:49:56 GMT

Women who take folic acid supplements before becoming pregnant, as well as early in pregnancy, may reduce the risk of having a child with an autism spectrum disorder, according to a new study.

IUDs, implants best for birth control — teens, too

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 21:00:56 GMT

When women think birth control, pills and condoms might be their first choice, but new guidelines from the nation’s leading group of obstetricians and gynecologists advise that all women, including teenagers, should look to IUDs and implants instead.

IUD birth control misunderstood by many women

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 23:19:27 GMT

In a new survey, most women had inaccurate perceptions about the safety and effectiveness of intrauterine devices (IUDs) in preventing pregnancy, say U.S. researchers, who urge doctors to talk more about the benefits of the devices.

FDA approves new silicone-gel breast implant

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:04:03 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that it approved a new type of breast implant from Allergan for women 22 years and older.

Most stressful number of kids? 3, survey says

Mon, 6 May 2013 00:55:59 GMT

Call it the Duggar effect: TODAY Moms' exclusive survey of 7,000 mothers finds that while moms of three have more stress than mothers of one or two, women who have four or more children actually report lower stress levels.

What constitutes a 'healthy' vagina?

Wed, 2 May 2012 20:03:45 GMT

MyHealthNewsDaily The community of bacteria in the vagina that is considered "healthy" for a woman can vary a lot between individuals, a new study suggests.

L'Oreal anti-aging creams get FDA warning

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:04:10 GMT

Regulators warned L'Oreal SA, the world's biggest cosmetics group, to stop advertising skincare products using language that makes them sound like drugs.

Long-term birth control works better than Pill

Wed, 23 May 2012 22:20:58 GMT

Women who use long-acting methods of birth control are less likely to wind up pregnant than women who use shorter-term methods, which require daily or monthly remembering, a new analysis says.

Moms with heart trouble likely to have girls

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:18:27 GMT

By MyHealthNewsDaily staff Pregnant women with heart disease are more likely to give birth to girls than boys, according to a new study from Iran. The study involved 200 pregnant women diagnosed with heart disease who were referred to a heart center for delivery.

Study: Lung cancer on the rise in nonsmokers

Tue, 4 Sep 2012 18:19:56 GMT

Lung cancer rates are increasing among women and people who have never smoked, a new study finds.

Flu vaccine safe in pregnancy, study says

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 22:44:44 GMT

A large study offers reassuring news for pregnant women: It's safe to get a flu shot. The research found no evidence that the vaccine increases the risk of losing a fetus, and may prevent some deaths.

Stroke risk lower for women who drink moderately

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 01:19:01 GMT

Daily drink may reduce stroke chance

Fri, 9 Mar 2012 21:00:41 GMT

Stressed moms more likely to overfeed babies

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:08:37 GMT

Mothers under stress may be particularly prone to over-feeding their infants, a new study suggests.

Progesterone might help menopause symptoms

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:15:44 GMT

A hormone called progesterone helps reduce how frequently and how severely women experience hot flashes and night sweats after menopause somewhat, according to a new study.

Fertility drop-off surprises women over 40

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 22:22:24 GMT

Nearly half of women who became pregnant through in vitro fertilization after age 40 say they were "shocked" to discover they needed fertility treatments, a new study finds.

Big uptick in scheduled births before due dates

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 18:28:32 GMT

Expectant mothers in Australia are increasingly having their babies' births scheduled weeks before their due date, according to a new study.

Many women don't know when they're fertile

Wed, 5 Sep 2012 20:04:15 GMT

Women seeking help getting pregnant at fertility clinics are often confused about when they're most likely to conceive naturally, an Australian survey finds.

FDA must make some Plan B pills available to all

Wed, 5 Jun 2013 19:33:50 GMT

An appeals court ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday to make certain forms of ‘morning-after” birth control pills available freely over the counter to anyone who wants to buy them.

Longing to be thin? Blame your genes

Wed, 3 Oct 2012 18:08:16 GMT

Hate your body? Society's obsession with thinness may not be to blame — at least not entirely. A new study finds that genetics influences how much women buy into the idea that thin equals beautiful.

FDA approves Plan B for girls 15 and older

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:35:02 GMT

U.S. health regulators on Tuesday lowered the age limit for Plan B One-Step emergency contraception, approving it for sale to girls as young as 15 and agreeing it will be available without a prescription and on store shelves instead of behind pharmacy counters.

Mammogram scares leave lasting fears

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:01:37 GMT

The chatroom posts always start with words like "Help!” or “I’m flipping out”. And they’re all the same story -- a woman having a routine mammogram is called for a follow-up. Most women are fine, but some can suffer from the scares for years, even when the news is good.

Siblings among first cured of 'bubble boy disease'

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 15:43:42 GMT

Colton and Abbygail Ainslie are among three children successfully treated for their immune deficiency -- often called 'bubble boy disease' -- during an experiment detailed in Tuesday’s issue of the journal Blood.

Pharmacies deter teens from Plan B, study shows

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:47:49 GMT

Even though it’s legal for 17-year-olds to get the so-called morning-after pill, a new study shows that pharmacy employees often dole out the wrong information, telling the teens they’re not allowed to have the drug.

Women have too much faith in Pill, condoms

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:13:20 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many women may think birth control pills and condoms are better at pregnancy prevention than they actually are, a new study suggests.

Docs claim first mom-to-daughter uterus transplant

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 18:20:51 GMT

Two Swedish women are carrying the wombs of their mothers after what doctors called the world's first mother-to-daughter uterus transplants.

Leaky bladders affect young women, too

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:44:13 GMT

Urinary incontinence may be just as common in younger women who have never been pregnant as it is in women who have had children, according to a new Australian study.

HPV vaccine helps women who don't get the shots

Mon, 9 Jul 2012 20:40:51 GMT

A new study suggests that the human papillomavirus vaccine provides a benefit to women even if they are not vaccinated, via a phenomenon known as "herd immunity."

Chocolate cravings don't increase during PMS

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 18:01:34 GMT

Crave a Snickers bar that time of the month? Not so fast. A new study suggests that women's cocoa cravings do not increase before menstruation.

'Why would we wait?': Sisters face Jolie cancer dilemma

Sat, 18 May 2013 08:06:26 GMT

Angelina Jolie’s revelation this week that she’d had both breasts removed to lower her risk of cancer came as a bombshell to many -- but not to three sisters from Berkeley Heights, N.J. Cathy Balsamo, Cindy Lepore and Patti Broccoli have spent the past year grappling with the dilemma that Jolie faced: What to do when a genetic mutation means you’ve got a sky-high chance of breast or ovarian cancer?

Did Komen overstate cancer screening benefits?

Thu, 2 Aug 2012 23:55:59 GMT

A breast cancer awareness campaign by the research advocacy group Susan G. Komen for the Cure overstated the benefit that mammograms have on survival rates of women with breast cancer, researchers say in a new editorial.

Infrequent pap smears lead to missed cancer signs

Thu, 7 Mar 2013 22:32:47 GMT

Certain types of cervical abnormalities that can lead to cancer may be missed when young women go years between Pap smears, a new study suggests.

Worry may make women's brains work overtime

Wed, 6 Jun 2012 20:05:07 GMT

Women who worry a lot have brains that work overtime even during easy tasks, new research suggests.

Teens ignore melanoma risk to tan for prom

Mon, 9 Apr 2012 10:33:45 GMT

The prom and tanning go hand-in-hand, but the practice has come under renewed scrutiny after a recent study published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings found the incidence of melanoma in young adults has soared, with a sixfold increase in the past 40 years.