OBGYN.net Staff

Most previous studies have focused on evaluating the association between circulating insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) levels and breast cancer risk. Emerging evidence over the past few years suggests that IGFBP-3 may act directly on mammary epithelial cells.

It has been suggested that hormonal risk factors act predominantly on estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor (ER/PR)-positive breast cancers. However, the data have been inconsistent, especially in younger women.

Gene expression profiling has been successfully used to classify breast cancer into clinically distinct subtypes, and to predict the risk of recurrence and treatment response. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the gene expression profile (GEP) detected in a core biopsy (CB) is representative for the entire tumor, since CB is an important tool in breast cancer diagnosis.

Research published in this week's issue of Nature describes the molecular structure of two cancer-related proteins binding to one another. Scientists identified the biochemical and signaling properties of these molecules using a process called X-ray crystallography.

In a study published today in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction1, researchers from New York's Cornell University report the first IVF pregnancy to result from the use of tamoxifen as an ovarian stimulant.

Three Weeks of Two-Drug Chemotherapy as Good as Six Weeks of Triple Chemotherapy

Sore breasts can signal the onset of PMS -- that 'ouch' feeling tells some women they're premenstrual more reliably than a calendar. Cyclical breast soreness shouldn't cause concern, according to Women's Health America. However, breast pain doesn't have to be tolerated. Here's how to minimize discomfort, and how to recognize cautionary signs that should send you to your doctor.

Breast Cancer and Breast Disease

Each year, an estimated 200,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in the U.S., affecting women of all races, from all walks of life. The disease can strike at any time, as the Latina music star Soraya learned when she was diagnosed in 2000 with breast cancer at the young age of 31.

INFLAMMATORY BREAST CANCER (IBC) is an advanced and accelerated form of breast cancer automatically rated as Stage IIIb that usually is not detected by mammograms or ultrasounds. It requires immediate aggressive treatment with chemotherapy prior to surgery and is treated differently than more common types of breast cancer.

French and Argentinean researchers have found new evidence that environmental factors are contributing to male infertility and that they may worsen pre-existing genetic or medical risks.

Two new types of antiprogestins that can suppress menstruation and could end the monthly misery many women suffer have passed their first tests in animals, scientists report today (Friday 27 July) in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal, Human Reproduction.

The HERS trial was the first study to put a damper on enthusiasm for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a preventive therapy for heart disease. A second trial called ERA (Estrogen Replacement and Atheriosclerosis trial), reported at the 49th Annual Meeting of the American College of Cardiology, held in Anaheim, California, March 12–15, 2000, provides additional evidence that HRT does not prevent heart disease.

Hysterectomy is one of the most common abdominal surgical procedures performed in women today with 600,000 hysterectomies in the USA annually, one in three women undergoing hysterectomy, and 6–20% in European countries.

A study sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health found that postmenopausal women with heart disease who took hormone therapy and high dose antioxidant vitamins - either alone or in combination with hormones - did not have fewer heart attacks, deaths, or progression of coronary disease.

The average age of natural menopause in Western societies is estimated to be 51 years; women in Canada can therefore expect to live, on average, a third of their lives in post-menopausal years. During these years women are at increased risk of chronic diseases such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

Researchers from Italy have found that premenopausal breast cancer patients treated with triptorelin and chemotherapy were less likely to experience early menopause and were more likely to resume menses than patients who received chemotherapy alone.

Results from a new study by doctors at the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers indicate that long-term estrogen replacement has a beneficial effect on postmenopausal women's non-verbal memory and attention span.

The Editorial: Timing is Everything…  - A. R. Genazzani, MD., Ph.D., FRCOG, President, The International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology (ISGE)

Today, Putting Women's Health First launched a national campaign to educate women about cervical cancer, the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) role in its development, and the importance of effective screening in preventing the disease.

Nearly a fifth of all pregnancies end in miscarriages, but up to two per cent of women suffer recurrent miscarriages i.e. three or more consecutive pregnancy losses before 20 weeks. The research team has found evidence that a variation in a gene - NOS - which is known to be involved in synthesising nitric oxide, could be at least partly to blame.

Study Links Clinical Benefits of Sacral Nerve Stimulation for Treatment of Urinary Urge Incontinence to Improved Quality of Life

Painful bladder condition affects about one million Americans

Commercial Calcium Carbonate Vs. Commercial Calcium Citrate

This depends on the types and the severity of the prolapse. Generally, most women are not aware of the presence of mild prolapse. When prolapse is moderate or severe, symptoms may include sensation of a lump inside the vagina or disturbance in the function of the affected organs, such as: Bladder: stress incontinence, urgency, frequency, incomplete emptying, dribbling, recurrent urine infections.

Articles from Millennium Medical Communications, Inc.

Symptoms related to menopause, including insomnia, nervousness, melancholia, vertigo, weakness, fatigue, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and urinary incontinence, denote a decline in a woman's quality of life. Further, the symptoms a woman may experience vary according to age.