Contemporary OB/GYN week in review: WHI cuts, urinary incontinence, and more

Thank you for visiting the Contemporary OB/GYN® website. Take a look at some of our top stories from last week (Monday, April 21, 2025 - Friday, April 25, 2025), and click each link to read and watch anything you may have missed.

NIH to cut funding for landmark women’s health study

The Woman’s Health Initiative (WHI), the first and largest National Institutes of Health (NIH) effort prioritizing women’s health, may soon be ending, according to the NIH.

On April 21, 2025, WHI leaders announced the termination of contracts supporting its regional centers in September. Additionally, funding for its clinical coordinating center at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is uncertain beyond January 2026.

Data collection will be significantly influenced by contract cancellations for the 4 main WHI sites, creating significant limitations in research toward the health of older women. This cut, impacting an annual federal funding of nearly $10 million, has led scientists to worry about billions in future contract research funding cuts by the NIH.

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Urinary incontinence linked to higher cardiovascular disease risk

The risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is increased in women with urinary incontinence, according to a recent study published in Preventive Medicine on April 3, 2025.

Approximately 38% to 60% of women are impacted by urinary incontinence, defined as a loss of bladder control. These conditions often lead to decreased physical activity, which is associated with CVD. However, while the recent data did not find reduced physical activity in women with urinary incontinence, these patients remained at a higher risk of CVD.

“Women should be screened for incontinence regularly as it may contribute to CVD risk, and women with CVD risk factors should be screened for undiagnosed incontinence,” wrote study authors.

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First US national HPV conference highlights advances in cancer prevention

In a recent interview with Contemporary OB/GYN, Leeya Pinder, MD, MPH, associate professor at the University of Cincinnati, highlighted the first US national human papillomavirus (HPV) conference held in Indianapolis.

Pinder emphasized the excitement and importance of this inaugural event, which brought together a diverse group of stakeholders—including clinicians, public health professionals, patient advocates, survivors, and industry leaders. The conference provided a platform for collaboration and the sharing of scientific and clinical advancements related to HPV, with a strong focus on its role in various cancers such as cervical, oropharyngeal, and anal cancers.

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OBGYN practice locations unchanged post-Dobbs

Trends in OBGYNs’ practice locations have not significantly differed across states based on abortion-related policy environments following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization (Dobbs) decision in 2022, according to a recent study published in JAMA Network Open.

Similar trends in counts and shares were reported between state policy environments, with total ban states experiencing a mean increase in per-quarter counts of 8.3%, threatened states 10.5%, and protected states 7.7%. According to investigators, these differences in increases were not statistically significant.

For shares of OBGYNs, decreases of 2.4%, 1.5%, and 2.1%, respectively, were reported, which was also not significantly different for total ban states vs protected states. However, the difference for threatened vs protected states was statistically significant.

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Social isolation linked to poorer diet in older women

The risk of poorer diet quality is increased in older women experiencing social isolation, according to a recent study published by the University of British Columbia.

Data from 30,097 adults across 6 years was obtained from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CSLA). Based on the data, participating in a variety of activity such as volunteering, attending club meetings, playing sports, and visiting friends led to an increase in diet quality.

“We know social isolation reduces life expectancy, but most studies capture it at a single point,” said Annalijn Conklin, MPH, PhD, senior author and associate professor at UBC’s faculty of pharmaceutical sciences. “We wanted to understand the effects of persistent or changing isolation over time.”

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