Health Library

Family Stories May Help Coma Patients Recover THURSDAY, Jan. 22, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Hearing their loved ones tell familiar stories can help brain injury patients in a coma regain consciousness faster and have a better recovery, a new study suggests. The study included 15 male and female brain injury patients, average age 35, who were in a vegetative or minimally conscious state. Their brain injuries were caused by car or motorcycle crashes, bomb blasts or assaults. Beginning an average of 70 days ...

FDA Approves New Psoriasis Drug WEDNESDAY, Jan. 21, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- A new drug to treat adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis was approved Wednesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. People with plaque psoriasis, the most common form of the autoimmune skin disease, develop thick, red skin with flaky, silver-white patches called scales. In autoimmune diseases, the body's immune system attacks healthy tissue by mistake. The new drug, Cosentyx (secukinumab), is injected under the...

Falls on the Rise Among U.S. Seniors MONDAY, Jan. 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- For American seniors, a fall can have disabling or even fatal consequences. And a new study finds that the rate of older people who suffer a fall is actually on the rise. A research team led by Dr. Christine Cigolle, of the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, tracked national data from adults aged 65 and older. They found that the number of older adults with at least one self-reported fall in the past two year...

Family Income, Expectations Tied to Kindergarten Performance MONDAY, Jan. 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. children entering kindergarten do worse on tests when they're from poorer families with lower expectations and less focus on reading, computer use and preschool attendance, new research suggests. The findings point to the importance of doing more to prepare children for kindergarten, said study co-author Dr. Neal Halfon, director of the Center for Healthier Children, Families & Communities at ...

Fewer Patients With Advanced Colon Cancer Getting Surgery, Report Finds WEDNESDAY, Jan. 14, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Fewer U.S. colon cancer patients who are diagnosed in the final stages of their disease are having what can often be unnecessary surgery to have the primary tumor removed, researchers report. These patients are also living longer even as the surgery becomes less common, although their general prognosis is not good. The findings reveal "increased recognition that the first-line treatment r...

FDA Approves New Device to Treat Obesity WEDNESDAY, Jan. 14, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- A first-of-its-kind implant that curbs the appetite by electrically stimulating stomach nerves was approved Wednesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Maestro Rechargeable System is intended to treat morbid (extreme) obesity, device manufacturer EnteroMedics Inc. said in its application for FDA approval. The implant sends electrical signals to nerves around the stomach that help control digestion. These si...

For Pastors, It's Easy to Pack on the Pounds WEDNESDAY, Jan. 14, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Stress, long hours and low pay are among the reasons why more than one-third of clergy in the United States are obese, according to a new study that also identified a number of ways that pastors can reduce their risk of obesity. Researchers analyzed data on clergy members from various denominations and religious traditions and found that due to low pay, 10 percent led more than one congregation and 15 percent had a...

Flu Now Epidemic in U.S., With 15 Child Deaths Reported TUESDAY, Dec. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The flu has reached epidemic levels in the United States, with 15 children dead so far this season, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday. Every state will likely have flu cases within the next few weeks, and more deaths are expected, said Dr. Michael Jhung, a medical officer in CDC's influenza division. "We are in the middle of flu season," Jhung said. "It's a safe bet th...

For Anorexic Men, the Focus Is on Muscle MONDAY, Dec. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Anorexia is typically associated with women, but a new report finds that men -- especially men obsessed with muscularity -- can develop the eating disorder, too. The Canadian researchers noted that an estimated 10 percent or more of anorexia patients are thought to be male, though the actual number may be significantly higher. There was also a slightly larger proportion of gays with anorexia than is seen in women with the...

FDA Approves New Weight-Loss Drug WEDNESDAY, Dec. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new, injectable weight-loss drug has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency on Tuesday approved Saxenda (liraglutide) for adults who are obese or for those who are overweight and have at least one weight-related health condition, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol. Patients taking the drug, made by Novo Nordisk, should still follow a low-calorie diet and exercise reg...

Fewer U.S. Teens in Tanning Salons, Study Finds TUESDAY, Dec. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Fewer U.S. teens are using indoor tanning beds and booths, although this risky behavior remains popular with more than 1.5 million high school students, a new survey reveals. In 2013, about 20 percent of high school girls and 5 percent of high school boys had sought out some form of indoor tanning at least once in the previous year, according to the latest poll. This represented a drop from 25 percent of girls and...

FDA to Lift Ban on Blood Donations by Gay Men TUESDAY, Dec. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Gay and bisexual men who have abstained from sex for one year will be allowed to donate blood in the United States, under a new federal policy that would reverse a 31-year ban on donations from men who have sex with men. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday its intention to release a new draft guidance in early 2015 that would ultimately open the door to blood donations from gay men. The FDA is ch...

FDA Approves First in New Class of Drugs for Advanced Ovarian Cancer FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug to treat advanced ovarian cancer, along with a test to identify patients eligible to receive the drug. Lynparza (olaparib) belongs to a new class of drugs called poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. The drug is for women who have already received extensive treatment for advanced ovarian cancer associated with defective BRCA ...

Frail Elderly Might Benefit From High-Dose Flu Shot THURSDAY, Dec. 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A high-dose influenza vaccine is better than the standard vaccine for frail seniors under care in nursing homes, a new study suggests. Researchers report that the high-dose shot produces a stronger immune response in this elderly population, a potential sign it will keep more cases of flu at bay. "For frail older adults, the high-dose vaccine appears to be a better option to protect against flu than the stand...

Flying Time Could Raise Skin Cancer Risks for Pilots WEDNESDAY, Dec. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Airline pilots get as much exposure to cancer-causing UV rays in an hourlong flight as they would during 20 minutes in a tanning bed, new research finds. The study, led by Dr. Martina Sanlorenzo, from the University of California, San Francisco, found that airplane windshields do not completely block harmful ultraviolet-A (UV-A) rays from the sun. This type of radiation can boost the risk of deadly melanoma...

Federal Health Marketplace Enrolls Another 2.5 Million Americans WEDNESDAY, Dec. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Enrollment through the federal health marketplace surged last week as the deadline for signing up for a health plan with a Jan. 1 effective date came to a close. Between Nov. 15 and Dec. 12, almost 2.5 million individuals selected a health plan through HealthCare.gov, U.S. health officials said Tuesday. HealthCare.gov is the gateway to enroll in an Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare," health pla...

Few Parents Think 18-Year-Olds Can Handle Their Health Care WEDNESDAY, Dec. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Many American parents don't think their teen and young adult children are able to manage their own health care, a new survey finds. The nationwide poll of parents of children ages 13 to 30 found that a large number believe children should stop seeing their pediatrician and begin going to an adult-focused primary care doctor at age 18 (42 percent). Some thought their children should transition to adul...

FDA Warns Against Fetal 'Keepsake' Videos TUESDAY, Dec. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Expectant parents should leave prenatal picture-taking to medical professionals, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends. Use of ultrasound imaging and heartbeat monitors to get "keepsake" images and videos is not entirely risk-free, the agency warns. "Although there is a lack of evidence of any harm due to ultrasound imaging and heartbeat monitors, prudent use of these devices by trained health care providers ...

First Newborn Screening Test Approved for Rare Immune Disorder TUESDAY, Dec. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The first test to screen for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) in newborns has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Some 40 to 100 cases of SCID are identified each year among newborns in the United States, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. The group of disorders is caused by genetic defects that influence infection-fighting immune cells. While bab...

FDA Approves Blood Test That Gauges Heart Attack Risk MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a new blood test that can help determine a person's future odds for heart attack and other heart troubles. The test is designed for people with no history of heart disease, and it appears to be especially useful for women, and black women in particular, the agency said. "A cardiac test that helps better predict future coronary heart disease risk in wome...

Feel Younger Than Your Age? It May Help You Live Longer MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Folks who feel "young at heart" may be more likely to live to a ripe old age, a new British study suggests. Seniors who said they felt three or more years younger than their actual age experienced a lower death rate over the course of eight years than people who either felt their full age or a little older, researchers report online Dec. 15 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine . About 25 percent of people ...

Fear of Police Keeps Many Hispanics From Calling 911, Study Says FRIDAY, Dec. 12, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Distrust of police prevents many Hispanic Americans from calling 911 when someone is suffering cardiac arrest, a new study reveals. "Residents of low-income, minority neighborhoods have two strikes against them: The incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is much higher than average and rates of bystander CPR are below average," said study lead author Dr. Comilla Sasson, of the University of Co...

For Young Kids, Too Little Sleep Linked to Later Obesity THURSDAY, Dec. 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Lack of sleep and sleep-related breathing problems appear to boost children's risk of obesity, a new study finds. What isn't clear from the study, however, is whether the sleep issues actually cause obesity, or if something else might explain the association between sleep problems and obesity. Researchers analyzed data from about 1,900 youngsters in England. The researchers had about 15 years of follow-u...

FDA Approves Cervical Cancer Vaccine That Covers More HPV Strains WEDNESDAY, Dec. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a new vaccine with expanded protection against the human papillomavirus (HPV), by far the leading cause of cervical and certain other cancers. The agency said that Gardasil 9 can shield users against nine strains of the virus, compared to the four strains covered by Gardasil, the Merck & Co. vaccine approved in 2006. Merck also mak...

Fewer Bars and Liquor Stores, Less Domestic Violence: CDC WEDNESDAY, Dec. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Restricting the number of locations where alcohol can be sold in a community may help reduce domestic violence, researchers say. The team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reviewed 16 studies that examined the link between alcohol sales regulations in communities and rates of intimate partner violence. Some of the things they looked at included the number of alcohol sales out...

Free Clinics Run by Med Students on the Rise TUESDAY, Dec. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The number of medical student-run free clinics at U.S. medical schools has doubled in the last decade, according to a new study. In 2005, there were about 110 student-run free clinics at 49 medical schools that belonged to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). This new study found just over 200 such clinics at 86 AAMC-member medical schools. More than half of all medical students are involved in such cl...

Full Bladder May Get a Third of Women Over 40 Up at Night TUESDAY, Dec. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Many women have to get up more than once a night because of a full bladder, a new study finds. Researchers found that of over 2,000 women aged 40 and up, one-third said they routinely got up at least twice a night to use the bathroom. Doctors refer to that as nocturia, and it can be a sign that you're drinking too much tea or coffee at night -- or a signal of a serious health condition. "Traditionally, no...

Flu Shot May Offer Less Protection This Winter: CDC THURSDAY, Dec. 4, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- This flu season looks like it could be worse than usual, due to an aggressive strain of influenza virus that might flout the protection provided by this year's vaccine, U.S. health officials warned Thursday. A strain of influenza called H3N2 appears to be circulating most widely this season, and in the past death rates from H3N2 have been more than double that of other flu strains, according to officials from ...

FDA Issues New Drug Label Rules to Better Inform Pregnant Women WEDNESDAY, Dec. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new labeling system should give women and their doctors clearer information on the risks and benefits of prescription medicines when taken during pregnancy and breast-feeding, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. The agency "wants pregnant and breast-feeding women and their health care providers to benefit from the most useful and latest information about their prescription medi...

FDA Advisors Not Sold on Lifting Ban on Gay Men Giving Blood WEDNESDAY, Dec. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Members of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel asked the agency on Tuesday to think carefully before repealing a 31-year ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. Their cautious advice doesn't mesh with the positions of gay rights advocates, medical experts and blood banks, which are all pushing for a removal of the ban. The panel members said their main concern was that it is ...

Fatal ODs From Narcotic Painkillers Have Tripled in U.S. TUESDAY, Dec. 2, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse continues to take a deadly toll in the United States, with fatal overdoses involving drugs such as Oxycontin and Vicodin tripling over a decade, a new report shows. Deaths from another form of opiate, heroin, also nearly tripled between 1999 and 2012, according to the report released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There was one ...

Full-Day Preschool Beats Part-Day for School Preparedness TUESDAY, Nov. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Children who attend a full-day preschool program are better prepared for elementary school success than children who attend a part-day program, a new study has found. Chicago preschoolers who went the whole day rather than a half-day had higher scores on measures of school readiness skills, including language, math, social development and physical health, researchers from the University of Minnesota repo...

FDA Advisory Panel Says Steroid Shots for Back Pain Can Continue TUESDAY, Nov. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- An expert advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decided on Tuesday not to recommend the agency issue a strong warning against the general use of steroid injections for back pain. The shots are commonly used to treat back pain, but they have never been approved for this use by the FDA, and whether their risks outweigh their benefits has long been a matter of debate. Tuesday's vote...

Flu Season Off to a Slow Start ... for Now FRIDAY, Nov. 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- This year's flu season is off to a slow but detectable start. And it appears to be a typical one that's likely to peak in January or February, a leading U.S. health official says. "We are starting to see a little more flu in the country, but we are still at pretty low levels," said Dr. Joseph Bresee, chief of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Epidemiology and Prevention Branch in the Influenza Divisi...

FDA Approves 'Abuse-Resistant' Narcotic Painkiller THURSDAY, Nov. 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Seeking to make it tougher for people to misuse prescription painkillers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a new hydrocodone tablet that's designed to help thwart abuse. Hydrocodone -- best known by the brand name Vicodin -- is a powerful opioid painkiller that has been tied to a surge in dangerous addictions across the United States. The FDA said that newly approved Hysingla ER (hydr...

Fewer Infants Dying Than Before, CDC Reports WEDNESDAY, Nov. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- More babies are being born at full term, resulting in fewer infant deaths, U.S. health officials reported Wednesday. The death rate among infants dropped 4 percent between 2006 and 2011, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the number of fetal deaths -- defined in this report as deaths of fetuses at 20 weeks' gestation or later, and commonly referred to as stillbirths -- stayed...

Feeling 'Worn Out'? Your Heart May Pay the Price MONDAY, Nov. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Otherwise healthy people on the verge of burning out are more likely to develop heart disease, according to new research. Those suffering from so-called vital exhaustion -- a toxic combination of fatigue, irritability and demoralization -- have a 36 percent increased risk of developing heart disease, researchers report. "In our increasingly busy lives, we're just under a lot of stress. And I think, when that stres...

Falls Leading Cause of Serious Head Trauma for Kids, Study Shows WEDNESDAY, Nov. 12, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new study of more than 43,000 children finds that falls are the most common cause of head injuries among younger kids. For children under the age of 2, falls accounted for 77 percent of head injuries. For kids aged 2 to 12, falls caused 38 percent of head injuries, the researchers said. Many of these serious brain injuries result from car and bicycle accidents, said lead researcher Dr. Nathan ...

Food Rules for Toddlers May Lead to Healthy Eating Habits TUESDAY, Nov. 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Children have healthier diets when their parents place restrictions on what they can eat and train them to control their impulses, a new study suggests. The University at Buffalo researchers analyzed data from almost 9,000 American children whose self-regulation was assessed at age 2. The children's diets and parental food rules were then checked at age 4. "Parents can make a difference here by training ...

Fewer Malpractice Claims Paid in U.S. THURSDAY, Oct. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The number of medical malpractice payments in the United States has dropped sharply since 2002, according to a new study. And compensation payment amounts and liability insurance costs for most doctors remained flat or declined in recent years, researchers report online Oct. 30 in the Journal of the American Medical Association . "For many physicians, the prospect of being sued for medical malpractice is a disturbing aspec...

Frailty Tied to Lower Survival Rates After Kidney Transplant THURSDAY, Oct. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Physical frailty may lead to worse five-year survival rates among kidney transplant patients, regardless of their age, a new study shows. The findings suggest that patients should be screened for frailty before kidney transplantation, and that those identified as frail need to be closely monitored after their transplant, the study authors said. The researchers assessed frailty in 537 patients around ...

FDA Approves New Vaccine to Protect Against Meningitis WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new vaccine that could help prevent some cases of life-threatening meningococcal disease was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday. Trumenba is approved to protect people between the ages of 10 and 25 from invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B bacteria. The bacteria can infect the bloodstream (sepsis) and the lining that surrounds the spinal...

First Vaccine Approved for B Strains of Meningitis WEDNESDAY, Oct. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The first vaccine to protect against a type of meningococcal bacteria that can cause meningitis has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. When Neisseria meningitidis bacteria infect the bloodstream or lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, it can cause life-threatening illness. The bacteria typically are transmitted by coughing, kissing or sharing utensils, especially in close livi...

FDA Cautions Against 'Undeclared' Food Allergens TUESDAY, Oct. 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Some food labels may not reliably list all possible food allergens, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency added that these "undeclared allergens" are the leading cause of FDA-requested food recalls. Under federal law, foods marketed in the United States are required to identify all major food allergens -- such as milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts and soybea...

Few U.S. Hospitals Ready to Handle Ebola, Survey Finds FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Only about 6 percent of American hospitals have infection control procedures in place to effectively and safely handle Ebola patients, a new survey reveals. Of the 1,039 acute care hospitals that responded to the survey, about 6 percent said they were "well-prepared," and about 5 percent said they were "not prepared," according to the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC)...

Fertility Treatments Aren't Significantly Linked to Birth Defects WEDNESDAY, Oct. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The risk of birth defects is low among children conceived using assisted reproductive technologies (ART), according to a new study. Researchers examined more than 300,000 births in Massachusetts between 2004 and 2008. Of those babies, 11,000 were conceived using ART. Assisted reproductive technologies include fertility treatments where both eggs and sperm are handled, such as in-vitro fertiliza...

For Infertility Treatment, Should He Drink Less Coffee, More Booze? MONDAY, Oct. 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A man's love of coffee could hamper the success of a couple's infertility treatment, a small new study suggests. But mild alcohol use by would-be fathers might help boost the odds of pregnancy through in vitro fertilization, the findings indicate. The Boston researchers aren't ready to encourage men enrolled in IVF to cut coffee consumption and have an extra beer with dinner. Still, these prelim...

Frequent Dining Out Might Widen Your Waistline, Study Finds FRIDAY, Oct. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Love to dine out? You could be at higher risk for becoming overweight and having poorer cholesterol levels than people who prefer to eat at home, a new study suggests. Researchers led by Ashima Kant of Queens College, City University of New York, analyzed data from more than 8,300 American adults between 2005 and 2010. The researchers found that people who ate six or more meals a week away from home had...

Family Acceptance Key to Curbing Teen Suicides, Study Shows FRIDAY, Oct. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Family rejection could be potentially deadly for teens already at risk for suicide, a new study has found. When teens were followed six months after discharge from a psychiatric unit for attempting suicide, the majority of boys and girls reported feeling family or peer "invalidation" at the time of discharge. "Family invalidation refers to a lack of acceptance of individuals' sense of self and their emo...

For Ebola, No New Drugs Riding to the Rescue -- for Now WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- There's no magic bullet in the foreseeable future for the treatment of people infected by Ebola, infectious-disease experts say. No one knows if any of the experimental drugs used during the ongoing Ebola epidemic actually work. The most promising therapies -- ZMapp, TKM-Ebola and brincidofovir -- are all months or years away from clinical trials that would prove their effectiveness. "There are no licens...

Family Support Tied to Safer Sex for Young Gay Males: Study WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Young gay and bisexual males are less likely to engage in riskier sex if their families are supportive of the way they live, a small new study reveals. However, while the study found an association between family support and safer sex practices, such as using condoms, it did not prove a cause-and-effect link. Still, "youth had limited engagement in unsafe sex when the families were able to have open,...

FDA OKs Once-a-Day Drug for Chronic Hepatitis C FRIDAY, Oct. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Harvoni, a daily pill that treats the most common form of hepatitis C, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday. It's the first combination pill (ledipasvir and sofosbuvir) approved to treat the chronic infection, and the first medication that doesn't require that the antiviral drugs interferon or ribavirin be taken at the same time, the FDA said in a news release. Both drugs in the combinati...

Fried Foods Linked to Raised Risk of Diabetes in Pregnancy THURSDAY, Oct. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Regularly eating fried food before pregnancy may increase a woman's risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy, according to a new study. Researchers examined more than 21,000 single-child pregnancies in the United States over more than 10 years. Diabetes occurred in almost 850 of the pregnancies, the study found. Diabetes that develops during pregnancy is called gestational diabetes, according to the...

Five Major U.S. Airports to Screen Travelers From West Africa for Ebola WEDNESDAY, Oct. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Five major U.S. airports will begin screening travelers entering the country from the three West African nations hit hardest by the ongoing Ebola epidemic, federal health officials announced Wednesday. These five airports receive 94 percent of the roughly 150 travelers who arrive daily in the United States from the West African nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Dr. Tom Frieden, ...

Fetal Exposure to Plastics Chemical Tied to Breathing Ills in Kids MONDAY, Oct. 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure in pregnancy to a chemical commonly found in plastics and cans -- known as bisphenol A, or BPA -- may increase a child's risk of breathing problems, researchers say. In a study of nearly 400 pregnant women and their children, researchers found that each 10-fold increase of BPA in a mother's urine was associated with a 14 percent decrease in the child's breathing function at 4 years of age...

Free, Long-Acting Contraceptives May Greatly Reduce Teen Pregnancy Rate WEDNESDAY, Oct. 1, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Giving teenage girls free birth control -- especially long-acting implanted devices -- could slash pregnancy and abortion rates to well below the current U.S. average, new findings suggest. In a study of 1,400 teenage girls, researchers found that counseling and free contraceptives substantially cut the girls' rates of unplanned pregnancy and abortion. Over three years, their annual pregna...

 

Fetal Ultrasound Click Image to Enlarge Procedure overview What is a fetal ultrasound? Fetal ultrasound is a test used during pregnancy that creates an image of the fetus in the mother's uterus, or womb. During a fetal ultrasound, various parts of the baby, such as the heart, head, and spine, are identified and measured. The testing may be performed either through the mother's abdomen (transabdominal) or vaginal canal (transvaginal). Fetal ultrasound provides a safe way to evaluate the health of an unbo...

Fire Safety and Burns Teaching your family about safety and burn prevention could save lives. Listed in the directory below is additional information related to fire safety and burns. Fire Safety and Burns Overview Injury Statistics and Incidence Rates Identifying High-Risk Situations Prevention

Female Growth and Development As a female matures from a young girl into a woman, there are many important things to consider regarding her health and development. Listed in the directory below are some, for which we have provided a brief overview. Puberty: Adolescent Female Breast Health Gynecological Health