Women's Health Archive

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) occur in women of all ages. Physical and hormonal changes can leave women at midlife particularly vulnerable. No woman should have to put up with the inconvenience and discomfort of recurrent UTIs. Self-help measures can be effective, but if they don’t do the trick, see your doctor. He or she can identify and treat any underlying problems and recommend other strategies to keep UTIs at bay.

An analysis from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) suggests not only that postmenopausal women who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of invasive breast cancer than women of normal weight but also that the excess risk increases as a woman's weight rises beyond obesity. The results were published online June 11, 2015, by JAMA Oncology.

A team of investigators from several medical centers studied data on 67,000 postmenopausal women who enrolled in the WHI between 1993 and 1998. They were followed for a median of 13 years. During that time, 3,388 invasive breast cancers were detected. The researchers analyzed the distribution of breast cancer among weight classes and calculated the risks for women who were overweight (body mass index, or BMI, of 25 to 30), obese (BMI 30 to 35), or very obese (BMI over 35) compared with women of normal weight (BMI 25 or less). They found that the increased risk of developing breast cancer ranged from 17% in women who were overweight to 59% in those with a BMI over 35. Among women who began the study at a normal weight, those who gained at least 5% of their original weight had a 12% higher risk of developing breast cancer than those who maintained their original weight. Neither losing weight nor using hormone therapy had a significant effect on risk for women of any weight.

A randomized controlled trial of Finnish women over 70 has demonstrated that regular exercise can significantly reduce the risk of serious injury from a fall. Researchers from Tampere University studied 370 women who had fallen during the previous year. They were randomly divided into two groups. One group of 187 participated in classes in which they learned exercises to increase strength, balance, and agility. They attended exercise class twice a week for a year and once a week the next year. They exercised at home on the days they weren't in class. The women in the control group continued their normal routines. All the women kept daily diaries in which they noted whether they had fallen, and if so, the type of injury they sustained and whether they required medical attention. They mailed their diaries to the researchers every month.

At the end of the period, the number of falls was about the same in both groups: 140 in the exercise group and 141 in the control group. The consequences of those falls, though, differed noticeably between the groups: women in the exercise group had 20 falls requiring medical attention, including eight fractures and six head injuries. That compared with 39 such falls in the control group, involving 14 fractures and 12 head injuries.

Participants in the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study (WHIMS) have provided a trove of information. They completed monthly questionnaires and underwent cognitive tests. Those who showed significant decline were also tested for dementia.

Recently, researchers analyzed data from 7,444 participants over 65. They had followed the women an average of seven years. Their report was published online June 15, 2015, by Alzheimer's & Dementia.

As estrogen levels fall during menopause, a woman's risk of depression triples. Estrogen therapy helps elevate mood for some women, but a study published in the May 27, 2015, issue of JAMA Psychiatry has indicated that depression may recur once women stop using estrogen.

A team of researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health studied 56 postmenopausal women, 26 of whom had a history of depression and 30 who had never been depressed. The women were each given an estrogen patch to wear for three weeks and tested for depression. None were depressed.

Millions of people have an overactive thyroid gland. Many don't know it. This condition, known as hyperthyroidism, occurs more often in women than in men. Since the thyroid gland controls the body's metabolism, an overactive thyroid puts the body into overdrive.

The symptoms of an overactive thyroid can be subtle and suggest any number of other health problems, ranging from a bowel problem to heart disease or a mental health issue. Some of the signs and symptoms of an overactive thyroid include:

Emergency rooms, urgent care clinics, and retail clinics offer immediate care. Your symptoms determine which to use.

You've probably had an illness or injury that you weren't quite sure how to handle. Maybe it was a rattling cough, a finger slammed in a car door, or a rash crawling up your arm. If you can't get in to see your doctor, you have a few options for immediate treatment—the clinic at the nearby shopping mall, an urgent care center, or the emergency room at the nearest hospital. How do you decide which one to go to?

Q. The article in your December 2014 issue about women's waistlines expanding the past few years intrigued me, because I have experienced an increase, and I have not gained weight. My theory is that the styles of the past few years—pants riding low on the hips, no belts at the waist, and loose shirts—may have caused my waist to increase from 24 to 25½ inches. I am 59 years old, so it also could be aging in general, but I still think the belted styles kept women smaller. Am I right?

A. There is no evidence that the physical effect of wearing a belt influences waist circumference. At best, wearing a belt is one way to keep tabs on your waistline. While having to loosen their belt a notch may drive some women to re-examine their diet and exercise routines, it doesn't sound as if you need to do that. I think your alternative explanation that aging is responsible is more likely to be true.

A study published online April 13, 2015, in JAMA Internal Medicine indicates that a single infusion of the bisphosphonate drug zoledronate (Reclast) can be used to increase bone density in women who can't take oral versions of bisphosphonates. Taking an oral bisphosphonate like alendronate (Fosamax) is effective in building bone for women with osteoporosis, but it requires a commitment—taking the drug on an empty stomach and remaining upright for 30 minutes afterward. Because this may not be practical for women in assisted living facilities, they often aren't given bone-building drugs, even though their risk of hip fracture is eight to nine times that of women living at home.

The researchers studied 181 women with osteoporosis residing in assisted living facilities. The average age was 85. The women were randomly assigned to one of two treatments—1,200 milligrams of calcium and 800 IU of vitamin D daily as supplements plus a single intravenous infusion of zoledronate or the same daily doses of the supplements alone.

An ingrown toenail is one of the most common sources of foot pain. Although it's usually just a nuisance, it can be a serious problem for anyone with diabetes or circulatory difficulties.

An ingrown toenail develops when the side of the nail digs into the skin. This can lead to pain, irritation, swelling, and redness. The big toe is most often affected, although no toe is immune. The problem usually develops because the nails have not been trimmed properly. Overly tight shoes may also be a factor. Some people have an inherited tendency to develop the problem.