Popular Articles

Treatable Hormonal Condition Sometimes Overlooked In Infertility Patients
A condition known as congenital adrenal hyperplasia, or CAH, is easily treatable but frequently overlooked or misdiagnosed, leading to infertility and other "perplexing symptoms," the New York Times reports. CAH is a hormone deficiency that leads to excess production of androgens, which can hinder ovulation in women and cause low sperm count in men. It also can cause short stature, body odor, acne, irregular menstruation and excessive hair growth. The condition can be diagnosed through a blood test and treated with small doses of the steroid dexamethasone, which can reverse symptoms in three months to two-and-one-half years.According to Maria New, a leading authority on CAH and a professor of pediatrics and human genetics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the disease occurs in one in every 100 people in the general population. It is more common among certain ethnic groups, occurring in one in 27 Ashkenazi Jews and one in 40 Hispanics. Not everyone with the condition has symptoms or needs to be treated. The most severe form of the disease, classic CAH, can result in ambiguous genitalia in girls, while the milder nonclassical form sometimes produce no symptoms, the Times reports.Many fertility clinics do not test for the disease or only test after attempting other treatments. Some obstetricians are unaware of CAH and its effect on fertility, according to Zev Rosenwaks, director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell hospital. CAH also can be confused with polycystic ovarian syndrome -- which has some similar symptoms -- or early puberty in younger patients (Tarkan, New York Times, 7/7).
pharmacy online
Multi-Agency Working Needed To Tackle 'Worryingly High' Prison Deaths
Mental health care must improve to halt the staggering number of suicides occurring in prisons, new research has revealed.
Sexual Health

Louisiana House Approves Bill Allowing Providers To Refuse Certain Reproductive Health Services

The Louisiana House on Tuesday voted 82-13 to approve legislation (HB 517) that would allow some health professionals to refuse to provide certain medical services that they object to on religious or moral grounds, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.The House-passed bill is an amended version of a measure, introduced by Rep. Bernard LeBas (D), that a House committee rejected earlier this month. The revised bill narrowed the list of procedures that can be denied, and it applies to health providers only in public facilities, not religious health facilities statewide as in the original bill. Under the bill, public health care employees would be allowed to decline to provide abortions or abortifacient drugs. They also would be allowed to refuse participation in embryonic stem cell research or cloning, euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Public employees would be immune from civil lawsuits and have job security under the measure.According to the Times-Picayune, Gov. Bobby Jindal"s (R) administration backed the original bill in committee, although state Health Secretary Alan Levine indicated that the bill"s original provisions were too broad. Under the original measure, health care providers would have been allowed to refuse services such as artificial insemination, sterilization, artificial reproductive technologies and "dispensation of drugs affecting the reproductive process." The original measure also would have covered both public and private health care providers (Barrow, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 5/20).Prior to passage, the House approved an amendment to narrow the scope of the bill offered by Rep. John Bel Edwards (D), who said that the original bill"s provisions were not specific enough and could pose problems for private businesses. He also said that the original bill would have posed barriers to patients seeking access to basic treatments and medications (AP/New Orleans Times-Picayune, 5/19). The measure now advances to the state Senate for debate (New Orleans Times-Picayune, 5/20). Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women"s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women"s Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company. © 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):