The Women’s Health Initiative has shaped women’s health for over 30 years, but its future is uncertain

Women make up more than 50% of the population, yet before the 1990s they were largely excluded from health and medical research studies. To try to help correct this imbalance,…

Hormone therapy may cut cardiovascular risk in younger menopausal women

Menopause can have profound effects on heart health, yet many people are unaware of this important connection. The hormonal shifts occurring during menopause mark the end of a woman’s reproductive…

New research suggests estrogen and progesterone could play role in opioid addiction and relapse

As opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. rose dramatically from 2014 to today, both Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey, cemented reputations as hotspots of the crisis. In Philadelphia, over…

Do hormonal contraceptives increase depression risk? A neuroscientist explains how they affect your mood, for better or worse

More than 85% of women – and more than 300 million people worldwide at any given time – use hormonal contraceptives for at least five years of their life. Although…

Menopause treatments can help with hot flashes and other symptoms – but many people aren’t aware of the latest advances

Menopause used to be a taboo topic in many quarters. Now, it’s frequently in the news. In March 2024, the White House announced an initiative to “Galvanize New Research on…

FDA approves first daily over-the-counter birth control pill, Opill – a pharmacist and public health expert explain this new era in contraception

On July 13, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a drugmaker’s application for the first daily over-the-counter birth control pill for people seeking to prevent pregnancy. The pill,…

Stress Neurons Mapped the Brain, Exposing Estrogen Link

Summary: Researchers pinpointed a specific group of nerve cells in the mouse brain that play a role in negative emotional states and chronic stress. The neurons, which were mapped using…