Women's Health

People in the March for Life near the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 27.

Health & Safety

New Rule On Moral Objections To Contraception Aimed At 2 Groups

6:00am October 14, 2017

by Julie Rovner

The administration's decision to allow some employers to bypass a requirement to provide no-cost contraceptives to women on moral grounds would benefit specific anti-abortion groups.

Colored scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of cultured cancer cells from a human cervix, showing numerous blebs (lumps) and microvilli (hair-like structures) characteristic of cancer cells. Cancer of the cervix (the neck of the uterus) is one of the most

Could Making Cancer Screening Simpler Increase Women's Risk?

3:25pm October 11, 2017

by Tara Haelle

An influential task force says that either a Pap test or an HPV test is enough to screen for cervical cancer. But key medical groups say that strategy could miss cancers, especially in minority women.

Demonstrators in Washington, D.C., argued for upholding the Affordable Care Act's birth control provision in 2015. The rollback of the rule is likely to spur further lawsuits, analysts say.

Trump Guts Requirement That Employer Health Plans Pay For Birth Control

5:49pm October 06, 2017

by Alison Kodjak

With a new regulation, the administration will allow any company or nonprofit group to refuse to cover contraception by claiming a religious or moral exemption to the federal health law.

Queue Listen Now

Brandi Chastain celebrates after scoring the winning goal of the 1999 World Cup.

40 Years Of Athletic Support: Happy Anniversary To The Sports Bra

6:20pm September 29, 2017

by Jane Lindholm

Here's a more intimate milestone in women's sports: In 1977, three women sewed two jockstraps together, and the first modern sports bra was born.

Queue Listen Now

Throughout the U.S., minors are generally required to have permission from a parent or legal guardian before they can receive most medical treatment. However, each state has established a number of exceptions.

Some States Make It Hard For Teen Moms To Get Pain Relief In Childbirth

3:54pm September 28, 2017

by Esther Honig

Ohio is one of 13 states without a policy allowing a minor to consent, on her own, to pregnancy-linked health care. That means teens who go into labor are sometimes denied epidurals.

Testing for changes in cells of the cervix or for presence of the HPV virus are both good ways to screen for cervical cancer, health organizations say.

For Many Women, Cervical Cancer Screening May Get A Lot Simpler

11:29am September 12, 2017

by Tara Haelle

For decades the Pap test was the only option for cervical cancer screening. Now there's the HPV test, too. A federal task force says that for most women, either test will do just fine.

Abortion rights opponents gather during a rally in downtown Louisville earlier this summer. A federal judge issued an order to keep protesters away from a "buffer zone" outside the EMW Women's Surgical Center.

Kentucky Could Become The Only State Without A Clinic That Performs Abortions

12:27pm September 06, 2017

by Sarah McCammon

A federal trial pits the last remaining clinic providing abortions in Kentucky against the state's Republican administration, which says the center failed to meet state health standards.

While many women experience miscarriage, few talk about it openly. But researchers have found there is discussion and a lot of sharing happening on social media. Their hope is that greater public discourse will help reduce stigma and the sense of isolatio

What The Public Is Saying About Miscarriage In 140 Characters

9:58am August 27, 2017

Miscarriage, while widely experienced, is not often discussed in public. Researchers have turned to social media to see what people are saying about the topic and how much they're choosing to share.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, D, center, recently signed a bill into law that would require insurers in the state to cover reproductive health services.

Oregon, Texas Lay Down Markers On Abortion Coverage

5:00am August 23, 2017

by Michelle Andrews

Highlighting the country's sharp divide over abortion and mixed reactions to requirements in the Affordable Care Act, Texas restricts insurance coverage while Oregon requires that it be covered.

Nicole O'Hara was diagnosed with breast cancer at 29 years old. She decided to have her mastectomy scars covered up with a tattoo.

VIDEO: Where Mastectomy Scars Raged, A Tattoo Garden Blooms

5:00am August 12, 2017

Nicole O'Hara was 29 when she had a double mastectomy after a cancer diagnosis. She chose to cover the scars with a tattoo that blooms like her garden, with apple blossoms, bluebells and heather.