Women's Health

A videoconferencing system connects court officers with St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, N.J.

Health & Safety

A Restraining Order Can Be Just A Videoconference Away

6:31pm January 05, 2015

by Laura Starecheski

A New Jersey hospital has partnered with local courts to protect injured victims of domestic violence. A videoconferencing system lets patients file for restraining orders from their hospital beds.

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John W. Poole/NPR; Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters/Corbis; Lisa Brown for NPR; Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images; Said&Seen

Our Most Popular Stories Of 2014: Ebola ... And Bed Rails?

10:33am January 05, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

In July, the Goats and Soda blog was born. We came into a world obsessed with Ebola. But our readers also loved stories about chocolate, bed rails and jet-setting viruses.

Demonstrators on both sides of the abortion debate protest in front of the Supreme Court in 2011.

As More Women Tell Abortion Stories, Both Sides Claim Advantage

9:29am December 31, 2014

by Jennifer Ludden

Does telling your abortion story help end stigma about the procedure, or does it help opponents make the case against abortion? The answer to that question depends very much on whom you talk to.

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Protesters rally outside the Supreme Court during the March for Life on Jan. 25, 2013, in Washington, D.C.

Big Question For 2015: Will The Supreme Court Rule On Abortion?

1:56pm December 30, 2014

by Jennifer Ludden

States have passed more than 200 abortion regulations since 2010, and the number is expected to rise. Abortion rights supporters say that could cause big geographical variations in access to care.

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This graphic lays out the possible outcomes for 10,000 women if they start getting annual screening mammograms at age 50 and continue that for 10 years.

What Happens After You Get That Mammogram

7:48am December 22, 2014

by Nancy Shute

What are the odds that you'll get a false positive when you get a mammogram? How likely is it that it will detect cancer? Here's one way to look at it.

Health & Safety

Few Employers Cover Egg Freezing For Women With Cancer

8:56am December 17, 2014

by Michelle Andrews

Although egg freezing is the perk of the moment at some high-profile companies, the benefit isn't often available, even for women with serious illnesses that could affect their fertility.

New evidence on the effectiveness of medical treatments can take a long time to influence medical practice.

Doctors Are Slow To Adopt Changes In Breast Cancer Treatment

4:58pm December 09, 2014

by Patti Neighmond

There's not much evidence that radiation increases survival in older women with early-stage breast cancer, but doctors are still prescribing it. It can be hard to get doctors to change protocols.

Julianna Deardorff (left) is a clinical psychologist and is on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health. Louise Greenspan is a clinical pediatric endocrinologist at Kaiser Permanente and is on the faculty at University

Books
Arts

How Girls Are Developing Earlier In An Age Of 'New Puberty'

8:32am December 03, 2014

Two doctors wrote a book that probes the environmental, biological and socioeconomic factors contributing to early puberty. These girls face risks like anxiety and depression, one author says.

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More Squash, Less Bacon: Calculating Your Real-Life Heart Risk

1:16pm November 24, 2014

by Nancy Shute

There are lots of cardiovascular risk calculators, but they usually expect you to know your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers. This one wants to know if you play tennis. And if you like bacon.

The March of Dimes gives the United States an overall "C" grade in preventing preterm births.

Fewer Babies Are Born Prematurely, But Many Still Suffer

12:31pm November 06, 2014

by Nancy Shute

The rate of premature births in the United States has dropped to 11 percent, showing continued progress in preventing the risks of prematurity. But there are big disparities among the states.