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Health News Results - 50

Biden Proposes That Insurers Cover Over-the-Counter Birth Control

Health insurers would be required to cover the cost of over-the-counter birth control and emergency contraception under new rules proposed by the White House on Monday.

"Since Roe v. Wade was overturned more than two years ago, Republican elected officials have made clear they want to ban or restrict birth control, defund federal programs that help women access contraception, and repeal t...

Some IUDs May Raise The Odds for Breast Cancer, But Overall Risk Remains Low

Intrauterine devices (IUDs) may raise the chances of a breast cancer diagnosis for women who use the hormonal birth control method, but that risk remains low, new research finds.

In the study of 150,000 Danish women, published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers...

Pregnancy After 'Tubes Tied' Sterilization Is More Common Than Thought

Women are becoming pregnant after having their tubes tied, even though the procedure is considered a “permanent” form of birth control, a new study warns.

Between 3% and 5% of U.S. women who underwent tubal ligation later reported an unplanned pregnancy, according to findings published...

U.S. Births Continue to Fall, Dropping by 17% Since 2007

Final government data finds the number of U.S. births falling by 2% last year compared to 2022, continuing a decades-long decline.

Overall, annual U.S. birth numbers have fallen by 17% since peaking in 2007, according to the new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The general fertility rate (births per 1,000 women) has also tumbled by 21% over that time period...

Many Doctors Underestimate the Pain of IUD Insertion for Women. The CDC Wants to Change That

Plenty of women know that having an IUD inserted in their uterus can be an excruciating experience, but new government guidance issued Thursday may soon make the experience less painful for many.

For the first time, updated recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise doctors to counsel wo...

Fall of Roe v. Wade Has Made Access to Ob/Gyns Tougher in Many States: Report

Ever since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, even more women have struggled to find reproductive care, a new report warns.

Issued Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund, the report shows that women living in states long plagued by health d...

States With Abortion Bans Also Saw Declines in Birth Control Post-Dobbs

Post-Dobbs bans and restrictions on abortion are having a spillover effect in reducing the use of birth control and emergency contraception in those states most affected, a new study shows.

Why the troubling trend? The study's author believes the demise of Roe v. Wade in 2022 triggered the closure of many family planning clinics.

"Because 11% of women rely on such clinics for the ...

Dad Facts: What Men Need to Know About Their Fertility

When a couple can't get pregnant, the focus is often on the prospective mom, but that needs to change, a Houston urologist says.

"Both partners need evaluation," said Dr. Larry Lipschultz, a professor of urology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "With fertility, you can't finger point. It's not a male or female ...

Looking for Good Info on Vasectomy? Skip 'the Snip' on TikTok

Men looking to limit their odds for fatherhood probably have questions about vasectomy.

They should steer clear of TikTok for answers, however.

A new study examining the quality of the top 100 most liked videos on TikTok found that, in terms of medical accuracy, the clips scored a dismal 0....

Male Birth Control Gel Shows Promise in Trial

A new hormonal gel could one day be a potential form of birth control for men, researchers reported Sunday.

"The development of a safe, highly effective and reliably reversible contraceptive method for men is an unmet need,"senior study author Diana Blithe, chief of the Contraceptive Development Program at t...

New Steps Towards a Male Birth Control Pill

For decades, the responsibility for birth control has fallen largely on women, but new research suggests a birth control pill for men might one day become a reality.

How does it work? It targets a protein required for fertility, scientists report.

The protein, called serine/threonine kinase 33 (STK33), is enriched in the testicles and is specifically required to create functional sp...

Birth Control Pill Might Lower Odds for Sports Injuries

Active women using the pill appear to receive an added bonus from their birth control, a new study says.

These women are less likely to suffer sprains and strains than women not on birth control, researchers reported recently in the journal Medicine & Science...

Big Rise in Young Adults Undergoing Permanent Sterilization After Dobbs Decision

An increasing number of young men and women have decided they never want parenthood in the wake of the Dobbs decision revoking the constitutional right to an abortion, a new study finds.

The number of young adults opting to undergo a permanent sterilization procedure abruptly increased nationwide following the June 2022 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade, resea...

Many Head to Unreliable Twitter as Prime Source on Birth Control

Folks are turning to Twitter for advice on contraception, but it doesn't look like they're getting answers from informed authorities, a new study finds.

Only about 6% of tweets on reversible birth control methods come from official news or health care sources, according to a review of thousands of posts.

On the other hand, more than 50% of tweets came from people using birth control...

First Birth Control Pill Sold Over the Counter Hits Store Shelves Soon

The first over-the-counter birth control pill will soon be available in U.S. stores and online, the drug's maker plans to announce Monday.

Sold as Opill, the medication was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last May. Once it is officially for sale, a one-month supply will...

FDA Approval of Over-the-Counter Emergency Contraception Has Slashed ER Visits

U.S. approval of over-the-counter emergency contraception like "Plan B"has had an unintended but positive side effect for America's hospitals, a new study shows.

Emergency room visits related to "morning-after"contraception plummeted after the pills became easily available to adults in 2006, according to the report published Jan. 24 in the journal

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • January 30, 2024
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    • 'Morning After' Pill Sales Surge on Day After New Years' Eve

    Even Valentine's Day apparently doesn't trump the start of a brand new year when it comes to getting frisky.

    Sales of the morning-after pill surged across the U.S. after New Year 2022, new research shows. Nearly 41,000 extra pills were sold in the following week, a period linked to increased risks of unprotected sex.

    Sales of emergency contraception also rose after other holidays su...

    Blood Clot Risk From Contraceptive Pills Ends Soon After Women Stop Taking Them

    Women and their doctors have long known that taking birth control pills can elevate the risk for a blood clot.

    Now, some good news: That added risk will disappear within a few weeks of stopping an oral contraceptive, a new study shows.

    "It's reassuring to know that that possible harm of the pill goes away rapidly when one stops taking it," said study corresponding author

  • Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
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  • November 10, 2023
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    • Americans Can Expect to Spend Half Their Lives Taking a Prescription Drug

    Americans born in recent years can likely count on taking prescription drugs for about half their life, according to new research.

    For males born in 2019, it's about 48% of their lives. For women, it's 60% of their lifetime, the study found.

    "The years that people can expect to spend taking prescription drugs are now higher than they might spend in their first marriage, getting...

    California Governor Rejects Bill to Provide Free Condoms to High Schoolers

    A California bill would have made free condoms available for high schoolers, but it was vetoed Sunday by Gov. Gavin Newsom because of cost.

    California has a budget deficit of $30 billion, Newsom noted in his veto of Senate Bill 541....

    An OTC Contraceptive Pill Is Coming Soon, but Who Will Pay For It?

    The first over-the-counter birth control pill is slated to hit drug stores in early 2024, but questions about cost and insurance coverage loom.

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Opill (norgestrel) for preventing pregnancy without a pre...

    Combo of Certain Birth Control Pills, Painkillers Could Raise Women's Clot Risk

    It's well known that certain forms of birth control carry a small risk of blood clots. Now a large new study suggests that some common painkillers can magnify that risk.

    The study, of 2 million Danish women, found what numerous others have before: Women who used birth control pills or other estrogen-containing contraceptives had a heightened risk of developing a blood clot in the legs or ...

    More American Men Now Opting for Vasectomy

    Vasectomies are becoming more common in the United States, with rates surging by more than one-quarter during the past decade, a recent study reveals.

    The U.S. vasectomy rate increased by 26% between 2014 and 2021, according to an analysis of commercial health claims data.

    "All areas in the United States except the Northeast showed increased vasectomy rates,"said senior researcher <...

    Poll Shows Who Americans Trust (and Don't Trust) for Health News

    Misinformation about health and medicine is rampant in the United States, with far too many Americans being presented false claims and left wondering what to believe, a new survey reports.

    At least 4 in 10 people say they've heard 10 specific false claims about COVID-19, reproductive health and gun violence,

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • August 22, 2023
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    • Some Lots of Tydemy Birth Control Pills Recalled Due to 'Reduced Effectiveness'

    Certain lots of the prescription birth control pill Tydemy may be less effective than expected, potentially resulting in an unintended pregnancy, because the pills do not contain enough of an active ingredient.

    The

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • August 2, 2023
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    • FDA Approves First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the nation's first over-the-counter birth control pill, a move that will likely pave the way for far greater access to contraception for Americans.

    Women will be able to buy the progestin-only oral contraceptive at drug stores, convenience stores and grocery stores, the FDA said. There is no age limit.

    Opill, which is made b...

    In National Survey, U.S. Ob-Gyns Say Care Has Worsened After Dobbs Decision

    The U.S. Supreme Court decision ending a nationwide right to abortion one year ago has made it harder for doctors to treat miscarriages and other pregnancy-related emergencies, a new report shows.

    The nonprofit organization KFF surveyed ob...

    Injected Birth Control Could Be Game-Changer to Curb Stray Cat Populations

    Millions of stray cats roam the world over, and surgical sterilization has long been the primary method of population control.

    But a small new study shows promising results for a one-and-done contraceptive injection.

    Researchers say this first-of-its-kind approach appears safe and effective.

    "A non-surgical contraceptive that could result in lifetime sterility following a...

    FDA Advisors OK Approval of First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill

    In a unanimous vote, a panel of expert advisors to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday endorsed the over-the-counter sale of a birth control pill, a recommendation that will likely pave the way for far greater access to contraception for Americans.

    Opill, as the pill is called, was first approved by the FDA in 1973. There is no precise information available on how much Opil...

    FDA Experts to Consider First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill

    As a U.S. Food Drug Administration advisory panel prepares to weigh whether to recommend that a birth control pill be sold over the counter in this country, a coalition of advocates on Monday called attention to the safety and effectiveness of the medication.

    If approved, Opill, a daily progestin-only birth control pill, would become the first such drug sold over the counter in the United...

    Feds to Toughen Rules on Privacy Around Abortion, Contraceptive Services

    U.S. officials said Wednesday that they plan to strengthen existing privacy rules to prevent the sharing of private legal reproductive health care information for use in investigations and prosecutions against patients or providers.

    The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR),

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • April 12, 2023
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    • Birth Control Pills Tied to Slight Rise in Breast Cancer Risk, Regardless of Formulation

    Taking progestogen-only birth control pills comes with a slightly increased risk of breast cancer -- about the same degree of risk associated with taking pills that contain both progestogen and estrogen, new research finds.

    After five years' use, investigators found a 20% to 30% heightened breast cancer risk with both types of contraceptives, according to the study published March 21 in ...

    IUDs, Contraceptive Implants Tough to Access for Women on Medicaid

    People covered by Medicaid insurance may not have easy access to some of the most effective, longer-acting birth control methods, new research claims.

    Investigators found that while about 48% of physicians who treat Medicaid patients provided prescription contraception like the birth control pill, only 10% offered longer-acting methods like IUDs and implants. Birth control is considered a...

    A Short-Term Birth Control Pill for Men? Mouse Study Hints Its Possible

    A guy pops a little pill just before he expects to get frisky with his girlfriend.

    But the pill isn't Viagra, as one might expect.

    Instead, it's an on-demand contraceptive that will prevent pregnancy even if taken just before sex.

    Researchers think they've discovered a way to create such a contraceptive pill for men, by inhibiting an enzyme that's key to a sperm's ability to s...

    Poll Finds Many U.S. Women Confused About Medical Abortion

    Changes in U.S. abortion laws have prompted confusion among women about medication abortion and emergency contraception, or the "morning-after"pill.

    A new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) underscores this lack of awareness about what's legal or not from state to state, including whether a full abortion ban is in place or abortions are allowed.

    Pollsters surveyed a nationa...

    End of Roe v. Wade May Have More Women Opting for Permanent Contraception

    Jasmine Quezada, a Los Angeles tax accountant, says she has known since age 10 she never wanted to be a mother.

    "I never thought parenthood was for me and that was no secret to my family or my friends,"Quezada, 31, said. "When I was dating my husband, we often discussed my choice to remain child-free. I had an aversion to hormonal birth control and serious side effects when I tried using ...

    More States Are Allowing Pharmacists to Prescribe Birth Control

    Pharmacists can now. prescribe hormonal contraceptives in 20 U.S. states, plus Washington, D.C., giving women easier access to birth control, a new report says.

    Another 10 states have legislation in the works, according to research presented Monday at a meeting of the American Society for Health-System Pharmacists, in Las Vegas.

    Having easy access to birth control has been a hot top...

    Pregnancy Is Most Dangerous for the Very Young

    When preteen children or very young teenagers become pregnant, they face higher rates of complications and a greater risk of winding up in the intensive care unit than older teens do, a new study finds.

    The question about what happens when a young girl goes through pregnancy and delivery takes on more relevance after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June and subsequent abo...

    Study Counters Myth That Contraceptive Pill Enlarges Breasts in Teen Girls

    Birth control pills that contain both estrogen and progestin do not contribute to growth of enlarged breasts in teens and young women, a new study finds, and may actually be associated with developing less severe breast enlargement.

    Moreover, the combination pills don't increase the risk of regrowth after breast-reduction surgery, said researcher Dr. Brian Labow and colleagues. Labow is w...

    Minnesota Trial Focuses on Pharmacist Who Refused to Provide Morning-After Pill

    A Minnesota jury is expected to decide by the end of this week whether a woman's human rights were violated when a pharmacist denied her request to fill a prescription for emergency contraception, sometimes called the morning-after pill.

    Though the case dates back to 2019, the issue is ...

    FDA Mulling Over-the-Counter Sale of Contraceptive Pill

    For decades, birth control pills in the United States have only been available with a prescription, but an application filed Monday with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an over-the-counter pill might change all that.

    The lates...

    Some Pharmacy Chains Limit Morning-After Pill Sales to Avoid Potential Shortage

    CVS and Rite Aid are limiting purchases of morning-after pills in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

    To avoid a shortage, CVS is temporarily restricting purchases of the

  • By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
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  • June 28, 2022
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    • With Abortion Access Under Threat, Doctors Focus on 'Contraceptive Counseling'

    Women are more apt to use birth control when doctors treat it like a routine preventive health service, a new research review shows.

    The analysis of 38 past studies found that women were more likely to use contraception when doctors were proactive about counseling them on the options, and in many cases providin...

    Supreme Court Set to Overturn Roe v. Wade, Leaked Draft Opinion Shows

    The U.S. Supreme Court is on the verge of striking down the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, a leaked draft opinion shows.

    In the draft opinion, a majority of the court voted to overturn the 1973 decision that granted abortion rights to all American women.

    "It is time to heed the Constituti...

    Taken Prior to Sex, New Combo Pill May Prevent Pregnancy for Days

    Imagine a birth control pill a woman can take before having sex that prevents pregnancy for the next three to five days.

    This may become a reality, according to a small, new study.

    The traditional birth control pill is taken daily, while

  • Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
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  • April 26, 2022
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    • STDs May Be More Common Than Thought Among U.S. High School Kids

    Too few sexually active teens are getting tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), according to a new report by U.S. health officials.

    In all, just 20% of sexually active high school students said they were tested for an STD - now called sexually transmitted infections (STIs) - in the past year, according to researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    A New Male Birth Control Pill Works - in Mice

    Science is moving closer to a male contraceptive pill, and human clinical trials of a non-hormonal version could begin later this year, researchers say.

    The experimental contraceptive works in mice, according to a preliminary study scheduled for presentation Wednesday at an American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting in San Diego.

    "Scientists have been trying for decades to develop an ...

    Florida Lawmakers Ban Most Abortions After 15 Weeks

    Florida legislators voted on Thursday to ban most abortions after 15 weeks, a move that would severely restrict access to the procedure for women in that state.

    The bill -- modeled after a similar abortion ban in Mississippi that the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on this summer...

    IUDs a Very Effective Form of Birth Control, Study Confirms

    You've just delivered your second or third child, and you're ready to close the door on any future pregnancies. Does it matter whether you choose to use an IUD or have your tubes tied?

    It turns out that IUDs are nearly as effective as having your tubes tied in preventing unwanted pregnancies and cause fewer side...

    Could Semen Hold Key to New Over-the-Counter Contraceptive?

    No contraceptive is perfect, and scientists continue searching for safer, more effective methods.

    Now, researchers have found a way to trap sperm in semen's natural gel state, and they believe their findings could point the way to a new type of birth control.

    Normally, semen liquefies after ejaculation, which enables sperm to swim through a woman's reproductive system to fertilize a...