Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report Highlights Recently Release

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The following highlights recently released journal articles on women's health issues. Pregnancy & Childbirth "Pregnancy Outcome After First-Trimester Exposure to Metformin: A Meta-Analysis," Fertility and Sterility: Cameron Gilbert of the Motherisk Program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and colleagues reviewed data from eight studies examining use of metformin by pregnant women during the first trimester to treat diabetes or infertility resulting from polycystic ovary syndrome. The study found that 1.7% of the fetuses of women taking metformin were malformed, compared with a 7.2% fetal malformation rate of pregnant women living with the diseases who did not receive the drug. After adjusting for "publication bias,where can i buy trx," the researchers found taking metformin reduced the chance of major fetal malformation by a statistically significant 57%, Reuters Health reports (Reuters Health, 10/17). The study concludes, "On the basis of the limited data available today, there is no evidence of an increased risk for major malformations when metformin is taken during the first trimester of pregnancy. Large studies are needed to corroborate these preliminary results" (Gilbert et al,trx force kit., Fertility and Sterility,buy trx suspension trainer, September 2006). Public Health "Breast Cancer Risk in Relation to Abortion: Results From the EPIC Study," International Journal of Cancer: Gillian Reeves of the University of Oxford and colleagues examined the records of 267,361 women enrolled in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, which was conducted from 1992 through 2000 at 20 centers in nine countries, to determine the association between abortion and the risk of developing breast cancer, Reuters Health reports. The researchers followed the women for an average of 6.6 years and found that during the follow up, 4,805 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. The researchers included in the study women who had miscarriages and medical or surgical abortions prior to 20 weeks' gestation, Reuters Health reports. Almost two-thirds of the 4,805 women with breast cancer reported never undergoing an abortion, Reeves said, adding that about one-third of the women with breast cancer reported having at least one type of abortion. The study found that about 20% of the participants reported having a miscarriage, about 16% reported having an induced abortion and 3.8% reported having both types of abortions. According to the researchers, one miscarriage did not increase the risk of a woman developing breast cancer and two or more miscarriages increased the risk minimally. In addition, the study did not find an association between one or more induced abortions and breast cancer. "[T]he findings provide further unbiased evidence of the lack of an adverse effect of induced abortion on breast cancer risk," the researchers conclude (Reuters Health, 10/16). Racial/Ethnic Differences in Postmenopausal Endogenous Hormones: The Multiethnic Cohort Study," Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention: Veronica Wendy Setiawan of the University of Southern California-Los Angeles and colleagues measured the estrogen and androgen levels of 739 postmenopausal women of various races and ethnicities in the U.S. to determine if the ethnic differences in breast cancer rates were linked to differences in hormone levels, Reuters Health reports (Norton, Reuters Health, 10/17). The study found that the highest incidence of postmenopausal breast cancer is among native Hawaiian women, followed by Japanese Americans, whites, blacks and Latinas (Setiawan et al., Cancer Epidemiology,trx training bands, Biomarkers and Prevention, October 2006). The study also found that native Hawaiian women had the highest levels of estrogen, which fuels breast tumor growth, and androgen, about one-quarter higher than white women. According to Setiawan,trx cables, the findings support the theory that racial and ethnic differences in estrogen levels contribute to ethnic differences in breast cancer rates. However, Setiawan said that black women showed lower breast cancer rates than white women, despite having increased estrogen levels, which contradicts what had been observed previously. Setiawan wrote that more research is needed to determine why black women differ from other women in the relationship between estrogen levels and breast cancer (Reuters Health, 10/17). "Serum 25 Hydroxyvitamin D Levels in Early and Advanced Breast Cancer," Journal of Clinical Pathology: Carlo Palmieri of Imperial College London's Department of Cancer Medicine and colleagues measured levels of vitamin D, calcium and parathyroid hormone, which increases calcium concentration, in the blood of 279 women living with breast cancer to determine the role of vitamin D in breast cancer progression (Rose, Times, 10/17). The study found that the 75 women who had advanced breast cancer had lower vitamin D levels and higher PTH levels than the 204 women who had early stage breast cancer. Calcium levels in the two groups were the same, the study found (AFP/Yahoo! News, 10/17). According to the researchers, the reasons for the disparity in vitamin D levels were unclear, but the results suggest that low levels of vitamin D might be a variable in the progression of breast cancer into the advanced stage. "This report ... lends support to the idea that vitamin D has a role in the progression of breast cancer," Palmieri said, adding, "The next step ... is to try and understand the potential causes and mechanisms underlying these differences and the precise consequences at a molecular level. ... We also need to look at the clinical implications of monitoring and maintaining high-circulating vitamin D levels in breast cancer patients" (Times, 10/17). "Reprinted with permission from You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved. New York Times Magazine Examines Increase In Mater ACOG Recommends Vaginal Hysterectomy As Approach Of Choice