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Think men and women receive equal care after traumas? Think again.  A recent study found that women are less likely than men to receive trauma treatment after severe injuries.  Dr. Andrea Hill of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto’s research on gender-based inequalities found that, across all age groups, 20-30% fewer women are cared for after traumas.  The study and analysis were conducted by observing 99,000 adult patients throughout Canada.  After controlling for demographic and socioeconomic factors, Hill and her colleagues were shocked at such disproportions between male and female patient care.  Hill affirms that “gender-based disparities in access to health care services in general have been recognized for some time,” and she calls for further research into the underlying factors involved in these gender gaps.
 
To read more about this issue, please view the original article here.
 

I think women want to feel independent, that we can conquer the world on our own.  Sometimes it can be hard to ask for help.
Having issues getting pregnant can be one of those times.  Most of us assume that it’s easy; you get off birth control, have sex, and you’re pregnant! However, for many women, especially those who delay their first pregnancy until they are older,  getting pregnant can be anything but easy.
Struggling to get pregnant and going through infertility treatments is stressful; it can be a lonely time.  No one should have to go through it alone!
Support groups can be an amazing resource for women while on their infertility journey.  It can be therapeutic to open up and share your feelings and your fears with peers who understand and are going through the same experience.
My own personal journey through infertility inspired me to create a unique support community called Shine (www.shinechicago.com);  group sessions combine peer support as well as professional guest speakers from the women’s health community.
From my own experience, I can say first hand how important support is while going through a difficult time.  Your partner is your first layer of support, but it can be helpful and healthy to have another place to turn, both for your own emotional health and the health of your relationship.
So know it’s okay to be vulnerable, it’s okay to reach out for help, it’s okay to open up about your story!  One of my favorite quotes relates so well to infertility: “strength doesn’t come from what you can do, it comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.”
Guest blogger: Katie O’Connor (Founder, Shine Chicago: a ray of light on infertility)

Did you know that 15% of women are diagnosed with Hypoactive Sexual-Desire Disorder (H.S.D.D)?  This disorder is characterized by a lack of female desire coupled with significant emotional distress, primarily in post-menopausal women.  A recent article in The New York Times placed Dutch psychopharmacologist Adriaan Tuiten in the spotlight for his new research studies on sex differences.  Tuiten, who has spent his career studying biological and psychological interactions, may have unlocked some the intricacies of female desire via his study on possibly the first, successful female-desire drug.
The publicized misnomer that this drug will be a “female Viagra” simplifies its actual complexity.  Ongoing studies in this field since 1998 unequivocally show that the male and female impetus for desire differs significantly, especially in the brain.  While both male and female desire stem from similar areas of the brain, studies show that, over time, female desire wanes at a significantly higher rate than observed in males.
How can women combat this atrophy of desire?  Tuiten tested and observed 420 female subjects beginning in the fall of 2011 to answer just that.  His drugs Lybrido and Lybridos are expected to be presented shortly to the F.D.A., and may be on the market by 2016 following a larger-scale trial.
Guest Author:  Megan Castle
 
 
 

Breasts—especially those that scale towards the large end of the spectrum—are often named as a scapegoat for back pain in women. However, it’s likely that much of the blame is misplaced. This misdirected implication could be leading women to false self-diagnoses and even unnecessary medical procedures.
Many women experience back pain and, without a more apparent culprit to blame, turn to those (literally) right under their noses. It’s not surprising that people want to point the finger at breasts as back pain contributors. After all, it seems intuitive to think that bulky weights attached to the upper torso would throw the entire body off balance and put extra stress on the spine and muscles that support it. When considering that these weights are present through every moment of every day of your life, and suddenly this seems like a very logical diagnosis.
In reality, though, breasts are rarely the primary contributor to most varieties of back pain. The human back, when healthy and normal, is more than strong enough to support even a fairly large chest through the years. Instead, there are many more common factors that cause back pain in women such as

• Obesity that causes undue and constant stress to the entire body
• Pregnancy and the related physiological changes
• Non-optimal bra size
• Chronic poor posture
• Injury or overexertion of the muscles or bones in the back
• Irritation of spinal nerves through disc herniation or bulging
• A weakening of the spine through osteoporosis and similar conditions

Compared to these pain originators, breasts are much less likely to cause a painful condition themselves. However, they can exacerbate an existing condition. Breasts can make bad posture worse, will add additional stress to pulled muscles, and make it harder for injured discs to heal.
There are some steps women can take to avoid or remedy back pain that could be contributed to by the weight of breasts. The most important is to keep as healthy of a body overall as possible through diet and exercise. This will help ensure a strong back which will be able to easily support breast weight and more. It will keep weight at a manageable level to reduce excess stress on muscles and joints, and speed healing from any injuries. Care must be taken to avoid overexertion like strains and sprains, which cause pain more directly.
In some cases, it’s possible that a woman’s breasts are a primary cause for her back pain. This happens most frequently when a relatively small person has disproportionately large breasts. A reduction surgery may be recommended by doctors if the breasts are causing chronic pain and compromising the woman’s happiness. Back pain can also occur after a time a rapid breast size increase, like after a breast augmentation surgery. Over time this pain usually fades as the body adjusts to the new size, but a reduction or reversal of the surgery may also be recommended if the pain is persistent.
Women have, understandably, blamed breasts for unexplained back pain. Before jumping to conclusions or turning to extreme treatments, however, they should always be careful to consider more likely culprits than those on their chests first.
Guest Author Jamie Arnold is a staff writer & content editor for www.BackPainRelief.net. Jamie is also a yoga enthusiast, animal lover and avid traveler who loves to blog about health, fitness, and back pain relief.