January 2010

State Coverage for Family Planning Services Updated

New information from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services on family planning services covered under Medicaid has been added and is available for 2009 for all states. The number of states that cover over-the-counter emergency contraception is 26; sterilization (36 +DC); Infertility testing (4); Infertility treatment (0); STD Testing  (11) and Treatment (9); HPV Vaccine for ages 21-26 (29). The report also contains information about family planning eligibility service waivers for each state. The map below demonstrates the emergency contraception coverage.

Counterfeit Weight Loss Drug Sold On-Line

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning the public about a counterfeit version of the weight-loss drug Alli 60 mg capsules (120 count refill pack) being sold over the Internet, particularly at online auction sites.
The counterfeit product is illegal and unsafe. FDA advises people who believe that they have a counterfeit product not to use the drug and to dispose of it immediately. There is no evidence at this time that the counterfeit Alli product has been sold in retail stores.

Photo of authentic Alli

Photo of authentic Alli

How a Little can Lead to a Lot

Melina Kibbe honored at White House

Melina Kibbe honored at White House

Melina Kibbe, M.D., associate professor at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, vascular surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and co-chief of the vascular surgery service and director of the Vascular Laboratory at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center recently received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) at the White House.   This is the highest honor given by the U.S. government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are in the early stages of their research careers.

Dr. Roseanne Armitage- “Sex Differences, Sleep, and Depression”

We probably all have first hand knowledge of how a bad night’s sleep can affect us the next day: we’re irritable, in a bad mood, and it can be hard to concentrate. It may not be all that surprising then, that how we sleep can be a very big part of depressive disorders, an incredibly interesting topic covered by Dr. Roseanne Armitage in the most recent installment of the IWHR’s Women’s Health Research Monthly Forum.

Dr. Roseanne Armitage Photo:www.med.umich.edu

Dr. Roseanne Armitage

The mysteriously evolving Y chromosome…

I know what you’re thinking, this is a Women’s Health Blog – but we like men here too.  A recent study published in Nature (and featured in the New York Times) reveals some interesting new insight into the X-chromosome’s somewhat puny-looking counterpart.  Researchers Jennifer Hughes and David Page at the Whitehead Institute have discovered that the Y-chromosome appears to be evolving much faster than the rest of the genome.

“Health Secrets: What Every Woman Should Know”

In 2010, WTTW Channel 11 and Northwestern Memorial Hospital will broadcast a special series, “Health Secrets: What Every Woman Should Know,” featuring broadcast journalist Paula Zahn.

The Illinois Women’s Health Registry and Oncofertility Consortium will be featured in the series.

Each one hour program is aimed at addressing women’s health needs at all stages in life. The shows will cover a variety of topics: obesity, body image, menopause, disease prevention and more. The schedule includes:

Coming of Age (Jan 21, at 8:00 PM CST) : This show looks at some of the complex issues facing young women – Body image, obesity and sexual health, and the HPV vaccine debate.