"Breast Feed or Else"

The New York Times has an article today, "Breast Feed or Else," which reviews the benefits of breastfeeding(for both baby and mother) and the risks of formula feeding. It also describes some of the barriers mothers face when attempting to breastfeed, such as workplace policies. The tone of some of the health officials quoted may spark heated reactions; according to the article, "Dr. Haynes, of the Health and Human Services Department, said, 'Our message is that breast milk is the gold standard, and anything less than that is inferior.'"

I'll update this post later with more on the article, the evidence, breastfeeding resources, and the chart of CDC survey results on people's perceptions of breastfeeding vs the reality.

Technorati Tags: breastfeeding; formula feeding; infant formula
MeSH Tags: Breast Feeding; Infant Formula

LGBT AIDS Anniversary Coverage & General Health Resources

Organizations:

AIDS@25: HIV & AIDS Media Resource Guide - from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, this site provides information on how and when HIV/AIDS has been portrayed in television and film, a glossary of terms, and links to additional resources. A timeline and information on hot topics are forthcoming. (Hat tip to Ellen/the Pittsburgh Connection)

25th anniversary of first reported case of AIDS a time to recommit to the fight - press release from the Human Rights Campaign

Mass Media:

25 Years of AIDS and The Early Faces of AIDS (Blade Blog) - Washington Blade (DC)

AIDS at 25: The lessons of the past help drive the goals of the future - MetroWeekly (DC)

25 Years of AIDS: 19 Years HIV Positive - essay at metroG (Southern CA)

How AIDS Changed Us - San Francisco Chronicle

25 Years of AIDS in New England - In Newsweekly (Boston)

Monday Marks 25th Anniversary of AIDS Pandemic - The Advocate

An unhappy birthday: AIDS at 25, lives lost, lives changed - PrideSource

General Health Information:

Gay Men's Health Crisis

Gay and Lesbian Information - Avert.org

10 things gay men, lesbians, and transgender persons should discuss with their healthcare providers - Gay and Lesbian Medical Association

Lesbian Health - National Women's Health Information Center

GayHealth

Health and HIV/AIDS - National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

The SafeGuards Project

Lesbian Health - Planned Parenthood

Learn More About Health Issues - National LGBT Health Awareness Week (click sidebar links)

National Coalition for LBGT Health (advocacy organization)

Lesbian Health Research Center

Mautner Project

GLBT Health - Seattle/King County Public Health

Sexual Orientation and Health Issues - Richard M. Johnston Health Sciences Library

If you have resources to add to this list, please feel free to email me (see profile).

Technorati Tags: AIDS; GLBT; gay; HIV; HIV/AIDS; lesbian
MeSH Tags: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; HIV; Homosexuality, Female; Homosexuality, Male

Birth Stories

Belly Tales (one of the midwifery blogs) has been posting a series of birth stories, which represent the varied personal experiences of assorted women.

There are numerous other websites where women tell the stories of their childbirth experiences. A few of them:

American Pregnancy Association

Waterbirth International

Pregnancy.org

March of Dimes (NICU-focused)

You can find many more (of varying website quality) using this search, and midwifery-specific birth stories using this search. Blogged stories can be found using the Technorati tags below.

Something to ponder: What of online birth stories that represent birth practices that were not really appropriate for the woman described? It seems as though there is a vast potential for misinformation through the description of experiences that perhaps shouldn't have gone as they did, whether the teller is aware of it or not. Absorb with caution.

Technorati Tags: birth; birth stories; childbirth
MeSH Tags: Home Childbirth; Natural Childbirth; Parturition

Preconception Resources

The following resources address preconception care for women in general, as well as for those with pre-existing diabetes and hypertension. It does not address gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, or preeclampsia, as those are "post-conception" problems. Also, see the previous post on HIV Before and During Pregnancy.


General Information:
Pre-pregnancy Healthcare - UCLA Healthcare
Preconception Care - CDC
Before You're Pregnant - March of Dimes
Your Pre-Pregnancy IQ - March of Dimes
Trying to Get Pregnant?: Before you Start Trying - National Women's Health Information Center
Care Before and During Pregnancy - National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Folic Acid and Pregnancy - Nemours Foundation
Safe Motherhood: Promoting Health for Women Before, During, and After Pregnancy - CDC
Risk Factors Present Before Pregnancy - Merck Manual Home Edition
Preconception Checklist (PDF) - Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care
Becoming a Parent booklet (PDF) - Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care
Folic Acid (Easy to Read) - National Women's Health Information Center
Ovulation Calculator - National Women's Health Information Center
Pregnancy Pointers for Women with Psychiatric History - National Alliance on Mental Illness


Diabetes:
Pregnancy with Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes - Women's Health Matters
Pregnancy and Diabetes: Plan Your Pregnancy to Avoid Complications - MayoClinic.com
Diabetes & Pregnancy FAQs - CDC
(includes "What can happen to a woman with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes who becomes pregnant?" "What can happen to the baby of a woman with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes during pregnancy?" and "How can a woman with diabetes who wants to get pregnant prevent problems to herself and her baby?")
Before Pregnancy - Type I Diabetes - American Diabetes Association
Complications: Having a Healthy Pregnancy with Diabetes - March of Dimes
Diabetes: Preconception Counseling - State of Florida Agency for Health Care Administration
Preconception Risk Reduction: Diabetes in Pregnancy - March of Dimes


Hypertension:
Pregnancy: When You Have High Blood Pressure - MayoClinic.com
Your Questions Answered: Medications and Getting Pregnant - American Heart Association
High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy: March of Dimes
How can Women with High Blood Pressure Prevent Problems During Pregnancy? - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Women and High Blood Pressure - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Management of Chronic Hypertension During Pregnancy: an Evidence Report - Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research
(this is pretty technical, but it is basically a set of questions and answers regarding the medical evidence for treatment of hypertension during pregnancy)
Pregnancy Complicated by Disease: Hypertension - the Merck Manual Home Edition
Technorati Tags: preconception; pregnancy
MeSH Tags: Preconception Care; Pregnancy; Pregnancy, High-Risk

Cellulitis Resources

This is not strictly a women's health issue, except that I looked up information on it for a woman. This and the next post are going to be from materials recycled from non-work-related reference questions (except for that "nude photos of Heather Mills McCartney" thing...). Don't worry - I would never, ever tell who asked the question, so send me yours anytime.

The basics: bacterial infection of the skin/tissue (lots of people get this on the legs); swollen red area that may be hot or tender; usually a strep or staph bacteria, beginning at the site of a bruise, cut, or other injury; spreads rapidly; VERY important to get treatment quickly when symptoms are noticed (seriously, no fooling around, can lead to very serious illness/death); treatment with oral antibiotics, or hospitalization w/ IV antibiotics if more advanced.

Cellulitis - MayoClinic.com
covers signs & symptoms, causes, risk factors, when to seek medical advice, screening and diagnosis, complications, treatment, prevention

Cellulitis - Merck Manual Home Edition
gives a general overview

Cellulitis - eMedicine
provides more clinical detail on the topic

Health Information: Cellulitis - Brigham and Women's Hospital
includes a good list of prevention tips

Cellulitis - Encyclopedia section of MedlinePlus

Technorati Tags: cellulitis; skin infections
MeSH Tags: Cellulitis; exclude orbital cellulitis

Topic Updates: AIDS and HPV Vaccine

The posts on the 25th anniversary of AIDS and the newly approved HPV vaccine have been updated with additional coverage and resources, and will be continuously as new items appear.

FDA Approves First Vaccine Against HPV, Leading Cause of Cervical Cancer

The FDA approved Merck's Gardasil vaccine today, which is intended to prevent infection with human papillomavirus strains that have been shown to cause cervical cancer, precancerous lesions, and genital warts. The vaccine was approved for use in women aged 9-26 years, and is expected to cost $120 for each dose in the 3-shot regimen, for a total of $360. According to Merck's website, the company "has created a new patient assistance program for vaccines. Through this new program, Merck will provide free vaccines to adults who are uninsured and who are unable to afford vaccines. Merck vaccines, including GARDASIL, will become available through this program in the third quarter of 2006."

Coverage of the story:

FDA Press Release

Merck Press Release

New York Times, and another

Washington Post

National Cancer Institute Press Release

Women's Bioethics Project 1 and 2

And Now, the HPV Vaccine - Slate

FDA OKs first cervical cancer vaccine - CNN

Nuns, Cows and the Cervical Cancer Vaccine - Medgadget (and related press release from Rochester Medical Center)

Related Resources:

HPV Fact Sheet - National Cancer Insitute

Gardasil Questions and Answers - FDA

HPV Vaccines for Cervical Cancer - National Cancer Institute

HPV Vaccine Questions and Answers - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Make the Connection - this site, sponsored by Merck, provides information on the HPV/cervical cancer connection. And, hey, you can get a free bracelet (which is not made out of rubber).

Also:
In searching for resources on this topic, I came across this post (pretty high up in the Google results) disparaging the vaccine as "worthless" and "potentially dangerous." Says the author, Dr. Mercola: "By the way, Gardasil is completely worthless if you already have one of those viruses. The other bad news: Five women treated with Gardasil near the time of conception eventually had children who now suffer from birth defects, a problem for which Merck denies responsibility." Vaccines are intended to prevent infection with a virus, not to treat those who already have a virus, by definition. As to the second point, I haven't read through all of the trial reports, but the product labeling (PDF) states:

"During clinical trials, 2266 women (vaccine = 1115 vs. placebo = 1151) reported at least 1 pregnancy each. Overall, the proportions of pregnancies with an adverse outcome were comparable in subjects who received GARDASIL and subjects who received placebo. Overall, 40 and 41 subjects in the group that received GARDASIL or placebo, respectively (3.6% and 3.6% of all subjects who reported a pregnancy in the respective vaccination groups), experienced a serious adverse experience during pregnancy. The most common events reported were conditions that can result in Caesarean section (e.g., failure of labor, malpresentation, cephalopelvic disproportion), premature onset of labor (e.g., threatened abortions, premature rupture of membranes), and pregnancy-related medical problems (e.g., pre-eclampsia, hyperemesis). The proportions of pregnant subjects who experienced such events were comparable between the vaccination groups. There were 15 cases of congenital anomaly in pregnancies that occurred in subjects who received GARDASIL and 16 cases of congenital anomaly in pregnancies that occurred in subjects who received placebo. Further sub-analyses were conducted to evaluate pregnancies with estimated onset within 30 days or more than 30 days from administration of a dose of GARDASIL or placebo. For pregnancies with estimated onset within 30 days of vaccination, 5 cases of congenital anomaly were observed in the group that received GARDASIL compared to 0 cases of congenital anomaly in the group that received placebo. The congenital anomalies seen in pregnancies with estimated onset within 30 days of vaccination included pyloric stenosis, congenital megacolon, congenital hydronephrosis, hip dysplasia and club foot. Conversely, in pregnancies with onset more than 30 days following vaccination, 10 cases of congenital anomaly were observed in the group that received GARDASIL compared with 16 cases of congenital anomaly in the group that received placebo. The types of anomalies observed were consistent (regardless of when pregnancy occurred in relation to vaccination) with those generally observed in pregnancies in women aged 16 to 26 years."

Do you see what that's saying? Rates of complications were basically the same between the vaccine and placebo, except when the vaccine was administered 30 days or less from the onset of pregnancy. This is actually not that uncommon - I received an MMR vaccine recently was told in no uncertain terms that I was not to get pregnant for a month. It's a complication worth noting, but could presumably be significantly reduced by educating women at the time of vaccination. It turns out that Dr. Mercola has "natural" medicine wares to sell - here's the FDA's warning letter to Mercola with regards to misleading claims about some of his products.

Previous Related Posts:

Women's Health News: FDA Committee Recommends Approval of HPV Vaccine

Women's Health News: HPV Vaccine Moves Closer to Approval

Women's Health News: Status of HPV Vaccine and Cervical Cancer Prevention

Technorati Tags: cervical cancer; FDA; Gardasil; HPV; Merck; vaccine
MeSH Tags: Papillomavirus, Human; United States Food and Drug Administration; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/prevention and control; Vaccines