The top stories in women’s health so far this week cover how a shingles shot is linked to lower dementia risk, rethinking when breast cancer screening should begin, and long-overdue data confirming thousands of women experience significant pain during C-sections every year.
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A SHOT TO PREVENT DEMENTIA? // A study released early from Nature found people over age 65 who got the shingles vaccine were 51% less likely to develop dementia, and the “risk reduction was stronger in females compared to males.” A drop in dementia risk is especially meaningful for women, who make up two thirds of Alzheimer’s patients.
ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL FOR BREAST CANCER SCREENINGS // The Washington Post’s Leana Wen breaks down the latest findings on breast cancer screenings, and how experts are rethinking mammograms as the first step in the process. She explains how a recent study found genetic testing at 30 might catch more real risks and fewer false alarms.
C-SECTION ANESTHESIA FAILURES // The New York Times “Daily” podcast revisits a series from last year on how anesthesia is failing some women during C-section surgery, causing extreme pain. The issue is finally getting studied, and a major study last month found about 8% of women endure significant pain during a C-section. And with 1.2 million C-sections in the US every year, that means “100,000 women a year experience significant pain.”
MARY CLAIRE HAVER JOINS MIDI // Midi Health has hired the original Instagram menopause expert, Dr. Mary Claire Haver, as its first “Chief AgeWell Officer.” CEO Joanna Strober said in a press release that “by collaborating with Dr. Haver, we are ensuring women continue to have access to care designed for their bodies, their hormones, and their real lives.”
MIDWIFES FOR MENOPAUSE // Ms. Magazine has an essay from a fourth-generation midwife reviving an old truth: midwifery isn’t just for birth, it has also covered menopause (and still can). Racha Tahani Lawler describes her practice of offering individualized care that keeps bodily autonomy in the hands of patients.