pap smear (but easier) at home?

• The FDA approved the first at-home device for cervical cancer screening. (It could replace the Pap smear 👀)
   
• A meta-analysis adds evidence that women with a history of infertility are more likely to develop heart and blood vessel conditions later in life. 
   
• The Atlantic has a reminder that a Republican budget plan to cut taxes and reduce the deficit while also not cutting Medicaid, the largest insurer of births in America, is mathematically impossible.

Checking for Cervical Cancer at Home, With FDA Approval

What: The FDA on Friday approved the first at-home cervical cancer screening test to check for HPV, the virus that causes most cervical cancers, without visiting a doctor. Made by Teal Health, the test is basically a spongelike tool to swab the vagina, making it a more accessible and less invasive than the standard speculum and scrape Pap smears. Studies have shown the accuracy is similar to a traditional Pap smear. 

Key Line: "Vaccination and screening make cervical cancer preventable. And yet, it still kills thousands of Americans each year, because many women do not or cannot get vaccinated or screened. ...During Teal’s clinical trial, it asked participants when they had last received a screening, and at least one in four women in every group it examined — across race, income, education, location and insurance status — was past due."

Source: New York Times

The Republicans’ Budget Makes No Sense

What: The Atlantic's Annie Lowrey explains just how nonsensical Republicans' current budget plans are, which they say they will 1) cut taxes, 2) reduce the deficit, but 3) avoid cutting Medicaid. Something has to give. (Reminder: Medicaid covers 41% of births in the United States.)

Key Line: "But congressional Republicans are searching for as much as $880 billion to trim from a set of domestic programs, and are focusing on Medicaid. The only way to save that much money is to insure fewer people. Thus, Republicans are contemplating ways to cut without saying they’re cutting: refocusing the program on 'vulnerable populations' (Medicaid already covers only the poor and other at-risk groups), adding work requirements, tightening enrollment standards, and requiring the states to cover more of the cost."

Source: The Atlantic
 

Early Menopause Increases Metabolic Liver Disease Risk

What: Women who hit menopause before age 50 have a higher chance of getting fatty liver disease, also known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The potential link between early menopause and liver problems had been identified before, but this study, presented at the European Society of Endocrinology conference, adds data to back it up. 

Key Line: “'Our study is the largest of its kind with a five-year follow-up period and provides support for the hypothesis that women are relatively protected from cardio-metabolic disease during the perimenopausal state,' said lead researcher Joshua Stokar, based at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. 'We believe our findings justify considering an earlier age at menopause—specifically before the age of 45—as a risk factor for MASLD.'”

Source: Inside Precision Medicine
 

Women with Infertility Face Higher Risk of Heart Issues

What: A meta-analysis found that women with a history of infertility, especially those who undergo fertility treatments, are more likely to develop heart and blood vessel conditions later in life. The research suggests that infertility could serve as an early warning sign for future heart problems.

Key Line: “'This is the largest meta-analysis to not only examine the potential link between a history of infertility in women and cardiovascular risk but also the impact of assisted reproductive technologies on their likelihood of developing future cardiovascular events,' said lead researcher Dr Elena Armeni. 'By gathering data from many studies, our work adds strong evidence to a growing field and suggests that infertility could be an early warning sign for future heart health issues.'”

Source: European Scoiety of Endocrinology

1 in 3 Women Not Discussing Heart Health with Doctors

What: A survey found that a third of women ages 30 to 50 have not talked to their doctors about heart health, despite heart disease being the leading cause of death for women in the United States. The survey, which was sponsored by Medtronic, also found over half (56%) said they have not discussed heart health or family history with heart problems with their mothers.

Key Line: "'As physicians, we know heart health is not one size fits all. Women have a unique experience with heart disease and risk factors - like high blood pressure during pregnancy which may be the first sign of chronic high blood pressure persisting throughout their lifespan,' said Dr. Raven Voora, hypertension specialist and nephrologist at UNC Health."

Source: Medtronic