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Interagency Breast Cancer Committee Formed to Establish Federal Research Agenda
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, formed an advisory committee to establish and develop a strategic federal research agenda pertaining to environmental and genetic factors related to breast cancer. The 19-member committee will review all breast cancer research efforts conducted or supported by federal agencies. Committee members include representatives of federal agencies; nonfederal scientists, physicians, and other health professionals from clinical, basic, and public health sciences; and advocates for individuals with breast cancer.
FDA Promotes Registry Use
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released a consumer health information document explaining how registries that track risks of drugs taken during pregnancy or breastfeeding can help mothers to be. On average, pregnant women take between three and five medications during their pregnancies. The registries collect data on the effects of medications used by pregnant and nursing women and then compare those reports to effects experienced by women who are not pregnant. That information can help women make more informed decisions about what medications to take. Registries collect demographic information as well as medications taken. Drug makers, physicians, or pharmacists can help a woman participate in a registry.
ACOG Recommends HPV Vaccination for Young Girls
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a recommendation that girls aged 11–12 years should receive either of the two Food and Drug Administration-approved cervical cancer vaccines (Cervarix® and Gardasil®) before they become sexually active. Girls at high risk could get the vaccine as early as 9 years of age. The organization emphasized that even if a woman has received the vaccine, Pap screening is still necessary starting at age 21. Sexually active teens and women should still receive the vaccine up to age 26 years, but ACOG said providers should tell them it may be less effective after exposure to the human papillomavirus. Research continues as to whether the vaccine is effective in women older than 26. Pregnant women should not receive the vaccine, but ACOG said breastfeeding women can be vaccinated.
FDA Approves Three-Minute Pregnancy Test
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved marketing of the RapidVue hCG test from Quidel Corp. of San Diego, California. The lateral flow pregnancy immunoassay test detects human chorionic gonadotropin in a urine specimen within just 2–3 days of conception, before the woman misses her period. It takes 3 minutes and is waived by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments. The test requires no specimen manipulation and is marketed to healthcare professionals.
Antibiotics Before Cesarean Delivery
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends administering antibiotics to pregnant women within 1 hour of starting a cesarean delivery to help reduce the risk of postoperative infections. William H. Barth Jr, M.D., chairman of ACOG's Committee on Obstetric Practice, said giving the antibiotics before delivery rather than after, which is customary, will not harm the newborn. Women requiring an emergency cesarean section should receive antibiotics as soon as possible. However, pregnant women already taking appropriate antibiotics for another condition do not need more of the drugs.
CDC Issues Birth Rate Statistics
The National Vital Statistics System, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, issued the final data about births in 2007, the most recent year with complete information. Women gave birth to 4.3 million babies in the United States, the largest number of births ever reported. Birth rate increased for women in nearly every age group. The general fertility rate rose by 1% to 69.5 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years. Births to unmarried women reached record levels, with 1.7 million babies born to unmarried mothers, representing 39.7% of all births. The cesarean delivery rate continued to increase and topped out at 31.8%. Preterm rates, however, declined slightly from 12.8% of all births in 2006 to 12.7%, as did the low birthweight rate, down from 8.3% to 8.2%. Twin and multiple birth rates remained unchanged, at 32.2 per 1,000 births for twins and 148.9 per 100,000 births for triplet and higher multiples. Looking at preliminary numbers for 2008, the agency notes a decline in the number and rate of births and a continuation of the trends for cesarean deliveries, unmarried childbearing, and preterm births.
Preliminary Birth, Death, and Marriage Rates Released
The National Vital Statistics System released preliminary data about U.S. birth, death, and marriage rates for 2009. The preliminary birth and fertility rates continued a downward trend, with 4.1 million live births, a rate of 13.5%. That equates to a fertility rate of 66.8 births for every 1,000 women aged 15–44 years. In 2009, 2.4 million people died in the United States, for a rate of 7.9%. Two million people got married, a rate of 6.8%. At the end of 2009, the agency estimates 306.8 million people were living in the United States.
ACOG Encourages Gynecologic Cancer Patients to Consider Clinical Trials
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a statement encouraging women with gynecologic cancer to participate in clinical trials, which it calls a key step in the discovery of new therapies and advances in medicine. ACOG said in addition to contributing to scientific knowledge, women who take part in clinical trials gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available. The women also receive close monitoring, which may prove beneficial. Some women who participate in trials say they feel empowered. “The thought of trying a novel approach instead of a more tried and true therapy may be frightening when you're dealing with an illness,” said Richard Waldman, M.D., president of ACOG. “But considering participation in a clinical trial may be wise for cancer patients—it could be a choice that saves your life.”
CDC Releases Grand Rounds About Preventing Neural Tube Defects
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on the success of mandatory fortification of enriched cereal grain products in reducing the prevalence of neural tube defects. Every $1 invested in fortification results in a $100 annual savings. Other countries that have begun fortification also have experienced declines in NTD-affected pregnancies. However, the CDC team noted areas of further opportunity. Hispanic women continue to be at significantly greater risk than non-Hispanic white women of delivering a baby with an NTD. The CDC suggests that Hispanics might need additional folic acid and note targeted folic acid awareness and promotion efforts have been successful in getting Spanish-speaking Hispanic women to increase their use of folic acid supplements. Whether that behavior change can be sustained once an intense intervention ends remains to be seen, however. Other options under consideration include selectively fortifying foods popular with Hispanics, such as corn tortillas or other products made from corn masa flour. Globally, the CDC suggested expanding the number of developed and developing countries with mandatory folic acid fortification of high-consumption staples to prevent NTDs.
NIH Researchers Find Association Among Lead, Cadmium, and Delayed Puberty in Girls
National Institutes of Health researchers and colleagues at other institutions have found an association between lead exposure in childhood and the delay of puberty in young girls. Higher doses of lead exposure increased the risk of later maturation. The team speculated that lead, either on its own or in concert with cadmium, might suppress the hormone production that prepares a young girl's body to first ovulate. In addition, lead-associated pubertal delay was more prevalent in girls with iron deficiencies. “Our findings suggest childhood exposure to lead has worrisome effects as children age and reach adolescence,” said lead first author Audra L. Gollenberg, Ph.D., a fellow at the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, where the research was conducted. “These issues are of concern in some parts of the United States as well as in countries where children are exposed to leaded gasoline, paint, or industrial pollutants.”
CDC Reports Three of Four New Mothers Breastfeed
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2007, 75% of new mothers started breastfeeding their babies, meeting the nation's Healthy People 2010 goal. State breastfeeding initiation rates ranged from nearly 90% in Utah to 52.5% in Mississippi. Only 43% of babies continue to be breastfed until 6 months of age, and 22% are still breastfeeding at their first birthday, below the 50% and 25% goals set by Healthy People 2010. “High initiation rates tell us that a lot of moms plan to breastfeed, but these rates do not indicate that a birth facility is doing what it needs to support them in their effort,” said Carol MacGowan, public health advisor for CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. “Evidence shows that hospital routines can help or hinder mothers and babies as they are learning to breastfeed. The care that mothers receive from hospitals should always be based on practices that are proven to help them continue breastfeeding after they go home.”
Women's Cancer Annual Meeting Scheduled
The 2011 Annual Meeting on Women's Cancer, presented by the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, will take place March 6–9, 2011, in Orlando, Florida. The Society expects more than 1,800 physicians, nurses, scientists, and other healthcare professionals will attend.
Girlshealth.gov Adds Environmental Section
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NAMS Recognizes Contributors to Field of Menopause
The North American Menopause Society announced 20 recipients of the Society's 2010 awards, recognizing outstanding contributions to the field of menopause. Award winners are Howard N. Hodis, M.D., Los Angeles; Marcie K. Richardson, M.D., Boston; Peter F. Schnatz, D.O., NCMP, Hartford, Connecticut; Katie Kalvaitis, New York; Julia F. Edelman, M.D., NCMP, Boston; Carolyn Crandall, M.D., M.S., NCMP, Boston; plus four new investigators and 10 residents.