Bad news for women who carry fat around their waist rather than on their thighs: New research finds that postmenopausal women shaped like apples are at higher risk for stroke and heart attack than their pear-shaped counterparts.

Several recent studies have found that body fat distribution is a better predictor of heart disease risk than body mass index, a widely used method for diagn...

Many women turn to hormone therapy to ease some of the more troubling symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats.

But new research suggests that relief may come at a cost -- an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.

The study found that women taking hormone therapy had a 9 percent to 17 percent higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. In women who beg...

Feeling trapped behind a desk, a counter or on the factory floor does no favors for the mind.

Now, research helps confirm that women with jobs that demand long hours may be more prone to depression.

Researchers found that compared with women who worked a standard 40-hour week, those who were on the clock 55 hours or more typically reported more depression symptoms.

The community of bacteria or "microbiome" in a woman's cervix might be a harbinger of her risk for cervical cancer, a new study suggests.

For the study, researchers used genetic analysis to identify bacteria present in samples from 144 Tanzanian women who had cervical cancer screenings between March 2015 and February 2016.

Of the women in the study, 126 had tested positive f...

Giving blood can be a way to help your community, but teenaged girls face special risks when donating, a new study shows.

Specifically, they face a higher chance of developing iron deficiency and anemia, so they require additional measures to protect them, the researchers said.

Blood donation is largely a safe procedure, but the blood loss that happens during menstruation ev...

Infections with two strains of the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) are showing marked declines among American women, and rising vaccination rates could be driving the trend.

That's the finding from a new study involving thousands of U.S. women who tested positive for precancerous conditions of the cervix.

Infection with HPV is by far the leading cause of cerv...

Could an ancient Chinese practice come to the rescue for women struggling with menopausal symptoms?

New Danish research suggests that -- for some women at least -- acupuncture might bring relief.

"Acupuncture for menopausal symptoms is a realistic option for women who cannot or do not wish to use [hormone therapy]" to ease hot flashes, sleep issues or mood swings, said a tea...

Younger U.S. women are suffering heart attacks at a higher rate now than 20 years ago -- even while the picture has improved for younger men.

Those are the key findings from a new study of four U.S. communities, in which researchers report the heart attack rate among women younger than 55 has steadily inched upward since 1995. In contrast, the rate dipped among men in that age group.<...

Women who have specific mutations in genes known as BRCA are at increased risk for breast and ovarian cancers. Now, an influential expert panel reaffirms that certain women should be screened for the genes.

The draft recommendation comes from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, whose advisories often guide physician practice and insurance coverage. The guidelines -- which restate...

A new study throws serious doubt on the safety of using a common yeast infection treatment during pregnancy.

Fluconazole (Diflucan) is a prescribed pill used to treat yeast infections. However, Canadian research now suggests its use greatly raises a pregnant woman's odd for miscarriage, as well as the odds that her baby will have a heart defect.

The findings could have impli...

Older women, beware: New research warns that drinking a lot of diet sodas or artificially sweetened fruit juices may increase your risk for stroke.

In a study that tracked nearly 82,000 postmenopausal women, those who drank two or more diet drinks per day saw their overall stroke risk rise by 23 percent, compared with those who consumed diet drinks less than once a week.

Blo...

Exposure to high levels of the pesticide DDT increases breast cancer risk -- but when the cancer surfaces depends on when women first came in contact with the chemical, researchers say.

"What we have learned is that timing really matters," said lead author Barbara Cohn, from the California-based Public Health Institute.

"We know that if harmful exposures occur at times when ...

A global study about what men and women want in a mate seems to confirm -- to a point -- long-established stereotypes.

Men still go for looks -- in general they said their preference is for a partner who is younger and physically attractive. Women said they'd prefer an older partner who's ambitious and has good financial prospects.

The researchers, from the University of Tex...

In the race to conception, the female body is set up to separate weak sperm from strong, researchers report.

A woman's reproductive system presents a veritable obstacle course that stress-tests sperm, making sure that only the strongest swimmers have a chance of reaching a woman's egg, according to a new study.

Narrow gate-like passages within the female reproductive tract ...

Widespread mammography screening and big advances in breast cancer treatment have saved hundreds of thousands of American women's lives since 1989, a new study estimates.

Researchers tracked 1990-2015 U.S. data on breast cancer deaths, along with general data, on women aged 40 to 84. They found the number of breast cancer deaths prevented during that time ranged anywhere from 305,000 ...

Certain strains of HPV are known to cause cervical cancer and other types of tumors. Now, a new study raises the possibility that they might also contribute to heart disease.

Researchers found that among over 63,000 women, those infected with "high-risk" strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) were somewhat more likely to develop heart disease or suffer a stroke over the next several ye...

Angie Read Doyal was unsure if she'd be the same after her stroke. So, when she felt ready to return to work after only seven weeks of intense physical, speech and occupational therapy, she was confident.

But that self-assurance quickly was undermined by severe anxiety, panic attacks and depression.

New research adds to the evidence that Doyal's experience is all too comm...

It's a common gynecological finding: A growth on an ovary, which turns out to be a benign cyst. Is surgical removal necessary?

Not always, according to data from a new study of more than 1,900 such cases in which outcomes were tracked for two years post-diagnosis.

The team behind the research now believes that most women with non-cancerous ovarian cysts can simply be monitor...

Binge-watching series after series might be fun, but too much TV could raise a middle-aged woman's odds for colon cancer, a new study finds.

Reporting Feb. 5 in JNCI Cancer Spectrum, researchers tracked data for more than 89,000 U.S. women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study.

The investigators found 118 cases of "young-onset" colon cancer -- diagnosed under age 50 --...

"Boys will be boys" goes the old saying, but girls might have the last laugh.

It turns out that female brains tend to age more slowly, researchers report.

On average, women's brains appear to be about three years younger than those of men at the same chronological age. This could provide one clue to why women tend to stay mentally sharp longer than men, the authors noted.

Interpret the data whatever way you will, but a new study shows a jump in women getting long-term contraception in the month following the election of President Donald Trump.

The researchers' theory?

Study author Dr. Lydia Pace acknowledged that "there is limited concrete evidence about why this may have happened," but she stressed that the findings "strongly suggest that th...

Women who've had fertility treatments -- especially in vitro fertilization -- may be at higher risk for serious pregnancy complications, a new study suggests.

Still, it's not clear if the treatments cause the hike in risk, and the benefits of IVF far outweigh any obstetric dangers, the study's Canadian authors said.

"It is important to remember that the absolute number of wo...

HPV vaccination rates for younger American adolescents are alarmingly low, researchers say.

"While we have seen gains in HPV vaccination coverage, we are still falling behind at the younger ages," said study lead author Robert Bednarczyk. He'sassistant professor of global health and epidemiology at Emory University in Atlanta.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmi...

An add-on procedure sometimes used before in-vitro fertilization won't increase a couple's chances of having a baby, according to a new study.

The technique is called endometrial scratching. A thin plastic tube is inserted into the uterus through the cervix and a small sample of tissue is taken from the lining of the uterus (endometrium).

"It was thought that the action of...

Mothers not only take on the lion's share of physical chores, they also shoulder most of the "invisible labor" involved in making sure the household is humming along, new research suggests.

Going beyond cooking and laundry, this means the mental strain of making sure there's enough food for bag lunches, teacher meetings are on the calendar, and that science project gets done by tomorro...

Women who are "mindful" in their everyday activities seem to suffer fewer menopause symptoms, new research suggests.

The study couldn't prove that it was the mindfulness that was keeping symptoms at bay, but it does add to evidence for a link, said lead researcher Dr. Richa Sood. She's a women's health specialist at the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn.

"Mindfulness" has been...

Here's a new study finding that's bound to make tall, thin women happy: Their body size and their gender make it more likely they will reach the milestone age of 90 than either men or shorter, heavier women.

If these women exercised an hour a day, the longevity benefits were even greater, the Dutch scientists reported. While exercise helped men live longer, their body size did not.

Black women at risk of breast cancer may face a disadvantage because of racial disparities in health care, a small new study suggests.

Ohio State University researchers interviewed 30 white and 20 black women at high risk for breast cancer due to family history and other factors.

The investigators found that black women were less likely than whites to have had genetic testin...

A study of nearly 200 poor women living in the St. Louis area found that two out of three had to go without feminine hygiene products at least once over the prior year, due to cost.

About one-fifth -- 21 percent -- said this happened on a monthly basis, and nearly half said they often had to make tough choices between buying food or period-related products.

The findings add ...

About 4,000 women in the United States die from cervical cancer each year -- even though there's a preventive vaccine and screening to catch the disease early.

"When cervical cancer is found early, it is highly treatable," said Dr. Sarah Ramirez, a family medicine physician with Penn State Health. "So it's important to make sure you are being screened for this disease."

The ...

The rate at which middle-aged American women die from overdoses involving opioids and other drugs nearly quadrupled between 1999 and 2017, new government data shows.

In 1999, about seven out of every 100,000 deaths among U.S. women aged 30 to 64 was caused by a drug overdose, but by 2017 that rate had risen to about 24 women per 100,000 -- a 260 percent increase, the U.S. Centers for ...

Many women in developing countries lack access to advanced screening for cervical cancer. But researchers say a new "AI" technique might help.

The technique relies on photos and computer artificial intelligence to identify changes that may lead to cervical cancer.

Catching these changes early, when they're still easily treatable, could help save the lives of many women, said...

Every day they help feed, bathe and care for the frailest Americans. But female health care workers in the United States often get shortchanged on wages and health insurance, a new study finds.

In fact, about one-third of female health care workers made less than $15 an hour, and that number rose to half when these workers were black or Hispanic.

The study authors estimated...

The number of women in the United States who are getting the recommended screenings for cervical cancer is "unacceptably low," researchers say.

In 2016, just over half of U.S. women aged 21 to 29 and less than two-thirds of women aged 30 to 65 were up-to-date with cervical cancer screenings, according to a new report.

Those rates are well below the 81 percent self-reported ...

New mothers who take opioid painkillers after either vaginal birth or cesarean section may be at increased risk of becoming persistent users, a new study finds.

Researchers from Vanderbilt University in Nashville examined data from more than 102,000 new mothers in Tennessee. None had used opioids in the 180 days before delivery.

After delivery, 89 percent who had a cesarean ...

Don't wait until you get sick to see a doctor -- wellness visits for women can catch problems before they become serious, as well as make sure you're taking all the right steps for good health.

A well-woman checkup focuses on preventive care. It may include immunizations, screenings to check your blood pressure, cholesterol levels and other health markers, and advice for setting welln...