A study by biological anthropologists at University of Kent has revealed that contemporary, British women who believed they had a longer time to live, were more likely to give birth to a son than women
Thickening of artery walls accelerates as women enter menopause, but these signs of the progression of atherosclerosis can be slowed by a lower-fat diet and increased physical activity, according to a new study in the Aug. 4, 2004, issue of the Journal
Treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a group of abnormal cells confined to the breast ducts, varies widely in the United States. Treatment ranges from potential over-treatment with aggressive surgical therapy to possible under-treatment by not
Women with early-stage breast cancer face three late breast cancer consequences: disease recurrence within the conserved breast, development of a contralateral breast cancer, and manifestation of distant metastases. Although local therapy with surgery a
Health Canada is advising Canadians that newborns may be adversely affected when pregnant women take Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and other newer anti-depressants during the third
An article in the current issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine explains how a computer based simulation model has found a link between short-term hormone therap
Women with painful uterine fibroids may not know there is an alternative to hysterectomy, says a University of Toronto researcher.The University of Toronto's teaching hospitals are all equippe
Regardless of sexual orientation, unmarried women ages 40 to 75 voiced reluctance to undergo routine cancer screening tests, feeling out of place or misunderstood in health care settings, according to the first wave of information from a five-year Brown Un
The largest North American breast cancer prevention trial ever undertaken, the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR), reached its goal of enrolling 19,000 women to the trial in June 2004, a month earlier than originally expected. Women still
A group of prominent experts on treatment of the menopause today issued advice for doctors on the use of hormone therapy.Under the auspices of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ob
Date: Thursday, 23-Nov-2006
The birth rate among U.S. women and girls ages 15 to 19 declined to a record low in 2005, while the rate of infants delivered by cesarean section increased to a record high of 30.2% of all births, according to data from a preliminary report released on Tuesday by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, USA Today reports (Rubin, USA Today, 11/22).The report, titled "Birth: Preliminary Data for 2005," includes statistics from more than 99% of birth certificates filed last year in the U.S. and shows that about 4.1 million infants were born in the U.S. in 2005, including 421,123 births to girls under age 20 (NCHS report, 11/21). The birth rate among women and girls ages 15 to 19 for 2005 was 40.4 births per 1,000 women, compared with 41.1 births per 1,000 women in 2004 and 61.8 per 1,000 women in 1991 (USA Today, 11/22). The birth rate among black girls ages 15 to 17 dropped 6% in 2005, compared with 2004. According to the report, the c-section delivery rate increased by about 4% from 2004 to 2005, and NCHS statistician Fay Menacker said deliveries by c-section are increasing among all age groups and races. The World Health Organization recommends that c-section rates remain under 15% of all births (Dunham, Reuters, 11/21). According the AP/New York Times, data in the report is considered preliminary, but officials said they do not expect much change in the findings (AP/New York Times, 11/22).
Other Statistics NCHS also reported the following U.S. birth rate data from 2005.
The preterm birth rate, or the percentage of infants born before 37 weeks gestation, increased from 12.5% of all births in 2004 to 12.7% in 2005 (USA Today, 11/22).Birth rates for women ages 20 to 24 and 30 to 34 increased by less than 1% from 2004 to 2005, while rates for women ages 35 to 44 rose by 2% (NCHS report, 11/21).The percentage of infants with low birthweights increased by about 20% in the past 20 years, including a slight increase from 2004 to 2005 (Reuters, 11/21).The NCHS preliminary report is available online. This article is republished with kind permission from our friends at the The Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery of in-depth coverage of health policy developments, debates and discussions. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for Kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Copyright 2006 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.