The FemTech Foundation—and Fault Lines

In 2015, fewer than 300 ventures focused on women’s health existed. That number has tripled to 942, according to the Galen Growth HealthTech Alpha™ platform. These ventures now span the female health continuum—gynecology, menopause, oncology, cardiovascular disease, mental health and beyond.

Yet the investment tide has not fully turned in FemTech’s favor. While partnerships have risen 15.3-fold during the past decade, capital deployment has grown only 1.4 times. Compare that to the 2.6x expansion of digital health investments. In 2024, FemTech secured $2.2 billion in funding, a sliver of the $26 billion digital-health pie.

This disparity isn’t due to a lack of innovation—quite the opposite. The problem is systemic: funding gaps, policy voids, and clinical blind spots that overlook the $360 billion “ghost market” of women’s health. That phrase— “ghost market”—is the report’s haunting term for the opportunities left untouched by current investors and providers alike.

From Fertility to Full Spectrum

One of the report’s most critical takeaways is how much the FemTech category is maturing. Fertility tracking and pregnancy apps put the field on the map. But FemTech today is far more.  It recognizes the vast need for medicine to engage with women’s unique health needs, long unaddressed.

The Galen Growth data shows that while gynecology and oncology account for more than half of all FemTech ventures, menopause, chronic pain, autoimmune conditions, cardiovascular disease and mental health are surging into the investment and innovation spotlight. These are not “niche” categories—they represent common, often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed conditions that disproportionately affect women and impair their quality of life.

This expansion reflects a growing recognition that women’s health is not a subset—it’s a central pillar of public health. As de Salaberry writes in a soon-to-appear Health Tech World byline: “To be transformative, FemTech must address the entirety of the women’s health continuum, including those therapeutic areas that are not traditionally branded as female-specific but affect women in distinct ways.”

Twice the Clinical Evidence—But Still Under Scrutiny

Perhaps the report’s most sobering—and telling—data point is that FemTech ventures generate nearly twice the volume of clinical trials, peer-reviewed research, and regulatory filings as their digital health peers. Twice. That’s not due to past scientific rigor; these companies are held to a higher standard. Founders and advocates must go the extra mile to validate the clinical value of their solutions.

Despite this, systemic barriers remain. The report shows 71 percent of early-stage FemTech ventures struggle to raise a Series A round. Funding the “middle”—those post-seed but pre-scaleup companies—is an urgent priority. Without it, too many promising solutions will stall before reaching the women who need them.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about meeting investor milestones. It’s about delivering equity in care. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women, yet it remains underrepresented in FemTech portfolios. Alzheimer’s and autoimmune conditions disproportionately affect women, yet receive comparatively little innovation focus.

Those are not oversight gaps. They are deep, systemic failures – disparities in our health innovation system.

From Direct-to-Consumer to Deep Health Integration

Another significant signal of maturity is the shift away from pure direct-to-consumer (DTC) models. In 2024, 42 percent of FemTech partnerships involved health systems, up from just 10 percent in 2020. That’s a tectonic shift from point solutions to systemic integration.

As de Salaberry puts it, “DTC strategies alone cannot reach underserved populations or secure the reimbursement pathways necessary for scale.” Systemic integration—through payers, providers, and public institutions—is essential for sustainability and access. FemTech must live where care happens, not just on consumers’ cell phones.

Regionally, the picture is just as telling, with Europe leading in clinical rigor, with 50 percent of FemTech ventures demonstrating proven clinical strength. North America leads in funding ($1.3B), while Asia-Pacific remains a hub of AI-driven diagnostics, even amid a dip in capital investment. These trends point to what’s next: a future driven by localization, clinical excellence and technology convergence.

Forces Shaping the Future of FemTech

The report outlines five key factors shaping the FemTech evolution during the next five years. They’re worth noting for anyone investing, innovating or advocating for equitable care with an eye toward return on investment:

• Redefining the Scope: FemTech must look beyond reproductive health to address chronic diseases, aging, and behavioral health.
• Breaking the DTC Mold: Success will be defined by integrated partnerships with employers, insurers, and health systems.
• Balancing Rigor and Agility: Regulatory requirements must support innovation without stifling it.
• Funding the Growth Gap: Series A and B support is critical to help early innovators scale.
• Smart Consolidation: M&A isn’t just about exits—it’s about building category leaders with breadth and credibility.

Infrastructure, Not Hype

The key here is infrastructure. FemTech is not a trend—it’s the scaffolding of women’s health innovation. Investors need to hear that message and invest to make this population health category viable.

With nearly half the global workforce made up of women, the ROI on women’s health is not just moral—it’s macroeconomic. The health ecosystem can no longer afford to treat women’s health as an edge case. It is, in fact, the core of population health.

FemTech’s next chapter will be shaped by evidence, equity and integration. It must also be underpinned by trust from payers, providers, and patients. That trust is earned through data, outcomes and the bold assertion that women’s health is health, full stop. This Galen Growth Report goes a long way to demonstrating the positive outcomes when innovation and investment converge.

As Julien de Salaberry wisely states: “The next generation of Femtech isn’t about visibility—it’s about value, integration, and health systems impact.” That’s not just a forecast—it’s a framework for what’s next.

[Editor’s Note: For a deeper dive into the Galen Growth FemTech 2025 report, visit galengrowth.com. The full report and press release, are available now.]

The post Galen Growth FemTech 2.0 Report: Elevating Women’s Health from Niche to Necessity appeared first on Medika Life.

When Selam Solomon Caldwell and her husband learned she was pregnant last year, the stakes for finding the right OB-GYN felt high. Caldwell, a Black woman, had heard stories from family and friends of maternity care providers who ignored their requests or pressured them into cesarean sections without clear medical justification.

As a relative newcomer to Los Angeles, the recruiter, now 31, knew few Black people who could recommend doctors who had treated them with respect. She combed review sites, including Google reviews and Healthgrades, but couldn’t find how nearby physicians and hospitals might treat a Black woman like her.

“It’s hard to tell if it’s a fellow Black person who’s giving the review,” Caldwell said.

Consumer ratings sites rarely identify patient experiences by race or ethnicity and hospitals are under no obligation to reveal the racial and ethnic breakdowns of their patient satisfaction scores. Yet that information could be instrumental in holding maternity care providers and hospitals accountable for treating patients inequitably and could empower expectant mothers like Caldwell in finding quality obstetric care.

“You can’t change what you don’t see,” said Kimberly Seals Allers, founder of Irth, an app allowing Black and brown women to find and leave reviews of maternity care providers. She’s one of a few entrepreneurs developing new tools for collecting feedback from mothers of color.

A steady drip of new research over the past several years has spotlighted racial discrimination by maternity care providers and the role it may play in one of the country’s most vexing health disparities: Black women experience the worst birthing outcomes, a gap not explained by income or education, according to a KFF analysis. In 2021, they were nearly three times as likely to die of pregnancy-related causes as white women.

Mothers of color, especially Black women, report that they do in fact experience discrimination. They are more likely than white women to say that their care providers ignored them, scolded them, or pressured them into treatments they didn’t want. The extent to which discrimination is reported varies widely by survey, but one recently published report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found roughly 30% of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial women reported mistreatment during maternity care, compared with 20% of women overall.

It’s unclear how many hospitals track survey responses by race, and, even if they do, they rarely reveal that information. And the federal government requires generic reporting on how patients say they were treated, making it difficult to pin down and address incidents of bias in maternity care.

Funding and Regulations Lag

Currently, the results of the industry’s standard patient experience survey, known as the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, are made publicly available by the federal government to help patients compare hospitals. They incentivize hospitals to improve care and are included in the rankings of many hospital ratings sites, such as U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals. But it doesn’t ask about maternity care or discrimination and has low response rates, particularly among people of color.

These flaws can also make the survey inadequate for improving birth equity. “We know it’s insufficient,” said Amanda P. Williams, an OB-GYN and clinical innovation adviser to the nonprofit California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative. Hospitals, she said, could fill in the gaps by collecting feedback from maternity care surveys and breaking the results out by race and other demographic information; they could also talk to patients through forums such as town halls or focus groups.

Joy Lewis, senior vice president for health equity strategies at the American Hospital Association, said many hospitals do this work, both generally and in obstetrics.

However, Williams believes it isn’t happening enough in maternity care.

She said there are some pockets where people are doing these activities but that they are not yet widespread. At a national conference of 200 hospital executives this year, Williams said, only a few raised their hands when asked if they break out their maternity outcomes data. “If your overall C-section rate is fine, you might think everything’s hunky-dory,” she said. “But if you see that your Black people are having 50% higher C-section rates than your white and Asian patients, there’s very important work to be done.”

Then there are barriers to participation. Studies have found many in the Black community distrust the health care system.

Fearing retaliation and being seen as an “angry Black woman,” Ta-She-Ra Manning, a maternal health program coordinator in Fresno, California, said she didn’t provide any critical feedback when her OB-GYN dismissed her concerns about unusual symptoms during her 2021 pregnancy.

Meanwhile, new funding to measure disparities has been slow in coming. President Biden’s 2023 budget proposed $7.4 million to develop a supplemental survey aimed at reducing maternal health disparities, among other steps. But Congress did not fund the item. Instead, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services is developing it with its own funding and estimates the work will take less than five years, according to a statement from Caren Ginsberg, who directs the agency’s surveys.

Still, the public likely won’t see changes anytime soon. After a survey’s measures are created, it can take several years for the results to be publicly reported or tied to payment, said Carol Sakala, senior director for maternal health at the National Partnership for Women & Families, an advocacy organization.

“This molasses level of movement contrasts acutely with all the things hitting the news about people not getting the right care and attention and respect,” Sakala said.

Amid growing interest in health equity, traditional ratings sites are grappling with how much to share with the public. For its birthing hospital ratings, U.S. News & World Report recently started assessing whether hospitals tracked racial disparities in maternity outcomes measures, but it withholds actual results. Healthgrades is taking time to think through how to collect and display sensitive information publicly, said spokesperson Sarah Javors in a statement.

Black Innovators Fight for Better Data

Some Black women are trying to fill the void by creating new feedback mechanisms that could be more trusted by the community. Allers said she created Irth after a traumatic birth experience as a Black mother at a highly rated hospital left her feeling failed by mainstream ratings. On the app, verified users answer questions, from whether they felt respected by their doctor to if they experienced certain types of mistreatment such as dismissal of pain. Irth currently has 10,000 reviews of hospitals, OB-GYNs, and pediatricians nationally, according to Allers.

“Our data is for the community,” said Allers. “They know their feedback has value to another mom or family.”

Irth also offers analysis of the reviews to hospitals and leads campaigns to collect more reviews for them. But Allers said many hospitals have expressed little interest.

Karen Scott, an OB-GYN who created PREM-OB, a scientifically validated survey that measures racism in Black birthing experiences, said she has met hospital leaders who don’t think their providers could mistreat patients or who worry that documenting responses could carry legal risk.

The American Hospital Association’s Lewis declined to comment specifically on Irth and PREM-OB but acknowledged the Black community’s long-standing mistrust of health care providers. She said hospitals want to hear more from patients in historically marginalized groups.

Early signs of progress are emerging in parts of the country.

California hospitals will likely report disparities in birth outcomes and patient satisfaction measures. Hospitals are expected to start posting data broken out by race and other demographics on their websites in 2026, though the state hasn’t finalized the measures that will be required, said Andrew DiLuccia, a spokesperson for the state’s health data agency. At least two states, Washington and New Jersey, have disclosed rates of C-sections among low-risk patients by race for individual hospitals.

Scott founded Birthing Cultural Rigor to increase uptake of her survey. The firm has partnered with birth equity groups to recruit respondents in select counties in Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. Scott said results will be used to train local health professionals on how to reduce racism in maternity care.

Separately, Irth will collect and analyze reviews for three hospitals or health systems in California, said Allers. One of them, MemorialCare Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital Long Beach, will work with Irth to better understand the impact of birth equity efforts such as implicit bias training.

“We’ll get to see if what we’re doing is actually working,” said Sharilyn Kelly, executive director of the hospital’s perinatal services.

Caldwell, the recruiter, eventually found a doctor she trusted and went on to have a smooth pregnancy and delivery. Her son is now 8 months old. But with so little information available on how she might be treated, she said, she felt anxious until she met her doctor, when “a lot of that stress and anxiety melted away.”

Digital strategy & audience engagement editor Chaseedaw Giles contributed to this report.

[Editor’s note: California Healthline is an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation, which has contributed funding to PREM-OB and the birth equity nonprofit Narrative Nation, which developed Irth.]

This article was produced by KFF Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation. 

The post Mothers of Color Can’t See if Providers Have a History of Mistreatment. Why Not? appeared first on Medika Life.

I am constantly amazed at the role of luck (and an astute observer) in scientific advancement. You will be surprised how researchers discovered nitroglycerin, an important coronary artery disease management drug.

I’ll explore the remarkable nitrate discovery story. Then, I look forward to examining the contributions of Dr. Murad. We’ll end with five top tips for reducing your chances of suffering from cardiovascular disease.

“Diseases desperate grown,
By desperate appliance are relieved,
Or not at all.”

― William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Museums and Medicine

You might wonder why I notice connections such as heart medicines and dynamite.

My dear mother had something to do with my inclinations. When I was young, she took me to a museum every month. New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Yale Gallery.

When I visited New York last week, my first destination? The Whitney Museum in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.

Why do I bring this up? My former school, Yale School of Medicine (USA), has an observational skills training workshop for first-year medical students.

The workshop is an exercise in visual training that allows students to look at something foreign to them early in their medical careers ‒for instance, an 18th-century British painting‒and extract the relevant information.

Why Yale Medical Students Go to a Museum

Here’s course creator Irwin M. Braverman, M.D. ’55, professor emeritus of dermatology:

“[Looking at art works] is a far cry from what we had,” said Braverman, recalling his medical education. “We were taught to look for patterns that were already known to exist.”

Shadows on an X-ray are this kind of problem. But what happens when a doctor encounters a situation they were not exposed to in medical school? They have no pattern on which to fall back.

According to Braverman, it takes about ten years to develop the skills to solve medical puzzles, and he wanted to give his students a head start.

“In essence, [examining art] is a physical examination of a patient,” said Braverman. The exhibit hall is the examination room, and the painting becomes the patient.

You Should Consider Going to a Museum

Examining great works of art teaches us observational skills. At Yale, students have 15 minutes to observe an assigned painting individually and gather as much detail as possible.

Based on their observations, the medical students discuss what may occur in each painting as a group.

Braverman explains that 18th- and 19th-century British paintings are perfect for this exercise because many offer stories about a real historical event. However, similar to patients with unexplained symptoms, they often contain ambiguous or contradictory information.

Trekking to your local museum or gallery might improve your observational skills.

Looking at paintings, sculptures, and performance art slows me down. It forces me to stand (or sit, a phenomenon more necessary as I age) and observe.

This year, for the first time, Braverman replaced the standard post-workshop evaluation with a specific question: what have you learned about yourself as an observer?

Nearly every medical student explained that, though they considered themselves adequate observers before the art workshop, they realized they previously looked at things superficially.

The course helped them learn to look at the world and their patients more in-depth.

Finally, I think of my museum times as ones of mindfulness. (And, it’s easier than vinyasa flow yoga for me.)

The Remarkable Discovery of Nitroglycerin

Have you heard of nitroglycerin? Nitroglycerin prevents angina (chest pain) caused by coronary artery disease.

This medicine is also used to relieve an angina attack that is already occurring.

Nitroglycerin belongs to a class of drugs known as nitrates. Angina happens when the heart muscle is not getting enough blood.

The drug works by relaxing and widening blood vessels to allow blood to flow more easily to the heart. Nitroglycerin will not relieve chest pain once it occurs.

It is also not intended to be taken just before physical activities (such as exercise or sexual activity) to prevent chest pain. Other medications may be needed in these situations.

The Nobel Prize

What do you think of when I mention Aldred Nobel? My mind immediately goes to the Nobel Prize.

I’m speechless! — Maria Ressa’s reaction when Olav Njølstad, Secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, awarded her the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for her “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.”

For over a century, Nobel Prizes have recognized extraordinary human achievements, ranging from literature to science.

The Nobel Prize is gifted “to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses,” according to the last will of founder Alfred Nobel.

The 2023 Nobel Prize announcements will occur from October 2nd through the 9th.

Alfred Nobel, Dynamite, and More

But our tale has a dark side, including death and mayhem. Let me back up a bit to talk about Alfred Nobel’s father.

Immanuel Nobel created the first truly usable sea mines on behalf of the Russian Czar. This development occurred in the mid-19th century during the Crimean War.

Alfred Nobel developed dynamite. He did not plan on its being used in war. Of course, you know the rest of the story.

Dynamite was soon used in the Franco-Prussian War. The Prussians used it first, followed by the French.

Alfred Nobel, Merchant of Death?

While many associate Nobel with pacificism, whether he approved dynamite’s military use is unclear.

In 1888, Alfred Nobel’s brother Ludvig died. A journalist erred and printed Alfred’s obituary. The piece scorned the living brother as a man who made millions through the deaths of others.

A French newspaper wrote, “Le marchand de la mort est mort,” or “The merchant of death is dead.” The obituary described Nobel as a man “who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before.”

Stunned by what he read, Nobel was determined to improve his legacy. One year before he died in 1896, Nobel signed his last will, which set aside most of his vast estate to establish the five Nobel Prizes, including one awarded for pursuing peace.

Nitroglycerin Discovery

Let’s return to the strange story of heart and erectile dysfunction medicines. First, did you know that nitrate medications can trigger airport bomb detection scanners?

Nitrate-containing drugs also get the attention of explosive-sniffing dogs, a reminder of the origins of this extremely useful medication.

Ascanio Sobrero in Turin discovered nitroglycerin in 1847, following work with Theophile-Jules Pelouze.

Alfred Nobel joined Pelouze in 1851 and recognized the potential of nitroglycerin. Nobel began manufacturing the substance in Sweden, overcoming handling problems with his patent detonator.

Interestingly, Nobel suffered acutely from angina (chest pain) and refused nitroglycerin as a treatment.

Nitroglycerin in Medicine: Innovation from Tragedy

Today, nitroglycerin is a drug that dilates blood vessels.

The potent medicine is typically administered under the tongue to relieve and prevent angina (chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart) attacks.

Dr. Ferid (“Fred”) Murad (1936–2023), a pharmacologist who shared a Nobel Prize in 1998 for discovering nitric oxide — an air pollutant and byproduct of nitroglycerin— played a key role in relaxing blood vessels.

Dr. Murad’s discovery dates to the 1970s, when he began studying nitroglycerin, the substance that Alfred Nobel, the namesake of the annual awards given in medicine and other disciplines, used to invent dynamite in 1867.

Our story of nitroglycerin as a medicine goes back to the 1900s. Alfred Nobel’s factory workers noticed a curious side effect of the explosive substance.

The workers’ labor-induced chest pains disappeared when they inhaled nitroglycerin fumes inside the factory. Soon, doctors began trying it to remedy angina, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular disorders.

Nitroglycerin became a common treatment for heart problems, but until Dr. Murad began studying it at the University of Virginia (USA), nobody understood how it worked.

Through elegant experiments, Dr. Murad discovered that nitroglycerin releases nitric oxide, which relaxes smooth muscle cells.

Nitric Oxide and Male Erectile Dysfunction

Dr. Murad’s discovery contributed to the development of Viagra, which helps produce erections by dilating blood vessels.

Viagra facilitates erections by increasing penile blood flow. Murad’s finding of the role of nitric oxide has also helped numerous premature babies (whose underdeveloped lungs need stimulation).

Dr. Murad died September 4th at his Menlo Park, California (USA) home. He was 86.

The post The Strange Story of Heart and Erectile Dysfunction Medicines appeared first on Medika Life.

Scientists are reporting new details about the association between certain hair straightening products (such as chemical relaxers and pressing products) and increased cancer risk in women.

How concerned should we be? Today we explore the epidemiology of uterus (endometrial) cancer before turning to the magnitude of the risk associated with using hair straightening products.

Uterus cancer basics

Endometrial cancer is a cancer type that begins in the uterus’s inner lining. The uterus is the pear-shaped, hollow pelvic organ in which fetal development occurs.

Endometrial (uterus) cancer start in cells forming the uterus lining. Other cancer types can begin in the uterus, including uterine sarcoma. These other types are much less common than endometrial carcinoma, however.

Fortunately, when it occurs, endometrial cancer is often caught at an early stage, as the disease frequently produces abnormal vaginal bleeding. When discovered early, surgically removing the uterus is often associated with a cure.

Uterus cancer symptoms and risk factors

Endometrial cancer symptoms can include vaginal bleeding after menopause, bleeding between periods, or pelvic pain.

Let’s turn to some factors that can increase the risk of endometrial cancer. The Mayo Clinic (USA) explains that risk factors include:

• Changes in female hormone balance. The ovaries make two “female” hormones — estrogen and progesterone. Fluctuations in the balance of these hormones lead to changes in the uterus lining or endometrium.
• A condition that increases your body’s estrogen (but not progesterone) levels. For example, obesity, diabetes, irregular ovulation patterns, and polycystic ovary syndrome raise endometrial cancer. Taking hormones after menopause that contain estrogen — but don’t include progesterone — increases uterine cancer risk.
• A rare type of ovarian tumor that releases estrogen also can increase the risk of endometrial cancer.
• More years of menstruation. Starting menstruation early — before age 12 — or beginning menopause later increases endometrial cancer risk. The more periods you have experienced, the more exposure your endometrium has had to estrogen.
• Never having been pregnant.
• Older age. With increasing age, endometrial cancer risk rises. Endometrial cancer occurs most often after menopause.
• Obesity. The increase in risk may be secondary to excess body fat altering your body’s hormone balance.
• Hormone therapy for breast cancer. Taking tamoxifen, an anti-hormone drug for breast cancer can increase the risk of endometrial cancer. For most, the tamoxifen benefits outweigh the small risk of endometrial cancer.
• An inherited colon cancer syndrome. Lynch syndrome (hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC)) increases malignancy risk, including colon and uterus cancer. Lynch syndrome is the product of genetic mutations passed from parents to their children. If your family member has been diagnosed with Lynch syndrome, please discuss your risk of the genetic syndrome with your healthcare provider. If you have Lynch syndrome, ask what cancer screening tests you should consider.

Hair straightening and cancer

Many hair products contain endocrine-disrupting compounds and cancer-causing substances that may raise malignancy risk, including breast and ovarian cancer. Products used predominately by Black women may contain more hormonally-active compounds.

Some, but not all, research studies suggest hair dyes and straightener use raise breast cancer risk. But what about uterus cancer?

A new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute discovered:

Among women who did not use hair-straightening chemical products in the past year, 1.6 percent developed uterine cancer by age 70. Approximately four percent of the women who frequently (more than four times in the previous year) used such hair-straightening products developed uterine cancer by age 70.

While more than doubling uterus cancer risk sounds disturbing, the relative increase translates to an absolute increase of just over two percent. While hair straightening products appeared linked to uterus cancer, other hair products — such as perms, dyes, and body waves — did not.

The recent study includes data on nearly 34,000 women in the United States aged 35 to 74. All completed questionnaires about their use of hair products such as dyes, perms, relaxers, and straighteners. The National Institutes of Health researchers also tracked cancer diagnoses.

The association between hair straightening product use and uterine cancer may have the biggest implications for Black women. These women represented only about seven percent of the study population, but 60 percent of those who reported ever using straighteners.

While the researchers did not collect hair product ingredient information, they observed that several chemicals in straighteners might contribute to an increased incidence of uterine cancer.

Speaking to CNN, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health epidemiologist Dr. Tamarra James-Todd observes that some substances found in hair-straightening products, especially those most used by and marketed to Black and Latina women, are hormone-disrupting chemicals.

Hair straighteners and uterus cancer — My take

This research investigation is the first epidemiologic study that examined the relationship between straightener use and uterine cancer.

While the study is provocative, suggesting an association between straightening chemical products and increased uterine cancer risk, it cannot determine that the products cause cancer. It could be pure association.

However, conducting a randomized trial of 40,000 individuals is not practical. I hope we see more research investigations to confirm the findings in various populations and to identify any carcinogens in the products.

Uterine cancer represents three percent of all new cancer cases in the United States but is the most common cancer of the female reproductive system, with 65,950 estimated new cases in 2022. The incidence of uterine cancer has been rising in the United States, especially among Black women.

Endometrial cancer risk reduction

To drop your endometrial cancer risk, you may wish to consider the following:

• Talk to your doctor about the risks of hormone therapy after menopause. Chat with your doctor about the risks and benefits if you’re considering hormone replacement therapy to help control menopause symptoms. Unless you’ve undergone a hysterectomy (uterus removal), estrogen hormone replacement alone after menopause may increase your risk of endometrial cancer. Taking both estrogen and progestin may drop this risk. Hormone therapy has other risks, so weigh the benefits and risks with your doctor.
• Consider taking birth control pills. The risk reduction may last several years after you stop taking oral contraceptives. Of course, oral contraceptives can have side effects, so please discuss the benefits and risks with your doctor.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Obesity increases endometrial cancer risk. If you want to lose weight, increase your physical activity and reduce the number of calories you consume daily.

Thank you for joining me in examining the association between hair straightening product use and uterus (endometrial) cancer risk. Whether you use hair straightening products or not, you may reduce your risk with the strategies described above.

The post Hair Straightening and Cancer — What Oncologists Want You to Know appeared first on Medika Life.

 Only 6.8% of the group in 2017-2018 had what would be considered optimal cardiometabolic health. And the trend is down, substantially. (See the article text for the graphic presentation.)

Let that sink in for a moment. We Americans stack up health wise very poorly.

African Americans and Mexican Americans fared somewhat worse than whites as did men compared to women, less educated vs more educated, and less affluent than more so participants.

But for you well-educated, affluent whites, be aware, you still did poorly.

Equally important, the trend is down in every category over the almost twenty years of this survey.

It is notable that the survey criteria used here did not include measurements of exercise (most Americans are deficient,) diet (most Americans eat an unhealthy diet,) stress (most are chronically stressed,) or sleep (most are sleep deprived.) Add these in along with tobacco usage (fortunately now down below 15%) and excessive alcohol consumption and we are a woeful group wondering why we develop diabetes, angina, a heart attack or a stroke, cancer, kidney disease or Alzheimer’s.

The authors of the study made the obvious conclusion that “the findings inform the need for nationwide clinical and public health interventions to improve cardiometabolic health and health equity.”

In an accompanying editorial, Failing Cardiovascular Health: A Population Code Blue^∗ in the Journal of Cardiology, the authors observe, “The reported findings of secular trends of stalling and worsening cardiometabolic profile should not be a surprise as the obesogenic lifestyle—unhealthy dietary patterns that feature foods and beverages high in saturated fat, sugar, salt, and calories; little or no physical activity; alcohol; too much or too little sleep; and hours of screen time—seems to be the norm for many Americans and other populations. These obesogenic behaviors are promoted by increasing opportunities for screen time, a snack food industry [the link will bring you to an interesting short article] that uses science to craft products that are tasty and addictive yet neither satisfying nor filling, and community designs that favor travel by automobile and discourage walking and bicycling. We are particularly concerned about the potential for the developing metaverse to decrease physical activity and increase obesity.

“Regaining the momentum toward positive cardiovascular health will not occur spontaneously. It will require the engagement of every physician and every public health policy with action at 3 levels—personal, clinical, and community.”

My last article in this series on our dysfunctional healthcare delivery system was titled “Follow the Money in Healthcare – It Will Lead You to Chronic Diseases.”

In a reader’s comment, with only the first two paragraphs copied here, Jo Lis wrote, “Prevention of chronic disease is as a practical matter, for most people; eat sensibly, exercise, don’t smoke, don’t drink excessively, get enough sleep, time outdoors, etc. We all know this, and yet only some of us check a few of those boxes regularly. Food is the key to all of this, and it is the most misunderstood ingredient in preventative care. The big #1 one principle is to eat sensibly. Most of us don’t even know what that means anymore. Consuming whole foods is the point. But that is not profitable for the big food companies, so we get told lies to make us buy processed foods that end up causing preventable chronic disease. You see the vicious circle there? … Follow the money, as usual.”

Since industry and government probably will not help much, it is incumbent upon us to take the first steps. In this regard, the American Heart Association (AHA) has set out a set of metrics designed to assist us in determining our health status and watching it into the future. Called “Life’s Essential 8,” it is an update in June 2022 of their earlier “Life’s Simple 7” published in 2010. That was a “a novel construct of cardiovascular health to promote a paradigm shift from a focus solely on disease treatment to one inclusive of positive health promotion and preservation across the life course.” This is an important paradigm shift as the vast majority of the dollars expended today for are for diagnosis and treatment of chronic disease; hardly any goes to disease prevention, wellness maintenance and health preservation.

“Life’s Essential 8,” by the American Heart Association. Each of the four health behaviors and four health factors are graded on a scale of 1-10. Those summarize as a composite score shown on the Overall scale at the top which, in this example, gives a score of 68. See text for details.

The new AHA metrics recognize that social determinants and psychological health are important determinants of cardiovascular (and all) health. The Life’s Essential 8 include health behaviors of diet, physical activity, tobacco (including vaping and chews), sleep, and health factors of BMI (body mass index), blood lipids (non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol), blood glucose (sugar, as also measured by hemoglobin A1c), and blood pressure.

As the authors point out, “numerous studies have shown strong, stepwise, inverse associations between the number of ideal CVH [cardiovascular health] metrics or overall CVH score and total cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD mortality” but also “all-cause mortality and a wide variety of non-CVD outcomes.”

In other words, measuring cardiovascular health status is an excellent guide toward health in general. This suggests that using the Life’s Essential 8 methodology can be an excellent guide to developing effective wellness preservation and chronic disease prevention approaches.

The Life’s Essential 8 emphasizes the importance of social and economic conditions that impact ultimate CVH. Community resources such as education, agriculture, employment, water and sanitation, housing, etc. are foundational to good health overall and CVH in particular. So too are a person’s psychological health where anxiety, depression and pessimism detract from health whereas psychological well-being, gratitude, optimism and a sense of life’s purpose all benefit good health. These factors have consistently been shown to improve longevity and “healthspan,” i.e., life lived without disease.

Obviously, the community resources group are dependent on government actions whereas the psychosocial are closely related to community status and issues but still are largely in the preview of the individual and his or her family and counsellors.

Sleep has been ignored until recently but new science has shown its importance to overall health and to cardiovascular health. Sleep is important to manage stress and inflammation, two interconnected conditions that are extremely important in the development of most all chronic diseases including coronary artery damage and plaque buildup.

Unfortunately, with just food alone, the cards are stacked against us in many ways. Nevertheless, we each need to assume responsibility for our health status. We also need help from the industrial agriculture and manufacturers of food industries, the food purveyors, insurers and governments at all levels. So far, except for tobacco, efforts have been minimal. And it is unlikely to change. There is just too much money being reaped that any attempts to push back is always met with strong resistance. Lobbyists keep Congress under control and marketing encourages us to eat more and more unhealthy processed foods.

So, it is up to you and you alone. If you would like to augment your and your loved one’s lives toward better health and a longer health lifespan, I encourage you to focus on at least some of the elements of healthy living. Read the AHA’s article in full. In later articles I will review the key concepts as outlined in the books noted below in my bio sketch.

Veal, squash, broccoli, salad, iced tea. Author’s image.

The authors of the newly released study from the CDC referred to at the top of this article also note that the prevalence of an ideal diet among all age groups of Americans is “negligible (<1%).” So, for now, focus on what you eat. That will be a great place to start. You don’t have to be perfect, just a bit better than yesterday. Each day you can make added headway.

Cut way down on sugar (soda, candies, ice cream) and white flour products (white bread, pastries, muffins, most cereals, even pizza.) Those are the “Nos.” Instead focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seeds and nuts, olives and olive oil, fatty fin fish like salmon, mackerel, or sardines, plus some dairy, poultry (preferably free range), and a limited amount of red meat, again preferably free range, grass fed. Look at the image above; do not think of this as unpleasant. Instead, make it a tasty, enjoyable meal preferably shared with a friend or two.

This will be an excellent start. You will feel better and then you can address some of the other key steps including exercise, stress management, and enhanced sleep. Follow the money; you will save dollars, not only now but big dollars in a future of lessened chronic illnesses. Your health will stack up way better than most.

Stephen C Schimpff, MD, MACP, is a quasi-retired internist, professor of medicine, former CEO of the University of Maryland Medical Center and author of Longevity Decoded – The 7 Keys to Healthy Aging and his co-authored book with Dr Harry Oken BOOM — Boost Our Own Metabolism

The post How Do We Americans Stack up Healthwise? Very Poorly! appeared first on Medika Life.

While we often first associate orgasm with pleasure, it has numerous health benefits. Physical and sexual health are associated.

For example, many who have cramping associated with menstrual cycles find that the orgasm-related release of endorphins and corticosteroids can help relieve pain.

Did you know that women who have regular sex have a diminished chance of suffering from heart disease or type 2 diabetes? Moreover, you can get an immune system boost.

Orgasm and the G spot

Today is not about the somewhat elusive G spot, but let’s take a moment to talk about it. Dr. Beverly Whipple introduced the Gräfenberg spot after discovering that using a “come here” motion along the inside of the vagina produced a physical response in women.

Dr. Whipple believed that this region could be essential to women achieving orgasm. In reality, the G spot is not a distinct anatomical spot.

Instead, the G spot a is part of the clitoral network. When researchers tried to find the G spot, they could not; they entitled their research study “The “G-Spot” Is Not a Structure Evident on Macroscopic Anatomic Dissection of the Vaginal Wall.”

Stimulate the so-called G spot, and you are affecting a part of the clitoris. The pea-sized part that most are aware of is only the tip of the clitoris; the latter divides into two roots that can be approximately four inches long. There is significant variability among women, however.

When stimulated, the G spot can cause female ejaculation and help women reach vaginal orgasm.

Orgasm and the brain: Introducing the C spot

Let’s move on from the G spot to a newer area of interest: The C spot. There is a brain region known as the somatosensory cortex. It is a region related to sensations such as pain, pressure, or warmth.

It has historically been challenging to pinpoint the exact location for sensory stimulation of the clitoris. One reason for the failure? The site in the brain caries among women.

The new study offers insights into the brain area and the variability among women. Interestingly, the size of the brain area differed by how frequently a woman reported having sex in the last year.

The research included 20 healthy women. None were menstruating during the study.

The women underwent magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging while wearing disposable underwear with a device placed over their clitoral region. The device vibrated to stimulate the area.

The researchers compared the brain images from this sensory experience to ones from women stimulating the back of their right hands with the same device.

My Take

By identifying the brain area (and variation) associated with clitoral-related orgasms, the study may help us develop management approaches for those with sexual dysfunction or dissatisfaction.

In addition, this is the first time that researchers associated sex frequency with the size of the brain structure related to clitoral touch.

The post Forget the G Spot — Here’s the C Spot appeared first on Medika Life.

 How so?

The COVID pandemic has changed the way we evaluate health technologies in four important and distinct ways.

1. Practicality replaces glitz.  The “Wow factor” is what mattered in the past.  “Look how cool this laser is that can identify your heart rhythm from 300 feet away!” “This headset lets me see how food travels through my body in real time!”   Technology can still be cool, but now the question is how will I use it?  Wearables that measure important variables like blood pressure will get more attention than new imaging tools that simply provide a clearer picture.
2. Prevention takes precedence over therapeutics.  COVID has demonstrated to us the importance of our personal health.  For too long, we made our jobs and other commitments our top priority.  Going forward, one’s personal health will become a major focus, especially as it relates to prevention.  How will a particular technology let me take control of my own health?  Nowadays, I am now more interested in a toilet that can monitor my urine for signs of diabetes or my stool for colorectal cancer than a device that creates holograms.  Once one gets pass the “icky” factor of some tools,  we will evolve to truly personalized preventive medicine.
3. Rigorous outcomes rule the day.  Everything now will be measured by how did it change patient outcomes.  Sure, it a device might show a new way to measure blood glucose – but what impact does it have on quality of life, co-morbidities, and life expectancy?
4. Consumer centricity rather than physician centricity.  In the past, technology has been focused on the health system and doctors.  It’s been a B-B approach.  That won’t go away, but more and more tech innovations will put the health consumer in charge.  For instance, I won’t be wearing a device that sends all the information to my doctor, but rather there will be more interpretation of all the data from wearables with direct communication to the patient.  This may require changes in regulation by the US Food and Drug Administration with a more practical definition of what constitutes a “medical device.” 

The real future of  digital health is when tech tools  continuously collect health data points and help interpret the information and provide preliminary diagnoses to patients.   The doctor isn’t going to be left out of this equation, but the difference will be that the patient will no longer be left out.  It’s the patient who will be at the center of how these technologies function from start to finish.

I’m sure I still going to be wow-ed this year and be entertained by the advancements we have made, especially during the last two years. But I’m also going to ask tougher questions on innovation, especially as relates to the purpose and impact.

The post Four Ways COVID has Changed Health Tech appeared first on Medika Life.

More than 13,000 US women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. In most cases, cervical cancer can be prevented through vaccination and proper cervical screening.

Despite screening programs, 4,000 US women die from HPV-related cervical cancer each year.

What is the point of a pap smear?

A pap (Papanicolaou) smear is a screening test for cervical cancer. The cervix is the opening of the uterus located at the back of the vagina. During a pap smear, doctors place a device called a speculum into the vagina.

The speculum opens the walls of the vagina allowing visualization of the cervix. Cervical cells are then collected using a small brush. These cells are sent to a lab for analysis.

The cells are processed under a microscope to evaluate for precancerous changes called cervical dysplasia. The goal of pap screening is to detect abnormal cervical changes so we can intervene long before cervical cancer develops.

Do I need an HPV test with my pap?

In addition to analyzing the cervical cells, doctors often perform an HPV test. HPV testing recommendations vary depending on your age. HPV testing is recommended for standard screening in women over 30.

HPV testing is also triggered when an abnormal pap smear is found in women under 30. Cervical dysplasia (precancerous cells of the cervix) are linked to the Human papillomavirus (HPV).

Statistically, 80% of Americans will contract HPV, making it the most common sexually transmitted infection. This means more of us will contract this STI than those who do not. HPV “co-testing” during pap smear helps guide the management steps when an abnormality occurs.

Around 40 of the known 130 known strains of HPV affect the genital tract. In men and women, HPV causes genital warts, and persistent strains can lead to cervical, penile, vaginal, anal, mouth, throat, and neck cancer. Approximately 20,000 women and 12,000 men develop cancer caused by HPV every year in the United States.

Who is at risk for HPV?

Anyone sexually active is at risk. The virus may stay dormant for years. Symptoms may not appear until long after you have sex with someone previously infected. It is rarely possible to know when you first became infected. You can not play the blame game with HPV.

Sexually transmitted HPV types fall into two groups, low risk and high risk.

• Low-risk HPVs mostly cause no disease. However, a few low-risk HPV types can cause warts on or around the genitals, anus, mouth, or throat.
• High-risk HPVs can cause several types of cancer. There are about 14 high-risk HPV types. Two of these, HPV16 and HPV18, are responsible for most HPV-related cancers.

Long-lasting infections with high-risk HPVs can cause cancer in parts of the body where HPV infects cells, such as in the cervix, mouth, throat, anus, rectum, penis, vagina, and vulva. 

The HPV vaccine and keeping your pap smears up to date are our best tools to impact cervical disease and HPV.

There is no cure or medication for HPV. The most effective way to protect yourself from HPV infection is to get vaccinated. The HPV vaccine is FDA approved for men and women age 9–45. The Center for Disease Control recommends that the vaccine be given as early as 11 or 12.

HPV vaccination is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices (ACIP) to prevent new HPV infections and HPV-associated diseases, including some cancers.

The vaccine is most effective when given before initiating sexual activity. It is still useful for those already sexually active as very few have already been exposed to the nine strains of HPV covered in the vaccine.

The most recent recommendations extended the age from 26 to 45, but insurance coverage for those in this age group is lagging.

Pap smears allow for early detection of disease

When a pap smear comes back abnormal, there is no reason to hit the panic button. The next step is a microscope exam called a colposcopy procedure. A colposcopy is an office procedure that allows your doctor to visualize the cervix more closely using a microscope. The colposcope identifies abnormal cervical tissue that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

This office procedure helps determine where on the cervix the abnormal cells are coming from and how severe the abnormality is.

If an area of the cervix appears concerning or precancerous, the doctor can sample the area with a biopsy during the exam.

If the biopsy shows a precancerous lesion, your healthcare provider may recommend a LEEP (loop electrosurgical excision procedure.)

A few minutes of discomfort can save your life

Pap smears save lives. Period. No one likes to get this test, but the benefits of early detection and prevention outweigh the risks of avoiding it.

If it is time for you to update you pap smear, it is well worth your time to do it. A pap smear could save your life.

The post Pap smears Aren’t Fun But Can Save Your Life by Preventing Cervical Cancer appeared first on Medika Life.

What can I do before getting pregnant to lower my risk of passing HIV to my baby?

If you plan to become pregnant, talk to your doctor right away. Your doctor can talk with you about how HIV can affect your health during pregnancy and your unborn baby’s health. Your doctor can work with you to prepare for a healthy pregnancy before you start trying to become pregnant.

Everyone living with HIV should take HIV medicines to stay healthy. If you are thinking about becoming pregnant and are not taking HIV treatment, it is important that you begin, because this will lower your chances of passing the virus to your baby when you become pregnant.

There are ways for you to get pregnant that will limit your partner’s risk of HIV infection. You can ask your doctor about ways to get pregnant and still protect your partner.

I do not have HIV, but my partner does. Can I get pregnant without getting HIV?

Women have a higher risk of HIV infection during vaginal sex than men. If you do not have HIV but your male partner does, the risk of getting HIV while trying to get pregnant can be reduced but not totally eliminated.

Talk to your doctor about HIV medicine you can take (called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP) to help protect you and your baby from HIV.

You may also want to consider donor sperm or assisted reproductive technology, such as semen washing or in vitro fertilization, to get pregnant. These options can be expensive and may not be covered by your health insurance.

I’m pregnant. Will my baby have HIV?

If you just found out you are pregnant, see your doctor right away. Find out what you can do to take care of yourself and to give your baby a healthy start to life.

With your doctor’s help, you can decide on the best treatment for you and your baby before, during, and after the pregnancy. You should also take these steps below before and during your pregnancy to help you and your baby stay healthy.

Just because you have HIV doesn’t mean your child will get HIV. In the United States, before effective treatment was available, about 25% of pregnant mothers with HIV passed the virus to their babies. Today, if you take HIV treatment and have an undetectable viral load, your risk of passing HIV to your baby is less than 1%.¹

What can I do to lower my risk of passing HIV to my baby?

Thanks to more HIV testing and new medicines, the number of children infected with HIV during pregnancy, labor and childbirth, and breastfeeding has decreased by 90% since the mid-1990s. The steps below can lower the risk of giving HIV to your baby:

Step 1

Tell your doctor you want to get pregnant. Your doctor can help you decide if you need to change your treatments to lower your viral load, to help you get pregnant without passing HIV to your partner, and to prevent you from passing the virus to your baby. He or she will also help you get as healthy as possible before you get pregnant to improve your chances of a healthy pregnancy and baby. Don’t stop using condoms for STI prevention and another method of birth control for pregnancy prevention until your doctor says you are healthy enough to start trying.

Step 2

Get prenatal care. Prenatal care is the care you receive from your doctor while you are pregnant. You need to work closely with your doctor throughout your pregnancy to monitor your treatment, your health, and your baby’s health.

Step 3

Start HIV treatment. You can start treatment before pregnancy to lower the risk of passing HIV to your baby. If you are already on treatment, do not stop, but do see your doctor right away. Some HIV drugs should not be used while you’re pregnant. For other drugs, you may need a different dosage.

Step 4

Manage side effects. Side effects from HIV medicines can be especially challenging during pregnancy, but it is still important that you take your medicine as directed by your doctor. Talk to your doctor about any side effects you have and about ways to manage them.

Step 5

Do not breastfeed. You can pass the virus to your baby through your breastmilk even if you are taking medicine. The best way to avoid passing HIV to your baby is to feed your infant formula instead of breastfeeding.

Step 6

Make sure your baby is tested for HIV right after birth. You should choose a doctor or clinic experienced in caring for babies exposed to HIV. They will tell you what follow-up tests your baby will need and when. Talk to your doctor about whether your baby may benefit from starting treatment right away.

Step 7

Ask your pediatric HIV specialist if your baby might benefit from anti-HIV medicines before you know if your baby is HIV-positive or HIV-negative. Research has shown that giving combination HIV drugs to newborns is better at preventing HIV than taking AZT (azidothymidine, an antiretroviral medicine) alone.

Can I take HIV medicine during pregnancy?

HIV-infected pregnant women should take HIV medicines. These medicines can lower the risk of passing HIV to a baby and improve the mother’s health.

If you haven’t used any HIV drugs before pregnancy and are in your first trimester, your doctor will help you decide if you should start treatment. Here are some things to consider:

• Nausea and vomiting may make it hard to take the HIV medicine early during pregnancy.
• It is possible the medicine may affect your baby. Your doctor will prescribe medicine that is safe to use during pregnancy.
• HIV is more commonly passed to a baby late in pregnancy or during delivery. HIV can be passed early in pregnancy if your viral load is detectable.
• Studies show treatment works best at preventing HIV in a baby if it is started before pregnancy or as early as possible during pregnancy.

If you are taking HIV drugs and find out you’re pregnant in the first trimester, talk to your doctor about sticking with your current treatment plan. Some things you can talk about with your doctor include:

• Whether to continue or stop HIV treatment in the first trimester. Stopping HIV medicine could cause your viral load to go up. If your viral load goes up, the risk of infection also goes up. Your disease also could get worse and cause problems for your baby. So this is a serious decision to make with your doctor.
• What effects your HIV medicines may have on the baby
• Whether you are at risk for drug resistance. This means the HIV medicine you take no longer works against HIV. Never stop taking your HIV medicine without first talking to your doctor.

Can I get help paying for care during pregnancy?

If you are pregnant, Medicaid may pay for your prenatal care. If you are pregnant and living with HIV, Medicaid might pay for counseling, medicine to lower the risk of passing HIV to your baby, and treatment for HIV. Each state makes its own rules regarding Medicaid. Contact your local or county medical assistance, welfare, or social services office to learn more. If you are unable to find that number, search your state’s department of health.

If you don’t think you qualify for assistance, check again. Sometimes states change their Medicaid rules. Under the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid eligibility expanded to cover many more people. Also, you may be newly eligible for Medicaid because of increased income limits for prenatal care and HIV treatment for pregnant women.

You may also access care through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. Find a Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program medical care provider near you. 

Offsite Resources

For more information about HIV and pregnancy, check out the following resources from other organizations:

• HIV Among Pregnant Women, Infants, and Children — Fact sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• HIV and Pregnancy — Information from AIDSinfo.
• Infant feeding and HIV — Publication from UNICEF.
• Elimination of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission (EMCT) in the United States — Fact sheet from CDC.
• One Test. Two Lives. — Campaign information from the CDC.

The post Pregnancy and HIV; Here is What We Need to Know appeared first on Medika Life.

Fact: HIV and AIDS are problems in the United States.

HIV and AIDS are not problems that exist only in Africa or in other parts of the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 1.2 million Americans 13 years and older are living with HIV.

One in four people living with AIDS in the United States in 2014 was a woman. An estimated 128,778 women have died of AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic in 1981.

Fact: HIV is not the same as AIDS.

HIV is the virus that leads to AIDS. You have AIDS if your CD4 count drops below 200 or when you have certain infections or cancers. You can have HIV for years without having AIDS. Being infected with HIV does not mean you have developed AIDS.

Also, people with HIV who start treatment early in their infection, stay on treatment, and have an undetectable viral load can stay healthy and prevent the disease from progressing to AIDS.

Fact: HIV tests are reliable.

Newer HIV tests identify the virus itself and a marker on the virus called p24 antigen. These tests can detect HIV infection much earlier than previous tests. A follow-up test to confirm the results also can determine the strain of HIV infection you may have. 

Fact: HIV cannot be cured.

There is no cure for HIV at this time. But with today’s medicine, women can reduce their viral load (amount of HIV in the blood) to the point that it is undetectable. This means that your viral load is fewer than 40 to 75 copies in a sample of your blood.

An undetectable viral load does not mean that you no longer have HIV. It is still possible to pass HIV to others, although the risk is much lower. Having an undetectable viral load also helps prevent the progression to AIDS or getting other infections.

Research is being done that may lead to new treatments and new ways of preventing HIV infection. In the meantime, women with HIV are living full lives, including working, having children, and participating fully in their communities.

Fact: There is no vaccine to prevent HIV.

Right now we do not have a vaccine to prevent HIV. Vaccines are the best way to prevent diseases you can get from other people, like the measles, mumps, or polio. Researchers have been working for more than 20 years to develop a safe and effective vaccine against HIV.

HIV is a complicated virus that changes over time. This makes vaccine research difficult, and it takes a long time to do the research. Researchers are closer to developing a vaccine to prevent HIV and a vaccine to treat HIV and AIDS.

Fact: People with HIV should start HIV medicine right away.

Even if you’re feeling great and have no symptoms, HIV is hurting your immune system. To protect your immune system, most experts recommend starting HIV medicines (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) as soon as you are diagnosed with HIV. Because these drugs reduce your “viral load,” or the amount of HIV in your blood, they also reduce your chances of passing HIV to others.

Fact: You cannot know if your partner has HIV unless he or she is tested.

It can take years for you to see symptoms of HIV. This is called the latency period. The only way to fully protect yourself from sexually transmitted HIV is to not have sex of any kind. Using a condom correctly every time you have vaginal, oral, or anal sex can reduce the risk of passing HIV by 80%. Male latex condoms offer the best protection against HIV, but female condoms are also approved by the Food and Drug Administration to help lower your risk for HIV infection.

Use a condom every time you have sex for two reasons. First, your partner might be infected but not know it. Second, you cannot control your partner’s risky behavior. You can know only your HIV status and control only your own risk-taking.

Fact: You (or your partner) need to wear a condom during sex, even if you are both HIV-positive.

If you and your partner have HIV, you still need to practice safer sex. Use a condom every time you have vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Condoms can protect you from other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Also, since there are different strains (types) of HIV, you can be infected a second time with a different type than what you already have. Some forms of HIV are also more virulent, meaning they progress to AIDS faster. You could become infected with a drug-resistant strain of HIV. This can make it very hard for treatment to work.

Fact: Women can give HIV to men.

It is much harder for men to get HIV from women, but it does happen. HIV can enter a man’s body at the opening of the tip of the penis and through cuts or sores on the shaft that may not be visible.

Plus, if a partner has an untreated sexually transmitted infection (STI) like genital herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea, or chlamydia, the risk is even higher. These infections can bring more CD4 cells to the area of infection or cause breaks in the skin. These STIs also raise your risk for passing HIV to others.

Fact: A pregnant woman with HIV can lower the chance of passing HIV to her unborn baby to less than 1%.

A woman who knows about her HIV infection early in pregnancy and gets antiretroviral (ARV) medicine can lower the risk of passing HIV to her baby to less than 1%. Without treatment, the risk of a mother with HIV passing it to her baby is about 25% (in the United States).

If you are pregnant, get tested for HIV. Also, do not breastfeed your baby until you and your doctor are certain you don’t have HIV.

Fact: Lesbians can get HIV.

It is rare for women who have only ever had sex with women to get or pass HIV. But HIV can be passed through vaginal fluids and menstrual blood.

Avoid sex if you (or your partner) have HIV and either a yeast infection or your period. Also, do not share sex toys, because microscopic particles in the fluids on sex toys can pass HIV. You can also get HIV from drugs and shared needles or syringes.

Fact: Women of all ages, races and ethnicities, and sexual orientations can get HIV.

Any woman who has unprotected sex or shares needles or syringes with someone who is HIV-positive or whose HIV status is unknown is at risk for HIV.

HIV is not just a disease of gay men. In fact, worldwide, most people living with HIV are straight (heterosexual), and more than half of people living with HIV are women. In the United States, women make up about one in four people living with HIV.

Most women who are HIV-positive got HIV from unprotected sex with an HIV-positive male. 

Fact: You can get HIV from sharing needles or getting tattoos or body piercings.

Sharing needles is the second most common way that HIV is spread to women in the United States (sex is the most common way). Any woman who shares needles with someone who is HIV-positive or whose HIV status is unknown is at risk for HIV. 

It is also possible to get HIV from tattoo and piercing tools that are not sterilized correctly between clients. Tools that cut the skin should be used once and then thrown away or sterilized between uses.

Before you get a tattoo or have your body pierced, ask the right questions. Find out what steps the staff takes to prevent HIV and other infections, like hepatitis B and hepatitis C. You also can call your local health department to ask how tattoo shops should sterilize their tools. A new, sterilized needle should be used for each person.

Many, but not all, states regulate and issue permits for tattoo parlors. Before getting a tattoo, learn what regulations your tattoo parlor must follow and whether it has passed a health inspection.

Fact: HIV is not spread by mosquitoes, sweat, tears, pools, or casual contact.

Even if mosquitoes could carry the HIV virus, they do not inject blood into your skin. No transmission of this type has ever been reported around the world. Also, you cannot get HIV from shaking hands, using the toilet, or coming into contact with someone’s sweat or tears from their eyes. The only bodily fluids that are known to transmit HIV are semen, vaginal fluids, anal fluids, breastmilk, and blood (including menstrual blood).

The post Facts about HIV and AIDS for Women appeared first on Medika Life.