Top Advances in Women’s Health

In 2015, most people finally came to have health insurance (Thanks, Obama!). For some women, this meant a higher awareness of chronic issues like heart health, breast cancer and sexual health. But it also shed light on issues like the need to address trauma, and the continuing problem of HIV infection among women.

Below is a list of some of the top health stories in women’s lives in the last year. With any luck, 2016 will see progress in international health issues, especially those that go hand in hand with women’s parity issues.

HIV Still a Huge Issue for Women, Says Dr. Susan Blumenthal: Although the overall number of HIV infections in the U.S. is down, women still account for 20 percent of all new HIV infections while African-American women account for approximately two-thirds of this population. This racial disparity is shocking considering that African-American women only represent 13 percent of the population yet constitute 64 percent of all new HIV infections. Equally alarming is the fact that 84 percent of new female HIV infections are attributed to heterosexual sex. Biologically, women are more vulnerable than men to become infected with HIV during unprotected sex. Read more here.

MPTs Protect Women from HIV, STIs and Unplanned Pregnancies: Finding that magic bullet that can keep women from getting HIV, STIs or becoming pregnant is a promising new field of research for doctors across the globe. Disappointing news from the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle about the failed trials of Tenofovir vaginal gel for HIV prevention has taken some wind from their sails. But researchers at CAMI Health, led by coordinator Dr. Bethany Young Holt, are doggedly advancing Multipurpose Prevention Technologies (MPTs), among them a one-size-fits-all diaphragm, easy-to-use vaginal rings, gels and injectables for contraception. Read more here.

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Originally published by Edge Media Network