News
Endometriosis can complicate hysterectomies, UTSW study shows
Patients with endometriosis are more likely to experience complications during and after hysterectomies, a study by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers shows. The findings, published in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, suggest surgeons should be prepared for the problems that may occur in patients with endometriosis, a painful condition that affects about 15% of women and is a major cause of infertility.
Females’ osteoarthritis risk should be addressed early in life
Sex-specific differences in the knee joint should be considered as early as childhood to help prevent higher incidence and severity of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in women later in life, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers propose in a review of clinical data.
Early diagnosis of pelvic floor disorders key for health
Pelvic floor disorders (PFDs), which occur when women’s pelvic floor muscles are weakened or injured, significantly affect quality of life and require surgery for hundreds of thousands in the U.S. each year. Now a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has found a noninvasive test that could identify women at risk for these conditions and improve treatment.
Postpartum urinary incontinence linked to mental health
A UT Southwestern Medical Center study of hundreds of underserved women showed that depression and anxiety, in addition to physical factors such as a higher body mass index and previous births, are associated with lingering postpartum urinary incontinence.
Male, female knee cartilage disparities may explain differences in rates of degeneration
Researchers have long known there are sex disparities when it comes to the prevalence and severity of knee osteoarthritis, a disease that causes cartilage degeneration. Now, investigations underway at UT Southwestern Medical Center point to biological differences in the knee cartilage of male and female animals that could explain substantial variances in rates of osteoarthritis between the sexes and may eventually lead to tailored treatments that take these into account.
Oral contraceptive use may reduce muscle-tendon injuries
Women who take oral contraceptives may be significantly less likely to experience certain musculoskeletal injuries than women who do not take the drugs or men, according to a study by UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Inducing labor with drug vaginally shows benefits in study
Labor induction with vaginal misoprostol during childbirth achieves vaginal delivery rates similar to the oral alternative while significantly reducing the need for oxytocin, the most commonly used labor-inducing drug, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.
UT Southwestern approved for $18 million for multicenter trial to improve postpartum care
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have been approved for an $18 million funding award from the nonprofit Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to investigate ways to improve postpartum health among primarily low-income Black and Hispanic women.
UTSW researchers find no decrease in preterm births with vaginal progesterone
Vaginal progesterone, a hormone treatment considered the standard of care for preventing preterm birth in at-risk pregnant women, may not be effective, according to UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers.
UTSW faculty featured in historic display of female role models at the Smithsonian
Julie Mirpuri, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics and a neonatologist, felt humbled to see a life-size neon orange replica of herself among the 120 statues of diverse contemporary female STEMM innovators and role models at the #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit in Washington, D.C., earlier this month. The exhibit kicked off a Women’s Futures Month festival for visitors to the Smithsonian Institution and will be on display through March 27 on the National Mall.