Since the birth control pill was first introduced in the 1960s, millions of women have used hormonal contraceptives to gain a new measure of control over their reproductive health. Unfortunately, however, it can be difficult for women to find a hormonal contraceptive that doesn’t come with unpleasant side effects like nausea, weight gain and anxiety…. Read more »
Late last year, the Trump administration attempted to significantly expand the scope of the Affordable Care Act’s birth control mandate opt-out program. Under the administration’s new rules, virtually any employer could refuse to provide free birth control coverage to their employees by citing religious or moral objections. Just a few months after the new rules… Read more »
Although it’s common practice for pharmacies to dispense only three months of birth control pills at a time, offering women 12-month supplies of birth control could reduce healthcare costs and unintended pregnancy rates, according to a study recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine. This study, which was conducted at the University of Pittsburgh School of… Read more »
Last month, presidential candidate and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker unveiled details of a sweeping plan to protect abortion rights at the national level, should he be elected president in 2020. To begin with, Booker says that he would create a White House Office of Reproductive Freedom on “day one” as president. This office would… Read more »
While some states such as Alabama, Georgia and Ohio are passing legislation to restrict abortion access, lawmakers in other states (including New York) are enacting their own bills that protect reproductive rights and reinforce the legal precedent established by Roe v. Wade in 1973. Earlier this week, for example, the Illinois House of Representatives approved… Read more »
Last week, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed a bill into law that constitutes a near-total ban on abortion, making it the most restrictive abortion law in the nation. If the legislation goes into effect (and that’s a big ‘if’ given the court battle it’s sure to face) doctors who perform abortions could face penalties of… Read more »
Have you visited Google today? If so, you probably noticed the illustration of a scientist observing cells under a microscope. This man is Georgios Papanikolaou, inventor of the pap smear and a medical pioneer who was born on this day 136 years ago. Papanikolaou began his studies in medical school when he was just 15…. Read more »
National Women’s Health Week begins this Sunday, and here at South Avenue Women’s Services we’re excited to honor a week dedicated to the advancement of women’s health and well-being. Looking for ways to get involved this year? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers some great suggestions to help anyone celebrate Women’s Health… Read more »
Earlier this month, a group of scientists at a UC-Berkeley based startup called YourChoice Therapeutics announced an exciting new development in a decade-long effort to create a new method of birth control that would offer all the benefits of hormonal contraceptives without their undesirable side effects such as migraines and weight gain. The scientists call… Read more »
Just over a decade ago in 2008, the UK launched a nationwide campaign to immunize all girls aged 12 to 13 against two strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) which are known to cause cervical disease and cancer in both men and women. Now, 11 years later, a study published in the British Medical Journal… Read more »