North America | United States | Health

10% of Pregnant Women Drink Alcohol, Study Finds

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More than 10 percent of pregnant women in the United States, and 18 percent of pregnant women age 35 and older, say they drank alcohol in the past month, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What's more, among all pregnant women who reported drinking alcohol, about a third reported binge drinking, meaning they consumed at least four alcoholic beverages on one occasion, the study found. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy is a health concern because it can cause birth defects and developmental disabilities in babies, and increase the risk of comp
South Asia | India | Education

200 girls leave school due to lack of toilets

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More than 200 girls have discontinued their studies at a government-run residential school (boarding school) in the Indian state of Jharkhand, citing lack of toilets and harassment from local boys. The Kasturba Gandhi Awasiya School was set up to promote education among girls in rural areas. The hostel of the school, where 220 girls were provided accommodation, had just five toilets. The girls say that they often had to heed nature’s call in the open as there weren’t enough facilities for them to use.
North America | United States | Health

Are Thousands of Women Getting Mastectomies When They Don’t Need to?

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You might have heard about the latest cancer findings, which were published in the medical journal JAMA Oncology and expertly explained by The New York Times. In short: A massive 20-year-long study found that hoards of women who got lumpectomies or mastectomies to remove abnormal breast cells (which are generally considered a precursor to breast cancer) were just as likely as the average woman to die of breast cancer within two decades. The new research completely conflicts with the common sense that removing abnormal breast cells (i.e., ductal carcinoma in situ or D.C.I.S.) whic