Women's Health

Research throws light on the mystery of why women are much more prone to autoimmune disorders: A molecule made by one X chromosome in every female cell can generate antibodies to a woman’s own tissues.

Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare physician performs surgery on a cancer patient with the help of a da Vinci robotic system. The technology eases patients’ recovery and offers surgeons a clear view of the procedure.

About three weeks before delivery, a pregnant woman’s body shifts into a pre-labor phase characterized by changes in immune, hormonal and blood-clotting signals.

Women exposed to higher levels of nitrate in drinking water were more likely to deliver very early, according to a study of 1.4 million California births.

A statewide quality improvement project has reduced cesarean section rates for low-risk, first-time mothers, while also improving outcomes for babies.

Refuting an earlier study, researchers found that epidural anesthesia, commonly administered for pain relief during labor, does not increase the risk for autism in children.

Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare was recognized for overall quality, safety and performance in a number of specialties.

Stanford researchers will study the connections between preeclampsia in pregnant women and the subsequent risk of atherosclerosis as the women grow older.

Stanford researchers and their colleagues have tested a new contraceptive device that they say could provide broader access to long-acting contraception in developing countries.

Giving birth soon after military deployment is linked to greater risk of premature delivery, a Stanford study of U.S. servicewomen found, but deployment history itself does not raise prematurity risk.

Elevated maternal blood sugar when the fetal heart is forming has been linked to a heightened risk for congenital heart defects, according to a new Stanford study.

A Stanford professor of medicine discusses why giving consideration to sex and gender differences in research and treatment would improve medical care for everyone.

A woman’s immune system changes throughout a normal pregnancy in a highly orchestrated manner, Stanford researchers have found. The findings lay the groundwork for tests to predict preterm birth.

A study led by Stanford and a biotechnology company found that women who have high progesterone levels when their eggs are retrieved benefit from waiting to receive embryos.

Researchers assigned levels of risk to 25 mutations associated with breast and ovarian cancer in a large, Stanford-led study. The results may be helpful in guiding treatment and screening recommendations.

“The reinstatement of the Mexico City policy is a stark example of ‘evidence-free’ policy making that ignores the best scientific data,” Nathan Lo and Michele Barry write.

The Stanford institute’s grant program funds projects that support innovative clinical and translational research on maternal and child health.

Subak, who earned her medical degree at Stanford, is an expert in urogynecology, particularly in researching and treating urinary incontinence in women.

More Egyptian women are seeking the opinions of physicians on whether their daughters should undergo female genital cutting, which is illegal in the country, but they say doctors don’t advise against the procedure.