Women's Health Task Force

Advancing Women's Health: Check out the New Site

Advancing Women's Health is an interactive digital library for sex and gender-specific women's health education resources. It's a project of the Women's Health Working Group, which two NCWO affiliates are part of, the American Medical Women's Association and the American College of Women's Health Physicians.

Health Tips for Getting a Good Night's Sleep

Sleep hygiene refers to habits and lifestyle changes that promote healthy sleep and are something you can do at home.

* Try to wake up at the same time every day, regardless of when you go to bed.
* Avoid long daytime naps, but brief naps may help.
* Exercise daily but not several hours before bedtime.
* Use the bed only for sleeping or sex; do not read or watch TV in bed.
* Avoid heavy or spicy meals, alcohol, caffeine and nicotine before bedtime.
* Control your nighttime environment with comfortable temperature, noise, and light levels.

If unable to sleep within 30 minutes, get out of bed and perform a relaxing activity like reading or listening to music. (Source: Northwestern University, Inst. for Women's Health Research)

Confusion Continues Over Breast Screening Guidelines; Economy Impacts Numbers

Mammography advocates have been concerned about the impact of last November's screening recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). But it turns out that the economy is having a much bigger effect on screening.

Controversy Persists Over Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines

Eight months after the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released updated breast cancer screening guidelines, some physicians and lawmakers continue to call for the guidelines' withdrawal, Long Island Newsday reports. See summary of article in Women's Health Policy Report.

NCWO Joins National Campaign to Encourage Men To Take Preventive Steps in Their Health Care

New research finds men are 24 percent less likely than women to have visited their doctor. NCWO is promoting a new federal government public service ad and website to address this. Check out the campaign, which includes a comprehensive website.

Federal Govt. Issues Patient's Bill of Rights

The Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Treasury on June 22 issued regulations to implement a new Patient's Bill of Rights under the Affordable Care Act - which will help children (and eventually all Americans) with pre-existing conditions gain coverage and keep it, protect all Americans' choice of doctors and end lifetime limits on the care consumers may receive. These new protections apply to nearly all health insurance plans.

FDA Panel Gives Ulipristal Acetate Unanimous Positive Vote

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs voted 11 to 0 to conclude that ulipristal acetate is effective and safe for use as an emergency contraceptive.

The committee's vote followed a review of data from the ulipristal acetate preclinical and clinical development program. Involving more than 4000 women from the U.S. and Europe, it is the largest development program ever conducted in the emergency contraceptive field.

The FDA is currently reviewing the new drug application for ulipristal acetate. While the vote may be considered, the Agency is not bound by the recommendations of its advisory committees.

Ulipristal acetate (30mg tablet) was approved in May 2009 by the European Commission for marketing as an emergency contraceptive within 120 hours (5 days) of unprotected sexual intercourse or contraceptive failure. The product was launched in October 2009 and is marketed today in 22 European countries under the brand name ellaOne®. The approval for this new drug offers yet another option for women to maintain control over their bodies.

Several NCWO/WHTF members testified at the Open Public Hearing Comment Session, including the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health (NPWH), the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals and the National Association for Reproductive Health and Family Planning.

Did you know: Cervical Cancer is the #2 Killer of U.S. Women in their 20's and 30's ?

Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. in women in their twenties and thirties, reports the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (from a report of the American Cancer Society, However, a recent survey of more than 1,000 young women 19-25 years old revealed that the vast majority (85 percent) of them do not believe they are at risk for cervical cancer now.

To raise awareness of the issue in this age group (cervical cancer is close to 100% preventable), the Gynecologic Cancer Society has launched the Reality Check Campaign. Click here for a listing of ongoing cervical cancer awareness campaigns,

New ACOG Recommendations Call for Less Frequent Cervical Cancer Screening

New guidelines for cervical cancer screening from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say that women should delay their first cervical cancer test until age 21 and be screened less often than older guidelines recommend. Click here to read the entire article from the Women's Health Policy Report.

CDC Panel Recommends HPV Vaccine Cervarix for Girls, Optional Gardasil Vaccination for Boys

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on October 22 recommended GlaxoSmithKline's human papillomavirus vaccine, Cervarix, for routine use in vaccinating girls and young women to prevent cervical cancer (AP/New York Times). GSK said the panel recommended routine administration of Cervarix to protect against cervical cancer in girls ages 11 and 12, as well as girls and women ages 13 through 25 who have not been vaccinated. CDC will need to adopt the new recommendation to make it part of official advice to U.S. physicians.FDA approved Cervarix in October for use in girls and women ages 10 through 25 to prevent cervical cancer. Read Daily Women's Health Policy Report article.

NCWO Affiliates with Programs on Health

Many NCWO affiliates have programs that focus on women’s health. The goal of this website is to provide easy access to those that feature information on issues related to women’s preventive health. While we continue to construct our website, we invite you to explore the vast amount of information our affiliates provide related to women’s health.