Women's Health Task Force

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,

 'We Need to Talk About Cervical Cancer!'

That was the topic of "The Black Women's Health Report," with Eleanor Hinton Hoytt" in January, which was Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. On the radio program, recorded on Wednesday, January 20, 2010, Hinton Hoytt, president of the Black Women's Health Imperative, interviewed Deborah Arrindell, vice president of Health Policy, American Social Health Association and Tamika Felder, a cervical cancer survivor and founder/CEO of Tamika and Friends. The program is a monthly program produced by the organization, an NCWO affiliate. To listen, click the show's hotlink above (the headline).

Senate Approves Legislation Requiring Free Mammograms

The Senate approved an amendment to the healthcare insurance reform legislation that requires insurance companies to provide women with free mammograms and other preventative screening services. The amendment, introduced by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), was approved on a 61 to 39 vote on Dec. 4. Click here for the full story, from NCWO affiliate, the Feminist Majority Foundation.

New Breast Cancer Guidelines Issued, Followed by Controversy and Confusion

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's (USPSTF) breast cancer screening recommendations released Nov. 17 unleashed a firestorm. The new guidelines recommend that women in their 40s no longer have annual mammograms and that women ages 50 to 74 have them only every other year instead of annually. Click here for rest of the article.

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.

What the New Cervical Cancer Screening
Guidelines Mean for Women

Read what Susan Wysocki, president and CEO of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health, and Susan Scanlan, chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations, have to say about them....

HHS Releases Update of "Understanding Breast Changes: A Health Guide for Women"

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in Oct. announced that the HHS National Institute of Health (NIH) National Cancer Institute (NCI) has released its updated booklet in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Understanding Breast Changes: A Health Guide for Women. The guide addresses the concerns of women who notice a breast change or get an abnormal mammogram finding. It explains important next steps in testing, diagnosis, and treatment when breast changes are found.

Click on the highlighted name of the booklet to find out more about it and how to order it.

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.

National Women's Health Resource Center is now ‘HealthyWomen'

The National Women's Health Resource Center has a new name and a new face.  It's now called HealthyWomen and its new web site is HealthyWomen.org.  The organization will build on what it has been successfully doing the last two decades - being an excellent source for objective, medically approved information.

HealthyWomen is an NCWO affiliate and a member of its Women's Health Task Force.  We encourage you to check it out and refer to it regularly.

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.