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Testosterone-blocking drugs boost heart disease risk when given in combination

Androgen deprivation therapy can slow or control prostate cancer, and adding a second class of drugs improves survival when the disease is in advanced stages. But all drugs that block testosterone have challenging side effects, and a review of studies showed that cardiovascular risks worsen when these drugs are given together.

Osteoporosis drugs: Which one is right for you?

Women with osteoporosis have many options for preserving bone strength and preventing fractures. The mainstays of treatment are bisphosphonate drugs.

Reaching the climax

As they age, men can face obstacles to achieving orgasms during sex, such as anorgasmia (the inability to achieve an orgasm), delayed orgasm (where it takes 30 minutes or longer to climax). Sometimes, lack of arousal is an issue. Men can take steps to help achieve orgasms, such as introducing strategies in the bedroom, such masturbation, using sexual toys, and reading erotica.

Regularly adding salt to meals may raise odds of kidney disease

A 2023 study suggests habitually adding salt to food may raise the odds of developing chronic kidney disease, which increases the risks of heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure.

Menopause and long COVID: What's the connection?

Two-thirds of Americans with long COVID are women. Women approaching menopause who have long COVID seem to experience worsened symptoms of both conditions. Women's sex hormones appear to contribute to this phenomenon. Hormone therapy is becoming both a treatment and a diagnostic tool to determine driving factors behind affected women's symptoms. Because symptoms overlap, some women may have trouble being correctly diagnosed with perimenopause or long COVID.

A.I.'s promise for women's health

Artificial intelligence, or A.I., has been used in women's health care for decades. A.I. helps detect and track breast cancer, endometriosis, fibroids, cervical precancers, and other conditions. A.I.-driven mammography software may reveal more breast cancers than radiologists detect alone. A.I. may soon streamline women's breast cancer risk assessment scores to aid screening. Experts once predicted that A.I. would replace radiologists, but that hasn't happened and isn't likely, according to Harvard specialists.

Prostate cancer: Brachytherapy linked to long-term risk of secondary malignancies

When cancer patients are treated with radiation, it's possible that the therapy itself may cause new tumors to form in the body later. Canadian researchers published findings in 2014 finding no difference between groups of men treated with cancer or with surgery - but following up another decade later, there was a clear increase in risk.

The lowdown on vaginal TLC

Substances women eat, drink, or use can support or detract from vaginal health. The vagina's microbiome includes trillions of healthy bacteria that inhibit harmful bacteria. Certain conditions, such as an infection called bacterial vaginosis, indicate a harmful shift in the vaginal microbiome. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains benefit the vagina by tamping down inflammation. Other vagina-friendly foods include yogurt and soy. Staying well hydrated helps ward off dryness. Smoking or douching, however, can harm vaginal health.

Time to stop active surveillance?

Active surveillance (AS) is the most common choice for men facing a diagnosis of low-risk prostate cancer, in which the tumor is confined to the prostate gland and unlikely to grow or spread. Men can potentially continue AS indefinitely until their condition changes. There are situations in which they should move to treatment because the cancer has become more aggressive. Or they may be ready to stop if there has been no cancer progression or they no longer wish to continue with the regular monitoring and testing of AS.

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