Women's Health Updates — October 2022

Learn about recent developments in women's health as well as SWHR's activities that promote the study of sex and gender influences on health and serve our mission to improve women's health through science, policy, and education.
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THIS OCTOBER
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
October is an important time to discuss the impacts of breast cancer on women’s health, including disparities in disease burden and screening guidelines. Join SWHR for a conversation on breast cancer diagnostics and disparities during Understanding the Tests that Could Save My Breasts, on October 12, 2022, 12:00 p.m. ET.

Check out more breast health resources all month long on social media at #SWHRtalksCancer.
EYE INJURY PREVENTION MONTH
Maintaining proper eye care even outside of routine eye exams is important to ensure a long and healthy vision lifespan. Learn more about eye care management and risks in SWHR's Guide to Women’s Eye Health.
WORLD MENOPAUSE MONTH
Up to 1/3 of a woman's life is spent postmenopausal, but an estimated 45% of women don't know the difference between perimenopause and menopause before experiencing symptoms themselves.

World Menopause Month in October is a perfect time to learn about menopause and prepare for a healthy midlife. Check out these SWHR resources:

See the wider menopause discussion on social media at #SWHRtalksMenopause.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL
October 11, 2022 is International Day of the Girl and the inaugural Give To Women And Girls Day, a day to raise awareness to support women and girls and address the gap in philanthropic support for women's and girls’ organizations. Consider supporting organizations like SWHR today, and visit swhr.org/donate to learn more.
BONE AND JOINT HEALTH ACTION WEEK
Bone and Joint Health Action Week from October 12-20, 2022 aims to raise awareness about prevention, management, and treatment for bone and joint disorders like osteoporosis, arthritis, and lupus. In recognition of Bone And Joint Health Action Week, SWHR is hosting two events on October 17:

Register for both events and check out other bone and joint resources at swhr.org. Find more information on social media at #SWHRtalksBoneHealth, #SWHRtalksLupus, and #SWHRtalksSkin.
WOLRD OSTEOPOROSIS DAY
Did you know 84% of older Americans who suffer bone breaks are not tested or treated for osteoporosis? The United States health care system does not currently prioritize or incentivize bone health. For World Osteoporosis Day this October 20, 2022, read Promoting Bone Health Through Policy: A Call to Action to learn how policy and research could help improve bone health outcomes.

Check out more bone health facts on social media at #SWHRtalksBoneHealth.
What is SWHR reading? "Taking Care of You" published by Mayo Clinic Press is a new book and easy-to-use, comprehensive guide with advice from over 100 medical experts to help women improve their health. Check out the book today!

What's on your mind this October? Share your women's health story with SWHR. SWHR is seeking stories about diagnoses, seeking care, and living with narcolepsy, lupus, psoriatic arthritis, menopause, Alzheimer’s disease, managing your bone health, undergoing prenatal screening, or other women's health conditions. Visit swhr.org/shareyourstory or click the link below to learn more.
LATEST SWHR RESOURCES
In the United States, an estimated 233,000 women live with ovarian cancer and more than 3,700,000 live with breast cancer. Proper screening and diagnostic testing for breast and ovarian cancers can lead to earlier detection of disease and improved outcomes.


Read more about the fact sheet on SWHR's blog: Diagnostics Fact Sheet Aims to Inform Women’s Cancer Screenings.

Do you have a cancer story to share? Share your health story with SWHR. Visit swhr.org/shareyourstory to learn more.

Learn more about diagnostic testing in the SWHR Value of Diagnostics within Women’s Health webinar series:
What is SWHR reading? "Diagnostic mammogram accuracy varies across racial, ethnic groups" by Healio explores data published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention about differences in diagnostics mammography performance. Learn more about breast cancer screening in SWHR's October 12 webinar: Understanding the Tests that Could Save My Breasts.
Women can be at the height of their careers when they enter menopause. Watch this conversation about managing menopause symptoms in the workplace and ways employers, supervisors, and colleagues can support postmenopausal women: Living Your Best Work-Life through the Menopause Transition.
Learn more about the menopause transition to prepare yourself or support a loved one with the help of the SWHR Menopause Mindfulness event series:

Do you have a menopause story to share? Share your menopause story with SWHR. Visit swhr.org/shareyourstory to learn more.

What is SWHR reading? "A Bipartisan Bill Would Boost NIH’s Research on Menopause" by Government Executive discusses a new bipartisan legislation that would bolster federal menopause research. SWHR provided comment on the bill, saying it could "serve as a catalyst for uncovering more information about the health effects of menopause as well as providing insight into new, personalized treatment options."
SWHR IN THE NEWS
CNN: In "Women’s health got worse in 2021, global survey finds," SWHR CEO and President Katie Schubert commented on findings from a recent Gallup and Hologic report on the state of women's health.

ProPublic: In "“God, No, Not Another Case.” COVID-Related Stillbirths Didn’t Have to Happen.," CEO Schubert discussed how the exclusion of pregnant and lactating populations from early COVID-19 vaccine trials has impacted their health throughout the pandemic.

USA Today: In "As Title IX's first generation ages, research needed to identify effects of playing sports," CEO Schubert spoke on the history of women's health research and the gender gap in health and science.

Do you have an article you think SWHR should read? Reply to this email or tag us on social media with @SWHR to make sure we see it!
UPCOMING EVENTS
HAPPENING TODAY!

Learn more about genetic screening and prenatal health in this fireside chat conversation. Register to join us on Thursday, October 6, 2022, 3:00 p.m. ET, or follow along on social media at #SWHRtalksGeneticScreening.

Explore innovations in breast cancer screening and prevention and understand when to speak with your doctor in this event on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, 12:00 p.m. ET. Follow the conversation on social at #SWHRtalksDiagnostics.

Join the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus for the 3rd biennial National Conference on Women’s Health and Sex Differences Research, October 12-14, 2022.

Do you have questions about lupus? Tune in on Monday, October 17, 2022, 12:00 p.m. ET to hear directly from three women living well with lupus.

Submit questions for the panelists in advance by replying to this email or tagging #SWHRtalksLupus on social media.

Hear how the autoimmune skin condition psoriatic arthritis impacts women differently during this public forum on Monday, October 17, 2022, 4:00 p.m. ET. Check out more on social media at #SWHRtalksSkin.

Join this NIH Advisory Committee on Research on Women’s Health (ACRWH) meeting on October 18, 2022, to hear advice and recommendations on women’s health and sex differences research.

This FDA event on Thursday, October 27, 2022, 12:00 p.m. ET will discuss the FDA Pregnancy and Lactation Labeling Final Rule, first implemented in 2015.
Join Medscape Education for this two-day event covering a wide variety of women's health topics, from maternal health to sexual health and endometriosis. Save the date for November 9-10, 2022 today.

Medscape Education will donate a portion of the proceeds to SWHR. SWHR is not involved in the development of content for this conference. Read more about the event in this press release.
Check out SWHR's event calendar for more SWHR and other women's health events.
POLICY
SWHR responded to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)'s request for considerations for its next strategic plan, focusing on emerging research needs and opportunities that reflect the changing landscape of the study of the health of women. Read SWHR's full response.

Policy Advisory Council Update
During SWHR's September Policy Advisory Council (PAC) meeting, leadership from Congresswoman Underwood's (IL-14) Office and the Coalition for Health Funding spoke about the state of women's health legislation and what the next year may bring. Read the takeaways: The Federal Health Policy Landscape and Women’s Health: What’s on the Horizon in 2022 and Beyond.


What is SWHR reading? "The Quiet Cost of Family Caregiving" by the New York Times explores the burden of caregiving across the country. "Women caregivers leave the work force more abruptly and are more likely to return... but at lower wages or fewer hours,” NYT writes. Read one caregiver's story on SWHR's blog: Acknowledging the Dual Realities of Parent and Caregiver: A Mother’s Journey with Her Daughter’s Narcolepsy.
FROM THE BLOG

Severe mental illness impacts 8.8 million adults in the United States, but approximately half of these individuals receive no treatment in a given year. Read more about the impact of severe mental illness on women.

What is the prenatal screening process like for parents? SWHR spoke with two genetic screening experts to learn more.

SWHR convened a group of autoimmune stakeholders in August 2022 to discuss the state of autoimmune care for women. Read their insights here.
Read all of SWHR's most recent blogs online here.

What's new in Biology of Sex Differences? Explore the impact of sex differences in the developing human placenta. Find more at @BiologySexDiff.
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