Women's Health Updates — February 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.

SWHR’s 2022 Annual Awards Gala will be held on Thursday, April 28, 2022 at the InterContinental Washington, DC – The Wharf to celebrate innovations in women’s health. Sponsorship or ticket info can be found here, or contact Joy Braun, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships, at joy@swhr.org or 202.496.5001. Follow the event on social media at #SWHRGala.
SHARE YOUR WOMEN'S HEALTH STORY
WITH SWHR
Do you have a personal health story you want to share with SWHR? Share your stories about diagnoses, seeking care, and living with narcolepsy, lupus, psoriatic arthritis, menopause, managing your bone health, undergoing prenatal screening, or other women's health conditions. Email the SWHR team at communications@swhr.org with your full name, contact information, and a short summary of your story (or click the link below), and your story could be featured on the SWHR website!
SWHR SETS A NEW VISION FOR WOMEN'S EYE HEALTH AND LAUNCHES WOMEN'S HEALTH DIAGNOSTICS SERIES
While risk for certain eye conditions may increase with age, vision loss should not be considered a natural part of aging.

SWHR's new eye health patient toolkit was created to empower women and caregivers to embrace their eye care as they age. The toolkit was made with the help of SWHR’s Eye Health Program participants.

Read the full patient toolkit here: SWHR Patient Toolkit: A Guide to Women’s Eye Health.

Check out more of SWHR's eye health resources:

Follow the whole vision conversation on social media at #SWHRtalksEyeHealth.
In the United States, there are more than 100 diagnostic tests and procedures available for detecting diseases and monitoring their progression.

To showcase how screening and diagnostic testing can improve health outcomes among women, SWHR is hosting a public forum series to share educational information about the importance of innovative diagnostics, titled the Value of Diagnostics within Women’s Health Series.
The first event, How Vaccines and Screening Can Prevent Cervical Cancer, was held on January 26, 2022. Speakers included Carolina Aristizabal, MD, MPH, CHES (University of Southern California) and Debbie Saslow, PhD (American Cancer Society).

Mark your calendars and join SWHR for the Value of Diagnostics within Women’s Health Series this year:
  • How Vaccines and Screening Can Prevent Cervical Cancer (January 26, 2022)
  • Improving Lives by Detecting Sexually Transmitted Infections Early (April)
  • Assessing and Promoting Bone Health Across the Lifespan (May)
  • How Hormones Can Tell a Fertility Story (June)
  • Ovarian Cancer Screening: More than a Pelvic Exam (September)
  • Understanding the Tests that Could Save My Breasts (October) 

Follow along with the full series on social media at #SWHRtalksDiagnostics and #SWHRtalksCancer.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Are you or someone you know facing the transition into menopause? Join the next event in SWHR's Menopause Mindfulness series, on February 16 at 1:00 p.m. EST (UTC-5:00) to hear from three women about embracing the changes of menopause in midlife. Register for the event here. Follow the conversation on social media at #SWHRtalksMenopause.
Glaucoma 360 is a three-day event uniting research, industry, and philanthropy to prevent vision loss from glaucoma and speed up the cure. Register for the event here, and then check out treatment options for glaucoma in SWHR's Women's Eye Health Patient Toolkit.
Hear SWHR President & CEO Kathryn G. Schubert, MPP speak at the Reproductive Health Innovation Summit, on February 15 at 10:25 a.m. ET. Schubert will be interviewing Jamie White from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s Office of Research on Women’s Health in a session entitled, “Sex & Gender in Medicine, Research, and Practice”. Register for the event here.
Join the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences (OSSD) at their 2022 Annual Meeting on May 2 - 5, in Marina del Rey, CA. The meeting will host a diverse scientific program and provide an opportunity for you to stay informed about advances in research and policy regarding sex differences in health and disease! Learn more here.
See SWHR's event calendar for more SWHR events and other women's health events.
POLICY
On January 24, SWHR released a statement in response to the January 2022 bipartisan congressional letter calling on HHS Secretary Becerra to reinstate the charter of the Task Force on Research Specific to Pregnant and Lactating Women (PGLAC). Read the full statement here.
SWHR, in partnership with several peer organizations, is currently circulating a letter encouraging lawmakers to pass H.R. 2007/S. 2444, the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroids Research and Education Act. This bill would: 
  • Authorize $30 million a year for fiscal years 2022 through 2026 on uterine fibroids
  • Require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to collect data on services provided to people diagnosed with uterine fibroids under Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program
  • Create a public education program for uterine fibroids
  • Promote evidence-based care for uterine fibroids among health care providers
 
View the text of the letter and sign your national organization on here; no individual signatures, please. The sign-on deadline is Tuesday, February 15. For questions, email SWHR Chief Advocacy Officer Lindsey Horan.
FROM THE BLOG
While screening is not diagnostic, genetic screening can help women better navigate decisions about their reproductive health and pregnancy management. SWHR created a clinician roadmap and accompanying maternal health care poster for patients and providers alike. Read the blog about these resources here.

Check out the full Understanding Genetic Screening and Maternal Health Care Poster, and share with friends and family.
This second guest blog by the Society of Interventional Radiology shares how women facing chronic pelvic pain—including pelvic venous disorders (PeVD)—may find relief and treatment with the help of an interventional radiologist. Read the blog post here.
When Sara began to face challenges during her transition into menopause, she tried to stay active with physical therapy and found an outlet through her writing—eventually writing a novel. Read about her full menopause journey on the blog here.
SWHR is pleased to welcome Jim Carey (Organon and Co.), Judette Louis, MD, MPH (University of South Florida), and Erika Miller, JD (CRD Associates, LLC) to its Board of Directors. Read on the blog to learn more about each new member.
WHAT SWHR IS READING
Check out some of the news SWHR's team is reading. Have you read a great piece on women's health? Respond to this email and share with us!
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