2010s: CDC/ATSDR Contributions to Women’s Health

Below is a sample of contributions CDC and ATSDR have made in women's health during the 2010s.

2015

Current Contraceptive Use Among Women Aged 15–44 in the United States, 2011–2013
Among women currently using contraception, the most commonly used methods were the pill (25.9%, or 9.7 million women), female sterilization (25.1%, or 9.4 million women), the male condom (15.3%, or 5.8 million women), and long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)—intrauterine devices or contraceptive implants (11.6%, or 4.4 million women).

Gestational Weight Gain — United States, 2012 and 2013
The overall prevalence of appropriate gestational weight gain (GWG) was 32.1%, whereas the prevalence of inadequate GWG was 20.4% and the prevalence of excessive GWG was 47.5%.

Vital Signs: Improvements in Maternity Care Policies and Practices That Support Breastfeeding — United States, 2007–2013
Many U.S. mothers do not continue breastfeeding as long as they would like. This report summarizes data from 2007 (baseline), 2009, 2011, and 2013 to describe trends in the prevalence of facilities using maternity care policies and practices that are consistent with the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.

Alcohol Use and Binge Drinking Among Women of Childbearing Age — United States, 2011–2013
During 2011–2013, one in 10 pregnant women reported consuming alcohol in the past 30 days and one in 33 reported binge drinking; similar to non-pregnant women, about one third of pregnant women who consume alcohol engage in binge drinking.

Percentage of Adults Aged 65 and Over With Osteoporosis or Low Bone Mass at the Femur Neck or Lumbar Spine: United States, 2005–2010
During 2005–2010, 16.2% of adults aged 65 and over had osteoporosis at the lumbar spine or femur neck. The age-adjusted prevalence of osteoporosis at either skeletal site was higher among women (24.8%) than men (5.6%).

Vital Signs: Demographic and Substance Use Trends Among Heroin Users — United States, 2002–2013
Heroin use and overdose deaths have increased significantly in the United States. The greatest increases in heroin use occurred in demographic groups that historically have had lower rates: doubling among women and more than doubling among non-Hispanic whites. The rate in 2011–2013 for men was 3.6 per 1,000 compared with 1.6 per 1,000 for women

Identifying Tools to Improve Clinical Preventive Services for Women with Disabilities
CDC and the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs developed a toolbox for health professionals to facilitate and deliver clinical preventive services among the more than 28 million women of childbearing age and beyond living with disabilities.

Bring Your Brave Campaign
The Bring Your Brave campaign provides information about breast cancer to women younger than age 45 by sharing real stories about young women whose lives have been affected by breast cancer.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Treatment Guidelines, 2015
These updated guidelines discuss 1) alternative treatment regimens for Neisseria gonorrhoeae; 2) the use of nucleic acid amplification tests for the diagnosis of trichomoniasis; 3) alternative treatment options for genital warts; 4) the role of Mycoplasma genitalium in urethritis/cervicitis and treatment-related implications; 5) updated HPV vaccine recommendations and counseling messages; 6) the management of persons who are transgender; 7) annual testing for hepatitis C in persons with HIV infection; 8) updated recommendations for diagnostic evaluation of urethritis; and 9) retesting to detect repeat infection.

Patterns of Health Insurance Coverage Around the Time of Pregnancy Among Women with Live-Born Infants — Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, 29 States, 2009
This report summarizes data from 29 states that conducted PRAMS in 2009. Data on the prevalence of health insurance coverage stability (stable coverage, unstable coverage, and uninsured) the month before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and at the time of delivery are reported by state and selected maternal characteristics.

Student Indoor Tanning
According to some research, tanning salons tend to exist in areas with a greater number of girls and women aged 15-29 years and are particularly concentrated near colleges. Those who begin indoor tanning during adolescence or early adulthood have a higher risk of getting melanoma.

Possible Sexual Transmission of Ebola Virus — Liberia, 2015
Based on information gathered in this investigation, CDC now recommends that contact with semen from male Ebola survivors be avoided until more information regarding the duration and infectiousness of viral shedding in body fluids is known. If male survivors have sex, a condom should be used correctly and consistently every time.

HPV in Communities of Color and How It Affects Women of Color
Every year, HPV cancers affect around 17,600 women. About 4,000 women annually die from cervical cancer, with three times more Black women dying than White women in the same age group. This disease is preventable, so no women should die of cervical cancer.

Cost-effectiveness of Chlamydia Vaccination Programs for Young Women
The researchers used a deterministic heterosexual transmission model to explore the potential health and economic outcomes of a hypothetical chlamydia vaccine focusing on vaccination programs for 14-year-old girls and 15–24-year-old women in the United States

Maternal Morbidity for Vaginal and Cesarean Deliveries, According to Previous Cesarean History: New Data From the Birth Certificate, 2013
Rates of maternal morbidity were higher for cesarean than vaginal deliveries—rates of transfusion (525.1 per 100,000) and ICU admission (383.1) were highest for primary cesarean deliveries, while rates of ruptured uterus (88.9) and unplanned hysterectomy (143.1) were highest for repeat cesarean deliveries.

Preventing Teen Pregnancy: A Key Role for Health Care Providers
LARC is safe to use, does not require taking a pill each day or doing something each time before having sex, and can prevent pregnancy for 3 to 10 years, depending on the method. Less than 1% of LARC users would become pregnant during the first year of use.

Stressful Life Events Experienced by Women in the Year Before Their Infants' Births — United States, 2000–2010
Younger, less educated, unmarried, and Medicaid-covered women had the highest prevalence of stressful life events. Public health practitioners and clinicians can use the information on trends and risk factors for SLEs to determine the likelihood that pregnant women might benefit from screening for stressors during pregnancy.

Fact Sheets on Women, Smoking, and Reproductive Health
Numerous fact sheets are now available and provide information taken from Surgeon General's Reports about smoking. Two fact sheets address smoking risks for women: Women and Smoking, and Smoking and Reproduction.

Updated Estimates of Neural Tube Defects Prevented by Mandatory Folic Acid Fortification — United States, 1995–2011
The updated estimate of approximately 1,300 NTD-affected births averted annually during the post-fortification period is slightly higher than the previously published estimate. Mandatory folic acid fortification remains an effective public health policy intervention.

Opioid Prescription Claims Among Women of Reproductive Age — United States, 2008–2012
Opioid-containing medications are widely prescribed among reproductive-aged women with either private insurance or Medicaid, with approximately one fourth of privately insured and over one third of Medicaid-enrolled women filling a prescription for an opioid each year during 2008–2012.

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