The emotion-ridden process is extremely expensive, but there’s little way for consumers to tell the reputable clinics from the ones that aren’t, which can create a devastating experience for the couples. In other public health news: depression in teenage girls, music and hearing, blood pressure, aging, and listeria.
Reveal: When pregnancy dreams become IVF nightmares
Even as IVF has made technological advancements, an outdated measurement system and weak consumer protections continue to obscure the differences between the best doctors in the business and those who run troubled clinics. (Yeung and Jones, 6/1)
The Washington Post: More than A third of teenage girls experience depression, new study says
Depression is usually considered an issue parents have to watch out for starting in the turbulent teenage years. The CW channel, full of characters with existential angst about school, friends and young love, tells us so, as do the countless parenting books about the adolescent years in every guidance counselor’s office. But what if by that time it’s already too late? (5/31)
NPR: Using music to boost hearing in noisy environments
Trying to make out what someone is saying in a noisy environment is a problem most people can relate to, and one that gets worse with age. At 77, Linda White hears all right in one-on-one settings but has problems in noisier situations. “Mostly in an informal gathering where people are all talking at once,” she says. “The person could be right beside you, but you still don’t hear them.” (Siegel and Hsu, 5/31)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New analysis finds lower systolic blood pressure can reduce heart disease And death
A new analysis of dozens of clinical trials found that lowering systolic (the upper reading) blood pressure below traditional targets may significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease as well as dying from any cause. The new analysis published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Cardiology looked at 42 clinical trials and systolic blood pressure involving 144,000 patients treated for high blood pressure. (Fauber, 5/31)
Kaiser Health News: Putting in place an A-Team of allies
Earlier this year, 30 senior citizens convened in a living room to talk about growing older and needing more help.Who will be my allies as I go through this process, they asked. Many were unmarried, without children, living alone. Some had adult children living elsewhere, with demanding jobs and busy lives. Others had spouses who were ill or temperamentally unsuited to the task. (Graham, 6/1)
Fox News: Cashews, Macadamia nuts recalled for possible listeria risk
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced two unrelated nut recalls — Kroger’s Simple Truth Dry Roasted Macadamia Nuts and Ava’s Organic Cashews Roasted & Salted — because they may be contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. (Carstensen, 5/31)