NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • September 28, 2023

Endometriosis under a microscope

Endometriosis is when cells from the lining of your uterus grow in other areas of your body. Some places they can grow are on or under your ovaries and fallopian tubes. This can be painful or cause heavy bleeding and bleeding between periods. There is no cure for endometriosis, but NIH supports research to find new treatments.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • September 26, 2023

Endometriosis: What you need to know

For people with a condition called endometriosis, tissue that is similar to the lining of the uterus grows in other places in their body. This can cause inflammation, bleeding, pain or irritation, and other complications like infertility.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • September 12, 2023

What we know—and still don’t know—about menopause

If you menstruate (have periods), menopause is when your menstrual cycle ends for 12 consecutive months. Aside from the reproductive system, menopause also affects heart and bone health, brain function, sleep patterns, hormones, and more.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • September 7, 2023

Menopause: What you need to know

Menopause is a natural stage of life that happens because your ovaries reduce or stop producing the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen and progesterone regulate female reproductive health, including fertility and pregnancy. Here’s what to expect when entering menopause, how you can manage symptoms, and how it affects your overall health.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • August 17, 2023

Meet the Director: Shannon N. Zenk, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., FAAN, National Institute of Nursing Research

Nursing is the largest health care workforce in the United States. As Director of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), Shannon N. Zenk, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., FAAN, wants nurses’ perspectives included in research to end health disparities nationwide.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • August 10, 2023

Alcohol’s health effects: What you need to know

Drinking alcohol is so common that people may not question how even one beer, cocktail, or glass of wine could impact their health. Alcohol is a part of cultural traditions all around the world…and it’s also a drug that chemically alters the body. People of all ages need to understand these effects.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • July 27, 2023

Atrial fibrillation: What you need to know

Atrial fibrillation is also known as AFib or AF. AFib is the most common type of arrhythmia disorder (when your heart beats too quickly, too slowly, or with an irregular pattern) in the world. AFib is specifically the rapid, irregular beating of the heart’s left atrium or upper chamber.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • June 15, 2023

Meet the Director: George F. Koob, Ph.D., National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Even after decades of research in the field, George F. Koob, Ph.D., is still learning new things about alcohol, its overall effects on human health, and alcohol use disorder. He has been Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) since 2014, and he wants everyone to know what the institute has to offer.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • June 6, 2023

Rett syndrome: an overview of this rare genetic disorder

Rett syndrome is a rare genetic disorder in which a child’s early growth and development regresses after initially meeting their developmental milestones. Learn about the symptoms and who is most likely to be affected.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • May 18, 2023

Teens and stress: When it’s more than worry

Stress—and sometimes feeling anxious—is a natural and normal experience for everyone, including children and teenagers. But when those feelings last a long time or occur frequently, that’s cause for concern.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • May 16, 2023

Teens are talking about mental health

The prevalence of mental health issues is hard to measure, but federal data show how widespread the challenges are. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said we need to address threats to mental health in young people—especially adolescents.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • May 11, 2023

Prosthetics through the ages

Millions of people in the United States are currently living with limb loss. This number is expected to grow as the population ages and rates of diseases such as diabetes that can cause dysvascularity (poor blood circulation in the legs) increase. For people with limb loss, prosthetic devices improve quality of life by providing movement and independence.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • March 9, 2023

Deafness is not a burden

Being deaf is not the same for everyone with the condition. Deafness means partial or complete loss of hearing in one or both ears and can range from mild to severe to profound. It can happen at any age and can be hereditary, genetic, or caused by environmental factors such as occupational noise. The ways in which people who are Deaf communicate also vary, and this affects how they move through the world or connect with other people.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • February 23, 2023

Loud and clear: What to know about hearing loss

Hearing loss affects approximately 37.5 million people in the United States ages 18 years or older. It affects one in three people ages 65 to 74 and nearly half of people ages 75 and older. But only about a quarter of those who could benefit from a hearing aid use one.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • February 16, 2023

'Healthy Moments' shares reliable information in quick bites

Getting the word out about science-based, healthy lifestyle tips is a challenge. People are short on time and bombarded with information from unreliable sources. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) wants to cut through the noise.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • February 16, 2023

Meet the Director: Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), has made monumental contributions to sickle cell disease research. NIH MedlinePlus Magazine asked Dr. Rodgers about entering medicine and addressing health disparities, and what advice he would give younger researchers.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • January 26, 2023

The future of water

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer products around the world since about the 1950s. Experts around the world have linked PFAS to serious health risks, including increased cholesterol levels, changes in liver enzymes, decreased vaccine response in children.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • January 26, 2023

Precision Environmental Health’s role in preventing disease

Precision Environmental Health is a research area that helps scientists learn how interactions between the environment and genetics can affect a person’s health. The goals are to prevent disease and help individuals reduce their unique health risks from environmental exposures.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • January 13, 2023

Getting an accurate read on pulse oximeters

Pulse oximeters have been used in hospitals and doctors’ offices for decades. The small, painless devices measure blood oxygen saturation, which helps doctors decide how to treat patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, which is in part a respiratory illness, over-the-counter oximeters became more popular for home-based use and were in increasing demand.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • January 11, 2023

Sunscreen in the winter?

Sunscreen is usually associated with beaches, the pool, and sweltering summer days. Ultraviolet (UV) levels (the amount of damaging rays from the sun) are lower in the winter because the earth tilts away from the sun. However, temperature and UV levels are less connected than you might think.