Women's Health

Angelina Jolie's Mastectomy Decision And Weighing Cancer Risks

Scott Hensley — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:31:00 +0000

On Wednesday's Morning Edition, David Greene talks with writer and breast cancer survivor Peggy Orenstein about actress Angelina Jolie's decision to have a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of breast cancer.

Jolie, whose mother died at 56 from ovarian cancer, has a genetic variant that puts her at high risk for ovarian and breast cancer.

Angelina Jolie And The Rise Of Preventive Mastectomies

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:19:00 +0000

Angelina Jolie just became part of a medical trend: More women are deciding to have their breasts removed to reduce the risk of cancer.

Over the past decade, doctors have noticed a big increase in the number of women choosing prophylactic, or preventive, mastectomies.

Some, like Jolie, have a genetic mutation that makes it much more likely that they will have breast cancer. Her mother died of the disease at age 56. Jolie is 37.

Even After Overhaul, Gaps In Coverage For Young, Pregnant Women

Michelle Andrews — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:55:00 +0000

The federal health care overhaul makes some notable improvements in insurance coverage for young adults.

They can now stay on their parents' health plans until they turn 26. Next year they can also look for subsidized coverage on the state-based insurance marketplaces, also called exchanges. And they may qualify for Medicaid, if their income are less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level ($15,856 in 2013).

So far, so good.

But young women who get pregnant may encounter unexpected gaps in coverage.

Actress Angelina Jolie Shares Story Of Her Double Masectomy

Mark Memmott — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:43:00 +0000

Saying she is "writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience," actress Angelina Jolie reveals on the op-ed pages of The New York Times that she had a double mastectomy earlier this year to substantially reduce the chances she will develop breast cancer.

Jolie, 37, explains that because she carries a "faulty" gene known as BRCA1, "I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50

Doctor Found Guilty Of Murder In Late-Term Abortions

Scott Neuman — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:44:00 +0000

A jury in Philadelphia has found Dr. Kermit Gosnell guilty of first-degree murder in three illegally performed late-term abortions.

The jury also found Gosnell, 72, guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of a woman who was overdosed on anesthesia while undergoing a second-trimester abortion. He was found not guilty of one other murder charge in the death of an infant.