LOS ANGELES (AP) — Angelina Jolie says that she has had a preventive double mastectomy after learning she carried a gene that made it extremely likely she would get breast cancer. The Oscar-winning actress and partner to Brad Pitt made the announcement in the form of an op-ed she authored for Tuesday’s New York Times (http://nyti.ms/17o4A0f ) under the headline, “My Medical Choice.” She writes that between early February and late April she completed three months of surgical procedures to remove both breasts. Read more

LOS ANGELES – It stands to reason that the longer a woman waits to start breast cancer treatment, the worse her prognosis. A new study of California women puts some hard numbers on the cost of delaying treatment, and finds that Latinas, African-Americans and poor women were most likely to put their recovery at risk by waiting six weeks or more to have surgery or begin chemotherapy. Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, and Children’s Hospital of Orange County focused on breast cancer patients between ages 15 and 39. Females in this age group account for only 5 to 6 percent of all breast cancer patients, but their cancers are typically more aggressive, and the urgency to begin treatment is increased. Read more

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama vowed Friday to join Planned Parenthood in fighting against what he said are efforts by states to turn women’s health back to the 1950s, before the Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide, and singled out the GOP-governed states of North Dakota and Mississippi for criticism. “When politicians try to turn Planned Parenthood into a punching bag, they’re not just talking about you,” Obama said, becoming the first sitting president to address the abortion-rights group in person. “They’re talking about the millions of women who you serve.” Read more

Pain in your leg? The source could be deep within. A presentation tonight by a Spokane vascular surgeon aims to educate people about possible causes of leg pain related to veins and arteries. As interest grows in some treatments, it’s among presentations and free screenings to reach potential patients with vascular problems. Some presentations may be more enticing than others: One series of local promotional events offers Northwest wines and hors d’oeuvres along with information about the latest treatments for varicose veins. Read more

To treat multiple sclerosis, try acupuncture or herbs. Or place your hope in a new oral drug called BG-12. Or one of the other drugs whose ads appear on your browser when you look up MS on WebMD. Or consider restoring your mobility with nutrition. Or snake venom. While there’s no cure for multiple sclerosis, there’s no shortage of information and advice online about the disease – “good, bad and ugly,” said Deanna Kirkpatrick, 45, an East Wenatchee woman who helps create three podcasts about MS. Read more

To put her daughter to sleep, Colleen Robinson used to dance the Charleston, the baby in her arms. Now 4, Clodagh joined the swing-dance class her mother taught last week for mothers (and one father) and their babies and young children. The dance classes offer a way for parents to use their bodies and brains learning steps while their children learn, too, Robinson said. Read more

It’s been three years since the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force launched the mammography wars with its controversial recommendation that most women get fewer of the breast cancer screening exams – one every other year between the ages of 50 and 74. Younger women could get tested if they wanted to. The recommendations were made after researchers tested 20 screening strategies using six different models of how breast cancer grows and spreads. Task force members emphasized that routine mammograms catch three kinds of cancers: those that are too aggressive to be cured, those that could become deadly but are caught early enough to be treated, and those that would never cause any harm. Only women with cancers in the second category benefit from screening exams; meanwhile, widespread annual testing brings real harm in the form of false-positive test results and invasive, unnecessary treatment. Read more

There’s reassuring news for pregnant women miserable with morning sickness: A very large study in Denmark finds no evidence that using a popular anti-nausea drug will harm their babies. One in 10 pregnant women has nausea and vomiting bad enough to need medicine, but many forgo it out of fear of side effects. No drugs are currently approved for morning sickness in the United States, although doctors are free to prescribe whatever they believe is best. Read more

CHICAGO – Advanced breast cancer has increased slightly among young women, a 34-year analysis suggests. The disease is still uncommon among women younger than 40, and the small change has experts scratching their heads about possible reasons. The results are potentially worrisome because young women’s tumors tend to be more aggressive than older women’s, and they’re much less likely to get routine screening for the disease. Read more

Q. Almost all women over 50 are told to take calcium supplements to prevent bone loss. Hip fractures, spine fractures and other bone problems can cause a lot of pain and misery, not to mention early death. But now I am reading that calcium pills themselves may lead to heart disease, stroke and premature death. This is very confusing. A. Earlier research has shown that men who take calcium supplements (1,500 mg) are more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke (JAMA Internal Medicine online, Feb. 4, 2013). A new study has shown that this danger haunts women, too (BMJ online, Feb. 13, 2013). Read more