CDC's Contributions to Women's Health and Safety

Learn about CDC’s contributions to women’s health in 2015.

CDC’s contributions to women’s health focused on improving and promoting the health, safety, and quality of life for women of all ages. CDC published research, conducted disease surveillance, released recommendations and guidelines, launched campaigns, developed tools and resources, worked with partners,and continued programs across the country. Here are a few of the contributions CDC made to women’s health in 2015:

Reproductive Health

• Current Contraceptive Use Among Women Aged 15–44 in the United States, 2011–2013 [396 KB]
  Among women currently using contraception, the most commonly used methods were the pill, female sterilization, the male condom, and long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)—intrauterine devices or contraceptive implants.
• 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, 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.
• Updated Estimates of Neural Tube Defects (NTD) 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.
• 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 (SLE) 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.

Cancer

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Sexually Transmitted Infections

• 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.
• 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.

Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drug Use

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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: doubSling among women and more than doubling among non-Hispanic whites.