November 2022    
         
         
 
     
  Gynecology gaps  
     
  About half the world’s population is women, but our health needs receive far less than half of the funding for and focus of medical research. And while inclusive representation of different gender identities—historically excluded from biomed research—has been increasing, treating biological sex as a variable in data collection and analysis still needs work.  
     
  This issue recently gained attention when people reported menstrual cycle changes after COVID-19 vaccinations. The effects—deemed temporary and harmless for most—were unexpected, as vaccine trials typically don’t ask about menstruation. Greater investigation of these experiences—and gynecological health in general—is needed to build people’s trust in medicine.  
     
  Chemo combo  
     
 
 
 
     
  Image: Illustration of uterus, fallopian tube, and ovary. (iStock/myboxpra)  
     
 
     
  The most common type of ovarian cancer is also the most aggressive and fatal. Initial treatment usually involves chemotherapy before and after surgery; however, the cancer sometimes returns within a few months, having become resistant to the repeated chemotherapy.  
     
  UChicago gynecologic oncologists discovered that chemoresistant patients showed increased activity of a gene family known to promote tumor growth. When combined with a drug that inhibits those genes, chemotherapy worked better.  
     
 
  Two UChicago gynecologic oncologists answer questions about ovarian cancer.  
 
       
 
 
  Womb wisdom  
     
 
     
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Uterine fibroids are the most common reason for hysterectomies, and Black fibroid patients are at least twice as likely as White patients to receive hysterectomies rather than less invasive treatments. A new oral treatment shows promise.
 
     
     
     
 
     
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UChicago Medicine offers tips to manage pregnancy symptoms by trimester.
 
     
     
     
 
     
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A UChicago expert on reproductive health policy discusses what abortion bans mean for patients.
 
     
     
 
         
         
    Spotlight    
         
         
 
     
  TikTok doc  
     
 
 
 
     
  Image: Karen Tang (Illustration by John Jay Cabuay)  
     
 
     
  By day, Karen Tang, AB’00, is a minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon. By night, she’s the fearless @karentangmd on TikTok.  
     
  Tang spoke with the University of Chicago Magazine about meeting patients where they are: online.  
     
 
 
  In case you missed it  
     
 
 
 
Audible: The way sound exists in nature is complicated.
 
 
Wellness rift: COVID-19 threw health care disparities into stark relief.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
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