Medical Update - December 14, 2004

What a new study says about teenagers and sex and a warning for women who suffer from migraine headaches and take birth control. <br/><br/>News on 6 anchor LeAnne Taylor has those stories and more in

Tuesday, December 14th 2004, 10:25 am

By: News On 6

What a new study says about teenagers and sex and a warning for women who suffer from migraine headaches and take birth control.

News on 6 anchor LeAnne Taylor has those stories and more in this Medical Update.

Ladies, if you suffer with migraines, you may want to think twice about taking birth control pills. A new study suggests women with migraines who take birth control pills are up to 8 times more likely to have a stroke.

Researchers say more tests are needed, but initial studies show a link. The findings are published on the medical web site, Target="_new">www.bmj.com.

Fewer American teenagers are engaging in sexual activity than in the past and those who do, are more likely to use oral contraceptives. The government funded study found that for girls, ages 15 to 17, the percentage who had ever had sex declined by 8% in the last seven years and for boys, the decline was 12%.

The latest research on cancer from the University of Florida suggests that doctors could have a new tool for predicting who will do well during their fight against cancer and who is more likely to suffer a relapse.

Researchers evaluated more than 100 patients who received bone marrow transplants for cancers like leukemia and Lymphoma. The study showed that patients whose blood contained high levels of IL-12 protein, proved to fight better against cancer relapse, and those with lower IL-12 protein levels were more likely to relapse.