(HealthDay News) -- Menopause is a behavioral roller coaster for some women, who experience a host of emotions including mood swings, fear, depression and irritability.

(HealthDay News) -- Decadent dishes and hefty portion sizes can be tempting at a restaurant, but you can enjoy your meal without derailing a healthy diet.

MONDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Despite the popularity of colon cleansing, there's no evidence that the procedure -- which can be done at home or in day spas -- offers any health benefits, a new study finds.

TUESDAY, July 26 (HealthDay News) -- A special staining process that often accompanies a lymph node-sparing test is not associated with longer survival times for women with early-stage breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery, a large, new study suggests.

MONDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- A growing number of American families are using public health insurance to provide coverage for their children, a new study finds.

MONDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Teens are much more likely to eat junk food if they live in or go to school in neighborhoods with many fast food restaurants and other sources of unhealthy foods, a new study finds.

MONDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- When women take a supplement of the omega 3 fatty acid DHA during pregnancy, their babies have fewer cold symptoms and shorter illnesses, new research indicates.

MONDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Children who experience abuse or other adversities and develop mental health disorders are at increased risk for chronic physical problems when they're adults, according to a new study.

MONDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Methamphetamine abuse by young adult gay and bisexual males raises their risk of HIV exposure and infection, a new study finds.

MONDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- For many patients, biopsies of lung nodules found during CT scans may be unnecessary and even dangerous, a new study finds.

MONDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Four of the world's leading pulmonary associations have issued new guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, one of the world's leading killers.

MONDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Go for a walk after dinner. Play tag with your kids at the park.

MONDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- A new study suggests that the children of mothers exposed to high levels of magnetic fields during pregnancy are at increased risk of developing asthma, findings that are sure to reignite the controversy over the health dangers that might be posed by exposure to power lines and electronics.

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

MONDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Beginning Aug. 1, 2012, women in the United States will have their birth control covered by insurance companies, free of co-pays, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday.

MONDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- As if there weren't already enough good reasons to avoid smoking and keep your weight, blood sugar levels and blood pressure all under control, a new study suggests these risk factors in middle age may cause your brain to shrink, leading to mental declines up to a decade later.

MONDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- More than one in five teens who have been prescribed a controlled medication such as Oxycontin for pain or Ritalin to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are misusing the drugs, a new study has found.

MONDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- A new nationwide look at data on masturbation among U.S. adolescents finds that boys do it much more often than girls, and they also tend to start earlier.