A spokesperson said Thursday that "NIH initially exceeded its internal targets for contract reductions" in explaining the reversal days after cuts had been announced.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement Friday to ABC News that it will restore funding to the Women's Health Initiative, a 30-year study of over 160,000 women that has led to discoveries in women's health on everything from cancer and hormone therapy to chronic disease,

The decades-long research effort has contributed to thousands of research papers, altering medical care for women around the world.