Introduction. In the context of the demographic crisis in modern Russia, the focus of the state’s demographic policy is aimed at young people. The reproductive health (RH) and positive reproductive attitudes (RA) of young people, whose number is progressively declining, are especially important for ensuring population reproduction. Aim. To assess the RH and RA of the student-age population from the standpoint of demographic potential. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted based on an anonymous online interview of young people using a specially created questionnaire. The statistical database was developed based on 2005 questionnaires completed by I–VI-year students and residents of medical universities of four subjects of the Far Eastern Federal District: Amur State Medical Academy (Amur Region), Chita State Medical Academy (Trans-Baikal Territory), Banzarov Buryat State University (Republic of Buryatia), Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University (Republic of Sakha, Yakutia). Mathematical analysis of the results was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics version 25.0 software. Differences were considered significant at p 0.05. Results. 11.4% of female and 1.1% of male respondents had chronic diseases of the reproductive system. Reproductive diseases accounted for 82.8% of gynecological pathology: 54.2% of polycystic ovary syndrome, 11.3% of pelvic inflammatory disease, 8.9% of external endometriosis, 5.4% of menstrual disorders, 3% of female infertility [pχ2 0.001, odds ratio 22.97 (95% confidence interval 13.05–40.46)]. In 32.7% of respondents, sexual debut occurred before the age of 18. The majority of respondents (67.8%) do not consider early onset of sexual activity to be a risk factor for RH (pχ2 0.001), and 68.2% received information about the contraception method for the first time in their lives from unreliable sources of information (friends/relatives, Internet resources), and only 31.8% from healthcare professionals. Contraceptive methods currently used include condoms (88.2%), oral contraceptives (20.5%), withdrawal (18.8%), rhythm method (8.6%), and intrauterine contraceptives (1.2%). 5.8% of respondents have children, 94.2% are childless, of which 6% are childfree. In the future, 94% of respondents plan to have children at 20–24 years (11.8%), 25–29 years (62.7%), 30–34 years (15.7%), 35 years and older (3.8%). Causes of delayed childbearing and voluntary childlessness include getting an education (77.7%; pχ2 = 0.019), fear of financial difficulties (56.8%; pχ2 = 0.619), career priority (47.7%; pχ2 = 0.680), common law marriage (46.8%; pχ2 = 0.103), not sure about the future (33.0%; pχ2 = 0.620), relationship problems within a couple (27.0%; pχ2 0.001), do not want to be responsible (22.4%; pχ2 0.001). In general, 70.5% of respondents consider the state policy aimed at supporting motherhood to be effective; 29.5% do not or rather do not consider it effective (pχ2 0.001). The majority of respondents considered the improvement of housing conditions to be the most effective measure for deciding on the birth of a child in a young family [66.2%; pχ2 0.001, odds ratio 1.29 (95% confidence interval 1.13–1.48)]. The desired number of children was 2.05 ± 0.9 [0; 4], and in case of adequate living, material, and financial conditions available, it was 2.37 ± 1.0 [0; 4] (p 0.05). Conclusion. The state of RH and RA in modern youth can have a negative impact on the quality of the demographic potential of the population. Active cross-departmental work with young people on education in the field of RH and the fostering of commitment to its protection, education of family-oriented values, and positive RA is necessary.

Background Knowledge on preconception care (PCC) among reproductive-age women is essential to ensure a healthy pregnancy, the health of the future child, and the prevention of reproductive health related complications. The study aim was to find the level of knowledge on preconception care among reproductive age women. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 230 reproductive aged women attending antenatal outpatient department at Bharatpur Hospital from 15 January to 15 February 2025 for antenatal checkup. Data was collected through semi-structured interview schedule and analyzed using SPSS 16 version. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and Chi-square test. ResultsThe overall findings of the study revealed that majority of the respondents (96.31%) had good level of knowledge and 3.68 % had poor level of knowledge regarding preconception care. The mean score for the level of knowledge was 33.43±5.09. Among the four aspects of PCC, cent percent respondents had good knowledge on reproductive health risk factors and 40% of respondents were intervention aspect of preconception care.. The level of knowledge on preconception care was statistically significant with ethnicity (p<0.05) and level of education (p<0.05) where p value is 0.02 and 0.009 respectively.Conclusions The study concludes that majority of respondents had good level of knowledge on PCC. However, low level of knowledge was found on intervention aspect of PCC. The education program should be focused on intervention of preconception care.

Abstract Background: The incidence of breast cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has surged by 247% from 1990 to 2019, with a notable prevalence among women under 50 years of age. The understanding of evolving risk factors has however remained heavily reliant on data and guidelines extrapolated from High Income Countries (HIC), which may not accurately reflect the unique epidemiological profiles in Nigeria and other Low to Middle Income Countries (LMIC) in SSA. Given the stark mortality rates amidst rising incidence, our study aims to refine the understanding of the trend of breast cancer risk factors in low-income countries using the Nigerian Breast Cancer Study (NBCS) data.Methods: This is a retrospective study using the NBCS database consisting of 2314 healthy Nigerian women aged 18 and older enrolled between 1998 to 2017. Participants were grouped into six birth cohorts: <1940, 1940-49, 1950-59, 1960-69, 1970-79, and ≥1980. The primary dependent variables were age at menarche, thelarche, number of pregnancies, parity, and duration of breastfeeding. Descriptive statistics was employed to assess reproductive characteristics, while univariate regression models explored the relationship between reproductive risk factors and birth decade. Trend analyses were conducted to identify significant changes across the cohorts. Results: The average age at menarche decreased from 16.1 years in women born before 1940 to 15.1 years in those born after 1980 (p < 0.001). The mean age at thelarche was centered around 13 years across cohorts. However, regression analysis indicated a slightly increasing trend in thelarche age over time (coefficient = 0.090, p = 0.001), with decade of birth explaining a very small portion of the variability (R-squared = 0.0048). This slightly increasing trend in thelarche age is not consistent with the sharp decreasing trend in menarche age. This discrepancy is difficult to explain physiologically and warrants further investigation. The number of pregnancies per woman similarly declined, from an average of 7 in the pre-1940 cohort to 4 in the post-1980 cohort (p < 0.001). Parity trends mirrored this decline, with a significant reduction over time (p < 0.001). The mean age at first live birth remained consistent at approximately 23 years across cohorts. The mean duration of breastfeeding per child also decreased from 18.3 months for those born before 1940 to 14.8 months for those born after 1980 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our study provides important insights into the temporal changes in reproductive health risk factors among Nigerian women across various birth cohorts. Although some of our findings indicate shifts that might parallel trends observed in HIC, it is important to highlight notable differences such as events like thelarche and menarche which occur approximately 2 to 3 years later in the Nigerian population compared to their counterparts in HIC. There are also discernible differences in breastfeeding duration and parity trends. Future studies will evaluate the role of genomic and environmental risk factors in the etiology of breast cancer in Nigerian women. This study underscores the need for population-specific risk assessment tools to accelerate progress in breast cancer prevention in LMICs. Citation Format: Gideon Dosunmu, Olasubomi Omoleye, Mihai Giurcanu, Dezheng Huo, Olufunmilayo I. Olopade. Temporal Changes in Breast Cancer Reproductive Risk Factors Among Women in Southwest Nigeria: Data from The Nigerian Breast Cancer Survey [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2024; 2024 Dec 10-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2025;31(12 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-02-22.

Introduction: Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is an important global health issue linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Adolescents in refugee settings face specific SRH needs and risks, and limited access to needed services. This research, therefore, aimed to develop an understanding of SRH needs of, and risks to, adolescent refugees, to inform adolescent sexual and reproductive health policies and programmes. Methodology: The study employed qualitative approaches. Seventeen in-depth interviews were conducted with adolescent refugees and nine key informant interviews with stakeholders, including representatives from NGOs, health facility workers and refugee leaders. We performed content and thematic analysis drawing on the ecological systems theory framework. Findings: Reproductive health issues presented by adolescent refugees included menstruation supplies, reproductive health education and contraception. Participants reported several reproductive health risk factors that include risky sexual relationships, child abuse in homes, early marriage, teenage pregnancies and forced marriage, and sexual and gender-based violence. Conclusion: The findings highlight significant gaps in adolescent refugees’ knowledge and access to SRH services. These gaps are shaped by cultural norms, limited service availability, and lack of targeted SRH education for young people in refugee settings. Recommendation: Targeted training is vital to guaranteeing efficient delivery of SRH services; with humanitarian organisations ensuring their personnel is appropriately trained to support adolescent refugees and their SRH needs. Culturally appropriate services are required to ensure greater buy-in and build trusting relationships with the population.

Introduction: Today, demographic issues are in the focus of attention in a whole number of countries. Birth rate is one of the most important indicators largely dependent on the level of reproductive health of the population. Patterns of health and sexual behavior, including the use of contraception, are among the significant direct factors of reproductive health. Objective: To analyze health and sexual (contraceptive) behavior as determinants of reproductive health in Russians. Materials and methods: This is the secondary analysis of responses of the formalized surveys conducted by the Analytical Center “National Agency for Financial Research” in 2024 involving 3,000 respondents, by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center in 2023 involving 1,845 respondents, and by the “Mikhailov and Partners. Analytics” Agency in 2021 covering 2,005 people, all devoted to issues of reproductive and sexual health and behavior. SPSS Statistics and Microsoft Excel were used for data analysis. Results: The Russians consider sexually transmitted diseases to be the main risk factor for reproductive health, so they pay more attention to practicing safe sex than to being able to conceive and bear a child (8.64 versus 6.43 out of 10). Barrier (condoms) and calendar methods of birth control are popular with 65 % and 26 % of the respondents, respectively, while 21 % of the respondents do not use contraceptives. Less than 35 % examine their reproductive health annually. Only 38 % of the respondents are ready to use assisted reproductive technologies to overcome infertility. Conclusions: Reproductive health of Russian people is at risk because of low efficiency of contraceptive behavior noted for predominance of the rhythm method of birth control and refusal of contraceptives due to misinformation about their side effects and low health activity in the field of reproduction and sex, including a lack of interest in assisted reproductive technologies.

Decisions about reproductive health are often influenced by women's female family members, particularly in low-resource contexts. However, previous research has focused primarily on individual behavioural determinants. We investigated the interrelatedness of female family members' reproductive health behaviour with a dyadic version of an extended health action process approach. We investigated this for carrying heavy loads during pregnancy and postpartum, a risk factor for reproductive health in many low-income countries such as Nepal. This cross-sectional study included dyads of daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law in rural Nepal (N = 476, nested in 238 dyads). Dyads of daughters- and mothers-in-law were surveyed about avoiding carrying heavy loads during pregnancy and postpartum. The effects of a woman's cognitions and her female dyadic partner's cognitions on their intention and behaviour about avoiding carrying loads were estimated using linear mixed models. The results showed that a mother-in-law's cognitions were related to her daughter-in-law's intentions and vice versa. The mother-in-law's cognitions were also related to the daughter-in-law's behaviour. The mother-in-law's self-efficacy and injunctive norms related to the daughter-in-law's intention and behaviour over and above the daughter-in-law's own self-efficacy and injunctive norms. Female Nepali family members' cognitions about carrying heavy loads during pregnancy and postpartum are interrelated. Including female family members in interventions to help women manage their reproductive health in low-resource populations seems promising. These novel findings add to the growing body of research indicating the importance of including a dyadic perspective when understanding and changing health behaviour.

Microplastics cause reproductive toxicity in male mice through inducing apoptosis of spermatogenic cells via p53 signaling.

The article provides an overview of scientific information on modern approaches to reproductive health protection, innovative methods for early detection of disorders and timely correction of reduced reproductive capabilities of the body, including infertility. The main physiological factors of reproductive disorders are genetic predisposition, mitochondrial dysfunctions, genomic instability, oxidative stress, etc. In particular, mitochondria make a significant contribution to the regulation of various physiological aspects of reproductive function, including the development of oocytes and embryos, as well as spermatogenesis and fertilization. Oocyte dysfunction associated with aging is becoming an increasingly pressing medical and economic problem in modern society, where women are postponing family formation. Maternal metabolic disorders such as obesity and type II diabetes are associated with hyperlipidemia and increased concentrations of free fatty acids in ovarian follicular fluid. Oocyte maturation under these lipotoxic conditions leads to increased levels of oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, decreased competence in oocyte development, and poor IVF results.As a result, it was revealed which modern approaches influence the solution of the problem of reproductive disorders, the risk factors for reproductive health were assessed, and methods were proposed to reduce the influence of these factors.

Human reproduction issues remain not only relevant, but also increasing in importance among the population of different countries. The reason is that the incidence of infertility does not decrease, the age of marriage increases and, accordingly, the age at which the first birth occurs increases. In connection with the above, the assisted reproductive technologies introduced today are not only a means of treating infertility, but also a method to meet these requirements. A special place in research is occupied by the problem of the most important hormone that triggers the maturation of oocytes - human chorionic gonadotropin. Studies have shown that mast cells, induced from membrane cells, affect embryonic development and are involved in the pathology of female infertility. Mast cells play a role in the maintenance of pregnancy and cancer metastasis, which is of interest for further research in the field of normal and pathological cell development.As a result, it was revealed which modern approaches influence the solution of the problem of reproductive disorders, the risk factors for reproductive health were assessed, and methods were proposed to reduce the influence of these factors.

The identification of expression quantitative trait methylation (eQTMs), defined as associations between DNA methylation levels and gene expression, might help the biological interpretation of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS). We aimed to identify autosomal cis eQTMs in children's blood, using data from 832 children of the Human Early Life Exposome (HELIX) project. Blood DNA methylation and gene expression were measured with the Illumina 450K and the Affymetrix HTA v2 arrays, respectively. The relationship between methylation levels and expression of nearby genes (1 Mb window centered at the transcription start site, TSS) was assessed by fitting 13.6 M linear regressions adjusting for sex, age, cohort, and blood cell composition. We identified 39,749 blood autosomal cis eQTMs, representing 21,966 unique CpGs (eCpGs, 5.7% of total CpGs) and 8,886 unique transcript clusters (eGenes, 15.3% of total transcript clusters, equivalent to genes). In 87.9% of these cis eQTMs, the eCpG was located at <250 kb from eGene's TSS; and 58.8% of all eQTMs showed an inverse relationship between the methylation and expression levels. Only around half of the autosomal cis-eQTMs eGenes could be captured through annotation of the eCpG to the closest gene. eCpGs had less measurement error and were enriched for active blood regulatory regions and for CpGs reported to be associated with environmental exposures or phenotypic traits. In 40.4% of the eQTMs, the CpG and the eGene were both associated with at least one genetic variant. The overlap of autosomal cis eQTMs in children's blood with those described in adults was small (13.8%), and age-shared cis eQTMs tended to be proximal to the TSS and enriched for genetic variants. This catalogue of autosomal cis eQTMs in children's blood can help the biological interpretation of EWAS findings and is publicly available at https://helixomics.isglobal.org/ and at Dryad (doi:10.5061/dryad.fxpnvx0t0). The study has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-206) under grant agreement no 308333 (HELIX project); the H2020-EU.3.1.2. - Preventing Disease Programme under grant agreement no 874583 (ATHLETE project); from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no 733206 (LIFECYCLE project), and from the European Joint Programming Initiative "A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life" (JPI HDHL and Instituto de Salud Carlos III) under the grant agreement no AC18/00006 (NutriPROGRAM project). The genotyping was supported by the projects PI17/01225 and PI17/01935, funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-funded by European Union (ERDF, "A way to make Europe") and the Centro Nacional de Genotipado-CEGEN (PRB2-ISCIII). BiB received core infrastructure funding from the Wellcome Trust (WT101597MA) and a joint grant from the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC) (MR/N024397/1). INMA data collections were supported by grants from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, CIBERESP, and the Generalitat de Catalunya-CIRIT. KANC was funded by the grant of the Lithuanian Agency for Science Innovation and Technology (6-04-2014_31V-66). The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services and the Ministry of Education and Research. The Rhea project was financially supported by European projects (EU FP6-2003-Food-3-NewGeneris, EU FP6. STREP Hiwate, EU FP7 ENV.2007.1.2.2.2. Project No 211250 Escape, EU FP7-2008-ENV-1.2.1.4 Envirogenomarkers, EU FP7-HEALTH-2009- single stage CHICOS, EU FP7 ENV.2008.1.2.1.6. Proposal No 226285 ENRIECO, EU- FP7- HEALTH-2012 Proposal No 308333 HELIX), and the Greek Ministry of Health (Program of Prevention of obesity and neurodevelopmental disorders in preschool children, in Heraklion district, Crete, Greece: 2011-2014; "Rhea Plus": Primary Prevention Program of Environmental Risk Factors for Reproductive Health, and Child Health: 2012-15). We acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the "Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa 2019-2023" Program (CEX2018-000806-S), and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program. MV-U and CR-A were supported by a FI fellowship from the Catalan Government (FI-DGR 2015 and #016FI_B 00272). MC received funding from Instituto Carlos III (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness) (CD12/00563 and MS16/00128).

BackgroundReproductive and mental health are key domains of adolescent wellbeing but possible interrelationships are poorly understood. This cross-sectional study evaluated the association between psychopathology and reproductive health risk among European adolescents.MethodsA structured self-report questionnaire was delivered to 12,395 pupils of 179 randomly selected schools in 11 European countries within the EU funded “Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe” (SEYLE) project. The questionnaire included items about sexual initiation and reproductive health risk factors, such as number of sexual partners, frequency of condom use, and pregnancy involvement. Psychopathology was evaluated with validated instruments and/or ad-hoc questions.ResultsOf 11,406 respondents (median age 15; interquartile range [IQR] 14–15; 57% females), 18.8% reported sexual initiation. Sixty percent of them also reported at least one reproductive risk factor. Sexual initiation was significantly more common among pupils older than 15 years (38% versus 13.2% younger pupils) and males (21.3% versus 16.9% females). It was also more common among pupils with depression (age/sex-adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.871), anxiety (aOR 2.190), severe suicidal ideation (aOR 2.259), self-injurious behaviour (aOR 2.892), and suicide attempts (aOR 3.091). These associations were particularly strong among pupils ≤15 years old and, for overt psychopathology, among pupils with low non-sexual risk behaviour profile and females. Depression (aOR 1.937), anxiety (aOR 2.282), severe suicidal ideation (aOR 2.354), self-injurious behaviour (aOR 3.022), and suicide attempts (aOR 3.284) were associated with higher reproductive health risk, defined by an increasing number of coexisting reproductive risk factors.ConclusionsThese findings suggest an alignment between mental and reproductive health risk and support the value of cross-domain collaboration in adolescent health. The association between psychopathology and reproductive health risk, as well as its variations with age, sex, and associated risk behaviours, should be considered when designing health-promoting or disease-preventing interventions for adolescents.

Protective effect of Lespedeza cuneata ethanol extract on Bisphenol A-induced testicular dysfunction in vivo and in vitro

Объектом исследования явились студенты I-III курсов медико-профилактического факультета медицинского университета. Цель первого этапа многоэтапного исследования состояла в изучении и оценке основных поведенческих рисков репродуктивного здоровья студентов профилактического направления медицинского вуза

1–3 year students attending medical and preventive faculty of a medical university were our research object. Our research had many stages, and at the first one our goal was to examine and to assess basic behavioral risks for reproductive health of students attending medical and preventive faculty of a medical university. We conducted a sociological examination via questioning. 428 students were questioned as per materials collecting program which included 74 parameters; they accounted for 91.6 % out of the overall official number of students, 45.0 % male students and 40.0 % female students combined work and studies. We detected that, as per questioning results, the specific weight of students who took care of their health amounted to 79.2 % boys and 95.2 % girls. However, the students tended to have bad habits, i.e. constant alcohol intake or smoking. And although information on diseases prevention and on how to pursue healthy lifestyle was perfectly available to them, students didn't try to use it and preserve their health. All the respondents said they were against abortion. Girls were likely to adopt a complex approach when choosing a contraceptive, they resorted to hormonal agents, and, with their partners' consent, to condoms. But they often took hormonal agents without any consultations with a gynecologist or an endocrinologist. Contraceptives were rather rarely applied, and students appeared to have no knowledge on risk factors causing reproductive health deterioration. They also tended to be negligent and too self-confident when it came to reproductive health protection. A risk of abortions was very high for girls who didn't use contraceptives, and also all students ran rather high risk of catching sexual diseases. Sexual education is needed to correct contraceptive behavior; medical workers are a main source of information on reproductive health of young people in 7–10 % cases only. We need to create interactive educational programs on health protection at university level and to involve specialists from health centers and antenatal clinics to participate in them.

Puberty is regulated by the endocrine system, which when disrupted can affect reproductive health. Endocrine disrupters (ED) are involved in the pathogenesis of idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP). Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are lipophilic, persistent ED used as flame retardants in several products; thus, human population is exposed through food and domestic dust. PBDE exposure during the peripubertal period is suspected to interfere with reproductive development. The study aimed to investigate PBDE serum concentration in 31 girls with ICPP as well as describe their dietary habits and lifestyles. The PBDE median level was 59 ng/g of lipids, higher than in healthy girls in comparable studies. Interestingly, elder girls and girls with higher body mass index (BMI) showed higher PBDE serum levels. Considering the relevance of altered puberty onset as a risk factor for reproductive health, studies on food contribution to PBDE exposure in Italian children, and efforts to ameliorate risk assessment for emerging chemicals are suggested.