Women's Health Issues Research Articles

Effect of Covid-19 Pandemic on Women's Reproductive Health Components: A Narrative Review

Background & aim: Reproductive health is one of the most essential steps in achieving sustainable development, which generally changes in crises. Restrictions such as home quarantine and social restrictions due to Covid-19 pandemic have reduced women's access to the services that is effective on their reproductive health. In this study, the effect of Covid-19 pandemic on women's reproductive health issues was reviewed.Methods: In this narrative review, searches were performed in databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Cochran library, and Farsi database of Magiran in 2019-2020 using the keywords including Covid-19, reproductive health, sexual satisfaction, mental health, domestic violence, childbearing, pregnancy, fertility, partner violence, maternal health, and family planning.Results: Covid-19 pandemic has different effects on reproductive health issues. Studies have shown an increase in the frequency of sexual intercourse due to increased presence of the spouse at home, but also there was a decrease in the quality of sexual intercourse due to the stress caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Also regarding women's mental health, an increase was observed in domestic violence as well as stress, anxiety and depression in women of reproductive age.Conclusion: In the pandemic high-risk situation, it is necessary that health care teams to focus more on women's reproductive issues and screen them in terms of mental health, domestic violence, sexual relationships, use of contraceptive methods and intending for childbearing. Providing virtual group educations and use of national media, could enhance the awareness of women of reproductive age.

Communication Among Southeast Asian Mothers and Daughters About Cervical Cancer Prevention.

Southeast Asian women have high rates of cervical cancer and yet are among the least likely to be screened. There is sparse literature on communication patterns among Southeast Asian women, specifically related to cervical cancer and Pap test uptake. Little is known about the influence of Southeast Asian mothers and daughters on each other's cervical cancer beliefs and screening behaviors. We examined the perceptions of and barriers to cervical cancer screening among Cambodian and Lao mothers and daughters and explored how they converse about women's health issues, specifically cervical cancer and Pap testing. We conducted in-depth interviews with Cambodian and Lao mother-daughter dyads, aged 18 years and older, living in a large Midwestern city between February and September of 2015. Descriptive statistics were calculated to summarize the sample demographic characteristics. Bivariate tests (contingency table analyses, independent t-tests, and Pearson correlations) were conducted to test for differences between the mothers and daughters in demographic characteristics and measures of health status and beliefs. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. In-depth interviews were conducted with three Cambodian and eight Lao mother-daughter dyads. The daughters were significantly more acculturated to English, had greater education, and were mostly employed full time. The mothers and daughters evaluated their health status much the same, their medical mistrust equally, and all of the mothers and nine of the daughters were Buddhist. Themes in mother-daughter communication included what mothers and daughters do and do not talk about with regard to sexual health, refugee experiences, what hinders mother-daughter communication, and relationship dynamics. The mothers were embarrassed and uncomfortable discussing cervical cancer, Pap testing, and other women's health issues with their daughters. Although mothers did not influence women's health promotion or cervical cancer prevention with their daughters, daughters did influence their mothers' health and healthcare decisions. Daughters were critical in navigating healthcare systems, engaging with providers, and making medical decisions on behalf of their mothers. By leveraging the unique and dynamic intergenerational bond that mothers and daughters who identify as Southeast Asian have, we can develop strategies to influence the cultural dialogue related to cervical cancer and early detection.

A Study On Health Seeking Behaviour Among The Working Women In Nagapattinam Taluk Of Tamilnadu

This paper focuses on health seeking behavior among the working women in Nagapattinam Taluk of Tamil Nadu. India is on the path of becoming an economic superpower but its performance index in health component of human development, particularly that of women is not at all impressive. The typical female advantage in life expectancy is not seen in India. 75 percent of the working women are known to experience the ill effects of misery/general tension issue in contrast with ladies with lesser degrees of mental work environment requests. The main driver of this issue is related with the long working hours and exacting cutoff times. The study is based on Primary and secondary data. Data was collected by predesigned pretested semi-structured questionnaire. A pretested structured interview schedule was prepared to elicit information related to socio-demographic characteristics, health-seeking behaviour of the study participants. Hence the study made by the researcher with reference to Nagpattinam Taluk of Tamil Nadu. Totally 150 working women respondents were selected for that study. In conclusion, we can safely say that risk factors of lifestyle diseases like unhealthy food habits, physical inactivity, inappropriate body posture and disturbed biological clock should be avoided. Hence, working women's safety and health issues at work need to be addressed and diagnosed at an early stage on priority. The government should take necessary and compulsory policies to improve the literacy rate and quality education as well as to provide adequate employment opportunities for women, which might explore positive impact on the women’s health concerns.

Mucoadhesive hyaluronic acid-based films for vaginal delivery of metronidazole.

Bacterial vaginosis is a prevalent women's health issue that affects millions of women worldwide every year; however, current treatments are often messy, inconvenient, and ineffective. Therefore, we developed a new hyaluronic acid-based film to deliver metronidazole that would be more effective, more convenient, and at a pH similar to that of the normal vaginal environment. Films were made by crosslinking modified hyaluronic acid to create a hydrogel, in which metronidazole or metronidazole benzoate and methylcellulose were incorporated, and the hydrogel was dried to a thin film. Through release testing, coupled with assessments of handleability, tensile strength, and mucoadhesion, it was determined that the films have the potential to remain in the vaginal environment for an extended time period and gradually release the drug for at least 6 days, which is a typical treatment length. As such, the films present a viable alternative to current treatment methods, allowing for both easy handling and a single treatment while eliminating the issues of pH and overall inconvenience.

Medicinal plants used for women's healthcare in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia

There is persistent use of traditional medicine for women's health care in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, they generally depend on traditional medicinal plants as the source for the treatment of their reproductive health issues. This study aims to document and collect information on herbal remedies used by traditional healers for women's healthcare in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah. Data about traditional uses of medicinal plants for female healthcare were collected through qualitative tools (questionnaire, interviews, and group discussions). A total of 31 medicinal plant species from 15 different families have been documented as being used for female healthcare. Different methods of preparation of the medicinal remedy wereprescribed usually as maceration or decoction of one plant or as a mixture of two or more plant species with an average dose of two glasses per day. Literatures confirm the use of most of these plants in the treatment of women's gynecological problems. This study indicates that a wide range of remedies are used by women for the treatment of several complications and problems associated with women's health issues.

The Effect of Solution-Oriented Counseling on Coping Strategies in Mental Health Issues in Women with Gestational Diabetes.

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of solution-oriented intervention in patients with gestational diabetes, stress and anxiety on using coping strategies. This study was a randomized clinical trial with a control group. The population consisted of 56 diabetic women under treatment with insulin, who obtained higher score in one of the psychological disorders using DASS-21 (Depression, anxiety, stress scale). The participants were randomly assigned in two interventional (n = 28) and control (n = 28) groups after signing the written informed consent forms. The solution-oriented interventional program was conducted in six 60-min sessions for 6weeks. Immediately after the final session and 6-8weeks after the first session of the intervention, both groups completed coping inventory for stressful situations. The analytical statistic of t-test, chi-square, and variance analysis with repeated measurements using SPSS were used to analyze the data. solution-oriented counseling increased the problem-solving coping strategy in the intervention group (P = 0.001); the scores obtained by the subjects in the interventional group after adjusting the score before the intervention increased 2.68 units immediately after the intervention, which was not statistically significant (p-value = 0.44). However, it increased 11.5 scores six weeks after the intervention, which was statistically significant (P = 0.00). But, emotional and avoidance coping strategies were not significantly different between the two groups. This technique can be easily trained to all clients, and since it is focused on finding various solutions for psychological problems by clients, it can be used to reduce stress and anxiety in other chronic diseases as well.IRCT code: The code of this clinical trial study is IRCT20200202046339N1.

Impacts of the Affordable Care Act on Receipt of Women’s Preventive Services in Community Health Centers in Medicaid Expansion and Nonexpansion States

(Abstracted from Womens Health Issues 2021;31:9–16) After implementation of insurance expansion provisions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), rates of health insurance coverage increased dramatically throughout the United States in 2014 and improved care delivery for some services. Despite the availability of federally funded Medicaid expansion to all states, many did not accept ACA-sponsored expansion and opted to maintain current eligibility criteria in their states.

Using documentary films to teach nurses about gender and the vulnerabilities facing older men with advanced dementia.

To review short documentary films about older men with advanced dementia to use in teaching, and therein address the gender imbalance in the dementia care curricula and create opportunities to learn about masculine vulnerability. There has been a growing recognition of the role of gender in respect of vulnerability, with emerging evidence suggesting a need to acknowledge and prioritise dementia as a global women's health issue. Whilst a focus on women is understandable-more women are affected by dementia than men-gender does not equal women. It is important for nursing students, nurses and allied health professionals to understand the vulnerabilities facing older men with dementia as well, including gay men, who may face additional challenges. Discursive paper outlining the limitations of using mainstream fiction films in dementia care education and reviewing three short documentary films about older men with advanced dementia to use in teaching. We summarised the literature on using films in nurse education and review three short documentary films about older men with advanced dementia and their (male) caregivers in the context of international nursing standards and concept of vulnerability. Education is key to understanding and improving the lived experience of dementia. Our article endorses the use of films in the classroom but highlights that mainstream fiction films about people (women) with dementia are not always appropriate for pedagogic purposes. Our review of three short documentary films on older men with advanced dementia uncovers an untapped teaching resource for care educators. Given the rising number of older men and women with advanced dementia, nurses are uniquely positioned to advocate for and mobilise support. The short documentary films reviewed in this article can engage nurses emotionally and generate discussion of ways that older men with dementia and their caregivers might be vulnerable.

Gibbs Leadership Prize: Best Manuscript of 2020 in Women's Health Issues

Gibbs Leadership Prize: Best Manuscript of 2020 in Women's Health Issues

Why Employment During and After COVID-19 Is a Critical Women's Health Issue.

Why Employment During and After COVID-19 Is a Critical Women's Health Issue.

30 Years of Women's Health Issues

30 Years of Women's Health Issues

COVID‐19 coagulopathy in pregnancy: Critical review, preliminary recommendations, and ISTH registry—Communication from the ISTH SSC for Women’s Health

BackgroundNovel coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2), which causes COVID‐19, has thus far affected more than 15 million individuals, resulting in more than 600 000 deaths worldwide, and the number continues to rise. In a large systematic review and meta‐analysis of the literature including 2567 pregnant women, 7% required intensive care admission, with a maternal mortality ~1% and perinatal mortality below 1%. There has been a rapid increase in publications on COVID‐19–associated coagulopathy, including disseminated intravascular coagulopathy and venous thromboembolism, in the non‐pregnant population, but very few reports of COVID‐19 coagulopathy during pregnancy; leaving us with no guidance for care of this specific population. MethodsThis is a collaborative effort conducted by a group of experts that was reviewed, critiqued, and approved by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis Subcommittee for Women's Health Issues in Thrombosis and Hemostasis. A structured literature search was conducted, and the quality of current and emerging evidence was evaluated. Based on the published studies in the non‐pregnant and pregnant population with a moderate to high risk of bias as assessed by Newcastle‐Ottawa scale and acknowledging the absence of data from randomized clinical trials for management of pregnant women infected with SARS‐CoV‐2, a consensus in support of a guidance document for COVID‐19 coagulopathy in pregnancy was identified. Results and ConclusionsSpecific hemostatic issues during pregnancy were highlighted, and preliminary recommendations to assist in the care of COVID‐19–affected pregnant women with coagulopathy or thrombotic complications were developed. An international registry to gather data to support the management of COVID‐19 and associated coagulopathy in pregnancy was established.

Reproductive Health and Reproductive Justice for Muslim Women

Reproductive justice is defined as “women and girls achieving economic, social, and political power, and the resources to make healthy decisions about one's bodies, sexuality, and reproductive health for themselves and their families and their communities in all areas of [their] lives” (Zavella 2016, 1). Women of color are the targets of much prejudice in American society. (Ginsburg and Rapp 1995). Since September 11th and especially in the Trump era, Muslims continue to be “otherized” and racialized, further marginalizing Muslim women. Muslim women's reproductive health is impacted by reductive and essentialized perspective of their religious practice, a typical view held by contemporary America. Analyzing these disparities through an intersectional lens allows the researcher to confront popular essentialisms to understand the simultaneous interaction of race, class, and gender in the lives of Muslim women. Using this approach in her study of the reproductive health of African American women in Harlem, Leith Mullings (2005).identifies certain structural constraints, including political and economic factors, that cause stressors during pregnancy and health problems for both mother and child. Her findings and similar studies on Latina women beg the question: how do gender and racial discrimination, class bias, and Islamophobia affect the reproductive health of Muslim women? In this paper, I argue that intersectionality as a method and theoretical approach should be applied to Muslim women's reproductive health and reproductive justice issues, and I sketch out the beginning of an answer to that question.

A Systematic Review of Nonsurgical Vulvovaginal Restoration Devices: An Evidence-Based Examination of Safety and Efficacy.

The efficacy and safety of vulvovaginal restoration devices were called into question in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration statement on July 30, 2018, claiming that women are being harmed by laser and other energy-based devices. The goal of this systematic literature review was to assess existing data, determine gaps in evidence, and propose opportunities for continued investigation pertaining to laser and energy-based vaginal restoration techniques. A review of literature using PubMed, Cochrane Library databases, Embase, MEDLINE, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature was conducted on January 9, 2019, and articles up to this point were considered. For inclusion, studies had to be available or translated in English and relate to clinical medicine, direct patient care, and nonsurgical energy-based vulvovaginal procedures. The authors found five level I studies, 19 level II studies, four level III studies, and 46 level IV studies that used 15 different devices. Various degrees of improvement of symptoms were reported in all studies. Adverse events/side effects were noted in two of the 13 radiofrequency device studies, 15 of the 23 erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet device studies, and 17 of the 37 carbon dioxide device studies. The majority of adverse events were considered mild. The majority of studies resulted in mild to no adverse side effects. However, there is a large gap in level I evidence. As a result, the authors emphasize the necessity of supplemental data surrounding this subject and suggest that additional randomized sham-controlled studies be conducted to further investigate vulvovaginal restoration devices in an effort to address women's health issues.

Human papillomavirus vaccine timing associated with eventual human papillomavirus diagnosis in women

Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are attributable to human papillomavirus (HPV), making it a significant women's health issue. Though there have been advances in the prevention of HPV via vaccination, significant barriers continue to suppress vaccination rates for girls. Delaying vaccination until after sexual debut increases a woman's chance of HPV infection, but there has been no quantification of this risk in the literature. The present study sought to address this gap via secondary data analysis with 173 female participants from the 2015-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey dataset. Results indicate that women in the sample who received the HPV vaccine after their sexual debut were 2.63 times more likely than women who receive the vaccine before their sexual debut to report an HPV diagnosis. These results have clear public and sexual health implications.

Opportunities for Subspecialization in Nephrology.

The interface between nephrology and other fields of medicine continues to expand. With the advent of novel therapies in cancer, diagnostics and therapeutics in lithology, novel devices in cardiology, advances in women's health issues, novel diagnostics and therapies in glomerular diseases, and the national priority in home-based dialysis, several subspecialties in nephrology have emerged. This article will discuss the subspecialties of onconephrology, cardionephrology, obstetric nephrology, uronephrology, glomerular disease specialization, and home-based dialysis in nephrology. We discuss the current state of each subspecialty, recommended educational content, length of training, available training opportunities, and potential career pathways for each.

Sexual Health Issues in Women Treated for Carcinoma Breast and Carcinoma Cervix

Sexual Health Issues in Women Treated for Carcinoma Breast and Carcinoma Cervix

'Silencing the self' and women's mental health problems: A narrative review.

In the context of women's mental health several propositions have been made to account for their increased susceptibility to certain psychiatric illnesses. However, given the topic's multifacetedness, no single explanation is found sufficient in itself. 'Silencing the Self' theory sheds new light on this issue because it acknowledges the importance of social and cultural processes. Besides with its relational perspective, it centers on the primacy of core relationships and its influence on a woman's mental health. Even though, since its inception three decades ago, the theory has been studied in relation to various psychological and physical disorders; it has hitherto received inadequate attention by scholars. Nonetheless, it has the potential to inform our understanding when formulating women's mental health issues. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive narrative account of the extant work on 'silencing the self' in relation to psychiatric illnesses like depression, eating disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. It attempts to synthesize the work done till date, as a starting point for further investigation of unexamined areas.

Correcting a Historical Error about Female Participation in Training Studies Before 1975

ABSTRACT An influential journal in the history of kinesiology is Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport (RQES). In 2005, RQES published a historical review in which the authors claimed the first training study in RQES to focus on women was by Wallace in 1975. In the current paper, the author corrects this historical inaccuracy. The electronic archives of RQES were downloaded and titles of papers published between 1930 and 1975 were screened to identify training studies. A training study was defined as an examination of the effects of a physical activity intervention of ≥1 week on any physical or mental health outcome. A total of 33 female-only training studies were published in RQES between 1930 and Wallace’s 1975 paper. The 33 studies included 4,960 female participants and consisted of various training modalities, durations, and outcomes. Also, the broader claim made in the historical review that women's health issues were not a focus of RQES until Title IX in the 1970s is challenged. A number of non-training studies in RQES between 1930–1975 focused on women’s health issues (e.g., dysmenorrhea), and sex-specific analyses were performed in early RQES studies. This information corrects the historical record about female participation in RQES studies and informs contemporary discussions about female research participation.

Controversy over transvaginal mesh: innovation, conflicts of interest, gender and risk

Controversy over transvaginal mesh: innovation, conflicts of interest, gender and risk