Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Mar 2012
Trends in health-related behavioral risk factors among pregnant women in the United States: 2001-2009.
Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy often predispose women to multiple risks including adverse pregnancy outcomes and impaired health status for mothers. This study assessed the trends in the prevalence of health-related behavioral risk factors over time among U.S. pregnant women. ⋯ Increased efforts emphasizing multiple health-related behavioral risk factors including reducing alcohol use, binge drinking, and smoking and improving fruit and vegetable consumption during pregnancy are needed.
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Journal of women's health · Mar 2012
Depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life in breast cancer survivors.
Breast cancer diagnosis and treatment can have a profound influence on a woman's physical, psychosocial, and overall well-being. We examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms and its association with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in women who are survivors of breast cancer. We also assessed if factors, including metastasis, cancer recurrence, diagnosis of new primary cancers, and comorbid conditions, are associated with depressive symptoms. ⋯ Depression is a significant health concern for breast cancer survivors and is associated with lower HRQOL. The results suggest the need to monitor women with breast cancer for depression and provide resources for treating depression during the survival period.
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Journal of women's health · Mar 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialPatient-centered care: the influence of patient and resident physician gender and gender concordance in primary care.
Patient-centered care (PCC) is thought to significantly influence the process of care and its outcomes and has been identified as part of a comprehensive strategy for improving our nation's healthcare delivery system. Patient and physician gender, as well as gender concordance, may influence the provision of PCC. ⋯ These findings highlight the influence of gender in the process of care and provision of PCC. Gender concordance in female patient-female physician dyads demonstrated significantly more PCC. Further research in other clinical settings using other measures of PCC is needed. A public mandate to provide care that is patient-centered has implications for medical education.
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Journal of women's health · Mar 2012
Failed lactation and perinatal depression: common problems with shared neuroendocrine mechanisms?
In the early postpartum period, mother and infant navigate a critical neuroendocrine transition from pregnancy to lactation. Two major clinical problems that occur during this transition are failed lactation and perinatal mood disorders. These disorders often overlap in clinical settings. ⋯ We hypothesize that shared neuroendocrine mechanisms contribute to both failed lactation and perinatal mood disorders. In this hypothesis article, we discuss data from both animal models and clinical studies that suggest neuroendocrine mechanisms that may underlie these two disorders. Research to elucidate the role of these underlying mechanisms may identify treatment strategies both to relieve perinatal depression and to enable women to achieve their infant feeding goals.