Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Jul 2020
Factors Associated with Choice of Sterilization Among Women Veterans.
Background: We sought to compare associations of contraceptive preferences, beliefs, self-efficacy, and knowledge with use of sterilization versus other methods of contraception. Materials and Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a telephone-based survey of a nationally representative sample of women Veterans not desiring future pregnancy. Contraceptive method used at last sex was categorized as female sterilization, long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), short-acting methods, or nonprescription methods/no method. ⋯ Women Veterans were more likely to use sterilization compared to hormonal methods of contraception if they reported that lack of hormones was an extremely important contraceptive method characteristic (aRRR 3.69, 95% CI 1.94-7.03). Women Veterans who strongly agreed with the belief that birth control decisions are mainly a woman's responsibility were less likely to use sterilization compared to LARC (aRRR 0.54, 95% CI 0.29-0.98). Conclusion: Associations between contraceptive preferences, beliefs, self-efficacy, and knowledge and use of sterilization in a population of women Veterans not desiring future pregnancy are complex, and decisions may not solely be driven by desire to select a highly effective method.
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Journal of women's health · Jul 2020
Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Marital Status and the Development of Frailty: A Swedish Longitudinal Population-Based Study.
Background: The gender-specific role of marital status for the development of frailty has not been clarified. This study evaluates the gender differences in the association between marital status and frailty development, and the possible modifying effect by age cohort in such a relationship. Methods: The sample included 2179 community-dwelling older adults involved in the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen, followed up for 6 years. Participants stable in marital status over time were categorized as partnered, widowed, single, and divorced. ⋯ The youngest women who remained divorced had a higher risk of frailty (OR = 2.75, 95% CI 1.24 - 6.08) than those who still had a partner. Conversely, older women who lost their partner had 80% (95% CI 0.05-0.86) lower odds of frailty than those with a partner. Conclusions: Marital status can influence frailty development differently for women and men. This gender-specific influence may vary by age cohort, perhaps in response to sociocultural factors.
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Journal of women's health · Jul 2020
Utilization of Health Care Among Perinatal Women in the United States: The Role of Depression.
Background: Individuals with depression have increased nonpsychiatric health care utilization. Associations between depression and utilization have not been studied in perinatal women, despite their heightened depression risk. We examined patterns of nonpsychiatric health care utilization by symptoms of perinatal depression, expecting more frequent use of acute services while being less likely to have routine medical care. ⋯ Depressive symptoms combined with lack of insurance generally increased the odds of not having routine care (RERI: 8.4, 95% CI: -0.5 to 17.3) and more frequent use of urgent care (RERI: 7.1, 95% CI: -2.7 to 17.0). Conclusions: Perinatal depression is a prevalent, high-risk illness that requires more nonpsychiatric services and increased psychiatric care. Approaches that facilitate establishing a place for routine care and decreasing acute care use are necessary.
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Journal of women's health · Jul 2020
Women's Questions About Perinatal Cannabis Use and Health Care Providers' Responses.
Background: Cannabis use is common among individuals of reproductive age. We examined publicly posted questions about perinatal cannabis use and licensed United States health care provider responses. Materials and Methods: Data were medical questions on perinatal cannabis use posted online from March 2011 to January 2017 on an anonymous digital health platform. ⋯ User "thanks" did not differ by provider responses regarding safety or dis/encouragement. Conclusion: The data indicate public interest in cannabis use effects before, during, and after pregnancy. While most health care providers indicated cannabis use during pregnancy and breastfeeding is not safe, many did not address safety or discourage use, suggesting a missed educational opportunity.
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Journal of women's health · Jul 2020
Observational StudyHistory of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Self-Reported Oral Health: Women's Health Initiative Observational Study.
Background and Objective: Both periodontal disease and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are chronic inflammatory conditions, which are mediated by a complex interplay among a dysbiotic microbiota, dysregulated host immune-inflammatory responses, and lifestyle factors. Despite substantial differences in physical and chemical environments, rather strong correlations have been detected between microbial compositions of the oral cavity and stool. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that oral health conditions are affected by the presence of IBD. ⋯ When IBD cases were limited to those who were symptomatic, the associations with these two self-rated oral health outcomes were more pronounced with ORs of 1.28 (95% CI: 1.07-1.54) and 1.36 (95% CI: 1.07-1.54), respectively. Immunosuppressive treatment had little effect on these risk estimates. Conclusions: Among this nation-wide cohort of women 50-79 years of age, history of IBD was associated with poorer perceived oral health status.