Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Apr 2023
Comparative Study Observational StudyA Comparative Analysis of Health-Related Quality of Life 1 Year Following Myomectomy or Uterine Artery Embolization: Findings from the COMPARE-UF Registry.
Objective: To compare 12-month post-treatment health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) and symptom severity (SS) changes among patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids (SUF) not seeking fertility and undergo a hysterectomy, abdominal myomectomy (AM), or uterine artery embolization (UAE). Materials and Methods: The Comparing Options for Management: Patient-Centered Results for Uterine Fibroids (COMPARE-UF) Registry is a multi-institutional prospective observational cohort study of patients treated for SUF. A subset of 1465 women 31-45 years of age, who underwent either hysterectomy (n = 741), AM (n = 446), or UAE (n = 155) were included in this analysis. ⋯ Of importance, at 12 months, patients who underwent either a myomectomy or UAE reported comparable symptom relief and HR-QoL. Clinicaltrials. Gov Identifier: NCT02260752.
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Journal of women's health · Apr 2023
Observational StudyAssessing the Relationship Between Motherhood and Cervical Cancer Screening and Prevention Behaviors.
Background: National guidelines recommend Papanicolaou (Pap) testing and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for cervical cancer prevention; however, certain subgroups may be at risk for underutilization. Prior studies have identified motherhood as a predictor of health outcomes, but this research has not been extended to cervical cancer prevention. Informed by the Health Belief Model, we explored the relationship between motherhood, health beliefs, and Pap testing and HPV vaccination. ⋯ Discussion: Consistent with nationwide statistics, most eligible participants were up-to-date with Pap testing and HPV vaccination. Although motherhood was not significantly associated with either behavior, mothers reported lower self-efficacy for HPV vaccination. Perceived benefits and self-efficacy may be important targets for future interventions aiming to increase cervical cancer prevention and screening behaviors.
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Journal of women's health · Apr 2023
U.S.-Based Obstetrician/Gynecologists' Experiences with Delivering Care to Women with Female Genital Cutting.
Background: There has been an increase of women living in the United States who have experienced female genital cutting (FGC). However, limited research exists evaluating the experiences of obstetrician/gynecologists delivering care to this patient population. This study aimed to assess the overall experiences, including barriers and facilitators, of U. ⋯ Results: Analysis of 15 study interviews revealed 4 main themes impacting the ability of OBGYNs to deliver care to patients with FGC: (1) limited educational training on FGC, (2) challenges with identifying that a patient had FGC and with using the World Health Organization classification system, (3) questions regarding "normative" anatomy and reinfibulation after vaginal procedures, and (4) navigating affective responses of patient and self when FGC is encountered. Conclusion: The above findings have practical implications, showing that the limited educational experience and lack of a clear policy on how to manage the care of women with FGC lead to variation and even limitations in how care is delivered to these women. We encourage OBGYN professional societies to consider creating education and policy to aid clinicians in caring for patients with FGC.
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Journal of women's health · Apr 2023
Gender Composition in Biomedical Research Grant Submissions and Grant Review Panels Before Versus During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Purpose: This study examined the gender composition of career development award applicants and grant review panels during the pandemic compared with that beforehand. Methods: Data were collected from 14 Health Research Alliance (HRA) organizations, which fund biomedical research and training. HRA members provided the gender of grant applicants and grant reviewers during the pandemic (April 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021) and prepandemic (April 1, 2019, to February 29, 2020). ⋯ Also driven by changes for this one funder, the percentage of total grant reviewers who were women increased significantly during the pandemic (45.9%) compared with that during prepandemic (38.8%; p = 0.001), but the median percentage of women grant reviewers across organizations remained similar during the pandemic (43.6%) and prepandemic periods (38.2%; p = 0.53). Conclusions: In a sample of research organizations, the gender composition of grant applicants and grant review panels remained similar, except for the review panel composition for one large funder. Given evidence from other studies that have revealed gender differences in other career and life experiences of scientists during the pandemic, ongoing evaluation of women's representation in grant submission and review mechanisms is essential.
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Journal of women's health · Apr 2023
Trends in Screening for Diabetes in Early Pregnancy in the United States.
Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize current diabetes screening practices in the first trimester of pregnancy in the United States, evaluate patient characteristics and risk factors associated with early diabetes screening, and compare perinatal outcomes by early diabetes screening. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of US medical claims data of persons diagnosed with a viable intrauterine pregnancy and who presented for care with private insurance before 14 weeks of gestation, without pre-existing pregestational diabetes, from the IBM MarketScan® database for the period January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate perinatal outcomes. ⋯ In adjusted logistic regression, history of gestational diabetes (adjusted odds ratio 3.99; 95% confidence interval 3.73-4.26) had the strongest association with early diabetes screening. Adverse perinatal outcomes, including a higher rate of cesarean delivery, preterm delivery, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes, occurred more frequently among women who underwent early diabetes screening. Conclusions: First-trimester early diabetes screening was mostly commonly performed by hemoglobin A1c evaluation, and persons who underwent early diabetes screening were more likely to experience adverse perinatal outcomes.