Journal of women's health
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Purpose: Pathological worry is a major feature of anxiety in the peripartum, and we sought to examine the factor structure, validity, and reliability in the peripartum of a scale used to measure worry in the general population (the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, PSWQ). Materials and Methods: Pregnant/postpartum women (N = 295) were followed at up to six visits, which included completion of the PSWQ and other psychological scales. Principal components analysis, descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, chi-square tests, and mixed linear regression models were used to evaluate scale reliability and validity. ⋯ Conclusions: The PSWQ correlated well with all psychological scales, especially TRAIT anxiety. Worry appears to be a major component of perinatal anxiety, and the PSWQ may be a valuable tool for more precise specification of the clinical phenotypes of perinatal anxiety. Limitations include a study population that was largely Caucasian and well educated, so study results require replication in a more diverse population.
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2021
Douching or Perineal Talc Use and Prevalent Fibroids in Young African American Women.
Background: Black women are at an increased risk of developing fibroids, but the cause is unclear. Douching and perineal talc use are common lifestyle exposures among Black women, and may be risk factors for fibroid development. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study consisted of Black women 23-35 years of age in the metropolitan Detroit area (n = 1693) without prior diagnoses of fibroids and intact uteri. ⋯ This association was seen with both large and small total fibroid volume [OR (95% CI) volume ≤2:00 cm3: 1.23 (0.81-1.86)] and [OR (95% CI) volume ≥2:00 cm3: 1.39 (0.93-2.09)]. Conclusion(s): Our results suggest that perineal talc use is associated with increased fibroid prevalence. Additional research is warranted to investigate perineal talc in relation to fibroid risk in a prospective setting and to conduct laboratory work on potential tumorigenic effects of talc in the myometrium.
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2021
Sex and Body Circumferences Associated with Serum Leptin in African American Adults.
Objective: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be a leading cause of death for U. S. adults, especially African Americans (AA). Yet, few studies have examined a comprehensive set of metabolic health and health behavior factors related to CVD risk in this population. ⋯ The final multiple regression model [R2 = 0.758, F(4, 66) = 55.871, p < 0.001] showed that 75.8% of the variance in leptin was explained by being female (β = 0.65, p < 0.001), WC (β = 0.26, p < 0.02), and HC (β = 0.28, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Findings more specifically delineate the variables associated with serum leptin in AAs, particularly WC and HC, and suggest greater attention to possible risk for leptin resistance in AA females. Clinical Trial Registration: This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT03339050.
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2021
Meta AnalysisSuicidal Risk in Women with Premenstrual Syndrome and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Purpose: Women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) experience substantial functional impairment and decreased quality of life. While previous research has highlighted a relationship between premenstrual disturbances and suicide risk, no meta-analysis has been conducted to quantitatively assess the findings. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted by searching the literature in three databases (Pubmed, PsycINFO, and EMBASE) on July 15, 2020. ⋯ Conclusions: Women with PMDD and PMS are at higher risk of suicidality compared with women without premenstrual disturbances. These findings support routine suicidal risk assessments for women who suffer from moderate-to-severe premenstrual disturbance. Furthermore, psychosocial treatments for women diagnosed with PMS/PMDD should consider and target suicidality to minimize risk and improve well-being.