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
Sex Differences Across the Lifespan: A Focus on Cardiometabolism.
Women's health and sex differences research remain understudied. In 2016, to address the topic of sex differences, the Center for Women' s Health Research (CWHR) at the University of Colorado (cwhr@ucdenver.edu) held its inaugural National Conference, "Sex Differences Across the Lifespan: A Focus on Metabolism" and published a report summarizing the presentations. Two years later, in 2018, CWHR organized the 2nd National Conference. ⋯ Over 100 participants, including basic scientists, clinicians, policymakers, advocacy group leaders, and federal agency leadership participated. The meeting proceedings reveal that although exciting advances in the area of sex differences have taken place, significant questions and gaps remain about women's health and sex differences in critical areas of health. Identifying these gaps and the subsequent research that will result may lead to important breakthroughs.
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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
Breast, Cervical, and Colorectal Cancer Screening Adherence: Effect of Low Body Mass Index in Women.
Purpose: Health-related behaviors among underweight women have received less attention than overweight and obese women in the United States. Our purposes were to estimate the rate and modifiers of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening adherence among underweight women and compare it to other body mass index (BMI) categories. Materials and Methods: We used sampling weighted data from 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) of age-eligible women (breast cancer screening, n = 163,164; cervical, n = 113,883 and colorectal, n = 128,287). We defined breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening using the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines. ⋯ Higher rates of chronic illness and health access hardship were observed among underweight women. Conclusion: BMI variably affects cancer screening. Compared to normal-weight women, being underweight is associated with breast and cervical cancer screening nonadherence. Promoting breast and cervical cancer screening among this currently underserved population may reduce future disparities.
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Journal of women's health · Jul 2020
Topical Alpha-1 Adrenergic Receptor Agonist Applied to the Nipple/Areola Complex Improves Female Orgasmic Function.
Background: The impact of nipple sensation and its relationship to sexual function have often been neglected in medical literature. However, several recent studies report the importance of the nipple/areola complex (NAC) in sexual arousal and overall function. The nipple is composed of smooth muscle that can be erected via adrenergic nerves. ⋯ The arousal, lubrication, and orgasm domains of the female sexual function index (FSFI) were used to measure sexual function. Results: The application of phenylephrine hydrochloride was shown to increase nipple sensitivity to pressure by an average of 20% in our cohort of 13 breast augmentation patients. In addition, it was shown that intermittent application of the alpha-1 agonist for 8 weeks increased basal NAC sensitivity. In the follow-up pilot study, we demonstrate that stimulation of the NAC with RJ101 produced statistically significant increases versus placebo in the lubrication and orgasm domains of the FSFI, p = 0.0226 and p = 0.0269, respectively. Conclusion: For the first time, we demonstrate that the application of a topical alpha-1 adrenergic receptor agonist or a norepinephrine-releasing agent increases the sensitivity of the NAC and subsequently significantly improves sexual function.