The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine
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The majority of births to young women are unintended (either mistimed or unwanted), bearing an increased risk of poor health outcomes for both mother and child. In this analysis, we describe trends of unwanted, mistimed, and intended births reported by all women and specifically by young women in the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). ⋯ Our analyses suggest an increasing trend in unwanted childbearing among young women between 1995 and 2002. Further research is needed to understand the meaning and causes of increased unwanted childbearing among young women and to identify characteristics of those at risk.
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Human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for 99.7% of cervical cancer cases and an estimated 5% of all cancers worldwide. The largest burden from HPV-associated cervical cancers is in developing nations where effective cervical cancer screening programs are nonexistent. Even in developed nations, diagnosis and treatment of cervical precancers continue to be large economic burdens. ⋯ Because millions of women are already infected with HPV and have serious disease, therapeutic HPV vaccines are being developed to treat these women. This article presents the natural history, oncogenesis, and host immune interactions of HPV and associated diseases. The article also discusses the safety and efficacy of commercially available prophylactic vaccines against HPV, as well as novel prophylactic and therapeutic vaccine delivery strategies in early clinical development.