Articles

Health promotion focusing on migrant women through a community based participatory research approach

Migrants are often more vulnerable to health issues compared to host populations, and particularly the women. Therefore, migrant women’s health is important in promoting health equity in society. Participation...

Authors: Cecilia Lindsjö, Katarina Sjögren Forss, Christine Kumlien and Margareta Rämgård

The cultural and structural influences that ‘hide’ information from women diagnosed with breast cancer in Ghana: an ethnography

Socio-cultural factors may influence the uptake of breast cancer treatments. This study aimed to explore these socio-cultural influences on treatment decision-making for women in Ghana.

Authors: Linda Serwaa Agyemang, Claire Foster, Chris McLean, Deborah Fenlon and Richard Wagland

Effects of early estradiol valerate administration on bone turnover markers in surgically induced menopausal women

Compared with a natural process, surgically induced menopausal women have a higher bone loss rate. This study aims to evaluate early treatment with estradiol valerate on bone turnover markers after surgically ...

Authors: Jarika Vatrasresth, Ammarin Suwan and Krasean Panyakhamlerd

Long-term outcomes of transvaginal mesh surgery for pelvic organ prolapse: a retrospective cohort study

The objective of this study was to evaluate the overall outcomes and complications of transvaginal mesh (TVM) placement for the management of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) with different meshes with a greater th...

Authors: Xiaojuan Wang, Yisong Chen, Changdong Hu and Keqin Hua

Family planning providers and contraceptive users in Rwanda employ strategies to prevent discontinuation

In Rwanda, nearly a third of contraceptive users discontinue within the first year of use. Family planning programs often focus more on recruitment of new users as opposed to maintaining use among current user...

Authors: Hilary Schwandt, Angel Boulware, Julia Corey, Ana Herrera, Ethan Hudler, Claudette Imbabazi, Ilia King, Jessica Linus, Innocent Manzi, Madelyn Merritt, Lyn Mezier, Abigail Miller, Haley Morris, Dieudonne Musemakweli, Uwase Musekura, Divine Mutuyimana…

Mapping the health systems response to violence against women: key learnings from five LMIC settings (2015–2020)

Violence against women (VAW) is a global challenge, and the health sector is a key entry point for survivors to receive care. The World Health Organization adopted an earlier framework for health systems respo...

Authors: Shegufta Shefa Sikder, Rakhi Ghoshal, Padma Bhate-Deosthali, Chandni Jaishwal and Nobhojit Roy

Self-administered subcutaneous medroxyprogesterone acetate for improving contraceptive outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate is an easy-to-use injectable contraceptive. A trained person can administer it, including women through self-injection. The objective of this systematic review an...

Authors: Ashraf Nabhan, Farida Elshafeey, Luna Marion Mehrain, Rita Kabra and Amal Elshabrawy

Effect of educational intervention on improvement of physical activities of middle-aged women

Regular physical activity has important health benefits for women. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of theory-based educational interventions on the improvement of physical activities of middl...

Authors: Tayebeh Rakhshani, Zahra Khiyali, Fatemeh Masrurpour and Ali Khani Jeihooni

Understanding family planning decision-making: perspectives of providers and community stakeholders from Istanbul, Turkey

A number of factors may determine family planning decisions; however, some may be dependent on the social and cultural context. To understand these factors, we conducted a qualitative study with family plannin...

Authors: Duygu Karadon, Yilmaz Esmer, Bahar Ayca Okcuoglu, Sebahat Kurutas, Simay Sevval Baykal, Sarah Huber-Krum, David Canning and Iqbal Shah

Relationship between loci of control and health-promoting behaviors in Pakistani women with polycystic ovary syndrome: coping strategies as mediators

Understanding the factors that promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in women with polycystic ovary syndrome is of substantial importance. Health-promoting lifestyle behaviors (HPLB) have been observed to be eff...

Authors: Iram Fatima, Sahar Yaqoob, Farhat Jamil and Amna Butt

Effect of physical activity and exercise on endometriosis-associated symptoms: a systematic review

Endometriosis is a common benign gynecological disease that has the potential to debilitate due to pain and reduced quality of life. Treatment modalities such as hormones and surgery have limitations and do no...

Authors: Merete Kolberg Tennfjord, Rakel Gabrielsen and Tina Tellum

Kosovo women’s knowledge and awareness of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, HPV vaccination, and its relation to cervical cancer

The objective of this study, the first of its kind in Kosovo, is to determine the level of Kosovo women’s knowledge and awareness of HPV infection, HPV vaccination, and its relation to cervical cancer.

Authors: Pranvera Zejnullahu Raçi, Fitim Raçi and Teuta Hadri

Significance of the viral load of high-risk HPV in the diagnosis and prediction of cervical lesions: a retrospective study

The significance of HPV viral load in the detection of cervical lesions is still controversial. This study analyzed the correlation between the high-risk HPV viral load and different cervical lesion degrees.

Authors: Yang Liu, Changjun Xu, Jing Pan, Chunyi Sun, Honglin Zhou and Yushi Meng

The role and attributes of social networks in the provision of support to women after stillbirth: experiences from Uganda

Communities exert stigma on mothers after stillbirth despite their potential to offer social support to the grieving family. Maternal healthcare-seeking behaviors are socially reinforced rendering a social net...

Authors: Eric Ssegujja, Yusuf Mulumba, Sally Guttmacher and Michelle Andipatin

Knowledge and viewpoint of adolescent girls regarding child marriage, its causes and consequences

Child marriage is a violation of children’s rights and it exposes them to social isolation and psychological damages. These negative effects are not limited to them and expands to the family and society as wel...

Authors: Somayyeh Naghizadeh, Mojgan Mirghafourvand, Azam Mohammadi, Marzieh Azizi, Saba Taghizadeh-Milani and Hadiseh Ganbari

Patterns of changing pregnancy intentions among women living with HIV in Canada

Women with an undetectable viral load can become pregnant and have children with no risk of HIV transmission to their sexual partners and low risk of transmission to their infants. Contemporary pregnancy inten...

Authors: Lashanda Skerritt, Angela Kaida, Nadia O’Brien, Ann N. Burchell, Gillian Bartlett, Édénia Savoie, Isabelle Boucoiran, Rebecca Gormley, Mary Kestler, Deborah Money, Mona Loutfy and Alexandra de Pokomandy

Correction to: The effect of mobile-app-based instruction on the physical function of female patients with knee osteoarthritis: a parallel randomized controlled trial

Authors: Seyed Sajad Arfaei Chitkar, Hamid Reza Mohaddes Hakkak, Hassan Saadati, Seyed Hamid Hosseini, Yasaman Jafari and Reza Ganji

Long term impact of the WHI studies on information-seeking and decision-making in menopause symptoms management: a longitudinal analysis of questions to a medicines call centre

While women are taking a greater role in decisions about menopause symptom management, the legacy of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) studies persist. Despite hormone therapy (HT) being effective in reducin...

Authors: Rifani B. Natari, Samantha A. Hollingworth, Alexandra M. Clavarino, Kaeleen D. Dingle and Treasure M. McGuire

The implementation of routine procedural transvaginal sonography to decrease retained products of conception: a quality improvement initiative

Retained products of conception (POC) following uterine evacuation can lead to adverse sequelae, including hemorrhage, endometritis, intrauterine adhesions, and reoperation. Use of procedural transvaginal sono...

Authors: M. Alyssa Larish, E. Claire Jensen, C. Kristin Mara, C. Isabel Green, R. Matthew Hopkins, K. Shannon Laughlin-Tommaso, L. Tatnai Burnett and M. Daniel Breitkopf

A comparative analysis of the influence of contraceptive use and fertility desire on the duration of second birth interval in four sub-Saharan African countries

Fertility decline characterised by inter-birth intervals remains rather slow or stall in many countries of sub-Saharan African (SSA). Non-adherence to optimal inter-birth intervals often occasioned by low prev...

Authors: Rotimi Felix Afolabi, Adeniyi Francis Fagbamigbe and Martin Enock Palamuleni

Isolated fallopian tube torsion with paraovarian cysts: a case report and literature review

Isolated fallopian tube torsion (IFTT) is a rare cause of gynecological acute abdomen, is easily misdiagnosed and often has a delay in diagnosis. IFTT with paraovarian cysts is most frequently reported in stud...

Authors: Liang Qian, Xue Wang, Dingheng Li, Songyi Li and Jiashan Ding

Frequency of basic public health services utilization by married female migrants in China: associations of social support, discrimination and sociodemographic factors

Utilization of basic public health services (BPHS) allows for disease prevention and management and is an essential component for protecting health. Disparities in utilization exist between rural-to-urban migr...

Authors: Xin Hu, Mei Sun, Siyuan Tang and Lisa L. Lommel

Do women empowerment indicators predict receipt of quality antenatal care in Cameroon? Evidence from a nationwide survey

World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends quality antenatal care (ANC) for all pregnant women, as one of the strategies for achieving targets 3.1 and 3.2 of the sustainable development goals. Maternal mortali...

Authors: Edward Kwabena Ameyaw, Kwamena Sekyi Dickson, Kenneth Setorwu Adde and Obidimma Ezezika

Determinants of wife-beating acceptance among reproductive age women in Ethiopia: a multilevel analysis of 2016 Ethiopian demographic and health survey

There is limited national representative evidence on determinants of women’s acceptance of wife-beating especially; community level factors are not investigated in Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to assess in...

Authors: Mastewal Arefaynie, Gedamnesh Bitew, Erkihun Tadesse Amsalu, Bereket Kefale, Amare Muche, Zinabu Fentaw, Reta Dewau, Mequannent Sharew Melaku, Melaku Yalew, Bezawit Adane, Metadel Adane, Muluken Genetu Chanie, Wolde Melese Ayele and Yitayish Damtie

Diné (Navajo) female perspectives on mother–daughter communication and cultural assets around the transition to womanhood: a cross-sectional survey

The inclusion of protective factors (“assets”) are increasingly supported in developing culturally grounded interventions for American Indian (AI) populations. This study sought to explore AI women’s cultural ...

Authors: Jennifer Richards, Rachel Strom Chambers, Jaime Lynn Begay, Kendrea Jackson, Lauren Tingey, Hima Patel, Scott Carvajal, Stephanie Russo Carroll, Nicolette Teufel-Shone and Allison Barlow

The effects of stillbirth and abortion on the next pregnancy: a longitudinal study

Abortion and stillbirths are the common obstetrics condition in Ethiopia and their effect on the next pregnancy was not well identified in resource limited settings. The aim of the study was to assess the effe...

Authors: Berhanu Elfu Feleke, Teferi Elfu Feleke, Azezu Asres Nigussie and Eyaya Misgan

Society, family, and individual characteristics as double-edged swords in the social reintegration of Iranian female survivors from unintentional severe burns: a qualitative study of enablers and barriers

Reintegrating to society is a significant challenge during burn survivors’ rehabilitation.

Authors: Masumeh Hemmati Maslakpak, Fardin Ajoudani, Mojgan Lotfi and Vahid Alinejad

Oral health and emotional well-being in premenopausal and postmenopausal women: a cross-sectional cohort study

Menopause, the absence of ovarian sex steroids, is frequently accompanied by emotional and physiological changes in a woman´s body, as well as oral health changes. The present study aimed to evaluate the assoc...

Authors: Nil Yakar, Asena Türedi, Gülnur Emingil, Çağdaş Şahin, Timur Köse, Angelika Silbereisen and Nagihan Bostanci

Quality of life in women with urinary incontinence seeking care using e-health

Quality of life (QoL) in women with urinary incontinence (UI) is mainly affected by UI severity, but it is also affected by the UI subtype, comorbidities, age, and socioeconomic status. e-Health is a new metho...

Authors: Ylva Åström, Ina Asklund, Anna Lindam and Malin Sjöström

Can TSH level and premenstrual spotting constitute a non-invasive marker for the diagnosis of endometriosis?

To date, there is no reliable non-invasive marker for the early detection and diagnosis of endometriosis available possibly resulting in a delayed diagnosis and consequently an unnecessary long ordeal for the ...

Authors: Lena Birke, Dunja M. Baston-Büst, Jan-Steffen Kruessel, Tanja N. Fehm and Alexandra P. Bielfeld

Women’s autonomy in refusing risky sex and associated factors in Ethiopia: evidence from 2011 to 2016 EDHS data

Risky sexual behavior is a major public health concern of Ethiopians. Although studying the autonomy of women in refusing risky sex is significant to take proper actions, the issue is not yet studied. Accordin...

Authors: Melkamu Dires Asabu

Spatial distribution and predictors of domestic violence against women: evidence from analysis of Ethiopian demographic health survey 2016

Violence against women particularly that is committed by an intimate partner is becoming a social and public health problem across the world. Studies show that the spatial variation in the distribution of dome...

Authors: Elias Seid, Tesfahun Melese and Kassahun Alemu

The effect of mobile-app-based instruction on the physical function of female patients with knee osteoarthritis: a parallel randomized controlled trial

Osteoarthritis is a common disease and one of the most important causes of disability in the elderly that negatively affect the quality of their life. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectivenes...

Authors: Seyed Sajad Arfaei Chitkar, Hamid Reza Mohaddes Hakkak, Hassan Saadati, Seyed Hamid Hosseini, Yasaman Jafari and Reza Ganji

Factors of decisive importance for being in work or not during two years after breast cancer surgery: content analysis of 462 women’s open answers

Paid work is one of the most important aspects in life among working-aged women diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite several attempts, no previous study provides a comprehensive overview from the women’s pers...

Authors: Agneta Wennman-Larsen, Veronica Svärd, Kristina Alexanderson and Emilie Friberg

Women’s self-care behavior and its relationship with social capital in Yazd, Iran

Research on factors affecting self-care is scarce. The social factors, in particular, have not been yet investigated in Iran. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between self-car...

Authors: Hamideh Shiri-Mohammadabad and Seyed Alireza Afshani

Women in the 2019 hepatitis C cascade of care: findings from the British Columbia Hepatitis Testers cohort study

Women living with hepatitis C virus (HCV) are rarely addressed in research and may be overrepresented within key populations requiring additional support to access HCV care and treatment. We constructed the H...

Authors: Margo E. Pearce, Sofia R. Bartlett, Amanda Yu, Jess Lamb, Cheryl Reitz, Stanley Wong, Maria Alvarez, Mawuena Binka, Héctor Velásquez Garcia, Dahn Jeong, Emilia Clementi, Prince Adu, Hasina Samji, Jason Wong, Jane Buxton, Eric Yoshida…

Does laparoscopic hysterectomy + bilateral salpingectomy decrease the ovarian reserve more than total abdominal hysterectomy? A cohort study, measuring anti-Müllerian hormone before and after surgery

Decreased ovarian function and reserve is one of the complications of hysterectomy. In this study, we aimed to compare anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) levels between total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), and total ...

Authors: Zohreh Tavana, Elham Askary, Tahereh Poordast, Maryam Soltani and Farideh Vaziri

Improving knowledge about breast cancer and breast self examination in female Nigerian adolescents using peer education: a pre-post interventional study

Prevention of BC of which the cornerstone is creating awareness and early detection is important in adolescents and young women because of their worse outcomes. Early detection strategies such as mammography a...

Authors: Ayebo E. Sadoh, Clement Osime, Damian U. Nwaneri, Bamidele C. Ogboghodo, Charles O. Eregie and Osawaru Oviawe

Does persistence make you healthy? An empirical study on female entrepreneurs from China

Nowadays, more and more women are engaging in entrepreneurial activities. Meanwhile, female entrepreneurs’ health problems have been increasingly reported worldwide. What factors would influence female entrepr...

Authors: Heqi Jia, Zhengda Xu, Song Lin and Feng Jiang

Low self-esteem is related to depression and anxiety during recovery from an ectopic pregnancy

Considering the increasing incidence of ectopic pregnancy and the negative effects of pregnancy loss on mental health, this study aimed to determine the status of mental health in women with ectopic pregnancy ...

Authors: Sonia Hasani, Eindra Aung and Mojgan Mirghafourvand

Examining the association between menstrual symptoms and health-related quality of life among working women in Japan using the EQ-5D

Menstrual symptoms have been identified as a substantial burden among women of reproductive age, affecting their health status and quality of life globally. A range of menstrual symptoms have been studied as t...

Authors: Kyoko Shimamoto, Mana Hirano, Osamu Wada-Hiraike, Rei Goto and Yutaka Osuga

Intersectional social-economic inequalities in breast cancer screening in India: analysis of the National Family Health Survey

Breast cancer incidence rates are increasing in developing countries including India. With 1.3 million new cases of cancer been diagnosed annually, breast cancer is the most common women’s cancer in India. Ind...

Authors: Jyotsna Negi and Devaki Nambiar

Improving preparedness prior to reconstructive breast surgery via inclusion of 3D images during pre-operative counselling: a qualitative analysis

A proportion of women undergoing mastectomy for breast cancer choose to undergo breast reconstruction. Evidence suggests that women’s preparedness for this surgery is low and that this may contribute to feelin...

Authors: Alan D. McCrorie, Aislinn M. Begley, Jingwen J. Chen, Noleen K. McCorry, Glenda Paget and Stuart A. McIntosh

Evaluation of the effect of multipoint intra-mucosal vaginal injection of a specific cross-linked hyaluronic acid for vulvovaginal atrophy: a prospective bi-centric pilot study

Vulvo-vaginal atrophy (VVA) is one of the common consequences of estrogen deficiency especially after the menopause. Several studies have assessed the effects of Hyaluronic acid (HA) on physical and sexual sym...

Authors: Nicolas Berreni, Jennifer Salerno, Thierry Chevalier, Sandrine Alonso and Pierre Mares

Quality of life and associated factors among women with obstetric fistula in Ethiopia

Obstetric fistula is an abnormal opening between the vagina and bladder or rectum. Women affected by obstetric fistula are often abandoned by their husbands, stigmatized by the community, physically debilitate...

Authors: Biruktawit Matiwos, Getachew Tesfaw, Asmare Belete, Dessie Abebaw Angaw and Shegaye Shumet

An oral combined contraceptive user with elevated D-dimer post COVID-19: a case report

This case discusses the challenges created by COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) in the area of hormonal contraception, highlighting the contraception knowledge gap for women in their post COVID-19 period, es...

Authors: Nada A. Alyousefi

Fertility preservation in patients with uterus didelphys and endometrial carcinoma: a case report

Endometrial cancer combining uterus didelphys is quite rare clinically which partially explains that there is no discussion about young patients’ fertility preservation and follow up of tumor outcome.

Authors: Jiao Yu, Jing Shang, Hongwu Wen and Yang Xu

Comparison of various aspects of women’s lives between infertile and women with and without tubal ligation: a comparative cross-sectional study

The aim of this study is to compare anxiety, depression, body image, self-esteem, sexual function, and quality of life (QoL) between infertile women and control fertile women undergoing tubal ligation (TL) and...

Authors: Mahnaz Ashrafi, Shahideh Jahanian Sadatmahalleh, Negin Mirzaei, Nadia Jahangiri, Samaneh Youseflu and Malihe Nasiri

Analysis of basal serum TSH, FT3, and FT4 levels based on age, sampling time in women with infertility

To analyze the characteristics of basal thyroid hormone levels in infertile women consulting for assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment.

Authors: Yuchao Zhang, Wenbin Wu, Yanli Liu, Xingling Wang, Yichun Guan and Liting Jia

Vulvar Crohn’s disease in an adolescent diagnosed after unsuccessful surgical treatment

This case report presents a case of Vulvar Crohn’s disease (VCD) in an adolescent, that is an uncommon manifestation of Crohn’s disease (CD) without gastrointestinal symptoms. Before treating CD itself with pr...

Authors: Suhra Kim, Young Bin Won, Seok Kyo Seo, SiHyun Cho, Young Sik Choi, Byung Seok Lee and Bo Hyon Yun