Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2023
Pain Frequency and Health Care Utilization Patterns in Women with Sickle Cell Disease Experiencing Menstruation-Associated Pain Crises.
Background: Pain crises in sickle cell disease (SCD) lead to high rates of health care utilization. Historically, women have reported higher pain burdens than men, with recent studies showing a temporal association between pain crisis and menstruation. However, health care utilization patterns of SCD women with menstruation-associated pain crises have not been reported. ⋯ Conclusions: Nearly 40% of SCD women have menstruation-associated pain crises. Menstruation-associated pain crises are associated with high pain burden and increased rates of hospitalization. Strategies are needed to address health care disparities within gynecologic care in SCD.
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2023
Prevalence, Characteristics, and Treatment of Hemorrhoids During Pregnancy: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan.
Background: Hemorrhoids, a gastrointestinal tract disorder, are common during pregnancy. However, large-scale epidemiological studies on hemorrhoids during pregnancy are limited. Therefore, this study used analyzed data from a nationwide population-based database to investigate the prevalence, characteristics, and treatment of hemorrhoids in Taiwan. ⋯ No significant difference in the incidence of hemorrhoids was observed between multiparous and primiparous women. Conclusion: Women with a history of hemorrhoids or those carrying multiple fetuses had an increased risk of hemorrhoids during pregnancy. The most commonly used treatment for hemorrhoids during pregnancy was topical ointments, with only a small proportion (1.8%) of patients requiring procedure or surgery.
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2023
Gender Representation of Editors at Journals Affiliated with Major U.S. Medical Societies.
Objectives: To assess the gender composition of upper-level specialty-specific editor positions among United States (U. S.) medical society-affiliated journals and to evaluate the equitable inclusion of women and women physicians. Materials and Methods: The gender composition of upper-level (e.g., editor-in-chief, deputy) specialty-specific editor positions among 39 U. ⋯ S. medical societies. Despite the equitable inclusion of women in editorial roles being a remediable issue, approximately one third of journals affiliated with major U. S. medical societies remain inequitable.
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2023
The Impact of COVID-19 and Policy Changes on Immediate Postpartum Contraception and Permanent Contraception at an Urban Hospital: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
Objective: At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to increased use of telemedicine visits and a temporary suspension of interval tubal ligations, providers at the University of Maryland Medical Center were encouraged to counsel patients interested in long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) about immediate postpartum placement. We assessed immediate postpartum contraception uptake following these policy changes. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we compared patients who delivered a live born infant(s) before the pandemic ("pre-COVID cohort," December 16, 2019-March 1, 2020) and at the beginning of the pandemic ("during-COVID cohort," March 16-May 31, 2020). ⋯ Contraceptive choices differed at postpartum visits (p = 0.03), with a decrease in delayed postpartum LARC placement in the during-COVID cohort (15% pre-COVID vs. 8% during-COVID). Conclusions: When COVID-19-related hospital policies prompted increased counseling on immediate postpartum LARC and suspension of interval tubal ligations, patients tended to be more likely to choose immediate postpartum LARC. Situational resource restrictions and targeted counseling may influence patient choices and access to desired contraceptive methods.