Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2024
Observational StudySex Differences in the Expression of Central Sensitization Symptoms in Migraine: An Observational Study.
Background: Migraine is the fourth most common cause of disability in women and the eighth most common cause in men. Central sensitization phenomena predispose to chronic migraine and are generally more pronounced in women. Objective: The aim of this retrospective observational study was to look for sex differences in a population of migraine subjects attending a tertiary headache center, focusing on symptoms of central sensitization such as allodynia and pericranial tenderness. ⋯ Conclusions: Women with migraine are more likely than men to report acute allodynia, nausea, and osmophobia and are also more likely to be anxious, depressed, and disabled. These features appear to be independent of fertile age and are probably related to sex-specific genetic characteristics. These symptoms represent a tendency toward sensory hypersensitivity and central sensitization that should be carefully assessed in both women and men with migraine with a view to possibly predicting chronic development.
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2024
Risk Prediction Model for Child Sex Trafficking Among Female Child Welfare-Involved Youth: Welfare-Involved Female Sexual Exploitation Risk Assessment Tool.
Background: Female child welfare-involved youths who are removed from the home are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). The aim of this study was to develop a prediction model to identify those at greatest risk of trafficking. Methods: Data were from the Florida Department of Children and Families' Florida Safe Families Network Database. ⋯ Of those who experienced CSEC, 92% had a WISER score above 20. Discussion: The WISER tool achieved good discrimination and calibration ability with a receiver operating characteristic for the validation data set of 0.923. The WISER tool can (1) inform risk assessment for CSEC among child welfare-involved females and (2) identify youths at greatest risk before they are harmed by trafficking.
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2024
Developing and Implementing a Patient-Centered Opioid Prescribing Algorithm among Gynecological Oncology Patients.
Background: The opioid epidemic is a public health crisis. However, opioid prescription recommendations have not been established in gynecological oncology, and guidelines that incorporate patient-reported pain are lacking. Objectives: The article aims to evaluate prescribing patterns, utilization, and patient-reported pain control in gynecological oncology patients at a large tertiary academic center. ⋯ Conclusions: Opioids were substantially overprescribed in gynecological oncology patients undergoing hysterectomy. Our study found that the surgical route and last 24-hour MME inpatient usage were reliable predictors of outpatient opioid use. We developed and implemented a standardized opioid prescription algorithm that was validated by comparing the pain control measures in the two phases.
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2024
Primary Human Papillomavirus Screening: Women's Perceptions of New Cervical Cancer Screening Recommendations.
Background: Current clinical guidelines recommended primary human papillomavirus (HPV) screening for cervical cancer testing. Previous studies reported patient-level barriers (e.g., limited knowledge and attachment to Pap test) that may hinder wide adoption of primary HPV screening. We assessed these women-level factors following the implementation of primary HPV screening (July 2020) at Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC). ⋯ Only 20.6% knew that women aged 30-65 years can be screened every 5 years with cotest or primary HPV screening. Most women (96.4%) did not perceive stigma about taking the HPV test. Conclusion: Proactive patient education will help improve women's knowledge about primary HPV screening, which may facilitate its implementation in additional health care settings.
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Journal of women's health · Dec 2024
How Frequently Is Ultrasound Required to Diagnose Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in a Clinical Population?
Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine condition, affecting up to 20% of reproductive aged women worldwide. Polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM) may be present, but is not required for diagnosis. Our study seeks to evaluate the utility of ultrasound in diagnosing or excluding PCOS by 2023 International Guidelines Criteria. ⋯ In total, 137/454, or 30.2% of subjects required TVUS for diagnosis or exclusion of PCOS. Conclusions: TVUS was necessary in less than one-third of subjects, primarily identifying PCOS groups C or D. Selective use of ovarian ultrasonography may reduce the costs and complexity of epidemiological and clinical studies for PCOS.