Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Jan 2025
Maternal Chronic Physical Conditions and Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders in the Preconception and Perinatal Periods.
Background: Chronic physical conditions (CPC) and alcohol and substance use disorders (SUD) frequently co-occur, but this has not been examined perinatally. We explored the combined effects of CPC and prepregnancy SUD on perinatal SUD-related adverse events and outpatient care. Materials and methods: This population-based study comprised 77,474 people with and 664,751 without CPC with a birth in Ontario, Canada, 2013-2020. ⋯ There was evidence of positive interaction for CPC + SUD (aRERI: 3.69, 95% CI: 1.13, 6.46). Similar elevated aRRs were observed for perinatal outpatient care for SUD, but without a positive interaction for people with CPC + SUD. Conclusion: As people with both CPC and SUD have the highest risk of perinatal SUD-related adversity, they may need greater preconception and perinatal support.
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Background: The United States is proposing to ban menthol cigarettes. Our objective is to examine the extent of menthol smoking among pregnant women and its association with their health. Methods: Nationally representative study of 14,226 pregnant women aged 18-44 years using the 2004-2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. ⋯ Among those smoking menthol, 73.7% reported mental health issues compared with 64.4% for nonmenthol. Conclusions: Women who smoke menthols report worse health compared with those smoking nonmenthol. Policies designed to reduce menthol smoking would improve maternal health, especially for minoritized women and those at higher risk for poor birthing outcomes.
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This clinical update serves as a brief summary of recently published and potentially practice changing journal articles. We review recent publications related to contraceptive safety and efficacy. The article discusses updated medical eligibility recommendations, effectiveness of progestin-only pills (including the newly approved over-the-counter pill), safety of estrogen containing contraceptives in those with migraine, topiramate interactions with hormonal contraception, and the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with oral emergency contraception to improve efficacy.
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Journal of women's health · Jan 2025
Prenatal and Postpartum Home Visits and Postpartum Contraceptive Use: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.
Background: The postpartum period is a time of unmet contraceptive need for many women. Home visits by a health care worker during pregnancy or after delivery could increase postpartum contraceptive use and decrease barriers to accessing postpartum care. This study investigated the association between prenatal or postpartum home visits and postpartum contraceptive use using a large sample of U. ⋯ After controlling for sociodemographic, reproductive, and health-related factors, women who received prenatal or postpartum home visits had a higher odds of postpartum contraception use (adjusted odds ratio 1.08, 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.15, p = 0.009). Women who were older, were minority race, had less than a high school education, received inadequate prenatal care, experienced partner abuse during pregnancy, or experienced multiple stressors during pregnancy had a lower odds of postpartum contraception use in adjusted analyses controlling for home visitation. Conclusion: Given the benefits of recommended interpregnancy intervals to both the mother and the baby, adding formal contraceptive counseling and offering a variety of postpartum contraceptive methods in the home could further strengthen home visitation programs in the United States and may support women in achieving their reproductive goals.
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Journal of women's health · Jan 2025
Observational StudyPatient-Reported Pregnancy Outcomes and Survival in Women with Aortic Valve and/or Aortic Root Replacement.
Background: Our objective was to investigate patient-reported maternal and perinatal outcomes and survival among women undergoing aortic valve and/or aortic root replacement (AVR/ARR). Methods: This was a single-center observational study of U. S. women identified in our surgical/obstetric databases who underwent AVR/ARR between 1967 and 2019. ⋯ Of those who died, a higher proportion were Black (75%) and had aortic insufficiency (72%). Conclusions: Patients who underwent aortic valve surgery report high rates of maternal and perinatal complications, and death certificate data confirm high rates of racial disparities and death within a decade of surgery. Interventions are urgently needed to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes in individuals with aortic valve disease and to eliminate preventable racial disparities.