Informational needs and the experiences of women with abnormal Papanicolaou smears.

Purpose: To describe the experience of women with abnormal Papanicolaou (Pap) smears with a particular focus on their informational needs.

Data Source: The small purposive sample consisted of 10 demographically diverse women with a history of at least one abnormal Pap smear, who attended one Women's Health outpatient clinic that typically serves a multiethnic, low-income population. Individual 30- to 60-min tape-recorded interviews were conducted, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed according to Colaizzi's eidetic method of phenomenological analysis.

Hawaii cohort study of serum micronutrient concentrations and clearance of incident oncogenic human papillomavirus infection of the cervix.

The degree to which the resolution of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection parallels exposure to other factors, particularly those related to nutritional status, is a relatively unexplored area of research. We established a cohort of women for long-term follow-up to examine the association of serum retinol, carotenoid, and tocopherol concentrations with the clearance of incident cervical HPV infection. Interviews and biological specimens were obtained at baseline and at 4-month intervals.

Evidence for practice: oral contraception and risk of cervical cancer.

Purpose: The issue of continued oral contraceptive use among women with abnormal Pap smears may be controversial due to reported evidence of an increased risk of cervical cancer among long term oral contraceptive users. This article reviews the evidence concerning oral contraception and cervical cancer risk. The role of Human Papilloma virus (HPV) and proposed mechanisms for the development of cervical cancer are explained.