Sexual health during pregnancy and the postpartum.

Introduction: Pregnancy and childbirth is a special period in a woman's life, which involves significant physical, hormonal, psychological, social, and cultural changes that may influence her own sexuality as well as the health of a couple's sexual relationship.

Aim: To comprehensively review the literature on the effects of pregnancy and the postpartum period on a couple's sexual health and well-being.

Main Outcome Measures:   Evidence from the published literature of the impact of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period on sexual function.

Building community-based participatory research partnerships with a Somali refugee community.

Background: The U.S. has become home to growing numbers of immigrants and refugees from countries where the traditional practice of female genital cutting (FGC) is prevalent.

Cervical cancer screening among immigrants and ethnic minorities: a systematic review using the Health Belief Model.

Objective: To systematically review all studies examining sociocultural factors influencing cervical cancer screening among immigrant and ethnic minorities in the United States along the theoretical framework of the Health Belief Model.

Materials And Methods: MEDLINE/PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, EMBASE, and Cochrane database searches were conducted searching for English language, US-based studies to examine minority and immigrant populations within the theoretical framework of the Health Belief Model. Fifty-five of more than 3,381 potentially relevant articles were included in the final analysis.

The role of androgens in hormone replacement therapy.

In recent years, increased attention to women's sexual health has propelled basic scientific research and clinical trials investigating treatment paradigms for improving sexual well-being. As the prevalence of female sexual dysfunction has become manifest, knowledge of the intricate pathophysiological role of androgens in maintaining sexual function has fostered a clearer understanding of the effect of age on androgen status, the role of androgens in the postmenopausal ovary, and aetiological mechanisms of androgen insufficiency in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Understanding the long-term safety and efficacy of physiological androgen replacement and the development of sensitive testosterone assays for specific use in women will better characterise women who are most likely to respond to androgen therapy and, thereby, optimise their quality of life.