Objectives: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) contributes to poor reproductive health and is characterized by a displacement of Lactobacillus in the vaginal microbiome. However, treatment for BV is limited to antibiotics and half of the women treated experience recurrence within a year. THRIVE (The Study of Host-Bacterial Relationships and Immune Function in Different Vaginal Environments) is a prospective study in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, which is designed to capture the daily variation of the microbiome and host mucosal immunity during treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Our objective was to explore the workforce and clinical care of first and second-trimester surgical abortion (FTSA, STSA) providers following the publication of the updated Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) surgical abortion guidelines.
Methods: We conducted a national, cross-sectional, online, self-administered survey of physicians who provided abortion care in 2019. This anonymized survey collected participant demographics, types of abortion services, and characteristics of FTSA and STSA clinical care.
Neutrophil recruitment and activation within the female genital tract are often associated with tissue inflammation, loss of vaginal epithelial barrier integrity, and increased risk for sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV-1. However, the direct role of neutrophils on vaginal epithelial barrier function during genital inflammation in vivo remains unclear. Using complementary proteome and immunological analyses, we show high neutrophil influx into the lower female genital tract in response to physiological surges in progesterone, stimulating distinct stromal, immunological, and metabolic signaling pathways.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTelemedicine has the potential to improve abortion access disparities in Canada. We aimed to explore the provision of telemedicine for first-trimester medical abortion and related barriers in 2019. We conducted a national, cross-sectional, anonymized, web-based survey of clinicians who provided abortion care in 2019 in Canada.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To explore the Canadian first-trimester medication abortion (MA) workforce and their clinical care following the introduction of mifepristone in 2017, updated national clinical practice guidelines and government approval of nurse practitioners (NPs) as first-trimester MA providers.
Study Design: We conducted a national, self-administered, cross-sectional survey of abortion providers in 2019. Our bilingual (French/English) survey collected information on demographics, abortion number, and clinical care characteristics.