Background: Vaginal practices (VPs) may increase HIV risk by injuring vaginal epithelium or by increasing risk of bacterial vaginosis, an established risk factor for HIV.
Methods: HIV-negative Zimbabwean women (n = 2,185) participating in a prospective study on hormonal contraception and HIV risk completed an ancillary questionnaire capturing detailed VP data at quarterly followup visits for two years.
Results: Most participants (84%) reported ever cleansing inside the vagina, and at 40% of visits women reported drying the vagina using cloth or paper. Vaginal tightening using cloth/cotton wool, lemon juice, traditional herbs/powders, or other products was reported at 4% of visits. Women with ≥15 unprotected sex acts monthly had higher odds of cleansing (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.17, 95% CI: 1.04-1.32). Women with sexually transmitted infections had higher odds of tightening (aOR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.08-1.86).
Conclusion: Because certain vaginal practices were associated with other HIV risk factors, synergism between VPs and other risk factors should be explored.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2943083 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/387671 | DOI Listing |
J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod
December 2024
Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil, Lisbon, Portugal; Portuguese Gynecologic Oncology Section of the Portuguese Society of Gynecology. Electronic address:
Background: The incidence of gynecological cancers in premenopausal women is increasing, highlighting issues related to Hormonal Contraception (HC) and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). However, the presence of hormonal receptors in many gynecological cancers complicates HC and HRT prescriptions.
Objective: To identify barriers experienced by gynecologists in prescribing HC and HRT to gynecological cancer survivors, with a secondary objective of conducting a literature review on the safety of these prescriptions.
Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol
December 2024
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Genetics Institute, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel; The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. Electronic address:
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of mistreatment during childbirth in Israeli medical centers, addressing gaps in quantitative data within developed countries.
Study Design: A new questionnaire, incorporating demographic, obstetric, and mistreatment-related questions, was developed and distributed to postpartum women in two Israeli hospitals. Mistreatment categories included physical, sexual, and verbal abuse, failure to meet professional standards, poor rapport between women and providers, and health system conditions.
Medwave
December 2024
Departamento Académico de Ciencias Clínicas, Facultad de Medicina Humana, Universidad Nacional San Luis Gonzaga, Ica, Perú.
Introduction: Maternal mortality remains a significant challenge for public health globally, particularly in developing areas such as Ica, Peru. This study aims to analyze the risk factors contributing to maternal mortality in reference hospitals in Ica during the period of 2010 to 2020.
Methods: A case-control study was conducted, including 49 cases of maternal deaths and 98 controls, applying multivariate logistic regression to analyze data collected from hospital records.
J Interpers Violence
February 2025
Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
We sought to test the effects of sexual assault form and complainant/defendant gender on jurors' perceptions of the prototypicality of a sexual assault case, complainant, and defendant. We examined whether these perceived prototypicality measures predict mock jurors' complainant/defendant blame and credibility assessments and if these assessments predict verdict decisions in a simulated sexual assault trial. We predicted that the female complainant-male defendant condition, vaginal intercourse condition, and their combination would be perceived as more prototypical than their counterparts, which would predict blame/credibility assessments, ultimately predicting verdict.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMCN Am J Matern Child Nurs
December 2024
Predictive analytics has emerged as a promising approach for improving reproductive health care and patient outcomes. During pregnancy and birth, the ability to accurately predict risks and complications could enable earlier interventions and reduce adverse events. However, there are challenges and ethical considerations for implementing predictive models in perinatal care settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!