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Female Reproductive Health: Inside Knowledge on Prenatal Biomarkers, Lifestyles, and Psychological Wellbeing

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Women's Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 19860

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maria Luisa Sanchez Ferrer

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Guest Editor

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, "Virgen de la Arrixaca" University Clinical Hospital,30120 El Palmar (Murcia), Spain
Interests: obstetrics; gynecology; female reproductive health; female genital malformations; endometriosis; polycystic ovarian syndrome; human reproduction; gynecological surgery

Dr. Ines Moran Sanchez

E-Mail Website
Assistant Guest Editor

Health Service of Murcia, Cartagena Mental Health Centre, 30201 Murcia, Spain
Interests: mental health; female reproductive health; lifestyles and psychological wellbeing

Dr. Julián J. Arense Gonzalo

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Assistant Guest Editor

Division of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Murcia School of Medicine, 30100 Espinardo (Murcia), Spain.
Interests: public health; epidemiology; biostatistics; human reproduction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Female reproductive health is influenced by multifactorial, polygenic, and familiar mechanisms that together can create a favorable environment to provoke anomalies, but the direct cause or association of the majority of pathologies is not known despite the research advances that have been made in this field. Instead, embryological development and the chain of events that eventually lead to a pathology are better known, although less discussed.

The pathologies that affect female reproductive health are frequent but are not always detected. The screening methods, diagnostic tools, and diagnosis cut-off criteria influence their prevalence and classification with an impact on deciding whether an intervention and which type must be made on these women. The impact of each pathology such as endometriosis or polycystic ovarian syndrome has been widely discussed from a gynecological point of view, but poor investigations have been done about their impact in psychological wellbeing, such as quality of life, sexuality, etc. being of enormous interest to globally treat these women.

Dr. Maria Luisa Sanchez Ferrer
Dr. Ines Moran Sanchez
Dr. Julián J. Arense Gonzalo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

endometriosis
polycystic ovarian syndrome
fetal programming
quality of life
sexuality
lifestyles
psychological wellbeing
anogenital distance

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 483 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Audiovisual Content to Promote Women Scientists on the YouTube Channels of Spanish Biosanitary Research Institutes

by Javier Almela-Baeza, Beatriz Febrero, Antonio Pérez-Manzano, Adrián Bonache-Ibáñez and Pablo Ramírez

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(18), 9698; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189698 - 15 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1664

Abstract

YouTube is an appropriate social network for disseminating scientific audiovisual content, and this content can help to make the position of women in science, and gender equality, more visible. The aim of this study is to analyse the visibility of women scientists on the YouTube channels of Spanish biosanitary research institutes accredited by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. A mixed study of the channels and communication departments of the institutions has been carried out, analysing metrics of audience impact, the type of audiovisual production and the use of YouTube in the institution. Of the 1914 videos analysed, 4% (n = 76) of the content is related to the visibility of women scientists and has little impact. The audiovisual production is basic and informative, without a dramatic narrative structure and focused on transmitting the personal experiences of women scientists. It is necessary to invest resources in institutions to improve the production and dissemination of content that makes women in the scientific field more visible, especially among students. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Female Reproductive Health: Inside Knowledge on Prenatal Biomarkers, Lifestyles, and Psychological Wellbeing)

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12 pages, 1786 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Treatment of Dyspareunia with Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A: Clinical Improvement and Influence of Patients’ Characteristics

by Marta Tarazona-Motes, Monica Albaladejo-Belmonte, Francisco J. Nohales-Alfonso, Maria De-Arriba, Javier Garcia-Casado and Jose Alberola-Rubio

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(16), 8783; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168783 - 20 Aug 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2480

Abstract

The treatment of chronic pelvic pain (CPP) with botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) has increased lately, but more studies assessing its effect are needed. This study aimed to evaluate the evolution of patients after BoNT/A infiltration and identify potential responders to treatment. Twenty-four women with CPP associated with dyspareunia were treated with 90 units of BoNT/A injected into their pelvic floor muscle (PFM). Clinical status and PFM activity were monitored in a previous visit (PV) and 12 and 24 weeks after the infiltration (W12, W24) by validated clinical questionnaires and surface electromyography (sEMG). The influence of patients’ characteristics on the reduction in pain at W12 and W24 was also assessed. After treatment, pain scores and the impact of symptoms on quality of life dropped significantly, sexual function improved and sEMG signal amplitude decreased on both sides of the PFM with no adverse events. Headaches and bilateral pelvic pain were risk factors for a smaller pain improvement at W24, while lower back pain was a protective factor. Apart from reporting a significant clinical improvement of patients with CPP associated with dyspareunia after BoNT/A infiltration, this study shows that clinical characteristics should be analyzed in detail to identify potential responders to treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Female Reproductive Health: Inside Knowledge on Prenatal Biomarkers, Lifestyles, and Psychological Wellbeing)

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9 pages, 676 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Association between Female Medical History and Thyroid Cancer in Women: A Cross-Sectional Study Using KoGES HEXA Data

by Young Ju Jin, Suk Woo Lee, Chang Myeon Song, Bumjung Park and Hyo Geun Choi

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(15), 8046; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18158046 - 29 Jul 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1893

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between female medical history and thyroid cancer. Methods: Data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study were collected from 2004 to 2016. Among a total of 1303 participants with thyroid cancer and 106,602 control (non-thyroid cancer) participants, the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of hysterectomy, oophorectomy, use of oral contraceptives, and number of children were evaluated. Results: The adjusted OR of hysterectomy for thyroid cancer was 1.73 (95% CI = 1.48–2.01, p < 0.001) in the minimally adjusted model. The adjusted ORs for thyroid cancer were 1.89 (95% CI = 1.06–3.37, p = 0.031), 0.89 (95% CI = 0.83–0.94, p < 0.001), and 0.85 (95% CI = 0.73–0.99, p = 0.040) for bilateral oophorectomy, number of children, and use of oral contraceptives, respectively, in the fully adjusted model. In the subgroup analysis, the adjusted ORs of bilateral oophorectomy were significant in the younger age (OR = 3.62, 95% CI = 1.45–9.03, p = 0.006), while the number of children was significant in the older age (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.80–0.93, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The ORs of hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy were significantly higher in the thyroid cancer group in the younger age group. The adjusted ORs of the number of children were significantly low in the older age group. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Female Reproductive Health: Inside Knowledge on Prenatal Biomarkers, Lifestyles, and Psychological Wellbeing)

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15 pages, 1012 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The WOMEN-UP Solution, a Patient-Centered Innovative e-Health Tool for Pelvic Floor Muscle Training: Qualitative and Usability Study during Early-Stage Development

by Sònia Anglès-Acedo, Lorena López-Frías, Vicenç Soler, Joan Francesc Alonso, Arnoud W. Kastelein, Boris C. de Graaf, Eva. V. Vodegel, Jaana Tervo, Adriana Baban, Montserrat Espuña-Pons and on behalf of the WOMEN-UP Consortium

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(15), 7800; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18157800 - 23 Jul 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2794

Abstract

e-Health may enhance self-management of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI). It is crucial to involve patients in planning, developing and monitoring the optimal e-Health solution. This research aims to describe patient-centered innovation in an early developmental stage of the WOMEN-UP solution. We conducted a qualitative study through a self-developed questionnaire in 22 women with SUI, to define system requirements from a patient’s perspective. The first prototype of the WOMEN-UP solution was developed. It was tested by 9 patients in a usability study (think-aloud protocol and retrospective interviews). Patient preferences regarding the possible use of an e-Health solution with serious games for PFMT were: (1) to receive feedback about PFMT; (2) convenient home-use; (3) increasing motivation; (4) available in medical centers. Identified usability aids (31) reassured our design-development plan, which considered the biofeedback and serious games as key factors. Patient’s perspective detected some unexpected issues related to the calibration and serious games, involving a change in the ongoing development to get an improved WOMEN-UP solution; the value of patient-centered innovation during the development of an e-Health solution for PFMT (WOMEN-UP solution). To identify patients’ unmet needs, we proposed a longitudinal approach for the future eHealth-related patient-centered innovations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Female Reproductive Health: Inside Knowledge on Prenatal Biomarkers, Lifestyles, and Psychological Wellbeing)

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8 pages, 492 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Optimism in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Case Control-Study

by Inés Morán-Sánchez, Evdochia Adoamnei, María L. Sánchez-Ferrer, María T. Prieto-Sánchez, Julián J. Arense-Gonzalo, Ana Carmona-Barnosi, Ana I. Hernandez-Peñalver, Jaime Mendiola and Alberto M. Torres-Cantero

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(5), 2352; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052352 - 28 Feb 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2066

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a chronic endocrinopathy characterized by hyperandrogenism and anovulation that may pervade psychological dimensions such as dispositional optimism. Considering how PCOS influences mental health and the lack of studies on this matter, this research was aimed at assessing optimism and associated factors in PCOS. A case–control study of 156 patients with PCOS and 117 controls was conducted. All woman filled out the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), a self-report questionnaire for measuring dispositional optimism. Medication, pain severity, gynecological, and sociodemographic information was also collected. Lower optimism was found in patients with PCOS compared to controls, even after covariate adjustment (LOT-R global scores: 14.1 vs. 15.9, p = 0.020). Our study provides evidence that a personality characteristic with important implications in illness prognosis may be affected in PCOS. We propose to assess dispositional optimism with the LOT-R scale in the gynecological appointment and tailor medical attention accordingly as a way to improve the comprehensive care of these patients within a multidisciplinary team. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Female Reproductive Health: Inside Knowledge on Prenatal Biomarkers, Lifestyles, and Psychological Wellbeing)

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Review

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17 pages, 557 KiB

Open AccessReview

Vulvodynia—It Is Time to Accept a New Understanding from a Neurobiological Perspective

by Rafael Torres-Cueco and Francisco Nohales-Alfonso

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(12), 6639; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126639 - 21 Jun 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 7606

Abstract

Vulvodynia is one the most common causes of pain during sexual intercourse in premenopausal women. The burden of vulvodynia in a woman’s life can be devastating due to its consequences in the couple’s sexuality and intimacy, in activities of daily living, and psychological well-being. In recent decades, there has been considerable progress in the understanding of vulvar pain. The most significant change has been the differentiation of vulvar pain secondary to pathology or disease from vulvodynia. However, although it is currently proposed that vulvodynia should be considered as a primary chronic pain condition and, therefore, without an obvious identifiable cause, it is still believed that different inflammatory, genetic, hormonal, muscular factors, etc. may be involved in its development. Advances in pain neuroscience and the central sensitization paradigm have led to a new approach to vulvodynia from a neurobiological perspective. It is proposed that vulvodynia should be understood as complex pain without relevant nociception. Different clinical identifiers of vulvodynia are presented from a neurobiological and psychosocial perspective. In this case, strategies to modulate altered central pain processing is necessary, changing the patient’s erroneous cognitions about their pain, and also reducing fear avoidance-behaviors and the disability of the patient. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Female Reproductive Health: Inside Knowledge on Prenatal Biomarkers, Lifestyles, and Psychological Wellbeing)

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