Pelvic health is an underappreciated component of overall health. Many people suspect that only doctors can help with pelvic issues such as incontinence, painful intercourse or constipation. Physical therapy Gilbert AZ for the pelvis can address many of these issues and provide relief in tandem with medical therapies. Pelvic floor physical therapy is very common and can drastically improve patients' quality of life.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Chelsea A DeBolt, MD
Assistant Professor, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?Response: Significant immunological shifts, systemically and at the maternal-fetal interface, are required for a successful pregnancy. Yet, there is a paucity of comprehensive data investigating the systemic immune changes within the same individual transitioning from the non-pregnant to pregnant state.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Gabriele Martelli, MD
Breast Unit, Surgery
Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori
Milan, Italy
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?Response: Approximately 8% of breast cancer cases are associated with pathogenic germline variants of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. Women with a pathogenic BRCA1 variant have lifetime risks of breast or ovarian cancer of 45% to 80% and 30% to 60%, respectively. Women with a pathogenic BRCA2 variant have lifetime risks of breast or ovarian cancer of 35% to 60% and 10% to 25%, respectively.
BRCA1 breast cancer is often more aggressive than sporadic disease, while BRCA2 breast cancer is often of similar aggressivity to sporadic disease. However, few studies have investigated outcomes of breast-conserving surgery, prophylactic mastectomy, or prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy in patients with BRCA1/2 breast cancer. We conducted a cohort study to assess outcomes of breast-conserving surgery vs mastectomy, prophylactic mastectomy vs no prophylactic mastectomy, and prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy vs no prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy in patients with BRCA1/2 breast cancer.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Esa M. Davis, M.D., M.P.H , F.A.A.F.P
Professor of Medicine and Family and Community Medicine
Associate Vice President of Community Health and
Senior Associate Dean of pPopulation Health and Community Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Dr. Davis joined the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in January 2021MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?Response: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and eclampsia, are among the leading causes of serious complications and death for pregnant people in the United States.
Pregnant women and pregnant people of all genders should have their blood pressure measured at each prenatal visit to help find and prevent serious health issues related to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr Robert Eves
Research Associate at Universität Bielefeld
Honorary research fellow at the University of Warwick
Guest researcher at DIW Berlin
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?Response: When an infant is born their birthweight percentile is often calculated. This indicates how big the infant is relative to other infants born at the same gestational age (weeks of pregnancy). In long-term follow-up of at-risk infants, being born below the 10th percentile has been considered a risk factor for later cognitive development.
However, we thought that this above or below the 10th percentile cut-off was unlikely to reflect the true association between birthweight percentiles and later cognitive development.
First of all, we thought that it was unlikely that there would be a dramatic difference between someone born at the 9th vs. 11th percentile.
Secondly, we wanted to determine if there was a point when birthweight percentiles could get too large (i.e is there a Goldilocks effect, maybe you should not be too small but not too big either)
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Jason D. Wright, MD, FACOG, FACS
Sol Goldman Associate Professor
Chief, Division of Gynecologic Oncology
Vice Chair of Academic Affairs, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
New York, New York 10032
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?Response: There is growing recognition that gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is safe and that the procedures are associated with favorable long term outcomes. Prior work has explored the use of inpatient procedures and shown that the rates of GAS have risen, but there is little contemporaneous data to examine more recent inpatient and outpatient use of GAS. This is particularly important as changes in insurance regulations may have increased access for these procedures. We examined temporal trends in performance of inpatient and outpatient GAS and examined age-specific trends in the types of procedures performed over time.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:x
Wanda K. Nicholson, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A.
Senior Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Professor of Prevention and Community Health
Milken Institute School of Public Health
George Washington University
Vice chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?Response: Neural tube defects are when a baby’s spinal cord or brain don’t develop properly during pregnancy, which can cause serious complications including disability and death. The good news is that taking folic acid supplements before and during early pregnancy is proven to help prevent this from happening.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Raymond M. Anchan, MD, Ph.D.
Director, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Research Laboratory
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Obstetrics/Gynecology
Center for Infertility and Reproductive Surgery
Brigham and Women's Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?Response: As a reproductive endocrinologist, I have the privilege of caring for patients who unfortunately experience premature ovarian insufficiency- Some of these patients are as young as 17 yo. Additionally, a significant number of patients over the years have been reproductive age women who have breast cancer and ovarian failure from chemotherapy. These patients have been my inspiration to try to find a treatment for them. Since my earlier days as a neurobiologist and stem cell scientist, it was a natural course for me to seek cell-based therapies that are patient specific using autologous iPSCs.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Bridget Callaghan Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology
UCLA
Dr. Callahan studies interactions between mental and physical health across development.MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?Response: A growing body of evidence links the gut microbiome to brain and immune functioning, and changes to that community of microorganisms is likely among the ways that hardship affects children’s socioemotional development.
Limited evidence in humans has demonstrated the adversities experienced prenatally and during early life influence the composition of the gut microbiome, but no studies had examined whether stress experienced in a mother's own childhood could influence the microbiome of the next generation of children.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dorothy A. Fink, MD
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health
Director, Office on Women's Health
US Department of Health & Human Services
Rockville, MD
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?Response: Delivery-related mortality in U.S. hospitals has decreased for all racial and ethnic groups, age groups, and modes of delivery while the prevalence of severe maternal mortality (SMM) increased for all patients, with higher rates for racial and ethnic minority patients of any age.
This study specifically looked at inpatient delivery-related outcomes and found a 57% decrease from 2008-2021. The decreasing mortality rates within the inpatient delivery setting demonstrated as statistically significant and a welcome finding for all women.
This study also looked with greater granularity at the impact of race, ethnicity, and age. Mortality for American Indian women decreased 92%, Asian women decreased 73%, Black women decreased 76%, Hispanic women decreased 60%, Pacific Islander women decreased 79%, and White women decreased 40% during the study period.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Alex P. Miller, PhD
TranSTAR T32 Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Psychiatry
Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?Response: Adolescent cannabis use is increasing in the United States. Prior research suggests that people who start using cannabis earlier are more likely to engage in problematic use and also experience greater mental health challenges and socioeconomic disadvantages overall. For example, children who begin using cannabis early are more likely to have behavioral problems and disorders and are more less likely to complete school.
In our study, we used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, which is following nearly 12,000 kids across the nation to track behavior and brain development as well as health from middle childhood to young adulthood. We looked at what factors are associated with the initiation of cannabis use by age 12-14.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:TEAM FEMTECH
Feng Yi Low, MD student (Class of 2024), Duke-NUS Medical School
Casey Ang Fann Ting, Biomedical Engineering student, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS)
Anar Sanjaykumar Kothary, MBA student, NUS Business School
MedicalResearch.com:What is the background for this innovation? What is the problem you sought to mitigate?Response: A safe and low cost solution to reduce the incidence of moderate to severe vaginal tears during childbirth. Vaginal tears are a serious complication during delivery. 90% of women will experience it during childbirth. It is even more prominent in the Asian context as Asian women are 74% more likely to experience tearing due to various factors such as their skin composition as well as stature to name a few.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Anna Roca PhD
MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Fajara, The Gambia
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?Response: Context specific interventions are needed to decrease the high burden of severe neonatal morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Severe bacterial infections are a main cause of neonatal mortality in the continent. Oral intra-partum azithromycin is a cheap intervention easily scalable. Before embarking on this trial, we conducted a proof-of-concept trial that showed the intervention reduced maternal and neonatal bacterial carriage of the most prevalent bacteria causing neonatal sepsis in the continent.
(more…)
William A. Petri, MD PhD
Wade Hampton Frost Professor of Medicine and
Vice Chair for Research of the Department of Medicine
Professor of Medicine, Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, and Pathology,
Medicine: Infectious Diseases and International Health,
Medicine: Infectious Diseases and International Health
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?MedicalResearch.com We tested if prophylactic antibiotics could prevent sepsis and death in women in the late stages of normal vaginal labor and delivery. It was previously known that antibiotic were effective for this purpose in women undergoing C-section. The study was a randomized placebo-controlled trial at 8 international sites of nearly 30,000 women.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr Jessica Miller, PhD
Murdoch Children’s Researcher and
Professor David Burgner,
Murdoch Children’s Group Leader, Infection and Immunity
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Royal Children's Hospital
Victoria Australia
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?Response: Early reports following the initial COVID-19 lockdowns showed huge variation in changes to preterm birth and stillbirth rates, deeming it difficult to understand the pattern worldwide. It was uncertain if the observed variations were due to differences in study design and methodology, immediate impacts of lockdowns or changes in health service utilization. Previous reports from single populations or facilities were unlikely to be representative of the population and could not be compared across populations. Lockdowns affected health, social and economic factors that could lead to reductions in preterm birth rates. Changes in hygiene practices and abruptions to traffic following lockdown led to alterations in non-COVID infections and air pollution, which are known to trigger inflammation and contribute to preterm birth.
Given the uncertainty in the earlier reports, we aimed to conduct a rigorous, standardised analysis using high-quality, total-population data from across the world in order to summarize and compare rates across countries. Our large global study included 52 million births between 2015-2020 from 26 countries and represents one of the first large-scale analyses of birth outcomes during the early months of COVID-19.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Sean M Hughes MA
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?Response: Young women are at elevated risk of getting sexually transmitted infections at the age when they typically start to have sexual intercourse. It’s not known whether this elevated risk is a consequence of behavioral factors (such as choices around use of barrier protection), physiological factors (such as a difference in the immune system) or a combination of both. In this study, we investigated a physiological factor: the immune system in the vagina.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Florence Z. Martin
MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit
Population Health Sciences
Bristol Medical School
University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?Response: Globally, rates of caesarean section are on the rise. Many things are contributing to this, including increasing maternal age, more women who have had prior caesareans, and changes in maternal preference. One reason that women have been cited to choose a caesarean in an uncomplicated pregnancy is the maintenance of sexual wellbeing postpartum (in other words, after their baby is born). The protection of sexual wellbeing following caesarean section is thought to be via the maintenance of vaginal tone and reduced risk of vaginal tearing.
However, few studies have shown this to be true. Some studies investigating sexual outcomes in the year after birth found no difference between women who gave birth vaginally and those who delivered via caesarean section. Longer term evidence is sparse, with only one study looking up to 16 years postpartum and finding that women who give birth to all their children via caesarean section are at higher risk of experiencing sex-related pain.
To contribute to previous studies and provide the first piece of evidence looking at sexual wellbeing as a whole several years after delivery, we used data from the Children of the 90s study (also known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children or ALSPAC). We aimed to compare sexual enjoyment, sexual frequency, and sex-related pain between women who delivered via caesarean section and those who delivered vaginally up to 18 years postpartum.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Professor Caroline Crowther MB ChB, DCH, FRANZCOG, MD, DDU, FRCOG, CMFM
Maternal Fetal Medicine Subspecialist
Professor of Maternal & Perinatal Health
Liggins Institue
Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland
MwdicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?Response: Gestational diabetes is a growing and significant health problem worldwide for women affected and their babies. Treatment of gestational diabetes improves maternal and infant health but it remains unclear what degree of maternal hyperglycaemia should be used to make the diagnosis. Because of this uncertainty, recommended diagnostic criteria vary around the world.
The GEMS randomised trial assessed whether use of lower glycaemic diagnostic criteria, recommended by the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups would improve perinatal health, without increasing maternal risks, compared to use of higher criteria, and to assess the effects on use of the health services.
(more…)
Becoming a parent is an incredibly daunting task, it can put a lot of strain on individuals and relationships. This doesn’t necessarily have to be between the couples, as extended families might feel entitled to push new parents and make them feel bad for not raising their child in a certain way.
Young parent life can be seen as something fun, a new experience. But there are a lot of new things that are difficult to cope with. Stress boils, issues with post-partum depression become damaging and of course, nothing is as plain sailing as it might seem. That’s quite a list, so with that in mind – here are some of the main things that all soon-to-be parents should be aware of.
Stress
Stress might be something that isn’t new to you. Stress can come from a lot of things. You might have problems financially, or you might be struggling with a lot of sleep deprivation, especially if you are the pregnant person in your relationship. People might joke about you enjoying the sleep that you are getting now because it won’t last forever, but the chances are, you aren’t getting nearly enough sleep as it is already.
This is a period filled with highs and lows, especially if the due date is coming around the corner and you are struggling with making sure everything is ready on time. Stress is damaging to the baby too, so if your pregnant partner isn’t your top priority (which it absolutely should be through all of the pregnancy and newborn stages) you should switch it around so they are at the top of your list whenever they need anything.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Richard McManus MA PhD MBBS FRCGP FRCP
Professor of Primary Care
Dr. McManus chairs the Blood Pressure Monitoring Working Party
of the British Hypertension Society
Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health SciencesMedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: About one in ten people who are pregnant develop high blood pressure and almost half of these go onto to have pre-eclampsia. Many pregnant women and individuals are already measuring their own blood pressure – well over half of those with high blood pressure in a recent large survey in the UK but until recently there were no data to support this.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Professor Mohamed Abdel-Fattah, MD, FRCOG
Chair in Gynaecology
Consultant Gynaecologist & Sub-specialist Urogynaecologist
School Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
University Of Aberdeen
Co-Director Aberdeen Centre For Women’s Health Research
Lead – MBChB intercalated degree programme
Chief Investigator – CATHETER II, FUTURE, and SIMS RCTsMedicalResearch.com: Why was this study necessary?Response:At the time of study design, the main surgical option for treating stress urinary incontinence was the insertion of a standard mid-urethral sling, usually using a general anaesthetic. However, single incision mini-slings were introduced to clinical practice without robust assessment. They were considered promising due to several potential advantages including using less mesh more possibility to be performed under local anaesthetic.
A number of small studies with short-term follow-up (i.e. low quality evidence) showed mini-slings to have similar success rates to standard mid-urethral slings, but required shorter hospital stay and was less painful immediately after surgery. Several systematic reviews at the time recommended an adequately powered robust randomised trial to compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of mini-slings to standard mid-urethral slings with adequate term follow-up.(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:Dr. Lora Shahine MD FACOG
Host of the fertility podcast Baby or Busthttps://www.lorashahine.com/Dr. Shahine is double board-certified in reproductive endocrinology and infertility as well as obstetrics and gynecology
Clinical assistant professor at the University of Washington
Pacific NorthWest FertilityMedicalResearch.com: How did you become interested in reproductive medicine?Response: I love the combination of technology, women’s health, and helping people during a vulnerable time with all the emotions that come with it. I knew becoming a reproductive endocrinologist would mean a career of learning and helping people build families.
MedicalResearch.com: When should women consider freezing their eggs?Response: There is no one perfect age.
The younger someone freezes eggs (in their 20s), the higher quality the eggs will be and the higher success in the future but the more likely someone may not need the. The older someone freezes eggs (in their late 30s and 40s), the lower quality and the lower chance of success over time. For many people and in general - the research supports its most cost effect to freeze eggs in your mid 30s.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Jean GuglielminottiMD,PhD
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
New York 10032MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: An old study (2004-2006) conducted in France suggested that epidural analgesia during childbirth resulted in a decreased risk of postpartum hemorrhage, the first cause of preventable maternal morbidity and mortality. We believed it was important to replicate this study in the United States, because of the advances in obstetric and anesthesia care practices during the last 15 years, and because of the marked differences in the health care systems between the United States and France.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Irene A. Stafford, M.S., M.D.
Associate Professor
Associate Program Director Maternal - Fetal Medicine Fellowship
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: We have observed disproportionately high-rates syphilis in the US over the last several years, and here in Texas. As this is now leading to health alerts in our cities, it is key we bring attention to this infection regarding risks to the pregnant patient and her fetus.
Syphilis carries a nearly 40% neonatal mortality rate, so testing and treating is key in preventing this devastating neonatal infection. We need to encourage and offer testing at intake to pregnancy care, and any time a patient desires to be tested for STI. (more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Gang Chen, MD, PhD
Deputy chief of cardiovascular surgery
Children's Hospital of Fudan University
Shanghai, ChinMedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?Response: Preterm birth is a crucial global health issue. The relation between fertility treatment and preterm birth of singletons have not been fully clarified. In this cohort study of over 14 million pregnant women included in the US National Vital Statistics, fertility treatment, including both assisted reproductive treatment (ART) and non-ART treatment, was found positively correlated with preterm birth in singletons and infants conceived after fertility treatment were more strongly associated with higher rates of very preterm and extremely preterm birth.(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Anders Hviid M.Sc.,Dr.Med.Sci.Head of Department (acting),
Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology,
Department of Epidemiology Research
Statens Serum Institut
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: An unusually low number of extremely preterm births have been observed in some countries during the initial covid-19 lockdowns. We speculated that this could be because of fewer infections, reduced activity levels, less stress etc. These are also factors that change with the seasons, and we hypothesized that extremely preterm birth might be associated with seasonality.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Laura Schummers, ScD (she/her/hers)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Contraception and Abortion Research Team
CIHR Patient-Oriented Research Leadership Fellow
Post-doctoral Trainee, ICES McMaster
UBC - Department of Family Practice | Women's Health Research Institute
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Canada was the first country in the world to remove all supplemental restrictions on the dispensing and administration of mifepristone, making the drug available as a normal prescription. This meant that the abortion pill could be prescribed by any doctor or nurse practitioner, dispensed by any pharmacist, and taken by patients when, where and if they choose.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Stefanie N. Hinkle, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Biostatistics
Epidemiology and Informatics
Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Over 80% of U.S. women of reproductive age consume caffeine daily.While most women decrease consumption after becoming pregnant, many continue to consume caffeine throughout pregnancy.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that pregnant women limit their caffeine consumption to <200 mg/d out of an abundance of caution due to potential associations with pregnancy loss and fetal growth restriction at higher intakes. There remains limited data on associations with maternal cardiometabolic outcomes in pregnancy. (more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Jeffrey Howard, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Public Health
College for Health, Community and Policy
University of Texas at San Antonio
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Drug and alcohol related mortality has been on the rise in the US for the past decade, which has drawn a lot of focus from researchers. At the same time maternal mortality, deaths caused by pregnancy complications, is recognized to be higher in the US than in other developed nations.
Very little has been reported about deaths among pregnant and recently pregnant women that are not caused by pregnancy complications, so my collaborators and I wanted to explore this. We did not anticipate that drug and alcohol deaths and homicides would account for so many deaths among pregnant and recently pregnant women.
(more…)
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Aaron B. Caughey, M.D., M.P.P., M.P.H., Ph.D.
Professor and ChairDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Associate dean for Women’s Health Research and Policy
Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, OR.
Founder and Chair, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention–funded
Oregon Perinatal Collaborative
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?Response: Preeclampsia is one of the most serious health problems that can occur during pregnancy. It can lead to preterm birth, and in some cases even death of the pregnant person and their baby.
The Task Force looked at the latest available evidence and found that low-dose aspirin can help prevent preeclampsia in pregnant people who are at highest risk, and it can also protect their babies. This new final recommendation is consistent with the Task Force’s 2014 recommendation statement and has the potential to save many lives.(more…)
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Esa M. Davis, M.D., M.P.H , F.A.A.F.P
Professor of Medicine and Family and Community Medicine
Associate Vice President of Community Health and
Senior Associate Dean of pPopulation Health and Community Medicine
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Dr. Davis joined the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in January 2021
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and eclampsia, are among the leading causes of serious complications and death for pregnant people in the United States.
Pregnant women and pregnant people of all genders should have their blood pressure measured at each prenatal visit to help find and prevent serious health issues related to hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. (more…)
Sean M Hughes MA
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Washington
Seattle, WA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Young women are at elevated risk of getting sexually transmitted infections at the age when they typically start to have sexual intercourse. It’s not known whether this elevated risk is a consequence of behavioral factors (such as choices around use of barrier protection), physiological factors (such as a difference in the immune system) or a combination of both. In this study, we investigated a physiological factor: the immune system in the vagina.
(more…)
