Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health articles from December 2007

Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health archives from December 2007

Fish guidelines flounder in a sea of controversy.(FYI)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Women who are trying to conceive, are pregnant or are breast-feeding should eat at least 12 ounces of ocean fish per week, "and can do so safely," according to recommendations from an expert group on maternal nutrition working in partnership...

A way to slow HIV?(FYI)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Some research conducted before highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was available suggested that pregnancy could hasten the progression of HIV disease to AIDS, but a study of HIV-infected women attending a Nashville clinic from 1997...

Pediatricians now have guidelines on HPV vaccine.(FYI)(human papillomavirus)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a provisional statement recommending that pediatricians administer the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to all 11-and 12-year-old girls, to girls as young as nine if they consider it necessary and...

Research ageism?(FYI)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Clinical trials aimed at preventing STDs by targeting risky sexual behavior largely exclude individuals older than 50, even though these "older" adults are increasingly at risk of acquiring HIV and often do not engage in protective behavior....

Expanding the provider base.(FYI)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Even in settings where surgical abortion is not offered, providers can expand the availability of abortion by offering medical procedures. (1) Between 2002 and 2005, a total of 220 women sought pregnancy options counseling at three clinics in...

Awareness is not enough.(FYI)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... U.S. women's generally high awareness of breast cancer "is not translating into knowledge," according to results of a survey conducted in August among about 1,000 women aged 18 or older. (1) Three-quarters of respondents reported that they were...

Public health vs. the law.(FYI)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... The majority of states have laws that prevent the kind of routine testing for HIV that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended in 2006 to help reduce the number of people who are infected and unaware of it. (1) The CDC...

Seize the moment to screen.(FYI)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Brief, problem-focused doctor visits, a mainstay of many adolescents' health care, may present opportunities to screen teenagers for chlamydia infection, according to results of a survey conducted in four pediatric clinics. (1) In interviews...

Not what the plan planned.(FYI)(Brief article)
December 1, 2007... Although Medicaid managed care was intended to improve access to health care for low-income individuals, an analysis of California's vital statistics for 1990-2000 suggests that it might be having the opposite effect. (1) In counties that...

Pregnancy intentions and happiness among pregnant black women at high risk for adverse infant health outcomes.(Report)
December 1, 2007... Much has been written about the concept of intendedness of pregnancy. (1-5) Previous research has consistently found pregnancy intendedness to be associated with several behavioral and psychosocial risk factors that may influence child health...

The quality of family planning services in the United States: findings from a literature review.(Report)
December 1, 2007... Family planning services are frequently, used and important services for American women of reproductive age. (1) According to the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, 42% of women aged 15-44 have sought a family planning service from a...

Legal abortion worldwide: incidence and recent trends.(Report)
December 1, 2007... In recent decades, abortion has received considerable attention, and its legality and availability have often generated controversy. Even in countries where abortion is not a contentious issue, contraception is usually a less expensive and less...

The Association of Health Insurance with use of prescription contraceptives.(Report)
December 1, 2007... One in four American men and women aged 18-44 surveyed in 2003 did not have health insurance. (1) Although insurance coverage is more common among women, one in five women aged 15-44 surveyed in 2003 lacked insurance. (2) Given the large number...

Predictors of STDs among Asian and Pacific Islander young adults.(Report)
December 1, 2007... Asians and Pacific Islanders are one of the fastest growing minority groups in the United States. From 1990 to 2000, the Asian and Pacific Islander population increased by 46%, whereas the total U.S. population grew by 13%. The number of Asian...

The pleasure deficit: revisiting the "sexuality connection" in reproductive health.(COMMENT)
December 1, 2007... In a seminal 1993 article, Ruth Dixon-Mueller questioned the reproductive health field's conceptualization of sexuality, arguing that it had treated intercourse as a sanitized, emotionally neutral act. (1) If one were to learn about human...

Black and Hispanic men who have sex with men carry a greater HIV burden than their white counterparts.(DIGESTS)(Report)
December 1, 2007... Black and Hispanic U.S. men who have sex with men have higher rates of HIV diagnosis than whites, and they are more likely than whites to develop AIDS within three years after learning that they are infected with HIV. (1) The study that...

Program for fathers helps them talk to young sons about sex and HIV risk.(DIGESTS)(Report)
December 1, 2007... Fathers in the Atlanta area who participated in a program designed to improve men's ability to talk to their 11-14-year-old sons about HIV prevention subsequently reported more sexuality-related discussion and greater intention to discuss...

Poor women are at elevated risk for HPV infection, but few variables predict risk among those in poverty.(DIGESTS)(human papillomavirus)(Report)
December 1, 2007... Women living below the poverty line are at greater risk for infection with potentially cancer-causing strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) than are better-off women, but among those living in poverty, there are few socioeconomic or demographic...

Female and male condoms offer similar protection against exposure to semen.(DIGESTS)(Report)
December 1, 2007... Breakage, slippage and other mechanical problems occur more frequently with female than with male condoms, but the two devices are about equally effective barriers to semen exposure, according to findings from a randomized crossover trial...

Same-sex activity among women may be a marker for adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes.(DIGESTS)(Report)
December 1, 2007... Five percent of British women aged 16-44 have ever had a female sexual partner, and those who have done so in the past five years are at greater risk of adverse sexual, reproductive and general health outcomes than are those who have had sex...

Risky behaviors still fuel HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men.(DIGESTS)(Survey)
December 1, 2007... One-quarter of participants in a survey of San Francisco men who have sex with men were infected with HIV, and an analysis of the survey data suggests that prevention efforts need to target "novel cofactors" associated with HIV infection. (1)...