Reproductive and Urinary Physiology Commons^™

Parental Instincts: The Neurological And Biological Factors Associated With Parenthood, Jared Reeder

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The following project involves a systematic review of the scientific literature on neural and biological changes of mothers and fathers in parenthood. Until very recently, little scientific research was devoted to studying how bearing children affects a man or woman’s long-term biology. Over the last twenty years, studies of neuroplastic changes in new mothers show specific neural mechanisms responsible for altering the behaviors of mothers during and after pregnancy. These changes in neuroplasticity alter behavior in such a way that led to mothers requiring less sleep and being more prone to hearing the cries of their children. In addition to …

No One Should Have To Give Birth Alone: An Analysis Of The Efficacy Of Community-Based Doula Programs Serving Ethnic Minorities In San Francisco, Maria Margaret Nelson

Master's Projects and Capstones

Adverse birth outcomes for both the parent and the child disproportionately affect people of color. Evidence demonstrates that one of the ways to mitigate these negative consequences is through the utilization of a doula, a trained birth companion that is not a medical provider but whose role it is to physically and emotionally support the patient through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Community-based doula programs, where the doula is of the same cultural background as the client, are particularly effective in improving birth outcomes in communities of color by providing culturally competent care and helping to navigate a healthcare system that …

Microplastics, The Environment, And Reproductive Health: How Is The Accumulation Of Microplastics In Our Environment And Bodies Impacting Reproductive Health?, Katherine Hayward

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As global trends in both production and consumption of plastics continue to evolve, the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of microplastic particles in our everyday lives follow suit. This increasingly relevant problem has only recently been explored in the context of global health, and more specifically, reproductive health. Along with this steady increase in plastics and our exposure to them, researchers have separately observed adverse patterns in reproductive health. The chemicals involved throughout the microplastic life cycle may be playing a key role in these simultaneous patterns. With the aid of previous studies and publications on microplastics, exposure pathways, endocrine disruptors, and …

Methamphetamine Associated Cardiomyopathy In Pregnancy: The Distinctions And The Implications, Ashan Hatharasinghe, Hossein Akhondi

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Introduction

Methamphetamine associated cardiomyopathy (MAC) and peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) are both rare obstetric conditions. Literature regarding methamphetamine associated cardiomyopathy in the obstetric population is limited, and it can be difficult to make the distinction between the two given the similarities in clinical presentation. However similar, there are significant distinctions in the pathophysiology of these two that can help clinicians with the management process.

Clinical Findings and Outcomes

This case involves a 35-year-old Hispanic G6P5005 at 37 weeks gestation presenting with acute respiratory failure secondary to acute decompensated heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and superimposed preeclampsia leading to urgent cesarean …

Chronic Use Of Non-Medical Abdominal Compressors: Medical And Psychological Implications, Sawsan Edriss, Bushra Azom, Manar Edriss, Mustafa Edriss, Ann-Cathrin Guertler, Eva Waineo Md, Diane L. Levine Md

Medical Student Research Symposium

The popularity of waist cinchers, shapewear, abdominal binders, corsets, and waist trainers has increased in the population. Although corsets have been part of western fashion since the 18th century, abdominal compressors remain in style even today. In 2018, sales for shapewear worldwide were estimated at 2.26 billion USD. 1 Despite its popularity, shapewear safety and medical effects have not been widely studied.

In 1968, “Pantygirdle Syndrome” was described, attributing vulvitis, urethritis, and urinary tract infections to materials used from the “pantygirdle”. 2 The article describes that the girdle caused gastrointestinal symptoms with diaphragmatic and stomach displacement causing gastro-esophageal reflux disease …

Las Perspectivas Y Experiencias De Los Profesionales Del Campo De La Reproducción Asistida En La Ciudad Autónoma De Buenos Aires Y Bahía Blanca En El Año 2020. / The Perspectives And Experiences Of The Professionals In The Field Of Assisted Reproduction In The Autonomous City Of Buenos Aires And Bahía Blanca In 2020., Calder Hollond

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En este informe se realiza una exploración del campo de la reproducción asistida en Argentina en 2020 a través de entrevistas personales con seis profesionales en el campo. Estos profesionales vienen de Capital Federal y Bahía Blanca y ofrecen perspectivas diversas en el estado del campo en este momento, los cambios que han pasado en los últimos años, y una mirada hacia el futuro. Este informe utiliza una metodología cualitativa y exploratoria, y un diseño observacional transversal. Además, emplea una muestra no probabilística y un diseño descriptivo para introducir el tema de reproducción asistida en Argentina y después analizarlo a …

The Complex Relationship Between Celebrity-Driven Magazines And Depictions Of Fertility At Advanced Reproductive Ages, Brennan Peterson

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

"In this issue of the Journal of Women’s Health, Willson and colleagues explore how age and fertility are portrayed in celebrity-driven magazines.¹ Specifically, they examine if popular media depictions of celebrity pregnancies present accurate information related to age and fertility, the use of assisted reproductive technology (ARTs), and pregnancy-related risks associated with advanced maternal age (AMA >35 years). Their study provides an important viewpoint related to the impact of media on reproductive perceptions, and its potential intersection with delayed childbearing, fertility awareness, and reproductive decision making."

Socio-Cultural Norms And Perceptions Of Menstruation: An Intergenerational Analysis Of Rural Jamkhed, Maharashtra, Addison Scales

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study analyzes the socio-cultural norms and perceptions of menstruation between two generations of women in rural Jamkhed, Maharashtra. Interview questions were prepared for women between the ages of 18-26 and 35 or older to determine the level of dilution of the menstrual taboo and stigmas between age groups. All women resided in two villages in the rural area surrounding Jamkhed, Maharashtra. A variety of socio-cultural perceptions and practices were explored to determine their correlation with external influences on the shifting menstruation narrative. The socio-cultural factors of focus are family structure, media exposure, choice of material use, disposal and sustainability, …

The Need To Codify Roe V. Wade: A Case For National Abortion Legislation, Kathryn N. Peachman

Journal of Legislation

No abstract provided.

The Perspectives Of Men In Mexico City About Vasectomy, Isabel Vieitez Martínez, Adriana Ramos

Reproductive Health

As part of World Vasectomy Day, the Population Council Mexico conducted an exploratory study about the reasons and concerns that led men to seek a no-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) during the 24-hour “Vasectomy-athon” in Mexico City in 2017. This study was intended as the first part of a longer cohort study that would follow up with the men, and their partners, to learn about their experiences with the procedure and its effects, if any, on their relationships. Based on the findings, the report recommends that the Mexican Ministry of Health (SSA) continue integrating NSV information, counseling, and services within the National …

The Perspectives Of Men In Mexico City About Vasectomy—Brief, Isabel Vieitez Martínez, Adriana Ramos

Reproductive Health

On November 17, 2017, Mexico City took part in the global World Vasectomy Day campaign promoting men’s participation in family planning, especially through no-scalpel vasectomy (NSV). During the event the Population Council Mexico conducted an exploratory study to better understand the reasons men chose NSV, as well as their concerns before and after the procedure. The study found that the principal reason for seeking NSV among men surveyed was their achievement of a desired family size, for themselves and their partners. The study further reveals the need to disseminate information through mass media, social networks, and all levels of the …

Research Brief: "Reproductive Health Of Active Duty Women In Medically Austere Environments", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the use of contraceptives, the unintended pregnancy rates, and birth defects among active duty servicewomen as compared to the civilian population. In policy and practice, servicewomen and female veterans should use reproductive and health services provided by local VA medical centers and discuss environmental exposures to their healthcare provider, who should conduct full exams with patients and discuss healthcare needs while the servicemembers are deployed; the DoD should look into the use of portable medical equipment and how to support all servicemembers, and policymakers may consider funding DoD programs for counseling about women's reproductive healthcare options. …

Enduring Chronic Kidney Disease: An Investigation Of Psychosocial Factors And Life Satisfaction In Older Adults Receiving Dialysis Treatment, Bailee Sobotka

Honors Theses

Chronic kidney disease is a condition during which the kidneys begin to shut down and no longer filter blood efficiently. Once the disease has progressed far enough, dialysis treatments are mandatory to sustain life. To further understand how older adults receiving dialysis treatments cope with their disease, psychosocial factors were evaluated to investigate possible correlations with life satisfaction using a Life Satisfaction Index Z (LSI-Z). Expected correlations with life satisfaction were sociability, financial satisfaction, importance of spirituality, and activities of daily living scores. Interviews were conducted with 30 dialysis patients and results were analyzed using various statistical measures. Significant correlations …

Why Baby Markets Aren’T Free, Dorothy E. Roberts

All Faculty Scholarship

Creating families in the twenty-first century increasingly happens in markets where the buying and selling of reproductive goods and services are facilitated by advanced technologies, the internet, contracts, and state laws and policies. Thus, the title of this international congress—“Baby Markets”—aptly captures a key aspect of modern reproduction. The ability of potential parents to engage in market transactions involving children enhances parents’ autonomy over their family lives. The free market seems to liberate us from the constraints of biology and state control.

This Essay argues, however, that baby markets aren’t free. Three aspects of the way reproductive goods and services …

Ramadan & Pregnancy, Omar Rizvi

Celebration of Learning

Fasting during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, is one of the five pillars of Islam and is fard (obligatory) for all Muslims physically and mentally capable of doing so. In the Qur’an, it is made abundantly clear that religion and its acts of worship are not meant to pose undue difficulty or hardship (Qur’an 22:78, 5:6, 2:185). My paper explores the Islamic definitions for “unnecessary difficulty” and “physically capable” specifically in regards to pregnant women. At what point does fasting incur significant, if any, damage to the fetus that it should prevent the mother from participating in …

Male Psychological Adaptation To Unsuccessful Medically Assisted Reproduction Treatments: A Systematic Review, Mariana Veloso Martins, Miguel Basto-Pereira, Juliana Pedro, Brennan Peterson, Vasco Almeida, Lone Schmidt, Maria Emília Costa

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

BACKGROUND Similarly to women, men suffer from engaging in fertility treatments, both physically and psychologically. Although there is a vast body of evidence on the emotional adjustment of women to infertility, there are no systematic reviews focusing on men's psychological adaptation to infertility and related treatments.

OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE The main research questions addressed in this review were ‘Does male psychological adaptation to unsuccessful medically assisted reproduction (MAR) treatment vary over time?’ and ‘Which psychosocial variables act as protective or risk factors for psychological maladaptation?’

SEARCH METHODS A literature search was conducted from inception to September 2015 on five databases …

Normalizing Disability In Families, Mary Crossley

Articles

In “Selection against Disability: Abortion, ART, and Access,” Alicia Ouellette probes a particularly vexing point of intersection between ART (assisted reproductive technology) and abortion: how negative assumptions about the capacities of disabled persons and the value of life with disability infect both prospective parents’ prenatal decisions about what pregnancies to pursue and fertility doctors’ decisions about providing services to disabled adults. This commentary on Ouellette’s contribution to the symposium titled “Intersections in Reproduction: Perspectives on Abortion and Assisted Reproductive Technologies" first briefly describes Ouellette’s key points and her article’s most valuable contributions. It then suggests further expanding the frame of …

A Modular One-Generation Reproduction Study As A Flexible Testing System For Regulatory Safety Assessment, Richard Vogel, Troy Seidle, Horst Spielmann

Troy Seidle, PhD

The European Union’s Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) legislation mandates testing and evaluation of approximately 30,000 existing substances within a short period of time, beginning with the most widely used “high production volume” (HPV) chemicals. REACH testing requirements for the roughly 3000 HPV chemicals specify three separate tests for reproductive toxicity: two developmental toxicity studies on different animal species (OECD Test Guideline 414) and a two-generation reproduction toxicity study (OECD TG 416). These studies are highly costly in both economic and animal welfare terms. OECD TG 416 is a fertility study intended to evaluate reproductive performance of animals …

La Cesárea Y El Parto Natural: Las Opiniones De Profesionales De La Salud En La Provincia De Buenos Aires / Cesarean Section And Natural Birth: The Opinions Of Health Provinces In The Province Of Buenos Aires, Jacqueline Chipkin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Introduction: The ways in which women of society give birth have the power to influence maternal-infant health and shape the economy of the healthcare system. Today, the rates of cesarean sections are increasing throughout the world. In Argentina, on average, more than 35% of pregnant women received cesarean sections in 2008, with large differences observed in the rates between the public and private health sectors. The World Health Organization (WHO) has established that healthcare systems should only employ a cesarean section if labor cannot progress safely. According to this standard, the organization estimates that cesarean sections should only be utilized …

Research Brief: "Women Veterans’ Reproductive Health Preferences And Experiences: A Focus Group Analysis", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the experiences and preferences for reproductive health care services among female veterans. In policy and practice, the VA should expand communication efforts to ensure that female veterans know the reproductive health services that are available to them, include more advanced fertility care, and widen the range of healthcare choices available to veteran women; the VA should look into covering healthcare for newborns and expanding access to infertility services. Suggestions for future research include using a random, nationally representative sample of female veterans, and looking at gender discrimination's potential impact on their quality of care.

Resource Availability, Mortality And Fertility: A Path Analytic Approach To Global Life History Variation, Mark A. Caudell, Robert J. Quinlan

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Humans exhibit considerable diversity in timing and rate of reproduction. Life history theory suggests that ecological cues of resource richness and survival probabilities shape human phenotypes across populations. Populations experiencing high extrinsic mortality due to uncertainty in resources should exhibit faster life histories. Here we use a path analytic approach informed by life history theory to model the multiple pathways between resources, mortality rates, and reproductive behavior in 191 countries. Resources that account for the most variance in population mortality rates are predicted to explain the most variance in total fertility rates. Results indicate that resources (e.g., calories, sanitation, education, …

Book Review: Reproduction And Adaptation: Topics In Human Reproductive Ecology, Geoff Kushnick Phd

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

Reproduction and Adaptation: Topics in Human Reproductive Ecology. Edited by C.G. Mascie-Taylor and Lyliane Rosetta. Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology, Vol. 59. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2011. 282 pp. $99.00 (hardback). ISBN 978-0-521-50963-3.

Gestation Length, Mode Of Delivery And Neonatal Line Thickness Variation, CléMent Zanolli, Luca Bondioli, Franz Manni, Paola Rossi, Roberto Macchiarelli

Human Biology Open Access Pre-Prints

The transition from an intra- to extra-uterine environment leaves its mark in deciduous teeth (and first permanent molars) as an accentuated enamel incremental ring called the neonatal line (NL). This prominent microfeature separates the enamel formed during intrauterine life from that formed after leaving the womb. However, while the physical structure of this scar is well known, the bases of its formation are still a matter of investigation. In particular, besides the influence of the birth-related abrupt environmental and dietary changes and the role played by physiological factors such as hypocalcaemia, it has been suggested a direct relationship between NL …

Type, Content, And Source Of Social Support Perceived By Women During Pregnancy: Evidence From Matlab, Bangladesh, Joyce K. Edmonds, Moni Paul, Lynn M. Sibley

Joyce K. Edmonds

Specific and contextualized data on social support during distinct health events are needed to improve social support interventions. This study identified the type, content, and source of social support perceived by women during pregnancy. In-depth interviews with 25 women, aged 18-49 years, living in Matlab, Bangladesh, were conducted. The findings demonstrated that women perceived, the receipt of eight distinct types of support. The four most frequently-mentioned types included: practical help with routine activities, information/advice, emotional support and assurance, as well as the provision of resources and material goods. Sources varied by type of support and most frequently included--mothers, mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, …

Rescuing Baby Doe, Mary Crossley

Articles

The twenty-fifth anniversary of the Baby Doe Rules offers a valuable opportunity to reflect on how much has changed during the past two-and-one-half decades and how much has stayed the same, at least in situations when parents and physicians face the birth of an infant who comes into the world with its life in peril.

The most salient changes are the medical advances in the treatment of premature infants and the changes in social attitudes towards and legal protections for people with disabilities. The threshold at which a prematurely delivered infant is considered viable has advanced steadily earlier into pregnancy, …

The Benefits Of Breastfeeding: An Introduction For Health Educators, Sheila G. J. Clark, Timothy J. Bungum

Environmental & Occupational Health Faculty Publications

Currently 16% of Americans breastfeed their children for at least 12 months as recommended by the AAP, which is well below the HP 2010 goal of 25%. Breastfed infants receive benefits that can improve their health throughout their lives. The benefits of breastfeeding for children include increased resistance to infectious diseases, such as gastroenteritis, respiratory tract infections, and ear infections. Breastfed children also display lower rates of chronic diseases including diabetes, obesity, asthma, and leukemia. The choice to breastfeed results in economic benefits from lower health care costs and from reduced spending on infant formula. The Healthy People 2010 targets …

Choice, Conscience, And Context, Mary Crossley

Articles

Building on Professor Michael H. Shapiro's critique of arguments that some uses of new reproductive technologies devalue and use persons inappropriately (which is part of a Symposium on New Reproductive Technologies), this work considers two specific practices that increasingly are becoming part of the new reproductive landscape: selective reduction of multiple pregnancy and prenatal genetic testing to enable selective abortion. Professor Shapiro does not directly address either practice, but each may raise troubling questions that sound suspiciously like the arguments that Professor Shapiro sought to discredit. The concerns that selective reduction and prenatal genetic screening raise, however, relate not to …

Update - March 1995, Loma Linda University Center For Christian Bioethics

Update

In this issue:

-- Cabbages and Condoms: Population Control in a Crowded World
-- On Conundrums, Condoms and Cabbages: "Prior Questions" on the Subject of Population Control
-- LLU offers Masters of Arts in Biomedical and Clinical Ethics

Update - September 1994, Loma Linda University Center For Christian Bioethics

Update

In this issue:

-- Ritualized Genital Mutilation the Procedure
-- A Cultural Perspective
-- Female Genital Mutilation: A Question of Fundamental Human Rights
-- Ethics When Cultures Clash
-- Ethics Consultation (Review)

Effect Of Menstrual Cycle On Hedonic Response To Gustatory Stimuli, Laurie Ann O'Toole

Dissertations and Theses

The present experiment was conducted to determine the relationship between the human menstrual cycle and gustatory hedonic response. Hedonic response was defined as the perceived pleasantness or unpleasantness of a taste stimulus. Gender differences in taste hedonic have been observed; these may be due to differences in endocrine systems. Animal taste preferences are altered when reproductive hormonal status is experimentally manipulated. Previous researchers report that human females' hedonic responses to sucrose vary systematically with phase of menstrual cycle.