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Key Publications in Women's Health

Study Examples | Key Publications | Intro

A few key publications are listed below:

In this postal survey of more than 3,000 women aged 30–90, urinary incontinence became more common with age, from 28 percent for women in their 30s, to 55 percent for those in their 80s. Obesity, current major depression, and a history of hysterectomy also were associated with an increase in incontinence. These findings will help shape future studies to implement population-based treatment programs for women with urinary incontinence.

—Melville JL, Katon W, Delaney K, Newton K (2005). Urinary incontinence in US women. Archives of Internal Medicine, 165: 537–542.

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Most of what is known about kidney infections (pyelonephritis) comes from studies of older, hospitalized patients. This study of adult women aged 18–50 found that more than 90 percent of kidney infections happen in essentially healthy women who are treated as outpatients. Many of the same factors that put women at risk for uncomplicated urinary tract infections were found also to raise the risk of kidney infection: frequent sexual intercourse in the previous 30 days; a recent urinary tract infection; a new sex partner in the previous year; having a mother with a history of urinary tract infections; and recent spermicide use.

—Scholes D, Hooton TM, Roberts PL, Gupta K, Stapleton AE, Stamm WE (2005). Risk factors associated with acute pyelonephritis in healthy women. Annals of Internal Medicine, 142: 20–27.

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Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo-Provera, DMPA), an injectable contraceptive, appears to result in bone loss in adolescent girls and young adult women. However, these losses appear to be reversible upon discontinuation of DMPA use.

—Scholes D, LaCroix AZ, Ichikawa LE, Barlow WE, Ott SM (2005). Change in bone mineral density among adolescent women using and discontinuing depot medroxyprogesterone acetate contraception. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 159 (2): 139–144.

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Immediately after the early termination of the Women's Health Initiative's hormone therapy trial was announced in 2002, discontinuation of hormone use increased, from 2.5 percent at baseline to 13.8 percent at follow-up. Use of estrogen with progestin declined even faster than did use of estrogen alone. These results came from a study of hormone use in nearly 170,000 women aged 40–80 who were enrolled in five health U.S. health plans.

—Buist DS, Newton KM, Miglioretti DL, Beverly K, Connelly MT, Andrade S, Hartsfield CL, Wei F, Chan KA, Kessler L (2004). Hormone therapy prescribing patterns in the United States. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 104 (5 Pt 1): 1042–1050.

Study Examples | Key Publications | Intro

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