BMC Women's Health最新文献

{"title":"Changes in Canadian contraceptive choices: results of a national survey on hormonal contraceptive use.","authors":"Allison J Campbell, Victoria E Claydon, Sarah Liva, Anita T Cote","doi":"10.1186/s12905-025-03597-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-025-03597-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Since the introduction of the birth control pill in 1960, Canadians have been offered a number of different options for hormonal contraceptives, yet oral contraceptives remain the most popular methods. Research from other countries indicates this may be shifting, but the last comprehensive survey of Canadian hormonal contraceptive usage was published in 2009. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine current hormonal contraceptive usage among pre-menopausal Canadians.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An online survey was distributed to pre-menopausal females aged 19-49 years via a third-party survey company. The survey included questions on respondents' demographics and current and past hormonal contraceptive use. Prevalence of current hormonal contraceptive use was calculated by age. Chi-squared tests were conducted to determine whether there was an association between contraceptive choice and various demographic categories.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Responses of 2306 female Canadians (age 33.4 ± 8.1 years) were analyzed and 29% of these respondents were currently using hormonal contraceptives. The most common choices were oral contraceptives (56.4%) and intrauterine device (IUD) (28.4%). Over 30% of hormonal contraceptive users were currently using a long-acting reversible contraceptive method.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings demonstrate a change in hormonal contraception use, notably an increase in the use of hormonal IUDs from 4 to 28% among Canadian hormonal contraceptive users over the last 15 years. This study also shows a high prevalence of alternative contraceptive options that may influence hormone levels differently than oral forms.</p>","PeriodicalId":9204,"journal":{"name":"BMC Women's Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"147"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11954235/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143742381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Incidence of loss to follow-up and associated factors among mothers on antiretroviral therapy in the context of elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in two health districts of Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso.","authors":"Béninwendé Léticia Delphine Sakana, Ziemlé Clément Meda, Bernard Ilboudo, Abdoulaye Ouattara, Blahima Konate, Bernard Eric Dabone, Manitu Serge Mayaka, Gueswendé Léon Savadogo, Philippe Van De Perre","doi":"10.1186/s12905-025-03658-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-025-03658-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Since 2017, Burkina Faso has rolled out a plan to eliminate vertical transmission of HIV (eMTCT). Elimination will only be achieved when mothers have regular follow-up and good compliance with antiretroviral therapy (ART). The aim of this article is to study the incidence and associated factors for loss to follow-up (LTFU ), in women living with HIV (WLHIV) monitored as part of the eMTCT.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study consisted of a retrospective analysis of routinely collected data from pregnant women who were screened and initiated ART in the Do and Dafra health districts of Bobo-Dioulasso between 2017 and 2020 as part of the eMTCT. The study ran from May 2023 to March 2024. The Kaplan-Meier model was used to estimate the rate of LTFU; the Cox model was used for identification of factors associated with LTFU and verification of Kaplan-Meier results.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three hundred and four newly diagnosed pregnant WLHIV were included in this study. The median age of the mothers was 30 [24; 36] years. The incidence of LTFU was 22.9 per 100 person-years. Younger age (HR = 2.40; 95%CI: 1.37-4.20) was associated with a higher incidence of LTFU, whereas urban residence (HR = 0.57; 95%CI: 0.39-0.85), in contrast to rural residence, was associated with a lower incidence of LTFU.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study showed a high incidence of LTFU, associated with younger age and rural residence, in the eMTCT programme in Burkina Faso.</p>","PeriodicalId":9204,"journal":{"name":"BMC Women's Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"148"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11954237/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143742413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sequential therapy of dienogest following relugolix for adenomyosis and impact on symptoms and serum CA125 levels: a case series.","authors":"Haruka Nishida, Kohei Takehara, Takako Onodera, Saya Watanabe, Kazuki Takasaki, Yuko Takahashi, Takayuki Ichinose, Mana Hirano, Haruko Hiraike, Kazunori Nagasaka","doi":"10.1186/s12905-025-03681-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-025-03681-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Adenomyosis, characterized by endometrial tissue within the uterine muscle, often presents with severe pelvic pain and menorrhagia. This case series demonstrates the efficacy of sequential therapy involving relugolix followed by dienogest in managing adenomyosis.</p><p><strong>Case presentation: </strong>In five patients with adenomyosis, the gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist relugolix initially mitigated symptoms and reduced the levels of serum CA125, a marker associated with disease activity. After six months of relugolix, patients were transitioned to dienogest. This sequential approach maintained symptom relief and further stabilized CA125 levels.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings demonstrate that sequential therapy provides effective symptom management and long-term disease control. Further, CA125 remains a valuable biomarker for monitoring therapeutic success.</p>","PeriodicalId":9204,"journal":{"name":"BMC Women's Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"150"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143742458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Real-world breast cancer treatment patterns and guideline-concordant treatment completion among Malawian women.","authors":"Jennifer Morgan, Shekinah Elmore, Takondwa Zuze, Lusayo Simwinga, Richard Nyasosela, Precious Makondi, Agnes Manda BSc, Chifundo Kajombo, Anthony Charles, Lisa A Carey, Maurice Mulenga, Katherine Reeder-Hayes, Tamiwe Tomoka","doi":"10.1186/s12905-025-03667-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-025-03667-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), resource-stratified guidelines for breast cancer treatment are increasingly recommended, but treatment receipt and outcomes according to these guidelines are underreported. Here, we describe breast cancer treatment patterns by stage and curative-intent guideline-concordant treatment (GCT) receipt among Malawian women.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A prospective cohort of breast cancer patients were enrolled from December 2016 to October 2018 at Kamuzu Central Hospital with an assessment of demographics, stage, and treatment received, including neoadjuvant (NAC), adjuvant (AdC) and palliative chemotherapy and breast surgery. Curative-intent GCT was defined as having completed breast surgery and at least 4 cycles of chemotherapy. Overall survival (OS) was calculated using Kaplan Meier methods and odds ratios using logistic regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>91 patients were included, of whom 13 (14%) presented as stage II, 54 (59%) as stage III, and 24 (26%) as stage IV. Curative treatment was recommended for 65 of 91 (71%) patients, of whom 47 (72%) were initiated on NAC, 14 (22%) on upfront breast surgery, and 4 (6%) received no treatment. Only 63% (41/65) of patients received curative-intent GCT as recommended with non-GCT associated with stage III (vs. stage II) disease (OR 0.10 CI (0.01-0.89)), HIV positivity ((OR 0.25 CI (0.06-0.99)) and hormone receptor (HR) negative/HER2 positive subtype ((OR 0.07 CI (0.01-0.49)). Curative-intent GCT was associated with improved OS (44.1 vs. 23.2 months; p = 0.00) compared to non-GCT.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>While curative-intent GCT was associated with improved survival in this Malawian cohort, treatment completion rates were suboptimal. Resource-stratified guidelines must be paired with locally relevant, multilevel implementation strategies to target barriers to treatment completion.</p>","PeriodicalId":9204,"journal":{"name":"BMC Women's Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"149"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143742453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"\"Women's experiences of head and neck cancer: an interpretative phenomenological analysis\".","authors":"Charlotte Vandamme, Sophie Cremades, Sylvie Testelin, Sophie Lelorain","doi":"10.1186/s12905-025-03671-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-025-03671-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Head and neck cancers (HNCs) are predominantly studied in men. This study aimed to explore women's experiences of HNC.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study was based on the secondary analysis of interviews conducted by using the life story methodology with patients who underwent surgery for HNC. We selected seven particularly rich interviews regarding the experience of cancer and first conducted a thematic analysis to identify key patterns in the data. We then applied interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore in depth how participants made sense of their experiences.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Key themes were identified across different phases of the illness journey, including diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment, recurrence, and future projection. A major challenge was diagnostic wandering, as many women did not fit the typical head and neck cancer (HNC) profile-typically a man who consumes alcohol and tobacco. Identity loss was a central issue, with themes of reclaiming one's body post-surgery and the loss of feminine symbolism (infertility, hair loss, self-recognition). Coping strategies varied: some sought social support and aimed to return to work, while others viewed surgery as essential for recovery.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings highlight the need for personalized support tailored to women's specific needs and challenges.</p><p><strong>Implications for cancer survivors: </strong>This study emphasize the importance of providing personalized support that closely aligns with the needs of female head and neck cancer survivors. It is crucial to consider their subjectivity, recognizing that each experience is unique, to better assist them in overcoming adversity. Tailoring care to their individual realities will more effectively address their emotional and physical difficulties.</p>","PeriodicalId":9204,"journal":{"name":"BMC Women's Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"145"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11951551/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143742371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and evaluation of a machine learning model for osteoporosis risk prediction in Korean women.","authors":"Minkyung Je, Seunghyeon Hwang, Suwon Lee, Yoona Kim","doi":"10.1186/s12905-025-03669-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-025-03669-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The aim of this study was to develop a machine learning (ML) model for classifying osteoporosis in Korean women based on a large-scale population cohort study. This study also aimed to assess ML model performance compared with traditional osteoporosis screening tools. Furthermore, this study aimed to examine the factors influencing the risk of osteoporosis through variable importance.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data was collected from 4199 women aged 40-69 years in the baseline survey of the Ansan and Ansung cohort of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. Osteoporosis was set as the dependent variable to develop ML classification models. Independent variables included 122 factors related to osteoporosis risk, such as socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric parameters, lifestyle factors, reproductive factors, nutrient intakes, diet quality indices, medical history, medication history, family history, biochemical parameters, and genetic factors. The six classification models were developed using ML techniques, including decision tree, random forest, multilayer perceptron, support vector machine, light gradient boosting machine, and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). The six ML classification models were compared with two traditional osteoporosis screening tools, including the osteoporosis risk assessment instrument (ORAI) and the osteoporosis self-assessment tool (OST). The ML model performances were evaluated and compared using the confusion matrix and area under the curve (AUC) metrics. Variable importance was assessed using the XGBoost technique to investigate osteoporosis risk factors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The XGBoost model showed the highest performance out of the six ML classification models, with an accuracy of 0.705, precision of 0.664, recall of 0.830, and F1 score of 0.738. Moreover, the XGBoost model showed a higher performance on AUC than ORAI and OST. Variable importance scores were identified for 69 out of the 122 variables associated with osteoporosis risk factors. Age at menopause ranked first in variable importance. Variables of arthritis, physical activities, hypertension, education level, income level; alcohol intake, potassium intake, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance; energy intake, vitamin C intake, gout; and dietary inflammatory index ranked in the top 20 out of the 69 variables, using the XGBoost technique.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study found that an XGBoost model can be utilized to classify osteoporosis in Korean women. Age at menopause is a significant factor in osteoporosis risk, followed by arthritis, physical activities, hypertension, and education level.</p>","PeriodicalId":9204,"journal":{"name":"BMC Women's Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"146"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11951505/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143742422","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correlates and effects of information, motivation and behavioral skills on primary sexual abstinence among female university students in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Banti Negero Feyisa, Gurmessa Tura Debelew, Zewdie Birhanu Koricha","doi":"10.1186/s12905-025-03664-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12905-025-03664-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancies continue to pose significant public health challenges, disproportionately affecting young women. The information-motivation-behavioral (IMB) skills model is useful for understanding risky and safe sexual behavior. However, while the IMB models have been used primarly to understand and promote HIV prevention with condom use behavior, there is limtted research using the IMB model to understand and promote safer sexual dual-protection behaviors, such as abstinence, to address the risk of both STI/HIV and unwanted pregnancy among youth in Ethiopia. This study aimed to fill this gap by applying the IMB model to assess the correlates and effects of information, motivation, and behavioral skills on primary sexual abstinence among female university students in Ethiopia.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 1,020 female university students at Mattu University between May and June 2023. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the percentage distribution of participants by their sociodemographic characteristics and levels of HIV risk reduction/dual protection information, motivation, behavioral skills, and risky and safer sexual behaviors. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM) with AMOS 23 to examine the correlations and effects of information, motivation, and behavioral skills on primary sexual abstinence.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 1,020 participants, 624 (61.2%) reported having practiced primary sexual abstinence.Multivariate analyses showed that primary sexual abstinence was significantly predicted by motivation (β = 0.34, P < 0.001), behavioral skills (β = 0.24, P < 0.001) and information (β = 0.11, P < 0.001) after controlling for the effects of other confounding variables. Overall, approximately 28% of the variance in primary sexual abstinence was explained by the IMB model constructs.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings indicate that the IMB model is a useful tool for identifying powerful determinants of sexual abstinence, which has potential implications for interventions aimed at enhancing specific information, motivation, and behavioral skills to promote sexual abstinence and reduce the risk of HIV/STI and unintended pregnancy among youth in settings with high HIV burdens.</p>","PeriodicalId":9204,"journal":{"name":"BMC Women's Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"144"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11951745/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143728615","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Risk factors of human papillomavirus-related cervical lesions in postmenopausal women: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Hongmin Zeng, Qianling Dai, Jieru Peng, Juan Li, Jing Chen, Zhipeng Lan, Xia Wu, Ting Shu, Liu Yang, Wenyi Lin, Mulan Li, Xiao Yang, Yonghong Lin","doi":"10.1186/s12905-025-03675-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12905-025-03675-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The incidence of cervical cancer is increasing in postmenopausal women globally, particularly in less-developed nations, including China. However, research on cervical cancer screening methods and related factors in China is limited. In the present study, we aimed to identify the independent risk factors associated with cervical lesions in postmenopausal women. Additionally, we compared the clinical characteristics and demographic information between women diagnosed with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) and those with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions+ (HSIL+).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a cross-sectional study using qualitative human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing for cervical cancer screening among postmenopausal women across 23 districts and counties in Chengdu, China. Multivariate logistic analysis was employed to analyze demographic information, clinical history, and auxiliary examinations to identify independent risk factors for cervical lesions in postmenopausal women.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 917 patients participated in the study and were categorized as: 624 patients with LSIL (68.0%) and 293 patients with HSIL+ (32.0%). Multivariate analysis revealed that factors showing significant differences between two categories included co-infection with types 16 and 18 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.348, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.138-0.881, p = 0.026), mixed infections involving other types, HPV 16/18 (aOR = 0.514, 95% CI = 0.336-0.785, p = 0.002), transformation zone (TZ) 3 (aOR = 1.604, 95% CI = 1.018-2.528, p = 0.041), and colposcopy impressions indicating high-grade features and worse (aOR = 11.846, 95% CI = 2.132-65.807, p = 0.005).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Co-infection with HPV types 16 and 18, as well as mixed infections involving HPV 16/18 and other types, TZ 3, and colposcopic features indicative of high-grade lesions and cancer, were identified as independent risk factors for HPV-related cervical lesions in postmenopausal women. Therefore, postmenopausal women with these high-risk factors need to undergo frequent cervical screening, and histopathological examination, if necessary.</p>","PeriodicalId":9204,"journal":{"name":"BMC Women's Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"143"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11948907/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143728616","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of HPV test results and emotional responses on psychosocial burden among Taiwanese women: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Chia-Chun Li, Ting-Chang Chang, Chun-Hsia Huang, Chi-Wen Chang, Yun-Fang Tsai, Lynn Chen","doi":"10.1186/s12905-025-03627-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12905-025-03627-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>HPV is a sexually transmitted virus and is the cause of virtually all cervical cancers. Women undergoing HPV testing may experience significant psychosocial burdens, particularly those with a higher negative affect who test positive for the virus. This study investigates the relationships among test results, anxiety/depression, positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and psychosocial burden in women receiving their HPV test reports.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This was a cross-sectional, observational study design. The data were collected after women received their HPV test reports. A total of 273 women were recruited for this survey study from June 2018 to April 2020 in a medical center in North Taiwan. Data were collected on an author-designed demographic-disease survey, the European Quality of Life Index Version 5D 5-Level-Anxiety/Depression, the International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-Short Form, and the HPV Impact Profile questionnaire. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent-sample t-tests, analysis of variance, Pearson correlations, and hierarchical multiple linear regression models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 273 women, 171 (62.6%) received HPV-positive results. Women with positive HPV test results reported significantly higher levels of anxiety/depression and NA compared to those with negative results. Additionally, those with positive results experienced greater psychosocial burden and worse sexual impact. Furthermore, age, NA, and PA were significant predictors of psychosocial burden in women who tested positive for HPV. Specifically, younger age, higher NA, and lower PA were significantly associated with increased psychosocial burden in women who received positive test results.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Health-care providers should pay attention to the test results and women's emotional status, especially for women who have positive results and exhibit negative moods. To alleviate the psychosocial burden in women who have positive test results and high negative moods, professionals could provide timely HPV information and reserve time for women to ask questions, which could decrease their distress after receiving the report.</p>","PeriodicalId":9204,"journal":{"name":"BMC Women's Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"142"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11938654/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143718075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficacy and acceptability of a self-collected medical grade tampon as a novel vaginal sample collection tool for the detection of HPV and STIs.","authors":"Valentina Milanova, Iva Lazarova, Kalina Mihaylova, Michelle Gomes, Teodora Georgieva, Jan Multmeier","doi":"10.1186/s12905-025-03652-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s12905-025-03652-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Cervical cancer remains a significant health concern, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aims to compare the efficacy and suitability of a self-collected tampon for the detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) using qualitative TMA-based assays (Transcription Mediated Amplification; APTIMA® HPV, APTIMA® Combo 2 (CT/NG; AC2 from now on) and APTIMA®Bacterial Vaginosis (BV from now on). Additionally, we assess the acceptability of tampons as a self-collection tool.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cohort of 75 female participants aged 18-54 years was recruited through female-focused social networks. Participants provided informed consent and underwent both Health Care Workers (HCW-collected) and self-collected sample collection using the Daye Diagnostic Tampon. Samples were stored in ThinPrep Vials (TP Vial) or Aptima® Multitest Swab Collection Kit (APTIMA®) solutions. HPV and STI testing were performed using TMA-based assay on the fully automated Panther® Platform. Acceptability was assessed through a questionnaire with Likert-scale responses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study involved 60 participants who completed the study (80% of recruited participants). The self-collected tampons showed sensitivity and specificity of 66.67% and 90.74% (when rinsed in TP Vial) and 83.33% and 85.42% (when rinsed in APTIMA®) for HPV detection, respectively. For bacterial vaginosis (BV) detection, the tampons exhibited sensitivity and specificity of 100.0% and 96.43% (TP Vial) and 88.89% and 98.04% (APTIMA), respectively. For detection of chlamydia and gonorrhoea (AC2), the sensitivity and specificity were 100.00% and 100.0% (TP Vial) and 100.00% and 98.31% (APTIMA), respectively. Participants expressed a preference for tampon self-collection over HCW-collected swabs (90%).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Self-collected tampons demonstrated promising diagnostic accuracy to HCW-collected swabs for HPV and STI detection. The tampon self-collection method was well-accepted and preferred by participants, suggesting its potential as an alternative screening tool, particularly in low-resource settings. Further research with larger and more diverse populations is recommended to validate these findings and inform tampon-based self-collection programs for cervical cancer screening. Randomised controlled trials and comparisons with gold standard methods would enhance validation.</p>","PeriodicalId":9204,"journal":{"name":"BMC Women's Health","volume":"25 1","pages":"141"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11938752/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143708590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}