Journal Description

Women

Women is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal of women's medicine and healthcare published quarterly online by MDPI. The publication focuses on medicine and physical, mental, and emotional health of women in developed and developing nations.

Open Access—free to download, share, and reuse content. Authors receive recognition for their contribution when the paper is reused.
Rapid Publication: First decisions in 15 days; acceptance to publication in 3 days (median values for MDPI journals in the second half of 2020).
Recognition of Reviewers: APC discount vouchers, optional signed peer review, and reviewer names published annually in the journal.

Imprint Information Journal Flyer Open Access ISSN: 2673-4184

Latest Articles

Open AccessArticle

Social Determinants of Cigarette Smoking among American Women during Pregnancy

Shervin Assari

and

Shanika Boyce

Women 2021, 1(3), 128-136; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/women1030012 - 15 Jul 2021

Abstract

Educational attainment is among the most substantial protective factors against cigarette smoking, including during pregnancy. Although Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) of educational attainment, defined as weaker protective effect of education for racial and ethnic minority groups compared to Non-Hispanic Whites, has been demonstrated in previous studies; such MDRs are not tested for cigarette smoking during pregnancy. To better understand the relevance of MDRs to tobacco use during pregnancy, this study had three aims: firstly, to investigate the association between educational attainment and cigarette smoking in pregnant women; secondly, to compare racial and ethnic groups for the association between educational attainment and cigarette smoking; and thirdly, to explore the mediating effect of poverty status on such MDRs, among American adults during pregnancy. This cross-sectional study explored a nationally representative sample of pregnant American women (n = 338), which was taken from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH; 2013). Current smoking was the outcome. Educational attainment was the independent variable. Region and age were the covariates. Poverty status was the mediator. Race and ethnicity were the effect modifiers. Overall, a higher level of educational attainment (OR = 0.54, p < 0.05) was associated with lower odds of current smoking among pregnant women. Race (OR = 2.04, p < 0.05) and ethnicity (OR = 2.12, p < 0.05) both showed significant interactions with educational attainment on smoking, suggesting that the protective effect of educational attainment against smoking during pregnancy is smaller for Blacks and Hispanics than Non-Hispanic Whites. Poverty status fully mediated the above interactions. In the United States, highly educated pregnant Black and Hispanic women remain at higher risk of smoking cigarettes, possibly because they are more likely to live in poverty, compared to their White counterparts. The results suggest the role that labor market discrimination has in explaining lower returns of educational attainment in terms of less cigarette smoking by racial and ethnic minority pregnant women. Full article

Open AccessReview

Changing the PrEP Narrative: A Call to Action to Increase PrEP Uptake among Women

and

Women 2021, 1(2), 120-127; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/women1020011 - 09 Jun 2021

Abstract

Although the incidence of new cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has decreased in the past decade, in 2018 more than 7000 women with HIV were diagnosed in the United States (US). Globally, per recent reports, 48% of the new HIV infections were among women. There is still no vaccine to prevent HIV transmission. However, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was approved in 2012 by the Food and Drug Administration, providing a powerful tool to block HIV infection and help prevent the subsequent development of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The uptake of PrEP has been slow globally and among the most vulnerable populations in the US, even though the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended its use in high-risk populations, including women. Furthermore, women represent one-quarter of people living with HIV in the US; however, PrEP is underutilized in this group. Thus, it is imperative to make women’s voices heard through conducting more research, ensuring sufficient access to PrEP, and enhancing knowledge about PrEP as a viable prevention strategy for women. This article aims to promote women’s health by changing the narrative, providing key information on empowering women, and increasing the usage of PrEP. Full article

Open AccessArticle

Perception of and Motivation for Physical Activity among Women with a History of Gestational Diabetes

Julie Breinholm Svarrer Jakobsen

Josefine Stæhr Brodersen

Zainab Afshan Sheikh

and

Karoline Kragelund Nielsen

Women 2021, 1(2), 109-119; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/women1020010 - 02 Jun 2021

Abstract

(1) Background: Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This risk can be reduced with lifestyle interventions, including physical activity. However, studies have shown that many women with prior GDM are not physically active. The aim of this study was to investigate the motivation for physical activity among women with prior GDM. (2) Methods: A qualitative study was carried out based on a phenomenological approach using semi-structured individual interviews with nine Danish women between 29 and 36 years of age with a minimum of one earlier GDM-affected pregnancy. (3) Results: Five themes were identified; perception of physical activity, risk perception, emotional distress, competing priorities and social support. The perception of physical activity varied among the women. The GDM diagnosis or the awareness of elevated risk for T2DM did not seem to be a decisive factor for the women’s motivation to be active. Competing priorities, including being in control of everyday life choices and support from social relations, were found to be important motivational factors. (4) Conclusion: Future interventions for women with prior GDM to increase motivation for physical activity should be compatible with and take into account the women’s perceptions, earlier lived experiences, possible competing priorities and support systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Women 2021)

Open AccessSystematic Review

Sex Selection Bias in Schizophrenia Antipsychotic Trials—An Update Systematic Review

and

Women 2021, 1(2), 97-108; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/women1020009 - 20 May 2021

Abstract

The lack of female participation in antipsychotic trials for schizophrenia poses an important issue regarding its applicability, with direct and real-life repercussions to clinical practice. Here, our aim is to systematically review the sampling sex bias among randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of second-generation antipsychotics—namely risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, ziprasidone, and aripiprazole—as an update to a previous 2005 review. We searched MEDLINE and the Cochrane database for studies published through 7 September 2020 that assessed adult samples of at least 50 subjects with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizophrenia spectrum disorder, or broad psychosis, in order to investigate the percentage of women recruited and associated factors. Our review included 148 RCTs, published from 1993 to 2020, encompassing 43,961 subjects. Overall, the mean proportion of women was 34%, but only 17 trials included 50% or more females. Younger samples, studies conducted in North America, pharmaceutical funding and presence of specific exclusion criteria for women (i.e., pregnancy, breast-feeding or lack of reliable contraceptive) were associated with a lower prevalence of women in the trials. Considering the possible different effects of antipsychotics in both sexes, and our lack of knowledge on the subject due to sampling bias, it is imperative to expand actions aimed at bridging this gap. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosis in Women)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessReview

Psychiatric Partial Hospitalization Programs: Following World Health Organization Guidelines with a Special Focus on Women with Delusional Disorder

Alexandre González-Rodríguez

and

Women 2021, 1(2), 80-96; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/women1020008 - 22 Apr 2021

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) developed a 7-year Mental Health Action Plan in 2013, which recommends integration of health and social care services into community-based settings, implementation of strategies for health promotion and prevention of illness, and support of research. In this review, we highlight partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) for delusional disorder (DD), with a special focus on the health and psychosocial needs of women. We suggest that PHPs are, in many ways, ideal settings for carrying out WHO recommendations. PHPs are multidisciplinary and consequently are able to provide a wide range of flexible program offerings. Programming in PHPs is able to address, with proven efficacy, individual needs, such as those presented by women at the various stages of their reproductive life. PHPs are a community bridge between hospital and outpatient services and can quickly adapt to specific needs as affected by gender, but also by age and cultural origins. They are ideal settings for professional training and for conducting clinical research. PHPs operate on the principle of shared decision making, and thus more readily than many other treatment sites, engaging difficult-to-treat patients, such as those with DD, by successfully establishing long-term relationships of trust. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosis in Women)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessArticle

Serum Creatine Kinase Increases after Acute Strength Training in College Athletes with Menstrual Irregularities

and

Women 2021, 1(2), 71-79; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/women1020007 - 09 Apr 2021

Abstract

Chronic menstrual dysfunction and low female sex hormones adversely affect muscular performance in women but studies in college athletes are scarce. A cohort of 18 Japanese, female college athletes at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, were recruited and studied over 3 weeks under 2 conditions. One group had normal menstrual cycling (CYC, 9 athletes) while the other had irregular cycles (DYS, 9 athletes). Hormones and creatine kinase (CK) were measured from blood under both rest (RE) and exercise (EX) conditions. Biceps femoris tendon stiffness was measured by myometry. No differences in age, height, weight, menarche age, or one-repetition maximum weight existed between the groups. The DYS group had persistently low levels of estrogen and progesterone. In the CYC group, the CK level significantly increased at each point immediately post-exercise and 24 h post-exercise compared to pre-exercise in Weeks 1 and 2, and significantly increased at 24 h post-exercise compared to pre-exercise status in Week 3. The DYS group was significantly different only between pre-exercise and 24 h post-exercise over all 3 weeks. The DYS group also suffered from higher biceps femoris tendon stiffness at 24 h post-exercise. Chronic menstrual irregularities in Japanese college athletes increase muscle damage markers in the bloodstream and muscle stiffness after acute strength training. Full article

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessEditorial

Women—An Open Access Journal

Mary V. Seeman

Women 2021, 1(1), 70; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/women1010006 - 19 Feb 2021

Abstract

It is time for a new comprehensive journal about women [...] Full article

Open AccessReview

Dialysis on Pregnancy: An Overview

Roberta Costanza Bruno Vecchio

Valentina Del Negro

Giovanna Savastano

Maria Grazia Porpora

and

Maria Grazia Piccioni

Women 2021, 1(1), 60-69; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/women1010005 - 29 Jan 2021

Abstract

Pregnancy rates in women on dialysis have increased in the last decades, thus making it a topic of growing interest. The rarity of this event is predominantly due to fertility problems and to the high rates of pregnancy failure including stillbirth, fetal, and neonatal deaths. We conducted a narrative review of existing literature in order to analyze the major issues about pregnancy on dialysis to give the reader a fully updated perspective about this topic which, even if not common, is becoming more and more frequent. Even if recently acquired knowledge has improved diagnosis and treatment of dialysis pregnancies focusing on several aspects, pregnancy on dialysis remains a great challenge for obstetricians and should be managed by a multidisciplinary expertise team. Dialysis in pregnancy may be necessary for women previously affected by end stage renal disease (ESRD) becoming pregnant, or in case of acute renal injury presenting for the first time during gestation or, again, in case of existent renal pathology worsening during pregnancy and requiring dialysis. Although some evidence suggests that more intensive dialysis regimens are correlated with better obstetric outcomes, the optimal therapeutic protocol still remains to be established. Full article

Open AccessReview

Care for Women with Delusional Disorder: Towards a Specialized Approach

Alexandre González-Rodríguez

and

Women 2021, 1(1), 46-59; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/women1010004 - 15 Jan 2021

Cited by 1

Abstract

Delusional disorder is a difficult-to-treat clinical condition with health needs that are often undertreated. Although individuals with delusional disorder may be high functioning in daily life, they suffer from serious health complaints that may be sex-specific. The main aim of this narrative review is to address these sex-specific health needs and to find ways of integrating their management into service programs. Age is an important issue. Delusional disorder most often first occurs in middle to late adult life, a time that corresponds to menopause in women, and menopausal age correlates with increased development of both somatic and psychological health problems in women. It is associated with a rise in the prevalence of depression and a worsening of prior psychotic symptoms. Importantly, women with delusional disorder show low compliance rates with both psychiatric treatment and with medical/surgical referrals. Intervention at the patient, provider, and systems levels are needed to address these ongoing problems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosis in Women)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessReview

Sterility, an Overlooked Health Condition

Rachel Royfman

Tariq A. Shah

Puneet Sindhwani

Nagalakshmi Nadiminty

and

Tomer Avidor-Reiss

Women 2021, 1(1), 29-45; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/women1010003 - 20 Nov 2020

Cited by 1

Abstract

Clinically, infertility is defined as the inability to conceive after a certain period. In contrast, sterility is defined as the inability to produce a biological child; however, this is not a practical definition that can be applied in a clinical setting to a patient’s diagnosis. Unlike infertility, sterility is rarely discussed in biomedical and clinical literature and is often used synonymously with infertility. Infertility affects about 10% of couples globally, but the prevalence of sterility remains unknown. We divide sterility into three subtypes natural, clinical, and hardship. To estimate sterility prevalence, we analyzed primary literature and meta-analysis papers on the rates of live births and pregnancies throughout several treatments of infertile couples (e.g., untreated patients, in vitro fertilization-treated, and patients administered other treatments). This analysis indicates that all treatments fail in delivering a biological child to most couples, suggesting that most infertile couples may fail to conceive. More comprehensive primary studies are needed to provide a precise estimate of sterility. Furthermore, research is needed to study the causes of sterility, as well as develop methods for diagnosis and treatment that are financially affordable and emotionally tolerable. Altogether, sterility is an under-discussed condition that is more common than expected, as many infertile couples are unable to conceive and are, in effect, sterile. Full article

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Open AccessReview

The Role of Vaccination and Screening in Limiting the Worldwide Disease Burden of Preventable Female Cancers: A Review

and

Women 2021, 1(1), 16-28; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/women1010002 - 19 Oct 2020

Cited by 1

Abstract

Cancer represents one of the most common causes of death worldwide. Among women, breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer and the principal cause of death due to malignant disease, while cervical cancer ranks fourth for both incidence and mortality. The present review aims to analyze the epidemiology of cervical and breast cancer (incidence, mortality, survival rates, and trends). Moreover, the most important primary and secondary preventive strategies (reduction of risk factors, exposure, vaccination, cancer screening) intended to reduce the future burden of cervical and breast cancer, that should be adopted actively and free of charge, were discussed in accordance to more recent and evidence-based findings. Full article

Open AccessReview

Schizophrenia Psychosis in Women

Mary V. Seeman

Women 2021, 1(1), 1-15; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/women1010001 - 15 Sep 2020

Cited by 2

Abstract

A first step towards personalized medicine is to consider whether, for some disorders, the safest and most effective treatment of women needs to differ from standard guideline recommendations developed on the basis of clinical trials conducted, for the most part, in men. A second step is to consider how women’s reproductive stages—pre-pubertal years, menstrual phases, pregnancy trimesters, lactation and postpartum periods, menopausal and postmenopausal/aging status—affect the optimal choice of treatment. This review focuses on these two steps in the treatment of psychosis, specifically schizophrenia. It discusses genetics, precursors and symptoms of schizophrenia, reproductive and associated ethical issues, antipsychotic drug response and adverse effects, substance abuse, victimization and perpetration of violence, and issues of immigration and of co-morbidity. The conclusions, while often based on clinical experience and theoretical considerations rather than strictly on the evidence of randomized controlled trials, are that clinical recommendations need to consider clinical and role differences that exist between men and women and make appropriate correction for age and reproductive status. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychosis in Women)

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Highly Accessed Articles

Latest Books

More Open Access Books...

E-Mail Alert

News

3 August 2021
Announcement on Japanese Consumption Tax (JCT)

28 April 2021
Book Builder—Compile a Customized E-Book from Your Favorite MDPI Open Access Content

15 April 2021
MDPI Celebrates Company Milestone With 25th Anniversary Page
"We exist to help scientists achieve their own objectives"

More News & Announcements...

Conferences

Announce Your Conference

Special Issues

Edit a Special Issue

Special Issue in Women

Safety of Psychiatric Medications during Breast-Feeding Guest Editor: Victoria Hendrick
Deadline: 30 August 2021

Special Issue in Women

Feature Papers in Women 2021 Guest Editor: Mary V. Seeman
Deadline: 15 December 2021

Special Issue in Women

Research Gaps and Misperceptions in Reproduction and Their Impact on Women’s Health Guest Editors: Tomer Avidor-Reiss, Samantha Beth Schon, Angela Lawson, Deborah Ikhena-Abel
Deadline: 30 December 2021

Special Issue in Women

Woman in Sports: Performance, Participation and Health Guest Editors: Mabliny Thuany, Thayse Natacha Gomes, Sarita Baciotti, Sara Pereira
Deadline: 20 May 2022

Journal Description

Women

Latest Articles

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Highly Accessed Articles

Latest Books

E-Mail Alert

News

Conferences

Special Issues

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI