Health-care workforce implications of the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization decision.

The Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court decision, which revoked the constitutional right to abortion in the USA, has impacted the national medical workforce. Impacts vary across states, but providers in states with restrictive abortion laws now must contend with evolving legal and ethical challenges that have the potential to affect workforce safety, mental health, education, and training opportunities, in addition to having serious impacts on patient health and far-reaching societal consequences. Moreover, Dobbs has consequences on almost every facet of the medical workforce, including on physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and others who work within the health-care system. Comprehensive research is urgently needed to understand the wide-ranging implications of Dobbs on the medical workforce, including legal, ethical, clinical, and psychological dimensions, to inform evidence-based policies and standards of care in abortion-restrictive settings. Lessons from the USA might also have global relevance for countries facing similar restrictions on reproductive care.

Societal implications of the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization decision.

On June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization marked the removal of the constitutional right to abortion in the USA, introducing a complex ethical and legal landscape for patients and providers. This shift has had immediate health and equity repercussions, but it is also crucial to examine the broader impacts on states, health-care systems, and society as a whole. Restrictions on abortion access extend beyond immediate reproductive care concerns, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of the ruling's consequences across micro and macro levels. To mitigate potential harm, it is imperative to establish a research agenda that informs policy making and ensures effective long-term monitoring and reporting, addressing both immediate and future impacts.

Uterine Fibroids: Assessing Unmet Needs from Bench to Bedside.

Uterine fibroids (leiomyomas) are noncancerous growths that can have deleterious effects on the health and quality of life for millions of women. Attempts to better understand the factors that influence prevalence and disparities associated with fibroids have been made; however, significant knowledge gaps continue to persist, which hinder care for individuals living with fibroids. The Society for Women's Health Research convened an interdisciplinary Uterine Fibroids Working Group to review the current state of knowledge about uterine fibroids and recommend areas in which to prioritize efforts to address research gaps and improve diagnosis, treatment, and access to care for patients with this chronic disease. Throughout a 2-day roundtable meeting, participants discussed updates on key literature, research, clinical practice, and public health data on uterine fibroids. Overarching themes and recommendations were identified and determined by consensus agreement of the participants at the conclusion of the meeting. Systematic studies of the etiology and pathology of uterine fibroids are needed to address important knowledge gaps and unmet clinical needs regarding the multifaceted management of fibroids and their effects on overall health and quality of life. The Working Group recommends addressing key deficits within the spheres of research, clinical care, and federal policy. Immediate needs include increasing research investment, improving fibroid assessment using pelvic imaging, implementing longitudinal study designs, addressing factors that contribute to disease disparities (especially among women of color), developing fertility-friendly treatment options, expanding awareness and education beyond gynecologic specialists, and advancing personalized patient care through shared decision-making approaches.

Menopause preparedness: perspectives for patient, provider, and policymaker consideration.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to identify priorities to address unmet needs in clinical care, education, and access to treatment to improve quality of life for individuals during the menopause transition. METHODS: The Society for Women's Health Research convened a working group of 13 experts to discuss updates in research, clinical practice, and policy on menopause. Participants included patient advocates, policy leaders, and clinical specialists and researchers from gynecology, reproductive endocrinology, psychiatry, and epidemiology. Overarching themes and recommendations for improving menopause care were identified and determined by consensus agreement of the participants at the conclusion of the meeting. RESULTS: The Society for Women's Health Research Menopause Working Group identified gaps in clinical care, policy, and patient and provider education. Limited understanding of menopause by patients and clinicians contributes to delays in recognizing the menopause transition and engaging in symptom management. Recent studies on hormone therapy and alternative treatment options provide evidence to inform updates on existing policy recommendations and coverage. CONCLUSIONS: To improve care and quality of life for individuals during the menopause transition and after menopause, the working group recommends developing a more standardized approach to menopause preparedness that includes education for both patients and providers, as well as considering policy solutions to address regulatory barriers to care. Providers also need to factor in the diverse needs of individuals experiencing menopause in the development of their personalized care.

Biological sex differences in Alzheimer's preclinical research: A call to action.

INTRODUCTION: For decades, researchers have largely ignored sex as a biological variable (SABV) within preclinical studies. Recent literature indicates scientists are increasingly including male and female subjects in studies, but fewer studies assess for sex differences in study outcome. This is particularly concerning within the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD), as disease burden is higher among women and evidence suggests sex differences exist in etiology and disease course. METHODS: We conducted an informal review of preclinical AD research studies. RESULTS: Results confirmed that only about one-third of ≈150 recent studies included both male and female mice, and <15 of nearly 150 studies examined SABV as an outcome of interest. DISCUSSION: Previous research supports the idea that better integration of SABV could open new doors in treatment research. We provide examples of best practices and discuss the need for Alzheimer's researchers to account for SABV within preclinical studies.

Understanding the Impact of Sex and Gender in Osteoarthritis: Assessing Research Gaps and Unmet Needs.

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects more than 300 million individuals globally, with higher prevalence in women than in men. In addition, OA affects women and men differently, with women demonstrating both increased disease severity and disability. The Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR) convened an interdisciplinary group of expert researchers and clinicians for a roundtable meeting to review the current state of the science on OA and to identify knowledge gaps in the scientific literature, especially as they relate to the topics of sex and gender. The current review summarizes discussions from the roundtable and prioritizes areas of need that warrant further attention in OA research, diagnosis, care, and education. Improvements in basic and clinical research, clinical practice, patient education, and policy are needed to allow for better understanding as to the pathogenesis of sex- and gender-related disparities in OA.

The role of self-monitoring in the maintenance of weight loss success.

INTRODUCTION: Self-monitoring has been shown to be a crucial part of initial weight loss success in behavioral interventions. However, little is known about the impact of self-monitoring during the period following initial treatment. METHODS: The current study examined the role of self-monitoring on weight loss during an initial 6-month intervention period (Phase 1) and a 12-month extended care period (Phase 2) in a group of 167 obese women (M±SD: BMI=37.0±5.1kg/m(2), age=59.9±6.2years) enrolled in a behavioral weight loss program. RESULTS: Cluster analysis identified three groups of participants with low, moderate, and high rates of weight loss success during Phase 1 and Phase 2. A one-way ANOVA revealed no significant differences in self-monitoring frequency between groups during Phase 1 (p=.645), but significant differences between all three groups during Phase 2 (p=.001). High success participants completed the most self-monitoring records, followed by the moderate group. The low success group completed the least number of records. Furthermore, self-monitoring during Phase 2 significantly mediated the relationship between extended-care session attendance and percent weight change during that time (95% CI [-.004, -.001], p<.001). CONCLUSION: These results highlight the importance of continuing self-monitoring after the initial phase of treatment to maintain lost weight.

Lifestyle interventions for cardiovascular disease risk reduction: a systematic review of the effects of diet composition, food provision, and treatment modality on weight loss.

The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate, synthesize, and interpret findings from recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of dietary and lifestyle weight loss interventions examining the effects of (1) diet composition, (2) use of food provision, and (3) modality of treatment delivery on weight loss. Trials comparing different dietary approaches indicated that reducing carbohydrate intake promoted greater initial weight loss than other approaches but did not appear to significantly improve long-term outcomes. Food provision appears to enhance adherence to reduction in energy intake and produce greater initial weight losses. The long-term benefits of food provision are less clear. Trials comparing alternative treatment modalities suggest that phone-based treatment produce short- and long-term weight reductions equivalent to face-to-face interventions. The use of Internet and mobile technologies are associated with smaller reductions in body weight than face-to-face interventions. Based on this review, clinical implications and future research directions are provided.