The following highlights recently released journal articles on women's health issues.

Pregnancy & Childbirth
"A Randomized Study of Thromboprophylaxis in Women With Unexplained Consecutive Recurrent Miscarriages," Fertility and Sterility: Mordechai Dolitzky of Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel, and colleagues compared the effects of aspirin and enoxaparin in preventing blood clots -- which is believed to be a variable of recurrent miscarriages -- and increasing live birthrates in 104 pregnant women with a history of unexplained recurrent miscarriages (Reuters Health, 8/22). Fifty-four women randomly were chosen to be treated with enoxaparin and 50 with aspirin, according to the study (Dolitzky et al., Fertility and Sterility, August 2006). The study finds that pregnant women with a history of miscarriages treated with aspirin or enoxaparin improve their chances of delivering a live infant. The live birthrate in both groups was more than 81%, compared with the expected live birthrate of 40% to 60%. The study also finds that neonatal complications occur slightly more frequently in the group taking aspirin. Five women in both the aspirin group and the control group experienced preterm delivery, according to the researchers. "Both treatment regimens were associated with a good pregnancy outcome in terms of live births and late pregnancy complications," the researchers wrote, concluding, "In view of the minimal risks of enoxaparin and aspirin to the mother and fetus, ... either form of treatment should be considered in women after three or more pregnancy losses" (Reuters Health, 8/22).

"Preliminary Report of Treatment With Oral Contraceptive Pills for Intermenstrual Vaginal Bleeding Secondary to a Caesarean-Section Scar," Fertility and Sterility: Masahiro Tahara of Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine and colleagues assessed the effectiveness of an oral contraceptive containing an estrogen-progesterone combination in stopping the bleeding of 11 women with chronic vaginal bleeding after a caesarean-section delivery (Tahara et al., Fertility and Sterility, August 2006). Vaginal bleeding might be caused by scars from the c-section procedure, and there is no "simple treatment" for the condition, according to Reuters Health. The study finds that a reduction and then cessation of bleeding after three treatment cycles occurred in 10 women and that vaginal bleeding in the other woman ceased after three additional cycles. The researchers said that they were unsure of how the treatment works but that the treatment might affect coagulation and might improve the lining of blood vessels (Reuters Health, 8/23).

Public Health
"Cancer-Related Beliefs and Health Behavior Change Among Breast Cancer Survivors and Their First-Degree Relatives," Psycho-Oncology: Carolyn Rabin and Bernadine Pinto of Brown Medical School tested the hypothesis that breast cancer survivors and their relatives who thought habitual factors led in part to their development of breast cancer are more likely to change such habits than other survivors. The researchers surveyed 65 breast cancer survivors and 33 of their relatives three months after completing treatment for the disease and again three months later. The study finds that cancer survivors who believe that diet contributed to the development of their condition likely will cut fat content from their diet and increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Researchers also found women who attributed alcohol consumption and sedentary habits to the disease are more likely than other women to change such habits. "Survivors take an active problem-solving approach to preventing a future incidence of cancer; they develop their own understanding or representation of the cancer and implement preventive behavioral strategies accordingly," researchers wrote, concluding that identifying the factors survivors use to implement changes is a "necessary first step towards developing interventions for those unlikely to initiate such behavior changes on their own" (Reuters Health, 8/23).

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