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Macronutrients
Published in Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy, Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease, 2022
Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy
Estrogens are female hormones of which estradiol is the most potent. They maintain the female reproductive tissues in a fully functional condition, promote the estrous state of preparedness for mating, and stimulate development of the mammary glands and of other feminine characteristics. Progesterone is a hormone secreted by the female reproductive system that functions mainly to regulate the condition of the inner lining (endometrium) of the uterus. Progesterone is produced by the ovaries, placenta, and adrenal glands. In the ovaries the site of progesterone production is the corpus luteum. Progesterone prepares the wall of the uterus to accept a fertilized egg that can be implanted and developed into a fetus. Testosterone is an androgen hormone that primarily influences the growth and development of the male reproductive system. It is produced by the male testes (66, 134–135).
Introduction to the healthcare system, health laws and regulations
Published in Gary Chan Kok Yew, Health Law and Medical Ethics in Singapore, 2020
The World Health Organization (WHO) – a specialised agency of the United Nations concerned with global health – defined ‘health’ broadly as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well‐being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.6 This expansive definition of “health” would encompass not only treatments for common diseases such as cancer and diabetes but also certain health services such as aesthetic surgery and traditional and complementary medicine.7 It may, however, surprise some to learn that infertility has been classified by the WHO as a disease – specifically “a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse”.8
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: An Underestimated Serious Health Problem
Published in Botros Rizk, A. Mostafa Borahay, Abdel Maguid Ramzy, Clinical Diagnosis and Management of Gynecologic Emergencies, 2020
Again, the great difficult in diagnosing PID concerns the atypical cases that are mild and subclinical and are commonly missed by many gynecologists with subsequent deleterious effects on the reproductive system [36, 37]. Moreover, chlamydia and gonorrhea infections are largely asymptomatic among women, and subsequently, most cases are undiagnosed and untreated [38]. Subclinical PID is defined as histopathologic diagnosis of endometritis in women with or at risk for gonorrhea or chlamydia or with BV. These patients should not have acute PID manifestations. Moreover, subclinical PID is associated with infertility, which is corrected after prompt treatment [37]. The demographic and microbiologic characteristics of women with subclinical and acute PID are comparable. The pathophysiologic mechanisms of acute and subclinical PID are similar [39].
Taking Charge of the Menstrual Cycle: Discourses of Menstruation and the Menstruating Body in Self-Help Literature
Published in Women's Reproductive Health, 2023
The key idea of the first approach is that the menstrual cycle is a vital sign comparable to heart rate and blood pressure, for example (e.g., Briden, 2018, p. 4; Hendrickson-Jack, 2019, p. 2; Jardim, 2020, p. 3). A consistent menstrual cycle signals the presence of a healthy reproductive system that mirrors the menstruator’s—most often, the woman’s—overall health. The texts describe a normal menstrual cycle as lasting between 24 and 35 days (in some 21–34 days), including “successful” ovulation, two to seven bleeding days, and minimal symptoms before or during the period. Any regular deviations from one’s own normal or, in some cases, a general “optimal” (Hill, 2019, p. 270) are considered at least somewhat problematic and as warranting treatment (e.g., Briden, 2018; Hendrickson-Jack, 2019). Instead of seeing period pain or premenstrual symptoms as normal in a phenotypical female body or as pathological conditions necessitating medications, they are presented as indications of hormonal imbalances (e.g., Hill, 2019, Vitti, 2014), deficiencies, or underlying health conditions that need to be treated (Briden, 2018, p. 87).
Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward exercises among women visiting an infertility clinic: A cross-sectional study
Published in Health Care for Women International, 2023
Shashwathi Gundimi, Bhamini Krishna Rao, Ajay Bailey, Pratap Kumar, Vipin Nair, Kiransha R. Velingkar, Preetha Ramachandra
Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system defined as a failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse (Zegers-Hochschold et al., 2009). Although, there is a decline in fertility from 2.52 births per woman in 2010–15 to 2.47 in 2015–2020 globally, a further decline in the total fertility rate is seen in India from 2.7 births per woman in 2005–06 to 2.2 births in 2015–16 (International Institute of Population Sciences, 2017; United Nations, Department of Economic and Social affairs, Population division, 2017). Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), endometrial tuberculosis, pelvic inflammatory diseases, tubal infertility, late marriages, and sedentary behaviors are identified as the risk factors associated with infertility in India (Foucaut et al., 2019; Garg et al., 2010; Ghosh et al., 2011; Govt. of India. Sample Registration System statistical report, 2016; Rodin et al., 1998). Additionally, infertility is seen to be more prevalent in women who are obese and overweight (Mena et al., 2019). Although obesity is not formally considered a sole cause of anovulation, epidemiological data suggest that high body mass index (BMI) accounts for a significant proportion of primary infertility, and obesity is associated with lower implantation, lower live birth rates and a higher risk of spontaneous abortion (Hakimi & Cameron, 2017).
Three-dimensional bioprinting of artificial ovaries by an extrusion-based method using gelatin-methacryloyl bioink
Published in Climacteric, 2022
T. Wu, Y. Y. Gao, J. Su, X. N. Tang, Q. Chen, L. W. Ma, J. J. Zhang, J. M. Wu, S. X. Wang
The ovary is the endocrine organ of the female reproductive system and controls follicular development and sex steroid secretion [1]. The onset of puberty, establishment of the menstrual cycle and menopausal conditions are all associated with the state of the ovary [2–4]. However, pathologies such as malignant tumor, primary ovarian diseases and autoimmune diseases can disrupt hormone secretion and follicular development [5–8]. Furthermore, iatrogenic conditions due to chemotherapy, radiotherapy and oophorectomy can also damage ovarian function to a degree, resulting in premature menstruation or amenorrhea, as well as decreased fertility [5]. Disorders of the ovary are also responsible for many mental/psychological issues and organ dysfunction, such as osteoporosis, cognitive decline and cardiovascular disease. As a means to treat these conditions, bioengineering artificial ovaries that mimic natural ovaries are of potentially far-reaching significance. Bioengineered ovaries are designed to integrate into the hypothalamic–pituitary–ovary axis and provide optimal microenvironments for follicular growth [9].