Letter from the Editor, Vidya V. Gopinath, MD, FACP, 2025

It is an honor to present the 2024–2025 issue of the Utah Women’s Health Review, my inaugural edition as Editor-in-Chief. I assumed this role with tremendous gratitude to Dr. Karen Schliep, who balanced the responsibilities of Editor-in-Chief for the past five years while continuing her work as a leading researcher in reproductive epidemiology. Her research …

The pelvic pain plot twist: malpositioned intrauterine devices are associated with acute presentation of pelvic pain

Abstract Background: Pelvic pain is a common and diagnostically challenging emergency department (ED) complaint. While intrauterine devices (IUDs) are widely used and generally safe, malpositioned IUDs can cause pain, bleeding, or other symptoms. Most research on IUD malposition comes from outpatient settings, leaving its prevalence and relevance in the ED poorly defined. Methods: We performed …

The Utah Children’s Project: Design, Enrollment and Measures for a Child and Family Cohort

Abstract Objectives: We describe the eligibility criteria, recruitment, and enrollment of the children and families in the Utah Children’s Project. We describe the measurement components of the UCP, including questionnaire instruments, geographically based exposure assessment, direct environmental assessment (including home air quality), DNA extraction, RNA banking, microbiome biosamples, and blood and urine banking. Methods: In …

Overview of Global Bereavement Care Pathways

Presenters: Susannah Leisher, PhD; Keelin O’Donoghue; Siobhan Loughnan; & Vicki FlenadyDate: 10/10/25Brief Description: Discusses an overview of global bereavement care pathways. The presentation from Professor Keelin O’Donoghue and the Pregnancy Loss Research Group is not included in this recording.Keywords/Main Subjects: Bereavement, care pathways, global healthCopyright: copyright Susannah Leisher, Keelin O’Donoghue, Siobhan Loughnan, & Vicki Flenady © 2025 Susannah (Zan) Hopkins …

Can Utah Tell a National Story? Evaluating External Validity in Maternal Health Research

Background Assessing the generalizability of a study population—also referred to as external validity—is essential in epidemiologic research because it determines the extent to which findings from a specific sample can be applied to broader populations. While internal validity refers to the accuracy of a study’s results within the sample studied (i.e., whether the observed associations …