Utah Women's Health Review
Problem Statement A pregnant person’s brain experiences incredible changes during and after pregnancy. Although there are numerous physical changes to the body during pregnancy, the intellectual changes impact brain structure and are not visibly noticeable. These structural changes related to the domain of intellectual health. Intellectual health includes a pregnant person’s processing and memory abilities …
Problem Statement Menstruation affects girls and women starting as young as ten years old and can involve various aspects of a girl’s life. Some of the most common symptoms of the menstrual cycle are bloating, bleeding, mood swings, feeling irritable, and more.1 These symptoms vary in intensity and frequency; no two periods are the same. …
Continue reading “Menstrual Cycle’s Effect on Women’s Intellectual Health”
Problem Statement The adolescent brain is not fully developed until at least 25 years of age.1, 2, 3 This is especially apparent for the parts of the brain that control judgment and impulsiveness.1 As this relates to reproductive health, inadequate reproductive health literacy is a concern for female adolescents ages 12–18 in Utah. If adolescents …
Continue reading “Reproductive Health Literacy Among Adolescent Women in Utah”
Problem Statement This commentary will outline the education levels of women in Utah including trends, failures to progress, and confounding factors. Utah has one of the largest graduate degree gender gaps in the country.1 While the definition of education can be rather subjective, for the purposes of this commentary we will divide educational attainment among …
Continue reading “Women in Post-Secondary Education: Utah Fails to Thrive”
Problem Statement All women undergo the menopause transition. According to Mosconi et al, menopause is a “neuro-endocrinological process that impacts aging trajectories of multiple organ systems including the brain.”1 The authors describe how menopause is both a reproductive transition state and a neurological transition “as evidenced by the fact that many menopausal systems are neurological …
Continue reading “The Consequences of Menopause on Women’s Cognitive Functioning”
Background Although the infant mortality rate in the US appeared stagnant in the early 2000s, there has been a steady decrease in the overall rate since the 1990s.1 Compared to the national trend, infant mortality in Utah has not shown a striking decrease within the same time frame but has maintained a relatively steady slope …
Problem Statement In this commentary we will discuss the multi-generational effects of illiteracy for Black women and their children in the US, including financial and health literacy, intellectual challenges, social costs across generations, and the elements of discrimination that negatively impact their ability to access help and find success. In the US in 2020, the …
Problem Statement National and local news cycles often highlight health-related disparities of the Hispanic community. Underlying many of the reports is the important concept and impact of health literacy. Health literacy becomes important for caregivers and/or patients when faced with a situation that requires the ability to find, understand, and use health information and services. …
Problem Statement An estimated 1.3 million women will enter menopause each year in the US.1 While menopause is commonly viewed as affecting only reproductive health, studies have shown that the reduction of estrogen significantly impacts cognitive functioning as well.2,3 A decline in cognitive functioning may begin as forgetfulness, then progress to cognitive impairment and eventually …
Continue reading “The Impacts of Menopause on Cognitive Function”
Problem Statement In the United States, more than 900,000 older adults are widowed each year.1 Losing a spouse is considered one of the most stressful life events,2,3 one that is predominantly experienced by older women.4-6 About 30% of women aged 60 to 74 years are widowed,5 and over 40% of women aged 65 years and …
Continue reading “The Cognitive Health of Widows in the United States”
