Publicaties

Gekozen filters:
Gekozen filters:

1 - 10 of 11 resultaten

Sorteren op
Zoek term:

Development and application of a novel method to assess exposure levels of sensitizing and irritating substances leaching from menstrual hygiene products Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Quinten Marcelis, Alexandra Gatzios, Eric Deconinck, Vera Rogiers, Tamara Vanhaecke, Bart Desmedt
Menstrual hygiene products (MHPs) like tampons, sanitary towels and panty liners are widely used by women and come in close contact with the intimate parts of the human body, which consist of mucosae that lack the important barrier function of normal skin. Hence, substances leaching from MHP can easily penetrate and become systemically available. This study aims to develop a new in chemico methodology that allows to identify and measure ...

Access to menstrual hygiene products through incentivised, community-based, peer-led sexual and reproductive health services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from the Yathu Yathu trial Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde

Bernadette Hensen, M. Gondwe, Mwelwa M. Phiri, Ab Schaap, Melvin Simuyaba, Sian Floyd, Lawrence Mwenge, Lucheka Sigande, K. Shanaube, Musonda Simwinga, et al.

Background: Access to affordable and effective menstrual hygiene products (MHP) is critical to the menstrual health of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). In this mixed-methods analysis, we use data from a programme delivering comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services to describe access to MHP and how COVID-19-related closures affected access to MHP; we use qualitative data to understand AGYW's experience accessing ...

Quantitative risk assessment of allergens leaching from menstrual hygiene products Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Quinten Marcelis, Alexandra Gatzios, Vera Rogiers, Tamara Vanhaecke

Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) often associated with the topical use of perfumed products, remains one of the most common chronic skin disorders in Western countries. Since labelling of scented menstrual hygiene products (MHPs) is not mandatory, women might be unknowingly exposed to allergens. Given that vaginal mucosae lack the vital barrier function of the skin, skin allergens can easily penetrate and become systemically available and ...

Does distribution of menstrual products through community-based, peer-led sexual and reproductive health services increase use of appropriate menstrual products? Findings from the Yathu Yathu trial Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde

Bernadette Hensen, Melleh Gondwe, Mwelwa M. Phiri, Ab Schaap, Lucheka Sigande, Sian Floyd, Melvin Simuyaba, Rosemary Zulu-Phiri, Louis Mwape, Sarah Fidler, et al.

BACKGROUND: Globally, millions of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) who menstruate have limited access to appropriate and comfortable products to manage their menstruation. Yathu Yathu was a cluster randomised trial (CRT) that estimated the impact of community-based, peer-led sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services on knowledge of HIV status among adolescents and young people aged 15-24 (AYP). Among the services offered through ...

Sensitizing fragrances in absorbent hygiene products. Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Bart Desmedt, Quinten Marcelis, Dea Zhilivoda, Deconinck Eric
BACKGROUND:
Allergenic fragrances are present in a wide range of products but they are not regulated in all industries to the same extent. In Europe, absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) are only covered by the general product safety directive and therefore fragrances can be used freely, whereas in cosmetics and toys the use of these ingredients is regulated.

METHOD:
An analytical method was developed to evaluate the presence ...

Product-access challenges to menstrual health throughout the COVID-19 pandemic among a cohort of adolescent girls and young women in Nairobi, Kenya Universiteit Gent

Shannon N. Wood, Rachel Milkovich, Mary Thiongo, Meagan E. Byrne, Bianca Devoto, Grace Wamue-Ngare, Michele R. Decker, Peter Gichangi
Background Access to menstrual hygiene products enables positive health for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). Among AGYW in Nairobi, Kenya, this prospective mixed-methods study characterised menstrual health product-access challenges at two time points during the COVID-19 pandemic; assessed trajectories over the pandemic; and examined factors associated with product-access trajectories. Methods Data were collected from an AGYW cohort in ...

Trash talk Universiteit Antwerpen

Laure Herweyers, Els Du Bois, Ingrid Moons
Single-use products often end up in the environment as waste, threatening ecosystems and human life. This indicates a need to transition towards sustainable reuse routines. In this study, we investigate to what extent reusable products are already established in society and what design properties users require. We compare the results between user clusters and countries. To create a meaningful list of reusable products to investigate, we ...

Searching for lower female genital tract soluble and cellular biomarkers Universiteit Antwerpen

Jordan Kyongo Karanja, Vicky Jespers, Odin Goovaerts, Johan Michiels, Joris Menten, Raina N. Fichorova, Tania Crucitti
Background: High concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines have been previously observed in the genital fluids of women enrolled in microbicide trials and may explain observed increased HIV transmission in some of these trials. Although the longitudinal nature of these studies allows within-subject comparisons of post-product levels to baseline levels, the fact that the physiologic variations of these cytokines and other markers of immune ...

A citizen-science-enabled catalogue of the vaginal microbiome and associated factors Universiteit Antwerpen

Sarah Lebeer, Sarah Ahannach, Thies Gehrmann, Stijn Wittouck, Tom Eilers, Eline Oerlemans, Sandra Condori, Jelle Dillen, Irina Spacova, Leonore Vander Donck, et al.
Understanding the composition and function of the vaginal microbiome is crucial for reproductive and overall health. Here we established the Isala citizen-science project to analyse the vaginal microbiomes of 3,345 women in Belgium (18–98 years) through self-sampling, 16S amplicon sequencing and extensive questionnaires. The overall vaginal microbiome composition was strongly tied to age, childbirth and menstrual cycle phase. Lactobacillus ...

The Political, Research, Programmatic, and Social Responses to Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the 25 Years Since the International Conference on Population and Development KU Leuven Universiteit Gent

Kristien Michielsen
Among the ground-breaking achievements of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) was its call to place adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) on global health and development agendas. This article reviews progress made in low- and middle-income countries in the 25 years since the ICPD in six areas central to ASRH-adolescent pregnancy, HIV, child marriage, violence against women and girls, female genital ...