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A majority of adolescents and young adults report inconsistent use of safe sexual behaviors and contraception methods due to a variety of influencing factors. These practices can lead to limited future reproductive choices and can spread communicable disease in the population. The purpose of this study was to determine if a woman's decision to use a specific type of contraceptive method is influenced by her partner's attitude toward preventive sexual health practices. A secondary purpose was to analyze women's attitudes towards safe sex and contraceptive practices as independent entities of disease and pregnancy in the reproductive cycle. A literature review was conducted from the following databases: CINAHL, ERIC, Medline, and PsycInfo. Initial search criteria terms included contraception, male partner, influence, decision-making, intimacy, and relationship. Results were limited to scholarly journals/peer reviewed articles published no earlier than 1996. Overall, findings were inconclusive if a relationship exists between women's choice of contraceptive method and their partner's attitude towards safe sex and preventative health practices. In conclusion, further research analyzing intimate partner relationships and their influence on sexual health practices can provide insight into creating a plan of preventative care tailored to each individual.

Women’s health is measured by many standards and is governed by countless laws. Abortion is one of the most highly-contested medical practices and is also crucial to women’s health and economic development. Planned Parenthood is criticized for providing abortions and as a result is often overlooked for the many other medical services it provides. This paper aims to study the effect Planned Parenthood clinics have on women’s health and economic development at the county level. Data was collected for an overview of all fifty states and for the two most populous counties per state. Planned Parenthood centers tend to be located in areas with a higher percentage of women who are uninsured and need public funding assistance. Statistically significant results from two linear regressions also show that the percentage of clients using publicly funded clinics that are Planned Parenthood clinics is negatively correlated with teen birth rates and positively correlated with the percentage of females over 25 years of age with a bachelor’s degree. It is critical that lawmakers understand the importance and effects of clinics like Planned Parenthood on women’s health and productivity.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 173-191).

Bacterial contamination of the female genital tract after parturition is common and subsequent infections are associated with infertility. Infections of the uterus or mammary gland in cattle perturb ovarian function, with decreased dominant follicle growth rate and delayed ovulation. Granulosa cells that line ovarian follicles express the molecular machinery necessary to respond to common bacterial pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), suggesting that granulosa cells may play a role in ovarian innate immunity. In the present thesis, the effect of bacterial PAMPs on ovarian follicle cells was examined during follicular growth, from emergence through dominance, and the early stages of embryogenesis. Granulosa cells from emerged or dominant bovine follicles increased production of inflammatory mediators, such as IL-6 and IL-8, through Toll-like receptor (TLR)-dependent pathways in response to the PAMPs lipopolysaccharide and the synthetic triacylated lipopeptide Pam3CSK4. The requirement for TLR2 and TLR4 was confirmed by using siRNA, showing activation of MAPK intracellular pathways and inhibiting key signals (p38, MEK or NFkB) in TLR pathways. The endocrine function of granulosa cells was perturbed by PAMPs, with decreased oestradiol and progesterone output. In addition, the endocrine environment affected granulosa cellular responses, with high EGF increasing the cellular response to PAMPs. Bacterial PAMPs also perturbed the oocyte, with increased cumulus expansion and parthenote cleavage rate, as well as changes in key genes involved in oocyte maturation. Finally, a human granulosa cell line was used to examine if PAMPs perturb human as well as bovine ovarian health. Indeed, human cells also expressed TLRs and mounted a cellular response to PAMPs at the mRNA level. This thesis provides a molecular mechanism for the perturbation of ovarian function by an infection at a site distal to the ovary.