Background: Endometriosis, a medical condition in which endometrial tissue lining grows outside of the uterus, affects approximately 10-15 percent of women of reproductive age. While research has shown that symptoms of endometriosis negatively affect quality of life in women, few studies have examined the impact of this condition specifically in college students who may be overwhelmed with the stress of school, living independently, and managing the symptoms of their endometriosis. Purpose: To examine the impact of endometriosis on academic and psychosocial factors in university students. Methods: Four college females completed the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ), a 10-item survey used to measure participants’ confidence in performing a range of activities despite their pain, and a modified version of the Endometriosis Impact Questionnaire (EIQ), a 21-item survey that examines the physical, psychological, and social impact of endometriosis. Participants also completed semi-structured Zoom interviews that focused on how their symptoms affected their academic performance, physical health, social interactions, and psychological well-being. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was used to quantify and extract relevant themes. Results: Themes were identified for academic impact (negative impact, lack of awareness of academic accommodations, improvement in study habits), physical impact (pain, nausea, fatigue), social impact (avoidance of social events, impact on romantic relationships, importance of social support), and psychological impact (anxiety over symptoms, negative impact on self-esteem, increased compassion for others). Conclusion: Although endometriosis negatively impacted participants, positive impacts, such as improved study habits and greater feelings of compassion for others with chronic conditions, were reported as well. Future studies should further examine the impact of endometriosis in larger samples of college students.

Gender equality and ensuring the equal rights of women and girls is the fifth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal set for 2030. Access to quality reproductive healthcare and information is a critical aspect of gender equality, including access to information about family planning and contraceptives. However, there are many barriers that impact a woman’s access to contraception in rural sub-Saharan Africa, such as financial constraints, supply shortages, stigma, and misconceptions. Through and African Feminist lens, this study examines how these perceived barriers intersect with each other, and how they negatively impact women’s access to family planning and their perceived value of contraceptives in Luweero, Uganda. This qualitative study analyzed data collected from healthcare workers at one private clinic and one public clinic that offer family planning services in four focus group discussions in Luweero, Central Region, Uganda. Two focus group discussions were held in each clinic. Coded transcripts were analyzed using a reflexive methodology through an African Feminist lens. Most of the responses indicated that financial constraints experienced either by the clinic or the women significantly impact access family planning. Healthcare workers and Village Health Teams (VHTs) reported that funding constraints impact their ability to reach the clients with the resources they need in the rural areas, and clients in rural areas are often not able to afford the cost of family planning methods, especially when considered with the hidden costs of contraception. Social barriers were also discussed, and the participants explained that barriers such as stigma, misconceptions, lack of knowledge, religiosity and cultural values impact women’s motivation or ability to access contraceptive methods. Side effects also have a significant role to play in women’s ability or motivation to navigate through these perceived social barriers. Participants determined that increased funding for transportation for VHTs, consistent funding for free contraception, and expanded sensitization efforts that particularly target men would be some of the most impactful methods they can adapt to address some of these barriers. This study demonstrates that increasing women’ access to contraception in rural Uganda requires increased state funding for sensitization efforts and subsidized contraceptive methods. Social barriers can be more deeply understood and addressed by the international development community through an African Feminist lens, which explores modern contraceptives in the Ugandan context in a more culturally, socially and historically conscientious way.

Background: Although major depression is one of the leading causes of premature death and disability in India, there is little infrastructure to provide mental health services in the rural North Indian state of Uttarakhand. The worldwide burden of depression is 50% higher in women than men, however Indian women experience the double burden of gender disadvantage and poverty which restricts their autonomy and access to social support, and increases their risk for common mental disorders (CMDs). In this low resource setting, community mental health (CMH) models of care may offer the best approach to supporting women with CMDs. Objective: This study partnered with a local NGO in Uttarakhand to examine the factors influencing women’s participation in psychosocial support groups (PSSGs), and the groups’ impact on the women and their communities. PSSGs had been set up in the communities for a minimum of 6 months. Methodology: Focused ethnographic research was conducted over three months in 2016, involving ten focus group discussions (FGDs) with seven unique PSSGs, representing a total of 43 women. FGDs were conducted with PSSGs that had been active a minimum of 6 months. They included both persons with psychosocial disability and their caregivers, primarily divided into separate PSSGs. FGDs were conducted across three different sites, with predominantly Muslim and Hindu populations. Additionally, eight key informant interviews were conducted with community health workers and mental health professionals. Data was translated and transcribed from Hindi to English. Results: The principal barrier to PSSG participation was gender inequality, more specifically, women not being granted permission to leave the home to participate. In terms of impact, the women explained how learning and talking about their own depression and anxiety increased their knowledge and improved their mental health. PSSGs created safe social spaces for women to talk, which increased women’s confidence to speak freely in their community. As a result of the PSSGs, women felt that they had reimagined their roles as community members, shifting from the role of receiver of help to provider. Communities were impacted by the PSSGs as women shared their mental health (MH) knowledge widely, and referred and accompanied community members to MH services. Discussion: These findings are significant because women in PSSGs were able to work together to improve their MH in the context of high gender inequality and mental health stigma. Greater ability to speak out and act collectively may empower women to contribute to household and community decisions, and participate economically, advancing their health and social interests. This research demonstrates how PSSGs can benefit not only the women involved but their community and its mental health. It highlights the importance of understanding models for CMH services that build on local resources and can serve as a model for other underserved communities. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Ancient gynecology is a field with a large number of contradictions. Women were expected to have full awareness of their bodily functions but were not trusted as authoritative experts on the subject. In Rome, the majority of midwives were uneducated slave women, yet the expectations held for a proper midwife required formal education. The ability to give birth made women powerful in the eyes of the Greeks but was also used by Greek men (chiefly Athenians) as an excuse to oppress women. Studying ancient gynecology is a necessity for truly understanding the day-to-day lives of ancient women. In works such as the Odyssey or The Iliad, the women featured are typically upper-class nobles who are in unrealistic settings and have similar abilities, expectations, and lives. By reading through medical texts written by respected physicians such as Soranus and Hippocrates, scholars are provided an in-depth look at how ancient doctors truly saw the female body.

Breast awareness is a topic related to women's daily life. The purpose of this project is to explore the behaviors of knowing breasts from the perspective of women themselves, intending to design body experiences that facilitate the awareness of breast muscles and skin movements. The thesis begins with early-stage explorations of the meanings and methodologies of breast awareness and illustrates the entire process from preliminary research to prototyping procedure. Concepts and design methods of soma design are used to explore what kinds of interactions could be outlined in the breast sensing journey. The research process and design results propose new ways of interaction design for breast awareness, exploring the application of new material properties in soma design and breast knowing approaches. As the outcome, Sensorial Pads are made out of silicone, intending to emphasize skin tactile feeling and visual interaction for breast cognition. / Att förstå bröst är ett ämne relaterat till kvinnors dagliga liv. Syftet med detta projektär att utforska beteendet med bröstigenkänning ur kvinnors perspektiv och är avsett att utforma en fysisk upplevelse som hjälper till att förstå bröstmuskel- och hudrörelser. Denna avhandling undersöker betydelsen och metoderna för bröstigenkänning från ett tidigt skede och förklarar hela processen från preliminär forskning till prototypprocedurer. Med hjälp av konceptet och designmetoden för soma design, ta reda på vilken typ av interaktion som kan beskrivas i medvetenhet om brösten. Forskningsprocessen och designresultaten syftar till att föreslå en ny interaktiv designmetod för bröstkognition och utforska tillämpningen av nya materialegenskaper i soma design och ökad kunskap om brösten. Som ett resultat är sensorkudden gjord av silikon, som är avsedd att betona hudens brösttaktilitet och visuell interaktion.

This research compared contraceptive advertisements in two top-circulated publications for white and African American female subscribers, Cosmopolitan and Essence. Data consisted of a sample of 172 contraceptive advertisements from the two magazines published between 1992 and 2012. Quantitative analysis focused on the model(s)' race, age, marital status, and socioeconomic status; the type of contraceptive being advertised; and the reason stated in the ad for using the product. This analysis determined a disparity in the rate of advertisement of doctor-administered contraceptives for the publications of 25.4 percent in Essence magazine and 9.5 percent in Cosmopolitan magazine. Black women were targeted with long-term, doctor-administered birth control ads more frequently than white women over a twenty-year period, which correlates with findings of previous studies suggesting minority women receive these types of birth control more often than their white counterparts. Qualitative analysis focused on the written messages in the advertisements. This analysis identified the theme of risk as a prominent message of advertisements, appealing to concerns surrounding health, desirability, freedom and pregnancy.

Women with gynecological (GYN) cancer experience a wide spectrum of physical, emotional and social effects after diagnosis and treatment of their cancer. The insufficient availability of local support groups, limited transportation for the rural Chinese population and a shortage of oncologists make it difficult to have face-to-face support groups for Chinese GYN cancer patients. However, the wide access of Internet has provided an opportunity for people to have online support groups. The purpose of this study was to observe and describe the types of support given to and by Chinese GYN cancer survivors in a QQ chat group. This was a qualitative study that used the directed content analysis approach. A QQ group was observed for two weeks between March 10th (12:01am) and March 24st (11:59pm) 2018 Beijing time. Observed online posts were copied and pasted into a WORD ™ document for analysis. There were 4 themes observed: sharing experience, information exchange, emotional support and Guardian Against Cancer group member benefits. The results of the study suggested that women supported each other but little evidence-based support was observed. Healthcare providers should be monitoring and engaging in conversations with group members. Well-planed and organized information sessions should also be beneficial for members. Further research on understanding members’ needs on online support groups and the effectiveness of intervention should be conducted.

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