Guide to the FLOW

The FLOW aims to cover the latest academic research and news in the reproductive health field in the most accessible way possible. Here are some terms and definitions that may appear in our articles! Refer to them at your convenience! :)

General Reproductive Health Terms

Reproductive Health - According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reproductive health refers to “the condition of male and female reproductive systems during all life stages. These systems are made of organs and hormone-producing glands, including the pituitary gland in the brain.” The NIH conducts numerous studies a year to understand various factors affecting reproductive health.

Everyone has their OWN definition and perception of reproductive health in their lives. In The FLOW’s Academic Journal, we will be approaching reproductive health from a scientific and academic lens while collaborating with the Magazine to acknowledge and address the intimate and personal lived experiences of individuals in reproductive health. See the CDC’s reproductive health page for more info - https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/index.html

Sexual Health - Sexual health is “a state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction, or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination, and violence” (World Health Organization).

Gender Identity - According to Nature, gender identity is “a collection of thoughts and feelings about one’s own gender, which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned at birth. This multifaceted, subjective sense of being male, female, both, or neither occurs in our conscious self-awareness, but the associated perceptions and beliefs can also be largely implicit. In the past, gender identity was conceptualized as a male-female dichotomy; however, current theories consistently postulate that gender identity is a spectrum of associations with both genders.”

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(Sciencephoto.com)

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(CDC)

Women’s Health - Often our articles may relate to the reproductive health of individuals who have ovaries, a uterus, cervix, vagina, etc. Leading research journals and publications often refer to the term ‘women’s health’ as encompassing health concerns such as menstruation, pregnancy/prevention of pregnancy, menopause, and health issues such as cervical cancer, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, and more. In The FLOW’s Academic Journal, we aim to highlight evidence-based research to inform our community about topics that are often culturally stigmatized or not spoken about in women’s health. We recognize the diversity of experiences related to reproductive health issues and gender.

Academia

Reproductive Disorders - We may write about research related to reproductive disorders. These may include irregular menstruation, endometriosis (a condition where the tissue that lines the uterus (endometrium) grows outside of it), polycystic ovary syndrome (ovaries produce more male hormones than typical), HPV (the virus that can cause cervical cancer), and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Clinical Trials - A type of research that studies new tests, treatments, or technologies by evaluating their effects on human health outcomes. The four phases of a biomedical clinical trial include Phase I (testing new intervention in a small group of volunteers), Phase II (once the intervention is found to be safe, testing in a larger group), Phase III (study conducted in a large population from various regions), Phase IV (study conducted after country approval if there is need for further testing) (WHO).

“Hard Sciences” - Reproductive health research that relates to natural or physical sciences including chemistry, biology, physics, and biomedical engineering.

Social Sciences - Reproductive health research that relates to human society and social relationships.

Social Determinants of Health - “Social determinants of health are conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.”

Maternal Mortality Ratio - In 2018, the maternal mortality rate is 17.4 per 100,000 live births in the United States. Wide racial and ethnic gaps exist between non-Hispanic black (37.1 deaths per 100,000 live births), non-Hispanic white (14.7), and Hispanic (11.8) women.

On a global scale, approximately 810 women died from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth every day in 2017, and 94% of all maternal deaths occur in low and lower-middle-income countries (LMIC).

Rates of Met Need for Contraceptive Care - Globally, 270 million women have an unmet need for contraception, meaning that they do not have access to or the means to receive birth control.

Prevalence - The proportion of a population that has a specific characteristic in a given time period whereas incidence is a measure of the number of new cases of a characteristic that develops in a population in a specified time period.