CERVICAL CANCER

Given the obvious importance of maternal health to embryonic development, this topic should have extensive research data and published resources, but other than some specific health issues it is not extensively covered either here or in the literature. The recent development of the embryonic origins hypothesis also suggests that we should be focussing more on maternal health during pregnancy and, in a circular type of argument, this may also influence the female newborn's future health prospects.

Where you are in the world? Just as poor maternal nutrition (including iodine, folate) is a critical issue in developing countries, a growing problem in developed countries is the increase in obesity in general, and its impact on maternal health. (More? see Bookshelf)

The first resource are materials within the UNSW Embryology site, including links to Menstral cycle.

The second resource are internet links to the Merck Manual, Home Edition (chapter 22) freely available on the WWW. These links relate to womens health issues, in particular those related to the reproductive cycle and childbirth. Please note that this section of notes use specific Medical anatomical terms that may not be suitable for children.

The third resource is from the Centre for Disease Control (USA) which provides information and statistics on reproductive health in men and women, child health, and reproductive technologies. Many of the links and documents are external and will require WWW access and the Acrobat PDF plugin or viewer.

Finally, look at a recent Science Magazine Special Issue: Women's Health where they have published a collection of articles online that focus specifically on issues of women's health, including Endometriosis, Preeclampsia, Cardiovascular diseases and clinical trials data. (Science 10 Jun 2005)


"The results suggest that teenagers who give birth twice as adolescents have worse outcomes in their second pregnancy compared to those teenagers who are giving birth for the first time."

Cervical Cancer Vaccination Vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV) Types 6, 11, 16, and 18,; the Types 16 and 18 cause 70% of cervical cancer cases, and HPV Types 6 and 11 cause 90% of genital warts cases. "...the vaccine Gardasil will be available for a nationwide vaccination campaign commencing next year. There are three elements to the proposal. There will be an annual school vaccination program commencing, we hope, depending on the measure of co-operation by the states, in about April of next year for girls 12 to 13 years. There will be a catch-up program for girls between 13 and 18 years through the schools and for women 18 to 26 the vaccine will be available for two years through general practitioners. Joint Press Conference - Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Ageing 29 November 2006 (More? Human Papillomavirus)
Human papillomavirus occurs in several types; Types 16 and 18 cause 70% of cervical cancer cases, and Types 6 and 11 cause 90% of genital warts cases. A new vaccine has been recently developed for Types 6, 11, 16, and 18. In Australia (2006) approval was given to add this vaccination to the Australian vaccination program.

"...the vaccine Gardasil will be available for a nationwide (Australia) vaccination campaign commencing next year. There are three elements to the proposal. There will be an annual school vaccination program commencing, we hope, depending on the measure of co-operation by the states, in about April of next year for girls 12 to 13 years. There will be a catch-up program for girls between 13 and 18 years through the schools and for women 18 to 26 the vaccine will be available for two years through general practitioners.