Estella C. Parrott

Executive summary: stages of reproductive aging workshop (STRAW)

A select group of investigators attended a structured workshop, the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop (STRAW), at Park City, Utah, USA, in July 2001, which addressed the need in women for a staging system as well as the confusing nomenclature for the reproductive years.

Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop (STRAW)

A select group of clinicians and investigators met recently for the express purpose of developing a staging system for female reproductive aging. The group also addressed the confusing and redundant nomenclature that is commonly used to describe the late reproductive years. A summary and recommendations are presented.

Executive summary: Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop (STRAW)

A select group of investigators attended a structured workshop, the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop (STRAW), at Park City, Utah, USA, in July 2001, which addressed the need in women for a staging system as well as the confusing nomenclature for the reproductive years.

Proceedings from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Conference on the Uterine Fibroid Research Update Workshop

The purpose of the National Institutes of Health conference Fibroid Research Workshop in September 2007 was to bring Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development-funded fibroid investigators together to discuss basic science and clinical research advances on uterine leiomyomata. General topics included advances in epidemiology, etiology, therapeutic approaches, and clinical trial challenges; suggestions for advancement of basic understanding, clinical intervention, clinical trials, and future directions were highlighted.

Advances in uterine leiomyoma research: conference overview, summary, and future research recommendations.

Uterine leiomyomas (fibroids, myomas) are the most common tumors occurring in the genital tract of women over 30 years of age. These benign uterine smooth-muscle tumors are estimated to be clinically significant in at least 25% of the American female population during their reproductive years. Furthermore, when thorough pathologic examination of hysterectomy specimens has been performed in patients with or without clinical history of myomatous uteri, the incidence of fibroids is 77%, suggesting that these tumors are far more prevalent than estimated by clinical cases. In spite of their high prevalence, little is known concerning the etiology or the molecular basis of their development and growth. It is well known that leiomyoma growth is regulated by ovarian steroid hormones, yet the exact molecular pathway(s) involved in tumor growth and the role of genetic susceptibility/predisposition and the environment are unclear. This article is an overview of some of the topics addressed at the conference on Womens Health and the Environment: The Next Century--Advances in Uterine Leiomyoma Research. A summary of research needs and recommendations for future research directions based on conference discussions are also presented.