Recurrent pregnancy loss is a complex health challenge with no universally accepted definition. Inconsistency in definitions involves not only the number of spontaneous abortions (two or three) that are accepted for recurrent pregnancy loss but the types of pregnancy and gestational age at miscarriage. Due to the heterogeneity of definitions and criteria applied by international guidelines for recurrent pregnancy loss, the true incidence of recurrent miscarriage, which is reported to range from 1% to 5%, is difficult to estimate. Moreover, the exact etiology of recurrent pregnancy loss remains questionable; thus, it is considered a polyetiological and multifactorial condition with many modifiable and non-modifiable factors involved. Even after thoroughly evaluating recurrent pregnancy loss etiology and risk factors, up to 75% of cases remain unexplained. This review aimed to summarize and critically analyze accumulated knowledge on the etiology, risk factors, relevant diagnostic options, and management approach to recurrent pregnancy loss. The relevance of various factors and their proposed roles in recurrent pregnancy loss pathogenesis remains a matter of discussion. The diagnostic approach and the management largely depend on the etiology and risk factors taken into consideration by a healthcare professional as a cause of recurrent miscarriage for a particular woman or couple. Underestimation of social and health consequences of recurrent pregnancy loss leads to compromised reproductive health and psychological well-being of women after miscarriage. Studies on etiology and risk factors for recurrent pregnancy loss, especially idiopathic, should be continued. The existing international guidelines require updates to assist clinical practice.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a severe mental health condition that affects women following childbirth and is marked by persistent sadness, anxiety, fatigue, and difficulty functioning. Unlike the temporary “baby blues”, PPD is more severe and long-lasting, potentially leading to negative consequences for mother and child. Globally, PPD impacts approximately 10–20% of postpartum women, with prevalence influenced by genetic, hormonal, psychological, and socio-environmental factors. Early detection is crucial, with screening tools such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) commonly used in clinical practice. Treatment options include pharmacological interventions such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), psychological therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT), and lifestyle modifications. Despite the growing awareness of PPD, stigma remains a significant barrier to treatment, discouraging many women from seeking help. In low-income countries, where mental health care is often underfunded, accessing professionals trained in perinatal mental health presents an even greater challenge. This gap underscores the urgent need for a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach involving obstetricians, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and midwives to ensure comprehensive support and care for affected individuals.

Immunization is the most successful method in preventing and controlling infectious diseases, which has helped saving millions of lives worldwide. The discovery of the human papillomavirus (HPV) infection being associated with a variety of benign conditions and cancers has driven the development of prophylactic HPV vaccines. Currently, four HPV vaccines are available on the pharmaceutical market: Cervarix, Gardasil, Gardasil-9, and the recently developed Cecolin. Multiple studies have proven the HPV vaccines’ safety and efficacy in preventing HPV-related diseases. Since 2006, when the first HPV vaccine was approved, more than 100 World Health Organization member countries reported the implementation of HPV immunization. However, HPV vaccination dread, concerns about its safety, and associated adverse outcomes have a significant impact on the HPV vaccine implementation campaigns all over the world. Many developed countries have successfully implemented HPV immunization and achieved tremendous progress in preventing HPV-related conditions. However, there are still many countries worldwide which have not created, or have not yet implemented, HPV vaccination campaigns, or have failed due to deficient realization plans associated with establishing successful HPV vaccination programs. Lack of proper HPV information campaigns, negative media reflection, and numerous myths and fake information have led to HPV vaccine rejection in many states. Thus, context-specific health educational interventions on HPV vaccination safety, effectiveness, and benefits are important to increase the vaccines’ acceptance for efficacious prevention of HPV-associated conditions.

Background: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is associated with increased incidence and severity of depression, anxiety, and stress, and screening for these comorbidities following miscarriages is beneficial for women with RPL who are planning future pregnancies. This study aims to investigate depression, anxiety, and stress among Kazakhstani women with RPL. Methods: This was a case–control study involving 70 women with confirmed RPL and 78 ethnically matched control women. Depression, anxiety, and stress were evaluated using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS)-21 instrument. Linear regression and correlation analysis were used in assessing the association of RPL with symptoms of depression, and/or anxiety, and/or stress, after adjusting for key covariates. Results: Women with RPL were found to have significantly higher mean scores for depression (p < 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.001), and stress (p < 0.001) symptoms. Mild–moderate stress and mild–moderate and severe–extreme depression and anxiety symptoms were more frequent in the RPL group than in the control group. Regression analysis demonstrated that RPL was the only significant variable associated with anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that women with RPL are more likely to experience heightened symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Proper psychological counseling is recommended for women with RPL, as well as their spouses.

Cervical cancer remains the fourth most common malignancy among women worldwide. Despite well-developed prevention measures, incidence and mortality continue to rise, especially in low- and middle-income countries due to low screening coverage and unavailability of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. The cervical cancer screening coverage could be improved by the implementation of a self-sampling modality for HPV testing. Multiple research pieces support the validity and reliability of a self-sampling modality as an alternative approach to clinician-collected samples for primary cervical cancer screening via HPV genotyping. Moreover, growing research evidence on the self-sampling modality reception shows high acceptance of the method among screened populations. Studies on the self-sampling approach economic efficiency also revealed a high cost-effectiveness of HPV testing through a self-sampling modality compared to other screening modalities for cervical cancer. It is specifically important for low-resource settings, which should use the self-sampling cost advantages to improve cervical cancer screening coverage by attracting underscreened populations. Overall, self-sampling modality has a higher participation rate and better patient satisfaction reported; thus, the method is highly recommended by the World Health Organization for cervical cancer screening.

Relevance. Reproductive medicine is still faced with a significant problem of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), with over half of diagnoses unexplained. Vitamin D deficiency is linked with poorer pregnancy outcomes and polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene can affect reproductive health. Evidence from various populations is not uniform; however, no studies have yet been conducted among women in Central Asia. Objective. The aim of the present study was to examine whether ten common polymorphisms found in the multi-locus haplotypes of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene predicted the risk of recurrent pregnancy loss among Kazakhstani women. Materials and methods.These include 200 women with RPL and 200 multiparous healthy controls of the population from the Republic of Kazakhstan. Genotyping of polymorphisms rs739837, rs7975232, rs1544410, rs7975128, rs2228570, rs731236, rs7967152, rs2238140, and rs2853564 was carried out via high-precision real-time PCR. Results. All SNPs analyzed were at Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium among healthy controls. No SNPs indicated associations were found between increased or decreased risk of RPL and minor allele frequencies were not different in RPL cases and controls. Genotype frequencies were also comparable across groups in all conditions (codominant, dominant, recessive, overdominant, log-additive). Using the most common GCCGGAAGA haplotype as a reference (OR = 1.00), haplotype analysis showed a negative association between the TATAGGCAG haplotype and RPL (P = 0.001) at baseline, which was held constant after correcting for major covariates (P = 0.006). In an experimental study, after Bonferroni correction, however, the association was less significant (P = 0.059). Conclusion. We established no significant association between VDR gene polymorphisms and recurrent pregnancy loss among Kazakhstan women. Актуальность. Привычное невынашивание беременности (ПНБ) признано серьезной проблемой в области репродуктивного здоровья, более половины случаев имеют неизвестные причины. Плохой статус витамина D у матери связан с неблагоприятным течением беременности, а мутации в гене VDR могут изменять репродуктивную функцию. Однако доказательства различий между популяциями непоследовательны, и исследования в контексте женщин Центральной Азии еще не проводились. Цель. Данное исследование направлено на оценку потенциальных ассоциаций между десятью общими полиморфизмами и многолокусными гаплотипами гена рецептора витамина D (VDR) и материнским риском повторной потери беременности среди женщин, проживающих в Казахстане. Материалы и методы. Исследование было проведено на основе выборки включавший 200 женщин с ПНБ и 200 многорожавших женщин, составивших контрольную группу из населения Республики Казахстан. Генотипирование полиморфизмов rs739837, rs7975232, rs1544410, rs7975128, rs2228570, rs731236, rs7967152, rs2238140 и rs2853564 проводилось с использованием высокоточной ПЦР в реальном времени. Результаты. Однонуклеотидные полиморфизмы (SNPs) у здоровых женщин в контрольной группе находились в равновесии Харди-Вайнберга. Ни один из исследованных SNPs не был связан с более высоким или низким риском ПНБ, и частоты минорных аллелей (MAF) не различались у женщин с ПНБ и здоровых женщин. Аналогично, частоты генотипов всех SNPs не варьировались между двумя группами, с учетом соответствующих модификаторов и независимо от используемой генетической модели (кодоминантной, доминантной, рецессивной, сверхдоминантной или лог-аддитивной). Для наиболее распространенного гаплотипа GCCG-GAAGA (OR = 1.00) анализ гаплотипов предполагал отрицательную связь между гаплотипом TATAGGCAG и ПНБ (P = 0.001) изначально, которая сохранялась с учетом важных ковариант (P = 0.006). Однако при контроле на множественные сравнения, проведенные методом Бонферрони, эта ассоциация стала статистически незначимой (P = 0.059). Заключение. Полученные данные демонстрируют, что полиморфизмы гена VDR не были статистически значимо связаны с восприимчивостью к привычному невынашиванию беременности у женщин Казахстана. Өзектілігі. Қайталамалы жүктіліктің үзілуі (ҚЖҮ) — репродуктивті денсаулық саласындағы өзекті мәселелердің бірі болып...