The objective was to evaluate the quality of life and the incidence of depression among women suffering from endometriosis. Afterwards, the dependency between pelvic pain, its severity and stages of endometriosis were analyzed. The study protocol included women of reproductive ages with confirmed endometriosis. The stage of disease was conferred according to the ASRM (American Society of Reproductive Medicine) classification. Women fulfilled two questionnaires: “WERF EPHect Clinical Questionnaire” and self-prepared survey about fertility disorders. The study group comprised of 246 respondents. A total of 77.2% of women were symptomatic. The most common complaints were chronic pelvic pain (CPP, 71.1%), dysmenorrhea (69.0%) and dyspareunia (45.2%). Intensity of pain was independent from the stage of endometriosis. The incidence of infertility and the time to conceive increased with the stage of disease (stage 1—52.8%, 3.4 years; stage 2—66.7%, 4.1 years; stage 3—61.3%, 3.7 years; stage 4—96%, 6.1years; p = 0.02 and 0.03, respectively). The prevalence of depression was positively correlated with the beginning of dyspareunia (14.5 vs. 19.6 years old., p = 0.002). CPP (OR(odds ratio) = 3.8, 95% CI 1.2–12.8, p = 0.04) and painful defecation (OR = 7.7, 95% CI 1.4–42.3, p = 0.01) increased the risk of depression. Symptoms related to endometriosis and severity of pain correlate with the prevalence of depression. Stage of endometriosis is significantly related to the prevalence of infertility.

The aim was to analyze the knowledge and experience of women regarding physical activity during their latest pregnancy. An anonymous questionnaire was completed electronically, in 2018, by 9345 women who gave birth at least once, with 52% of the women having performed exercises during pregnancy. Physically non-active respondents suffered from gestational hypertension (9.2% vs. 6.7%; p < 0.01) and gave birth prematurely (9% vs. 7%; p < 0.01) to newborns with a low birth weight significantly more often (6% vs. 3.6%; p < 0.001). Physically active women delivered vaginally more often (61% vs. 55%; p < 0.001) and were more likely to have a spontaneous onset of the delivery as compared with non-active women (73.8% vs. 70.7% p = 0.001). The women who were informed by gynaecologist about the beneficial influence of physical activity during pregnancy exercised significantly more often (67% vs. 44% p < 0.001). In addition, 13% of the women felt discrimination due to their physical activity during a pregnancy, 22% of respondents’ physical activity was not accepted by their environment, and 39.1% of the women were told by others to stop physical exercise because it was bad for the baby’s health. Physical activity during pregnancy is associated with improved fitness, decreased pregnancy ailments occurrence, and therefore influences the course of pregnancy and delivery in a positive way.

This study aimed to assess the utility of circulating miR-125b-5p, miR-199a-3p, miR-451a, and miR-3613-5p as biomarkers of endometriosis. Patients with stage III or IV of endometriosis according to the revised American Society of Reproductive Medicine (rASRM) staging classification, as well as control women, were recruited. We created a prospective study conducted on a group of 48 patients (n = 25 controls, n = 24 endometriosis) who had laparoscopic surgery. Blood samples were taken and plasma miRNA levels were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and assessed with AUC and ROC curves. MiR-451a and miR-3613-5p were significantly decreased in the plasma of endometriosis patients. miR-451a had a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve 0.8283 and miR-3613-5p had a ROC area under the curve 0.7617. The concentration of circulating miR-125b-5p and miR-199-3p did not differ between endometriosis patients and controls. Plasma miRNA levels did not change with BMI, smoking status, fertility problems, or menstrual pain according to the VAS scale (p > 0.05). Circulating miR-451a and miR-3613-5p levels significantly differed between endometriosis and controls. However, the levels of miR-451a were discordant with previous studies. Therefore, miR-3613-5p may have better potential as the endometriosis biomarker. Circulating miR-125b-5p and miR-199a-3p cannot be used as reliable markers of endometriosis.

Introduction: The shaping of the human intestinal microbiota starts during the intrauterine period and continues through the subsequent stages of extrauterine life. The microbiota plays a significant role in the predisposition and development of immune diseases, as well as various inflammatory processes. Importantly, the proper colonization of the fetal digestive system is influenced by maternal microbiota, the method of pregnancy completion and the further formation of the microbiota. In the subsequent stages of a child’s life, breastfeeding, diet and the use of antibiotics influence the state of eubiosis, which determines proper growth and development from the neonatal period to adulthood. The literature data suggest that there is evidence to confirm that the intestinal microbiota of the infant plays an important role in regulating the immune response associated with the development of allergic diseases. However, the identification of specific bacterial species in relation to specific types of reactions in allergic diseases is the basic problem. Background: The main aim of the review was to demonstrate the influence of the microbiota of the mother, fetus and newborn on the functioning of the immune system in the context of allergies and asthma. Methods: We reviewed and thoroughly analyzed the content of over 1000 articles and abstracts between the beginning of June and the end of August 2024. Over 150 articles were selected for the detailed study. Results: The selection was based on the PubMed National Library of Medicine search engine, using selected keywords: “the impact of intestinal microbiota on the development of immune diseases and asthma”, “intestinal microbiota and allergic diseases”, “the impact of intrauterine microbiota on the development of asthma”, “intrauterine microbiota and immune diseases”, “intrauterine microbiota and atopic dermatitis”, “intrauterine microbiota and food allergies”, “maternal microbiota”, “fetal microbiota” and “neonatal microbiota”. The above relationships constituted the main criteria for including articles in the analysis. Conclusions: In the present review, we showed a relationship between the proper maternal microbiota and the normal functioning of the fetal and neonatal immune system. The state of eubiosis with an adequate amount and diversity of microbiota is essential in preventing the development of immune and allergic diseases. The way the microbiota is shaped, resulting from the health-promoting behavior of pregnant women, the rational conduct of the medical staff and the proper performance of the diagnostic and therapeutic process, is necessary to maintain the health of the mother and the child. Therefore, an appropriate lifestyle, rational antibiotic therapy as well as the way of completing the pregnancy are indispensable in the prevention of the above conditions. At the same time, considering the intestinal microbiota of the newborn in relation to the genera and phyla of bacteria that have a potentially protective effect, it is worth noting that the use of suitable probiotics and prebiotics seems to contribute to the protective effect.

Reproductive health is a part of a comprehensive definition of complete physical, mental and social well-being. Sex education is an important aspect of public health. Ignorance, due to the lack of sex education leads to risky sexual behaviors. Methods: Our cross-sectional study was aimed at investigating a representative group of Polish women’s knowledge about the physiology of the menstrual cycle, contraceptive methods, infertility and cervical cancer prevention. The data were collected by face-to-face interviews and an anonymous electronic questionnaire. The study group involved 20,002 respondents. Most of the women were of reproductive age (mean 27.7), parous (60.8%), of higher education (71%) and living in large cities (> 500 k citizens, 36.8%). 62.2% of the women gave correct answers to at least 5 of 7 questions concerning the physiology of the menstrual cycle. Three factors had a significant influence on the number of correct answers: higher education (p = 0.0001), more frequent gynecological appointments (p = 0.0001) and living in a larger city (p = 0.002). Women of higher education level had more often used some form of contraceptive method previously (87% vs. 78.4%, p = 0.001), recommended natural family planning methods to their peers (18.4% vs. 15%, p = 0.001) and regularly attended gynecological appointments (85.7% vs. 78.8%, p = 0.001) when compared with those women with lower educational levels. The three most effective contraceptive methods identified by respondents were: oral contraceptives (71.1% answers), intrauterine devices (50.2%) and parenteral hormonal contraceptives (30.4%). The effectiveness of natural family planning was more often emphasized by women who had never used any contraceptives before (20.1% vs 6.7%). Most of the participants (80.8%) believed that in-vitro fertilization is an effective infertility treatment and should be reimbursed in Poland. Also, 95.2% of the respondents reported that they had undergone a Papanicolaou test within the past 3 years, but only 3% of these women were aware of all the risk factors for cervical cancer mentioned in our survey. It is very important to improve comprehensive reproductive health education in Poland, especially among women of lower educational levels and living in small centers. In future, educational programs and gynecologists should focus on implementing and improving these aforementioned issues.

Introduction In vitro fertilization (IVF) singletons have a worse perinatal outcome than spontaneously conceived singletons, especially in terms of preterm birth and its complications. Material and methods An observational retrospective case control study was carried out. The study...