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Division of Reproductive Health: Activities—Fertility Epidemiology Studies (FES) |
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Fertility Epidemiology Studies (FES) conducts epidemiologic research and
surveillance on fertility and other reproductive health issues throughout
the lifespan, including contraceptive safety and efficacy, prevention of
unintended pregnancy, menopause, hysterectomy, and adverse reproductive
sequelae of childhood abuse and household dysfunction.
CDC's Division of Reproductive Health has a long history of conducting important epidemiologic
studies on the safety and effectiveness of contraceptive methods, which have
had a lasting impact on contraceptive practice. The Collaborative Review of
Sterilization (CREST) began in 1978 and followed women with tubal
sterilization for up to 14 years, yielding information about the safety and
effectiveness of one of the most common methods of contraception in the United States. Findings from the CREST study continue to provide new information
about female sterilization, including the impact of marital conflict on
later regret and no evidence of negative impact of tubal sterilization on
subsequent sexual function. The Cancer and Steroid Hormone (CASH) study,
conducted in the early 1980s, found that combined oral contraceptives did
not increase the risk of breast cancer in the study population and reduced
the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancers. Analyses using CASH data
continue—survival after breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancers in
relation to use of oral contraceptives, estrogen replacement therapy, and
reproductive, lifestyle, and family history factors. CREST and CASH were
followed by the Women’s CARE Study, in which findings showed that, overall,
oral contraceptive use did not increase the risk of breast cancer in this
study population of women aged 35–64 years. These findings are expected to
provide important guidance for women and health care providers about the
association between oral contraceptives and breast cancer. Numerous
secondary analyses are underway from Women’s CARE.
While much of the CDC’s work is focused domestically, there is also a
strong international component, including a partnership with officials in
the Russian Ministry of Health, which issued new national congenital
syphilis prevention guidelines as a consequence of the collaborative study
on congenital syphilis in the Russian Federation. This work has strengthened
progress towards implementing international guidelines for prevention
of maternal to child transmission of HIV.
CDC provides the evidence base for
WHO’s family planning guidelines,
Medical Eligibility Criteria for
Contraceptive Use* and
Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive
Use.* These guidelines, currently available in eight languages, have influenced
family planning practices in over 50 countries, and been fully incorporated
into the most widely used family planning guides around the world, including
the United States. The CDC's staff use the Continuous Identification of Research
Evidence (CIRE) system to identify and critically appraise new evidence as
it becomes available, to ensure that WHO’s family planning guidelines remain
current and based on the best available evidence. In addition, the CDC conducts
regional Reproductive Health Training workshops, building capacity for
applying epidemiologic method to reproductive health issues internationally.
Contraception
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Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.
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Page last reviewed:
9/17/08
Page last modified: 9/17/08
Content source: Division
of Reproductive Health,
National Center for Chronic Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion
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