Leslie Farland

Interests

Research

Women's Health

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Journals/Publications

• Farland, L. V., Pollack, A. Z., & Schliep, K. C. (2024). Studying reproductive and gynaecologic health as risk factors for chronic disease development. Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology.
• Okechukwu, A., Magrath, P., Alaofe, H., Farland, L. V., Abraham, I., Marrero, D. G., Celaya, M., & Ehiri, J. (2024). Optimizing Postpartum Care in Rural Communities: Insights from Women in Arizona and Implications for Policy. Maternal and child health journal.
  More info

  Optimal postpartum care promotes healthcare utilization and outcomes. This qualitative study investigated the experiences and perceived needs for postpartum care among women in rural communities in Arizona, United States.
• Woodson, L. L., Garcia Saldivar, A., Brown, H. E., Magrath, P. A., Farland, L. V., Blas, M. M., & Madhivanan, P. (2024). 'You have a lot of mirrors': structural and socioecological factors impacting adolescent pregnancy and reproductive health in the Amazon basin, Peru, a qualitative study. Culture, health & sexuality, 1-17.
  More info

  Loreto, in the Peruvian Amazon, has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in the country. However, underlying causes of adolescent pregnancy are not fully understood as data are limited in Indigenous and remote Amazonian communities. This study investigated adolescent reproductive health within Loreto using an ecological systems framework. Forty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted in June 2022: community leaders ( = 12) and adolescent participants between 15 and 17 years of age (pregnant girls,  = 11; never pregnant girls,  = 9; and boys,  = 9). We also conducted focus group discussions with community health workers and educators in October 2022 (three focus groups,  = 15). Adolescent reproductive health is complex with multi-layered factors that put girls at higher risk of pregnancy. We found a paradoxical relationship between expected social and gender norms and individual desires. This research provides a contextual understanding of the lived experience of adolescents and young people in the Amazon region of Peru. Our findings suggest the need for greater exploration of the contradictory ideas surrounding adolescent pregnancy and female sexuality.
• Allen, A. M., Valenti, M., Linde-Krieger, L. B., Medvescek, K., & Farland, L. V. (2023). Menstrual Phase Identification Questionnaire (MPIQ): Development and validation of a cross-sectional survey to identify follicular and luteal phases. Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology.
  More info

  Evidence continues to accumulate on the influence of the menstrual phase on several biobehavioral outcomes (e.g., substance misuse). Expansion of this knowledge is limited due to the burdensomeness of accurate menstrual phase assessment. Thus, we sought to create and validate a questionnaire that can be used as a stand-alone item within low-resource settings and numerous study designs (e.g., cross-sectional) to accurately identify both the follicular phase (FP) and the luteal phase (LP). Participants completed the self-administered four-item Menstrual Phase Identification Questionnaire (MPIQ) in two recently completed clinical trials. We assessed the accuracy of two MPIQ scoring criteria (less restrictive and more restrictive), as compared to self-report of onset of menses alone, with progesterone confirmation via dried blood spots. Participants ( = 59) were, on average, 33.7 (standard deviation []: ± 4.3) years old and provided a total of 83 responses. Assessing FP and LP using the self-reported onset of menses alone classified 65.1% of the responses with an overall phase identification accuracy of 60.2%. While the more restrictive MPIQ scoring classified 100% of the responses, it yielded a similar accuracy (68.4%). In contrast, the less restrictive MPIQ scoring classified 100% of the responses and also significantly improved phase identification accuracy to 92.1% ( < .001). The MPIQ, as a stand-alone item, allows all cross-sectional responses to be classified with a high level of accuracy. This low-burden questionnaire can be used alone to identify FP and LP in studies that may be otherwise limited by study design, finances, and/or participant burden. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
• Daniele, C., Farland, L. V., Park, K., Schnatz, P. F., Shadyab, A. H., Stefanick, M. L., Wactawski-Wende, J., Wild, R. A., & Spracklen, C. N. (2023). Association of maternal birth weight and maternal preterm birth with subsequent risk for adverse reproductive outcomes: The Women's Health Initiative. Early human development, 184, 105839.
  More info

  Advancements in medical technology and pharmacologic interventions have drastically improved survival of infants born preterm and low birth weight, but knowledge regarding the long-term health impacts of these individuals is limited and inconsistent.
• Farland, L. V., Khan, S. M., Missmer, S. A., Stern, D., Lopez-Ridaura, R., Chavarro, J. E., Catzin-Kuhlmann, A., Sanchez-Serrano, A. P., Rice, M. S., & Lajous, M. (2023). Accessing medical care for infertility: a study of women in Mexico. F&S reports, 4(1), 112-120.
  More info

  To investigate barriers in accessing care for infertility in Mexico, because little is known about this issue for low and middle-income countries, which comprise 80% of the world's population.
• Farland, L. V., Rice, M. S., Degnan, W. J., Rexrode, K. M., Manson, J. E., Rimm, E. B., Rich-Edwards, J., Stewart, E. A., Cohen Rassier, S. L., Robinson, W. R., & Missmer, S. A. (2023). Hysterectomy With and Without Oophorectomy, Tubal Ligation, and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in the Nurses' Health Study II. Journal of women's health (2002), 32(7), 747-756.
  More info

  Hysterectomy, oophorectomy, and tubal ligation are common surgical procedures. The literature regarding cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk after these surgeries has focused on oophorectomy with limited research on hysterectomy or tubal ligation. Participants in the Nurses' Health Study II ( = 116,429) were followed from 1989 to 2017. Self-reported gynecologic surgery was categorized as follows: no surgery, hysterectomy alone, hysterectomy with unilateral oophorectomy, and hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy. We separately investigated tubal ligation alone. The primary outcome was CVD based on medical-record confirmed fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction, fatal coronary heart disease, or fatal and nonfatal stroke. Our secondary outcome expanded CVD to include coronary revascularization (coronary artery bypass graft surgery, angioplasty, stent placement). Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and were adjusted for confounding factors. We investigated differences by age at surgery (≤50, >50) and menopausal hormone therapy usage. At baseline, participants were on average, 34 years old. During 2,899,787 person-years, we observed 1,864 cases of CVD. Hysterectomy in combination with any oophorectomy was associated with a greater risk of CVD in multivariable-adjusted models (HR hysterectomy with unilateral oophorectomy:1.40 [95% CI: 1.08-1.82]; HR hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy:1.27 [1.07-1.51]). Hysterectomy alone, hysterectomy with oophorectomy, and tubal ligation were also associated with an increased risk of combined CVD and coronary revascularization (HR hysterectomy alone: 1.19 [95% CI: 1.02-1.39]; HR hysterectomy with unilateral oophorectomy: 1.29 [1.01-1.64]; HR hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy: 1.22 [1.04-1.43]; HR tubal ligation: 1.16 [1.06-1.28]). The association between hysterectomy/oophorectomy and CVD and coronary revascularization risk varied by age at gynecologic surgery, with the strongest association among women who had surgery before age 50 years. Our findings suggest that hysterectomy, alone or in combination with oophorectomy, as well as tubal ligation, may be associated with an increased risk of CVD and coronary revascularization. These findings extend previous research finding that oophorectomy is associated with CVD.
• Farland, L. V., Wang, S., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Gaskins, A. J., Chavarro, J. E., Wang, Y. X., Tamimi, R. M., & Missmer, S. A. (2023). History of infertility and risk of breast cancer: a prospective cohort study. Breast cancer research and treatment, 199(1), 185-193.
  More info

  Research on infertility and risk of breast cancer has been conflicting, potentially because many well-established breast cancer risk factors, such as pregnancy history, are strongly correlated with infertility.
• Farland, L. V., Wang, Y. X., Gaskins, A. J., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Wang, S., Magnus, M. C., Chavarro, J. E., Rexrode, K. M., & Missmer, S. A. (2023). Infertility and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study. Journal of the American Heart Association, 12(5), e027755.
  More info

  Background Certain symptoms associated with infertility are associated with cardiovascular disease, including menstrual cycle irregularity, early menopause, and obesity; however, few studies have investigated the association between infertility and cardiovascular disease risk. Methods and Results Participants in the NHSII (Nurses' Health Study II) who reported infertility (12 months of trying to conceive without success, including women who subsequently conceived) or who were gravid, with no infertility were followed from 1989 until 2017 for development of incident, physician-diagnosed coronary heart disease (CHD) (myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass grafting, angioplasty, stent) and stroke. Time-varying Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs and were adjusted a priori for potential confounding variables. Among 103 729 participants, 27.6% reported having ever experienced infertility. Compared with gravid women who had not reported infertility, women with a history of infertility had greater risk of CHD (HR, 1.13 [95% CI, 1.01-1.26]) but not stroke (HR, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.77-1.07]). The association between history of infertility and CHD was strongest among women who reported infertility at an earlier age (HR for infertility first reported at ≤25 years, 1.26 [95% CI, 1.09-1.46]; HR at 26-30 years, 1.08 [95% CI, 0.93-1.25]; HR at >30 years, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.70-1.19]). When we investigated specific infertility diagnoses, elevated risk of CHD was observed among women whose infertility was attributed to an ovulatory disorder (HR, 1.28 [95% CI, 1.05-1.55]) or endometriosis (HR, 1.42 [95% CI, 1.09-1.85]). Conclusions Women with infertility may be at an increased risk of CHD. Risk differed by age at first infertility diagnosis and was restricted to ovulatory- and endometriosis-related infertility.
• Jacobs, E. T., Catalfamo, C. J., Colombo, P. M., Khan, S. M., Austhof, E., Cordova-Marks, F., Ernst, K. C., Farland, L. V., & Pogreba-Brown, K. (2023). Pre-existing conditions associated with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19. Journal of autoimmunity, 135, 102991.
  More info

  Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) are conditions that occur or remain at least 28 days after SARS-CoV-2 infection. While some risk factors for PASC have been identified, little is known about pre-existing conditions that render one susceptible to developing PASC. Data from participants (n = 1224) in a longitudinal COVID-19 cohort study in Arizona were used to investigate comorbid conditions associated with PASC. After adjustment of the models for age, BMI, gender, race, and smoking, the following pre-existing conditions were statistically significantly associated with the development of PASC: asthma (OR = 1.54; 95% CI = 1.10-2.15); chronic constipation (OR = 4.29; 95% CI = 1.15-16.00); reflux (OR = 1.54; 95% CI = 1.01-2.34); rheumatoid arthritis (OR = 3.69; 95%CI = 1.15-11.82); seasonal allergies (OR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.22-1.98); and depression/anxiety (OR = 1.72; 95% CI = 1.17-2.52). When grouping conditions together, statistically significant associations with PASC were observed for respiratory (OR = 1.47; 95% CI = 1.06-2.14); gastrointestinal (OR = 1.62; 95% CI = 1.16-2.26), and autoimmune conditions (OR = 4.38; 95% CI = 1.59-12.06). After adjustment for severity of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection and depression/anxiety, seasonal allergies (OR = 1.48; 95% CI 1.15-1.91) and autoimmune disease (OR = 3.78; 95% CI - 1.31-10.91) remained significantly associated with risk for PASC. These findings indicate that numerous pre-existing conditions may be associated with an increased risk for the development of PASC. Patients with these conditions should consider taking extra steps to avoid infection.
• Jacobs, E. T., Cordova-Marks, F. M., Farland, L. V., Ernst, K. C., Andrews, J. G., Vu, S., Heslin, K. M., Catalfamo, C., Chen, Z., & Pogreba-Brown, K. (2023). Understanding low COVID-19 booster uptake among US adults. Vaccine, 41(42), 6221-6226.
  More info

  Vaccinations against SARS-CoV-2 have consistently been shown to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 disease. However, uptake of boosters has stalled in the United States at less than 20% of the eligible population. The objective of this study was to assess the reasons for not having obtained a bivalent booster within an existing COVID-19 cohort.
• Jung, A. M., Jahnke, S. A., Dennis, L. K., Bell, M. L., Burgess, J. L., & Farland, L. V. (2023). Firefighter occupational factors and the risk of preterm birth: results from a survey of women firefighters in the USA. Occupational and environmental medicine, 80(2), 77-85.
  More info

  Previous research has suggested that women firefighters may have a greater risk of adverse reproductive outcomes compared with non-firefighting women. In this study, we investigated the association between firefighter occupational factors and risk of preterm birth.
• Lashway, S. G., Worthen, A. D., Abuasbeh, J. N., Harris, R. B., Farland, L. V., O'Rourke, M. K., & Dennis, L. K. (2023). A meta-analysis of sunburn and basal cell carcinoma risk. Cancer epidemiology, 85, 102379.
  More info

  Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common cancer in the United States. Sunburn is a modifiable risk factor for BCC. The objective of this project was to synthesize research on BCC and sunburn to quantify the impact and severity of sunburn at different life stages on BCC risk in the general population. A systematic literature search of four electronic databases was conducted and data were extracted by two independent reviewers using standardized forms. Data from 38 studies were pooled using both dichotomous and dose-response meta-analytic methods. BCC risk increased with ever experiencing a sunburn in childhood (OR=1.43, 95% CI: 1.19, 1.72) and with ever experiencing a sunburn in life (OR= 1.40, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.45). Every five sunburns experienced per decade in childhood increased BCC risk by 1.86 (95% CI: 1.73, 2.00) times. Every five sunburns experienced per decade in adulthood increased BCC risk by 2.12 (95% CI: 1.75, 2.57) times and every five sunburns per decade of life increased BCC risk by 1.91 (95% CI: 1.42, 2.58) times. The data on sunburn exposure and BCC show that an increase in number of sunburns at any age increased the risk of BCC. This may inform future prevention efforts.
• Okechukwu, A., Abraham, I., Okechukwu, C., Magrath, P., Marrero, D. G., Farland, L. V., & Alaofe, H. (2023). Extended Medicaid coverage will improve access but insufficient to enhance postpartum care utilization: a secondary analysis of the 2016-2019 Arizona Medicaid claims. Frontiers in public health, 11, 1281574.
  More info

  Postpartum Medicaid eligibility extensions may increase access to healthcare for low-income women. However, its implications for healthcare utilization are unknown.
• Parra, K. L., Harris, R. B., Farland, L. V., Beamer, P., & Furlong, M. (2023). Associations of Prenatal Agricultural Farm Work with Fetal Overgrowth and Pregnancy Complications in State of Arizona Birth Records. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 65(8), 635-642.
  More info

  The purpose of this study is to examine fetal growth outcomes from agricultural worker households.
• Purdue-Smithe, A. C., Stuart, J. J., Farland, L. V., Kang, J. H., Harriott, A. M., Rich-Edwards, J. W., & Rexrode, K. (2023). Prepregnancy Migraine, Migraine Phenotype, and Risk of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes. Neurology.
  More info

  Migraine is a highly prevalent neurovascular disorder among reproductive-aged women. Whether migraine history and migraine phenotype might serve as clinically useful markers of obstetric risk is not clear. The primary objective of this study was to examine associations of pre-pregnancy migraine and migraine phenotype with risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
• Root, A. D., Pedersen, L. A., Cutshaw, C. A., Farland, L. V., & Taren, D. L. (2023). Health Characteristics and Birth Outcomes for "Starting Out Right," a Teen Pregnancy Program. Maternal and child health journal, 27(10), 1689-1696.
  More info

  To evaluate differences in health characteristics and birth outcomes for participants of a prenatal education and support program for pregnant teens, "Starting Out Right" (SOR) compared to nonparticipant pregnant teens in Pima, Maricopa, and Gila counties in Arizona to gauge benefits of program participation.
• Wang, S., Farland, L. V., Gaskins, A. J., Mortazavi, J., Wang, Y. X., Tamimi, R. M., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Zhang, D., Terry, K. L., Chavarro, J. E., & Missmer, S. A. (2023). Association of laparoscopically-confirmed endometriosis with long COVID-19: a prospective cohort study. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 228(6), 714.e1-714.e13.
  More info

  Women are at greater risk than men of developing chronic inflammatory conditions and "long COVID." However, few gynecologic health risk factors for long COVID-19 have been identified. Endometriosis is a common gynecologic disorder associated with chronic inflammation, immune dysregulation, and comorbid presentation with autoimmune and clotting disorders, all of which are pathophysiological mechanisms proposed for long COVID-19. Therefore, we hypothesized that women with a history of endometriosis may be at greater risk of developing long COVID-19.
• Wang, S., Gaskins, A. J., Farland, L. V., Zhang, D., Birmann, B. M., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Wang, Y. X., Tamimi, R. M., Missmer, S. A., & Chavarro, J. E. (2023). A prospective cohort study of infertility and cancer incidence. Fertility and sterility, 120(1), 134-142.
  More info

  To investigate the association between infertility and the incidence of invasive cancer.
• Davidson, S., Jahnke, S., Jung, A. M., Burgess, J. L., Jacobs, E. T., Billheimer, D., & Farland, L. V. (2022). Anti-Müllerian Hormone Levels among Female Firefighters. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(10).
  More info

  Female firefighters have occupational exposures which may negatively impact their reproductive health. Anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) is a clinical marker of ovarian reserve. We investigated whether AMH levels differed in female firefighters compared to non-firefighters and whether there was a dose-dependent relationship between years of firefighting and AMH levels. Female firefighters from a pre-existing cohort completed a cross-sectional survey regarding their occupational and health history and were asked to recruit a non-firefighter friend or relative. All participants provided a dried blood spot (DBS) for AMH analysis. Linear regression was used to assess the relationship between firefighting status and AMH levels. Among firefighters, the influence of firefighting-related exposures was evaluated. Firefighters ( = 106) and non-firefighters ( = 58) had similar age and BMI. Firefighters had a lower mean AMH compared to non-firefighters (2.93 ng/mL vs. 4.37 ng/mL). In multivariable adjusted models, firefighters had a 33% lower AMH value than non-firefighters (-33.38%∆ (95% CI: -54.97, -1.43)). Years of firefighting was not associated with a decrease in AMH. Firefighters in this study had lower AMH levels than non-firefighters. More research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which firefighting could reduce AMH and affect fertility.
• Donzella, S. M., Lind, K. E., Skiba, M. B., Farland, L. V., Thomson, C. A., Werts, S. J., Bell, M. L., LeBlanc, E., Weitlauf, J. C., Hery, C. M., Naughton, M. J., Mortimer, J., & Crane, T. E. (2022). The relationship between sleep and weight change among women diagnosed with breast cancer participating in the Women's Health Initiative. Breast cancer research and treatment.
  More info

  Short and long sleep duration and poor sleep quality are risk factors for weight gain and cancer mortality. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between sleep and weight change among postmenopausal breast cancer survivors.
• Farland, L. V. (2022). Is it time to start asking pregnant patients about endometriosis?. Fertility and sterility, 118(6), 1100-1101.
• Farland, L. V., Degnan, W. J., Bell, M. L., Kasner, S. E., Liberman, A. L., Shah, D. K., Rexrode, K. M., & Missmer, S. A. (2022). Laparoscopically Confirmed Endometriosis and Risk of Incident Stroke: A Prospective Cohort Study. Stroke, 53(10), 3116-3122.
  More info

  Prior research suggests that women with endometriosis are at greater risk of coronary heart disease. Therefore, our objective was to prospectively investigate the association between laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis and risk of incident stroke during 28 years of follow-up.
• Farland, L. V., Khan, S. M., Shilen, A., Heslin, K. M., Ishimwe, P., Allen, A. M., Herbst-Kralovetz, M. M., Mahnert, N. D., Pogreba-Brown, K., Ernst, K. C., & Jacobs, E. T. (2022). COVID-19 vaccination and changes in the menstrual cycle among vaccinated persons. Fertility and sterility.
  More info

  To describe the characteristics of people who experience changes to their menstrual cycle after COVID-19 vaccination.
• Farland, L. V., Liu, C. L., Diop, H., Cabral, H. J., Missmer, S. A., Coddington, C. C., Hwang, S. S., & Stern, J. E. (2022). Hospitalizations up to 8 years following delivery in assisted reproductive technology-treated and subfertile women. Fertility and sterility.
  More info

  To investigate hospitalizations up to 8 years after live birth among women who used assisted reproductive technology (ART) or who were subfertile compared with women who conceived naturally.
• Farland, L. V., Stern, J. E., Hwang, S. S., Liu, C. L., Cabral, H., Knowlton, R., Gershman, S. T., Coddington, C. C., & Missmer, S. A. (2022). History of cancer and fertility treatment outcomes: a registry linkage study in Massachusetts. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics.
  More info

  To investigate assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes among adolescent and young-adult female cancer survivors.
• Farland, L. V., Stern, J. E., Liu, C. L., Cabral, H. J., Coddington, C. C., Diop, H., Dukhovny, D., Hwang, S., & Missmer, S. A. (2022). Polycystic ovary syndrome and risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes: a registry linkage study from Massachusetts. Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 37(11), 2690-2699.
  More info

  Do women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have a greater risk of adverse pregnancy complications (gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, cesarean section, placental abnormalities) and neonatal outcomes (preterm birth, small for gestational age, prolonged delivery hospitalization) compared to women without a PCOS diagnosis and does this risk vary by BMI, subfertility and fertility treatment utilization?
• Farland, L. V., Stern, J. E., Liu, C. L., Cabral, H. J., Coddington, C. C., Diop, H., Dukhovny, D., Hwang, S., & Missmer, S. A. (2022). Pregnancy outcomes among women with endometriosis and fibroids: registry linkage study in Massachusetts. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology.
  More info

  Endometriosis and uterine fibroids are common gynecologic conditions associated with greater risk of infertility. Prior research has suggested that these conditions are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, potentially due to increased utilization of fertility treatments.
• Goldman, R. H., Greer, A., Racowsky, C., Farland, L. V., Lanes, A., Thomas, A. M., & Hornstein, M. D. (2022). Association between serum estradiol level on day of progesterone start and outcomes from frozen blastocyst transfer cycles utilizing oral estradiol. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 39(7), 1611-1618.
  More info

  Supraphysiologic serum estradiol levels may negatively impact the likelihood of conception and live birth following IVF. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is an association between serum estradiol level on the day of progesterone start and clinical outcomes following programmed frozen blastocyst transfer cycles utilizing oral estradiol.
• Khan, S. M., Farland, L. V., Catalfamo, C. J., Austhof, E., Bell, M. L., Chen, Z., Cordova-Marks, F., Ernst, K. C., Garcia-Filion, P., Heslin, K. M., Hoskinson, J., Jehn, M. L., Joseph, E. C., Kelley, C. P., Klimentidis, Y., Russo Carroll, S., Kohler, L. N., Pogreba-Brown, K., & Jacobs, E. T. (2022). Elucidating symptoms of COVID-19 illness in the Arizona CoVHORT: a longitudinal cohort study. BMJ open, 12(1), e053403.
  More info

  To elucidate the symptoms of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases as compared with laboratory-confirmed negative individuals and to the untested general population among all participants who reported symptoms within a large prospective cohort study.
• Khan, S. M., Shilen, A., Heslin, K. M., Ishimwe, P., Allen, A. M., Jacobs, E. T., & Farland, L. V. (2022). SARS-CoV-2 infection and subsequent changes in the menstrual cycle among participants in the Arizona CoVHORT study. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 226(2), 270-273.
• Lau, E. S., Wang, D., Roberts, M., Taylor, C. N., Murugappan, G., Shadyab, A. H., Schnatz, P. F., Farland, L. V., Wood, M. J., Scott, N. S., Eaton, C. B., & Ho, J. E. (2022). Infertility and Risk of Heart Failure in the Women's Health Initiative. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 79(16), 1594-1603.
  More info

  There is growing recognition that reproductive factors are associated with increased risk of future cardiovascular disease. Infertility has been less well studied, although emerging data support its association with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Whether infertility is associated with future risk of heart failure (HF) is not known.
• Lorentzen, G. M., Łaniewski, P., Cui, H., Roe, D. J., Mourad, J., Mahnert, N. D., Farland, L. V., & Herbst-Kralovetz, M. M. (2022). Immunometabolic profiling of cervicovaginal lavages identifies key signatures associated with adenomyosis. iScience, 25(12), 105508.
  More info

  Adenomyosis is a burdensome gynecologic condition that is associated with pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and abnormal uterine bleeding, leading to a negative impact on quality of life; and yet is often left undiagnosed. We recruited 108 women undergoing hysterectomy for benign gynecologic conditions and collected non-invasive cervicovaginal lavage samples for immunometabolic profiling. Patients were grouped according to adenomyosis status. We investigated the levels of 72 soluble immune proteins and >900 metabolites using multiplex immunoassays and an untargeted global metabolomics platform. There were statistically significant alterations in the levels of several immune proteins and a large quantity of metabolites, particularly cytokines related to type II immunity and amino acids, respectively. Enrichment analysis revealed that pyrimidine metabolism, carnitine synthesis, and histidine/histamine metabolism were significantly upregulated pathways in adenomyosis. This study demonstrates utility of non-invasive sampling combined with immunometabolic profiling for adenomyosis detection and a greater pathophysiological understanding of this enigmatic condition.
• Murugappan, G., Leonard, S. A., Farland, L. V., Lau, E. S., Shadyab, A. H., Wild, R. A., Schnatz, P., Carmichael, S. L., Stefanick, M. L., & Parikh, N. I. (2022). Association of infertility with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease among postmenopausal participants in the Women's Health Initiative. Fertility and sterility, 117(5), 1038-1046.
  More info

  To investigate the association of infertility with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) among postmenopausal participants in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). We hypothesized that nulliparity and pregnancy loss may reveal more extreme phenotypes of infertility, enabling further understanding of the association of infertility with ASCVD.
• Schliep, K. C., Farland, L. V., Pollack, A. Z., Buck Louis, G., Stanford, J. B., Allen-Brady, K., Varner, M. W., Kah, K., & Peterson, C. M. (2022). Endometriosis diagnosis, staging and typology and adverse pregnancy outcome history. Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology, 36(6), 771-781.
  More info

  Women with endometriosis may have an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Research has focused on infertility clinic populations limiting generalisability. Few studies report differences by endometriosis severity.
• Schwartz, N. R., Afeiche, M. C., Terry, K. L., Farland, L. V., Chavarro, J. E., Missmer, S. A., & Harris, H. R. (2022). Glycemic Index, Glycemic Load, Fiber, and Gluten Intake and Risk of Laparoscopically Confirmed Endometriosis in Premenopausal Women. The Journal of nutrition, 152(9), 2088-2096.
  More info

  The etiology of endometriosis is not well understood. Limited evidence suggests that dietary factors influence risk, but prospective data related to carbohydrate, fiber, and gluten consumption are scarce. Despite this, recommendations concerning fiber, gluten intake, and endometriosis are pervasive in the lay literature.
• Skåra, K. H., Åsvold, B. O., Hernáez, ., Fraser, A., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Farland, L. V., Næss, ., Lawlor, D. A., Brumpton, B., & Magnus, M. C. (2022). Risk of cardiovascular disease in women and men with subfertility: the Trøndelag Health Study. Fertility and sterility, 118(3), 537-547.
  More info

  To investigate the association between subfertility and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes.
• Stern, J. E., Farland, L. V., Hwang, S. S., Dukhovny, D., Coddington, C. C., Cabral, H. J., Missmer, S. A., Declercq, E., & Diop, H. (2022). Assisted Reproductive Technology or Infertility: What underlies adverse outcomes? Lessons from the Massachusetts Outcome Study of Assisted Reproductive Technology. F&S reviews, 3(4), 242-255.
  More info

  Numerous studies have demonstrated that assisted reproductive technology (ART: defined here as including only fertilization and related technologies) is associated with increased adverse pregnancy, neonatal, and childhood developmental outcomes, even in singletons. The comparison group for many had often been a fertile population that conceived without assistance. The Massachusetts Outcome Study of Assisted Reproductive Technology (MOSART) was initiated to define a subfertile population with which to compare ART outcomes. Over more than 10 years, we have used the MOSART database to study pregnancy abnormalities and delivery complications but also to evaluate ongoing health of women, infants, and children. This article will review studies from MOSART in the context of how they compare with those of other investigations. We will present MOSART studies that identified the influence of ART and subfertility/infertility on adverse pregnancy (pregnancy hypertensive disorder, gestational diabetes, placental abnormality) and delivery (preterm birth, low birthweight) outcomes as well as on maternal and child hospitalizations. We will provide evidence that although subfertility/infertility increases the risk of adverse outcomes, there is additional risk associated with the use of ART. Studies exploring the contribution of placental abnormalities as one factor adding to this increased ART-associated risk will be described.
• Stern, J. E., Liu, C. L., Cui, X., Cabral, H. J., Farland, L. V., Coddington, C., & Diop, H. (2022). Assisted reproductive technology treatment increases obstetric and neonatal risks over that of the underlying infertility diagnosis. Fertility and sterility, 117(6), 1223-1234.
  More info

  To determine whether assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment adds obstetric and neonatal risks over and above that of underlying infertility-related diagnoses.
• Tang, X., Brinton, R. D., Chen, Z., Farland, L. V., Klimentidis, Y., Migrino, R., Reaven, P., Rodgers, K., & Zhou, J. J. (2022). Use of oral diabetes medications and the risk of incident dementia in US veterans aged ≥60 years with type 2 diabetes. BMJ open diabetes research & care, 10(5).
  More info

  Studies have reported that antidiabetic medications (ADMs) were associated with lower risk of dementia, but current findings are inconsistent. This study compared the risk of dementia onset in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) treated with sulfonylurea (SU) or thiazolidinedione (TZD) to patients with T2D treated with metformin (MET).
• Thombre Kulkarni, M., Shafrir, A., Farland, L. V., Terry, K. L., Whitcomb, B. W., Eliassen, A. H., Bertone-Johnson, E. R., & Missmer, S. A. (2022). Association Between Laparoscopically Confirmed Endometriosis and Risk of Early Natural Menopause. JAMA network open, 5(1), e2144391.
  More info

  Early natural menopause (ENM) has been associated with reduced reproductive span, cardiovascular disease risk, and early mortality. The potential adverse implications of endometrioma surgery for ovarian reserve are known, yet the association of endometriosis with menopausal timing remains understudied.
• Wang, S., Mortazavi, J., Hart, J. E., Hankins, J. A., Katuska, L. M., Farland, L. V., Gaskins, A. J., Wang, Y. X., Tamimi, R. M., Terry, K. L., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Missmer, S. A., & Chavarro, J. E. (2022). A prospective study of the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination with changes in usual menstrual cycle characteristics. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 227(5), 739.e1-739.e11.
  More info

  Despite anecdotal reports, the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination on menstrual health have not been systemically investigated.
• Wang, S., Wang, Y. X., Sandoval-Insausti, H., Farland, L. V., Shifren, J. L., Zhang, D., Manson, J. E., Birmann, B. M., Willett, W. C., Giovannucci, E. L., Missmer, S. A., & Chavarro, J. E. (2022). Menstrual cycle characteristics and incident cancer: a prospective cohort study. Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 37(2), 341-351.
  More info

  Are menstrual cycle characteristics throughout the reproductive lifespan associated with cancer risk?
• Wang, Y. X., Farland, L. V., Wang, S., Gaskins, A. J., Wang, L., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Tamimi, R., Missmer, S. A., & Chavarro, J. E. (2022). Association of infertility with premature mortality among US women: Prospective cohort study. Lancet regional health. Americas, 7.
  More info

  Infertility has been associated with common chronic non-communicable diseases. However, the association of infertility with long-term mortality is unclear.
• Wang, Y. X., Stuart, J. J., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Missmer, S. A., Rexrode, K. M., Farland, L. V., Mukamal, K. J., Nelson, S. M., Solomon, C. G., Fraser, A., & Chavarro, J. E. (2022). Menstrual Cycle Regularity and Length Across the Reproductive Lifespan and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease. JAMA network open, 5(10), e2238513.
  More info

  Menstrual cycle characteristics may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, existing studies are limited, and few have explored the mediating role of established CVD risk factors.
• Bell, M. L., Catalfamo, C. J., Farland, L. V., Ernst, K. C., Jacobs, E. T., Klimentidis, Y. C., Jehn, M., & Pogreba-Brown, K. (2021). Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 in a non-hospitalized cohort: Results from the Arizona CoVHORT. PloS one, 16(8), e0254347.
  More info

  Clinical presentation, outcomes, and duration of COVID-19 has ranged dramatically. While some individuals recover quickly, others suffer from persistent symptoms, collectively known as long COVID, or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC). Most PASC research has focused on hospitalized COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe disease. We used data from a diverse population-based cohort of Arizonans to estimate prevalence of PASC, defined as experiencing at least one symptom 30 days or longer, and prevalence of individual symptoms. There were 303 non-hospitalized individuals with a positive lab-confirmed COVID-19 test who were followed for a median of 61 days (range 30-250). COVID-19 positive participants were mostly female (70%), non-Hispanic white (68%), and on average 44 years old. Prevalence of PASC at 30 days post-infection was 68.7% (95% confidence interval: 63.4, 73.9). The most common symptoms were fatigue (37.5%), shortness-of-breath (37.5%), brain fog (30.8%), and stress/anxiety (30.8%). The median number of symptoms was 3 (range 1-20). Amongst 157 participants with longer follow-up (≥60 days), PASC prevalence was 77.1%.
• Catalfamo, C. J., Heslin, K. M., Shilen, A., Khan, S. M., Hunsaker, J. R., Austhof, E., Barraza, L., Cordova-Marks, F. M., Farland, L. V., Garcia-Filion, P., Hoskinson, J., Jehn, M., Kohler, L. N., Lutrick, K., Harris, R. B., Chen, Z., Klimentidis, Y. C., Bell, M. L., Ernst, K. C., , Jacobs, E. T., et al. (2021). Design of the Arizona CoVHORT: A Population-Based COVID-19 Cohort. Frontiers in public health, 9, 620060.
  More info

  This study is a prospective, population-based cohort of individuals with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection and those without past infection through multiple recruitment sources. The main study goal is to track health status over time, within the diverse populations of Arizona and to identify the long-term consequences of COVID-19 on health and well-being. A total of 2,881 study participants (16.2% with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection) have been enrolled as of December 22, 2020, with a target enrollment of 10,000 participants and a planned follow-up of at least 2 years. This manuscript describes a scalable study design that utilizes a wide range of recruitment sources, leveraging electronic data collection to capture and link longitudinal participant data on the current and emerging issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The cohort is built within a collaborative infrastructure that includes new and established partnerships with multiple stakeholders, including the state's public universities, local health departments, tribes, and tribal organizations. Challenges remain for ensuring recruitment of diverse participants and participant retention, although the electronic data management system and timing of participant contact can help to mitigate these problems.
• Correia, K. F., Farland, L. V., Missmer, S. A., & Racowsky, C. (2021). The association between season, day length, and temperature on clinical outcomes after cryopreserved embryo transfer. Fertility and sterility.
  More info

  To investigate whether there is an association between season, temperature, and day length at oocyte retrieval and/or embryo transfer (ET) and clinical outcomes in frozen ET cycles.
• Donzella, S. M., Kohler, L. N., Crane, T. E., Jacobs, E. T., Ernst, K. C., Bell, M. L., Catalfamo, C. J., Begay, R., Pogreba-Brown, K., & Farland, L. V. (2021). COVID-19 Infection, the COVID-19 Pandemic, and Changes in Sleep. Frontiers in public health, 9, 795320.
  More info

  The objective of this study was to investigate the differences in sleep patterns among individuals with and without laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 test results and self-reported measures recalling sleep habits prior to and during the pandemic were collected from May 2020 to March 2021 among 1,848 individuals in The Arizona CoVHORT Study. We used linear and logistic regression to model the association between test status, presentation of symptoms, and time since test result with sleep duration and trouble sleeping, respectively. Mixed models were used to investigate change in sleep duration prior to the pandemic compared to during the pandemic. Overall, 16.2% of the sample were SARS-CoV-2 positive, 64.3% were SARS-CoV-2 negative, and 19.5% were untested for SARS-CoV-2. Independent of SARS-CoV-2 infection status, all participants slept longer during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic (Δ SARS-CoV-2 positive: 77.7 min, 95% CI 67.9, 87.5; Δ SARS-CoV-2 negative: 13.4 min, 95% CI 8.4, 18.3). However, SARS-CoV-2 positive participants slept 60.9 min longer (95% CI 49.1, 72.8) than SARS-CoV-2 negative participants in multivariable-adjusted models and had greater odds of trouble sleeping three or more times per week since the start of the pandemic (OR: 1.34 95% CI 1.02, 1.77) This greater odds of trouble sleeping persisted for participants who reported sleep habits > 30 days after their positive SARS-CoV-2 (OR: 2.11 95% CI 1.47, 3.03). Sleep patterns among non-hospitalized individuals with COVID-19 were altered following infection, regardless of the presentation of symptoms and time since infection.
• Farland, L. V., Degnan, W. J., Harris, H. R., Han, J., Cho, E., VoPham, T., Kvaskoff, M., & Missmer, S. A. (2021). Recreational and residential sun exposure and risk of endometriosis: a prospective cohort study. Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 36(1), 199-210.
  More info

  Is recreational and residential sun exposure associated with risk of endometriosis?
• Farland, L. V., Degnan, W. J., Harris, H. R., Tobias, D. K., & Missmer, S. A. (2021). A prospective study of endometriosis and risk of type 2 diabetes. Diabetologia.
  More info

  The objective of this study was to investigate the association between laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis and risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Farland, L. V., Stern, J. E., Hwang, S. S., Liu, C. L., Cabral, H., Knowlton, R., Gershman, S. T., Coddington, C. C., & Missmer, S. A. (2021). Early-life cancer, infertility, and risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes: a registry linkage study in Massachusetts. Cancer causes & control : CCC, 32(2), 169-180.
  More info

  Investigate the relationship between history of cancer and adverse pregnancy outcomes according to subfertility/fertility treatment.
• Hansen, A. L., Søndergaard, M. M., Hlatky, M. A., Vittinghof, E., Nah, G., Stefanick, M. L., Manson, J. E., Farland, L. V., Wells, G. L., Mongraw-Chaffin, M., Gunderson, E. P., Van Horn, L., Wild, R. A., Liu, B., Shadyab, A. H., Allison, M. A., Liu, S., Eaton, C. B., Honigberg, M. C., & Parikh, N. I. (2021). Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and Incident Heart Failure in the Women's Health Initiative. JAMA network open, 4(12), e2138071.
  More info

  Some prior evidence suggests that adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) may be associated with heart failure (HF). Identifying unique factors associated with the risk of HF and studying HF subtypes are important next steps.
• Hwang, S. S., Dukhovny, D., Gopal, D., Cabral, H., Farland, L. V., & Stern, J. E. (2021). Sex differences in infant health following ART-treated, subfertile, and fertile deliveries. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 38(1), 211-218.
  More info

  Among infants following ART-treated, subfertile, and fertile deliveries to determine (1) the presence and magnitude of sex differences in health outcomes and (2) whether the presence of sex differences varied among maternal fertility groups.
• Jung, A. M., Jahnke, S. A., Dennis, L. K., Bell, M. L., Burgess, J. L., Jitnarin, N., Kaipust, C. M., & Farland, L. V. (2021). Occupational factors and miscarriages in the US fire service: a cross-sectional analysis of women firefighters. Environmental health : a global access science source, 20(1), 116.
  More info

  Evidence from previous studies suggests that women firefighters have greater risk of some adverse reproductive outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether women firefighters had greater risk of miscarriage compared to non-firefighters and whether there were occupational factors associated with risk of miscarriage among firefighters.
• Jung, A. M., Missmer, S. A., Cramer, D. W., Ginsburg, E. S., Terry, K. L., Vitonis, A. F., & Farland, L. V. (2021). Self-reported infertility diagnoses and treatment history approximately 20 years after fertility treatment initiation. Fertility research and practice, 7(1), 7.
  More info

  Infertility history may have important implications for clinical practice and scientific discovery. Previous research on the validity of self-reported infertility measurements has been limited in scope and duration (
• Lashway, S. G., Harris, R. B., Farland, L. V., O'Rourke, M. K., & Dennis, L. K. (2021). Age and Cohort Trends of Malignant Melanoma in the United States. Cancers, 13(15).
  More info

  The incidence of malignant melanoma in the United States is increasing, possibly due to changes in ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure due to lifestyle or increased awareness and diagnosis of melanoma. To determine if more recent birth cohorts experience higher rates of melanoma as they age, we examined age and birth cohort trends in the United States stratified by anatomic site and cancer type (in situ vs. malignant) of the melanoma diagnosed from 1975-2017. Poisson regression of cutaneous melanoma cases per population for 1975-2017 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registries was used to estimate age adjusted incidence for five-year birth cohorts restricted to Whites, ages 15-84. The rate of melanoma incidence across birth cohorts varies by anatomic site and sex. Melanomas at all anatomic sites continue to increase, except for head and neck melanomas in men. Much of the increase in malignant melanoma is driven by cases of thin (
• Luke, B., Brown, M. B., Wantman, E., Forestieri, N. E., Browne, M. L., Fisher, S. C., Yazdy, M. M., Ethen, M. K., Canfield, M. A., Watkins, S., Nichols, H. B., Farland, L. V., Oehninger, S., Doody, K. J., Eisenberg, M. L., & Baker, V. L. (2021). The risk of birth defects with conception by ART. Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 36(1), 116-129.
  More info

  What is the association between ART conception and treatment parameters and the risk of birth defects?
• Monahan, B., Farland, L. V., Shadyab, A. H., Hankinson, S. E., Manson, J. E., & Spracklen, C. N. (2021). Birthweight and subsequent risk for thyroid and autoimmune conditions in postmenopausal women. Journal of developmental origins of health and disease, 1-8.
  More info

  The objective of this study was to determine the association between birthweight and risk of thyroid and autoimmune conditions in a large sample of postmenopausal women. Baseline data from the Women's Health Initiative (n = 80,806) were used to examine the associations between birthweight category (
• Rainbow, J. G., Dolan, H. R., & Farland, L. (2021). Nurses' experiences of working while pregnant: A qualitative descriptive study. International journal of nursing studies, 124, 104092.
  More info

  Healthcare work environments are fraught with occupational hazards that can impact nurse health as well as patient care. However, little is known about how these hazards impact nurse health during pregnancy, and the experiences of nurses in the work environment during pregnancy and upon their return postpartum.
• Salliss, M. E., Farland, L. V., Mahnert, N. D., & Herbst-Kralovetz, M. M. (2021). The role of gut and genital microbiota and the estrobolome in endometriosis, infertility and chronic pelvic pain. Human reproduction update, 28(1), 92-131.
  More info

  Endometriosis is a chronic, burdensome condition that is historically understudied. Consequently, there is a lack of understanding of the etiology of the disease and its associated symptoms, including infertility and chronic pelvic pain (CPP). Endometriosis development is influenced by estrogen metabolism and inflammation, which are modulated by several factors including the microbiome and the estrobolome (the collection of genes encoding estrogen-metabolizing enzymes in the gut microbiome). Therefore, there is increasing interest in understanding the role of microbiota in endometriosis etiology.
• Shafrir, A. L., Palmor, M. C., Fourquet, J., DiVasta, A. D., Farland, L. V., Vitonis, A. F., Harris, H. R., Laufer, M. R., Cramer, D. W., Terry, K. L., & Missmer, S. A. (2021). Co-occurrence of immune-mediated conditions and endometriosis among adolescents and adult women. American journal of reproductive immunology (New York, N.Y. : 1989), e13404.
  More info

  Associations between immune dysfunction conditions (e.g. systemic lupus erythematous, rheumatoid arthritis) and endometriosis have been observed in adult women, but not assessed among a younger population. We investigated the association between immune-mediated conditions and endometriosis among young women.
• Stern, J. E., Liu, C. L., Cui, X., Gopal, D., Cabral, H. J., Coddington, C. C., Missmer, S. A., Hwang, S. S., Farland, L. V., Dukhovny, D., & Diop, H. (2021). Optimizing the control group for evaluating ART outcomes: can outpatient claims data yield a better control group?. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 38(5), 1089-1100.
  More info

  We previously developed a subfertile comparison group with which to compare outcomes of assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment. In this study, we evaluated whether insurance claims data in the Massachusetts All Payers Claims Database (APCD) defined a more appropriate comparison group.
• Stern, J. E., Liu, C. L., Hwang, S. S., Dukhovny, D., Farland, L. V., Diop, H., Coddington, C. C., & Cabral, H. (2021). Influence of Placental Abnormalities and Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension in Prematurity Associated with Various Assisted Reproductive Technology Techniques. Journal of clinical medicine, 10(8).
  More info

  Assisted reproductive technology (ART)-treated women exhibit increased risk of premature delivery compared to fertile women. We evaluated whether ART treatment modalities increase prematurity and whether placental abnormalities and pregnancy-induced hypertensive (PIH) disorders mediate these risks.
• Brady, P. C., Farland, L. V., Racowsky, C., & Ginsburg, E. S. (2020). Hyperglycosylated human chorionic gonadotropin as a predictor of ongoing pregnancy. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 222(1), 68.e1-68.e12.
  More info

  Hyperglycosylated human chorionic gonadotropin, the predominant human chorionic gonadotropin variant secreted following implantation, is associated with trophoblast invasion.
• Brady, P. C., Horne, A. W., Saunders, P. T., Thomas, A. M., Missmer, S. A., & Farland, L. V. (2020). Research priorities for endometriosis differ among patients, clinicians, and researchers. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 222(6), 630-632.
• Charlton, B. M., Farland, L. V., Boehmer, U., Tamimi, R. M., Collins, L. C., VanKim, N. A., Bertone-Johnson, E. R., Potter, J., Sarda, V., & Austin, S. B. (2020). Sexual orientation and benign breast disease in a cohort of U.S. women. Cancer causes & control : CCC.
  More info

  Several studies indicate that sexual minority (e.g., bisexual, lesbian) women may be at an increased risk for breast cancer. However, we know little about how risk factors, such as benign breast disease (BBD)-which can confer nearly a fourfold breast cancer risk increase-may vary across sexual orientation groups.
• Correia, K. F., Dodge, L. E., Farland, L. V., Hacker, M. R., Ginsburg, E., Whitcomb, B. W., Wise, L. A., & Missmer, S. A. (2020). Confounding and effect measure modification in reproductive medicine research. Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 35(5), 1013-1018.
  More info

  The majority of research within reproductive and gynecologic health, or investigating ART, is observational in design. One of the most critical challenges for observational studies is confounding, while one of the most important for discovery and inference is effect modification. In this commentary, we explain what confounding and effect modification are and why they matter. We present examples illustrating how failing to adjust for a confounder leads to invalid conclusions, as well as examples where adjusting for a factor that is not a confounder also leads to invalid or imprecise conclusions. Careful consideration of which factors may act as confounders or modifiers of the association of interest is critical to conducting sound research, particularly with complex observational studies in reproductive medicine.
• Dodge, L. E., Farland, L. V., Correia, K. F., Missmer, S. A., Seidler, E. A., Wilkinson, J., Modest, A. M., & Hacker, M. R. (2020). Choice of statistical model in observational studies of ART. Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 35(7), 1499-1504.
  More info

  Analyzing data on ART presents unique and sometimes complicated challenges related to choosing the unit(s) of analysis and the statistical model. In this commentary, we provide examples of how these challenges arise and guidance for overcoming them. We discuss the implications of different ways to count treatment cycles, considering the perspectives of research questions, data management and analysis and patient counseling. We present the advantages and disadvantages of different statistical models, and finally, we discuss the definition and calculation of the cumulative incidence of live birth, which is a key outcome of research on ART.
• Farland, L. V., & Harris, H. R. (2020). Long-term Health Consequences of Endometriosis - Pathways and Mediation by Treatment. Current obstetrics and gynecology reports, 9(3), 79-88.
  More info

  The purpose of this review is to discuss the most up to date research on endometriosis and chronic disease risk, highlighting the role treatments for endometriosis may play in these associations.
• Farland, L. V., Correia, K. F., Dodge, L. E., Modest, A. M., Williams, P. L., Smith, L. H., Toth, T. L., Hacker, M. R., & Missmer, S. A. (2020). The importance of mediation in reproductive health studies. Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 35(6), 1262-1266.
  More info

  A mediator is a factor that occurs after the exposure of interest, precedes the outcome of interest (i.e. between the exposure and the outcome) and is associated with both the exposure and the outcome of interest (i.e. is on the pathway between exposure and outcome). Mediation analyses can be valuable in many reproductive health contexts, as mediation analysis can help researchers to better identify, quantify and understand the underlying pathways of the association they are studying. The purpose of this commentary is to introduce the concept of mediation and provide examples that solidify understanding of mediation for valid discovery and interpretation in the field of reproductive medicine.
• Farland, L. V., Correia, K. F., Missmer, S. A., & Racowsky, C. (2020). Seasonal variation, temperature, day length, and IVF outcomes from fresh cycles. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 37(10), 2427-2433.
  More info

  It is known that delivery rates from spontaneous conception vary according to season which may be due to cultural or environmental factors; however, conflicting data exist regarding whether outcomes from IVF are also seasonally dependent. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that the season at oocyte retrieval is associated with livebirth after fresh transfer.
• Farland, L. V., Davidson, S., Sasamoto, N., Horne, A. W., & Missmer, S. A. (2020). Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in Endometriosis - Myths and Realities. Current obstetrics and gynecology reports, 9(1), 27-35.
  More info

  There is increasing interest in the long-term health and comorbid conditions associated with endometriosis for both women and neonates. The purpose of this review was to synthesize and discuss the current state of the literature investigating endometriosis and risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
• Hoffman, S. R., Farland, L. V., Doll, K. M., Nicholson, W. K., Wright, M. A., & Robinson, W. R. (2020). The epidemiology of gynaecologic health: contemporary opportunities and challenges. Journal of epidemiology and community health.
  More info

  The field of reproductive epidemiology has primarily focused on reproductive outcomes and gynaecologic cancers. The study of non-cancerous, gynaecologic conditions (eg, uterine fibroids, endometriosis) has not received serious treatment in existing epidemiology textbooks and reproductive epidemiology curricula. Further, these conditions do not neatly fit into the other common subdisciplines within epidemiology (eg, infectious disease, cardiovascular, injury and occupational epidemiology and so on). In this commentary, we identify and illustrate three critical challenges to advancing the epidemiologic research of non-cancerous, gynaecologic conditions. With greater investment and a patient-centred approach, epidemiology can advance knowledge about this critical area of human welfare.
• Honigberg, M. C., Zekavat, S. M., Niroula, A., Griffin, G. K., Bick, A. G., Pirruccello, J. P., Nakao, T., Whitsel, E. A., Farland, L. V., Laurie, C., Kooperberg, C., Manson, J. E., Gabriel, S., Libby, P., Reiner, A. P., Ebert, B. L., & Natarajan, P. (2020). Premature Menopause, Clonal Hematopoiesis, and Coronary Artery Disease in Postmenopausal Women. Circulation.
  More info

  Premature menopause is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease in women, but mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), the age-related expansion of hematopoietic cells with leukemogenic mutations without detectable malignancy, is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis. Whether premature menopause is associated with CHIP is unknown. We included postmenopausal women from the UK Biobank (N=11,495) aged 40-70 years with whole exome sequences and from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI, N=8,111) aged 50-79 years with whole genome sequences. Premature menopause was defined as natural or surgical menopause occurring before age 40 years. Co-primary outcomes were the presence of (1) any CHIP and (2) CHIP with variant allele frequency (VAF) >0.1. Logistic regression tested the association of premature menopause with CHIP, adjusted for age, race, the first 10 principal components of ancestry, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and hormone therapy use. Secondary analyses considered natural vs. surgical premature menopause and gene-specific CHIP subtypes. Multivariable-adjusted Cox models tested the association between CHIP and incident coronary artery disease (CAD). The sample included 19,606 women, including 418 (2.1%) with natural premature menopause and 887 (4.5%) with surgical premature menopause. Across cohorts, CHIP prevalence in postmenopausal women with vs. without a history of premature menopause was 8.8% vs. 5.5% (P0.1: OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.10-1.79, P=0.007). Associations were larger for natural premature menopause (all CHIP: OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.23-2.44, P=0.001; CHIP with VAF >0.1: OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.30-2.80, P0.1: 1.48, 95% CI 1.13-1.94, P=0.005). Premature menopause, especially natural premature menopause, is independently associated with CHIP among postmenopausal women. Natural premature menopause may serve as a risk signal for predilection to develop CHIP and CHIP-associated cardiovascular disease.
• Kvaskoff, M., Mahamat-Saleh, Y., Farland, L. V., Shigesi, N., Terry, K. L., Harris, H. R., Roman, H., Becker, C. M., As-Sanie, S., Zondervan, K. T., Horne, A. W., & Missmer, S. A. (2020). Endometriosis and cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Human reproduction update.
  More info

  Endometriosis is an often chronic, inflammatory gynaecologic condition affecting 190 million women worldwide. Studies have reported an elevated cancer risk among patients with endometriosis. However, prior research has included methodologic issues that impede valid and robust interpretation.
• Sasamoto, N., Farland, L. V., Vitonis, A. F., Harris, H. R., DiVasta, A. D., Laufer, M. R., Terry, K. L., & Missmer, S. A. (2020). In utero and early life exposures in relation to endometriosis in adolescents and young adults. European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology, 252, 393-398.
  More info

  Endometriosis is a common gynecologic disorder often associated with severe pelvic pain and infertility with few known modifiable risk factors. We investigated whether in utero and early life exposures are associated with surgically diagnosed endometriosis among adolescents and young adults.
• Farland, L. V., & Horne, A. W. (2019). Disparity in endometriosis diagnoses between racial/ethnic groups. BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology, 126(9), 1115-1116.
• Farland, L. V., Brown, H. E., & Dennis, L. K. (2019). DSM II Colormeter for measuring skin color: its usefulness and reliability of its measurement of melanin. J Dermatol Cosmet Treat, 1(1), 1-5.
• Farland, L. V., Prescott, J., Sasamoto, N., Tobias, D. K., Gaskins, A. J., Stuart, J. J., Carusi, D. A., Chavarro, J. E., Horne, A. W., Rich-Edwards, J. W., & Missmer, S. A. (2019). Endometriosis and Risk of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes. Obstetrics and gynecology, 134(3), 527-536.
  More info

  To investigate the relationship between endometriosis and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
• Faust, L., Bradley, D., Landau, E., Noddin, K., Farland, L. V., Baron, A., & Wolfberg, A. (2019). Findings from a mobile application-based cohort are consistent with established knowledge of the menstrual cycle, fertile window, and conception. Fertility and sterility, 112(3), 450-457.e3.
  More info

  To investigate the validity of self-reported fertility data generated by a mobile application-based cohort in comparison with data collected by traditional clinical methodologies.
• Goldman, R. H., Farland, L. V., Thomas, A. M., Zera, C. A., & Ginsburg, E. S. (2019). The combined impact of maternal age and body mass index on cumulative live birth following in vitro fertilization. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 221(6), 617.e1-617.e13.
  More info

  It is critical to evaluate the combined impact of age and body mass index on the cumulative likelihood of live birth following in vitro fertilization, as achieving a lower body mass index before infertility treatment often is recommended for women with overweight and obesity. It is important to consider whether achieving a particular body mass index, thus resulting in an older age at in vitro fertilization cycle start, is beneficial or harmful to the likelihood of live birth.
• Lee, M. S., Farland, L. V., Thomas, A. M., & Ginsburg, E. S. (2019). Public perspectives on placing age limits on men and women seeking fertility treatment. Fertility and sterility.
  More info

  To assess public attitudes toward placing age limits on men and women seeking fertility treatment.
• Murray, E. J., Farland, L. V., Caniglia, E. C., Dorans, K. S., DuPre, N. C., Hughes, K. C., Kim, I. Y., Pernar, C. H., Tanz, L. J., & Zack, R. M. (2019). Is this a Portrait of John Graunt? An Art History Mystery. American journal of epidemiology.
• Romanski, P. A., Brady, P. C., Farland, L. V., Thomas, A. M., & Hornstein, M. D. (2019). The effect of endometriosis on the antimüllerian hormone level in the infertile population. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 36(6), 1179-1184.
  More info

  To determine whether the presence of endometriosis in infertile women without prior ovarian surgery influences markers of ovarian reserve, AMH and FSH.
• Romanski, P. A., Farland, L. V., Tsen, L. C., Ginsburg, E. S., & Lewis, E. I. (2019). Effect of class III and class IV obesity on oocyte retrieval complications and outcomes. Fertility and sterility, 111(2), 294-301.e1.
  More info

  To assess the effect of class III (body mass index [BMI] 40-49.9 kg/m) and class IV obesity (BMI ≥ 50 kg/m) on oocyte retrieval complications and outcomes.
• Bortoletto, P., Farland, L. V., Ginsburg, E. S., & Goldman, R. H. (2018). Public support for intergenerational oocyte donation in the United States. Fertility and sterility, 109(2), 343-348.e1.
  More info

  To determine whether the general public supports intergenerational oocyte donation.
• Bortoletto, P., Hariton, E., Farland, L. V., Goldman, R. H., & Gargiulo, A. R. (2018). Uterine Transplantation: A Survey of Perceptions and Attitudes of American Reproductive Endocrinologists and Gynecologic Surgeons. Journal of minimally invasive gynecology, 25(6), 974-979.
  More info

  To determine whether reproductive endocrinologists and minimally invasive surgeons support uterine transplantation as a treatment option for absolute uterine factor infertility (AUFI).
• Brady, P. C., Farland, L. V., & Ginsburg, E. S. (2018). Serum Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Among Women With and Without Obesity After Single Embryo Transfers. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 103(11), 4209-4215.
  More info

  Serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels are essential for diagnosing and monitoring early pregnancy. Obesity is a health care epidemic; however, the performance of this vital serum hormone in women with an elevated body mass index (BMI) is unknown.
• Brady, P. C., Farland, L. V., Missmer, S. A., Racowsky, C., & Fox, J. H. (2018). Abnormal human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) trends after transfer of multiple embryos resulting in viable singleton pregnancies. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 35(3), 483-489.
  More info

  The purpose of this study is to investigate whether abnormal hCG trends occur at a higher incidence among women conceiving singleton pregnancies following transfer of multiple (two or more) embryos (MET), as compared to those having a single embryo transfer (SET).
• Choussein, S., Srouji, S. S., Farland, L. V., Wietsma, A., Missmer, S. A., Hollis, M., Yu, R. N., Pozner, C. N., & Gargiulo, A. R. (2018). Robotic Assistance Confers Ambidexterity to Laparoscopic Surgeons. Journal of minimally invasive gynecology, 25(1), 76-83.
  More info

  To examine whether a robotic surgical platform can complement the fine motor skills of the nondominant hand, compensating for the innate difference in dexterity between surgeon's hands, thereby conferring virtual ambidexterity.
• Dolinko, A. V., Farland, L. V., Missmer, S. A., Srouji, S. S., Racowsky, C., & Ginsburg, E. S. (2018). Responses to fertility treatment among patients with cancer: a retrospective cohort study. Fertility research and practice, 4, 3.
  More info

  Cancer treatments have significant negative impacts on female fertility, but the impact of cancer itself on fertility remains to be clarified. While some studies have shown that compared with healthy women, those with cancer require higher doses of gonadotropins resulting in decreased oocyte yields, others have shown comparable oocyte yields between the two groups. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether there is an association between any cancer and/or type of cancer, and response to ovarian stimulation for egg and embryo banking.
• Goldman, R. H., Racowsky, C., Farland, L. V., Fox, J. H., Munné, S., Ribustello, L., & Ginsburg, E. S. (2018). The cost of a euploid embryo identified from preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A): a counseling tool. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 35(9), 1641-1650.
  More info

  To determine the expected out-of-pocket costs of IVF with preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) to attain a 50%, 75%, or 90% likelihood of a euploid blastocyst based on individual age and AMH, and develop a personalized counseling tool.
• Hariton, E., Bortoletto, P., Goldman, R. H., Farland, L. V., Ginsburg, E. S., & Gargiulo, A. R. (2018). A Survey of Public Opinion in the United States Regarding Uterine Transplantation. Journal of minimally invasive gynecology, 25(6), 980-985.
  More info

  To evaluate the opinions and attitudes of the general public regarding uterine transplantation (UTx) in the United States.
• Kaser, D. J., Bogale, B., Sarda, V., Farland, L. V., Williams, P. L., & Racowsky, C. (2018). Randomized controlled trial of low (5%) versus ultralow (2%) oxygen for extended culture using bipronucleate and tripronucleate human preimplantation embryos. Fertility and sterility, 109(6), 1030-1037.e2.
  More info

  To determine whether [1] exposure of embryos to 5% oxygen (O) from day 1 (D1) to D3, and then to 2% O from D3 to D5, improves total blastocyst yield, as compared with continuous exposure to 5% O; and [2] extended culture in 2% O alters key metabolic processes and O-regulated gene expression in human preimplantation embryos.
• Murugappan, G., Farland, L. V., Missmer, S. A., Correia, K. F., Anchan, R. M., & Ginsburg, E. S. (2018). Gestational carrier in assisted reproductive technology. Fertility and sterility, 109(3), 420-428.
  More info

  To compare clinical outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles with the use of gestational carriers (GCs) with non-GC IVF cycles.
• Romanski, P. A., Carusi, D. A., Farland, L. V., Missmer, S. A., Kaser, D. J., Walsh, B. W., Racowsky, C., & Brady, P. C. (2018). Perinatal and Peripartum Outcomes in Vanishing Twin Pregnancies Achieved by In Vitro Fertilization. Obstetrics and gynecology, 131(6), 1011-1020.
  More info

  To compare perinatal and peripartum outcomes of vanishing twin gestations with singleton and dichorionic twin gestations in pregnancies conceived by in vitro fertilization.
• Romanski, P. A., Goldman, R. H., Farland, L. V., Srouji, S. S., & Racowsky, C. (2018). The association between quality of supernumerary embryos in a cohort and implantation potential of the transferred blastocyst. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 35(9), 1651-1656.
  More info

  Despite studies focused on the association between embryo morphology and implantation potential, it is unknown how the collective quality of the supernumerary embryos in a cohort is associated with the implantation rate (IR) of the transferred embryo. This study tested the hypothesis that a relationship exists between the quality of the supernumerary cohort and IR.
• Sacha, C. R., Kaser, D. J., Farland, L. V., Srouji, S., Missmer, S. A., & Racowsky, C. (2018). The effect of short-term exposure of cumulus-oocyte complexes to in vitro maturation medium on yield of mature oocytes and usable embryos in stimulated cycles. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 35(5), 841-849.
  More info

  We examined whether short-term exposure to in vitro maturation (IVM) medium of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) from a stimulated cycle increases the yield of metaphase II (MII) oocytes and usable embryos.
• Shafrir, A. L., Farland, L. V., Shah, D. K., Harris, H. R., Kvaskoff, M., Zondervan, K., & Missmer, S. A. (2018). Risk for and consequences of endometriosis: A critical epidemiologic review. Best practice & research. Clinical obstetrics & gynaecology, 51, 1-15.
  More info

  Endometriosis affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age. Characteristics robustly associated with a greater risk for endometriosis include early age at menarche, short menstrual cycle length, and lean body size, whereas greater parity has been associated with a lower risk. Relationships with other potential characteristics including physical activity, dietary factors, and lactation have been less consistent, partially because of the need for rigorous data collection and a longitudinal study design. Critical methodologic complexities include the need for a clear case definition; valid selection of comparison/control groups; and consideration of diagnostic bias and reverse causation when exploring demographic characteristics, medical history, and lifestyle factors. Reviewers and editors must demand a detailed description of rigorous methods to facilitate comparison and replication to advance our understanding of endometriosis.
• Brady, P. C., Missmer, S. A., Farland, L. V., & Ginsburg, E. S. (2017). Clinical predictors of failing one dose of methotrexate for ectopic pregnancy after in vitro fertilization. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 34(3), 349-356.
  More info

  The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical predictors of failure of a single dose of methotrexate (MTX) for management of ectopic pregnancy after in vitro fertilization (IVF).
• Dolinko, A. V., Farland, L. V., Kaser, D. J., Missmer, S. A., & Racowsky, C. (2017). National survey on use of time-lapse imaging systems in IVF laboratories. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 34(9), 1167-1172.
  More info

  Several time-lapse imaging (TLI) systems for non-invasive continuous monitoring of developing embryos are currently available. The present study explored the prevalence, means of acquisition, and clinical application of TLI systems in USA in vitro fertilization (IVF) laboratories.
• Farland, L. V., Eliassen, A. H., Tamimi, R. M., Spiegelman, D., Michels, K. B., & Missmer, S. A. (2017). History of breast feeding and risk of incident endometriosis: prospective cohort study. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 358, j3778.
  More info

   To investigate the association between lifetime breast feeding, exclusive breast feeding, postpartum amenorrhea, and incidence of endometriosis among parous women. Prospective cohort study. Nurses' Health Study II, 1989-2011. 72 394women who reported having one or more pregnancies that lasted at least six months, 3296 of whom had laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis. For each pregnancy, women reported duration of total breast feeding, exclusive breast feeding, and postpartum amenorrhea.  Incident self reported laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis (96% concordance with medical record) in parous women. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for diagnosis of endometriosis. Duration of total and exclusive breast feeding was significantly associated with decreased risk of endometriosis. Among women who reported a lifetime total length of breast feeding of less than one month, there were 453 endometriosis cases/100 000 person years compared with 184 cases/100 000 person years in women who reported a lifetime total of ≥36 months of breast feeding. For every additional three months of total breast feeding per pregnancy, women experienced an 8% lower risk of endometriosis (hazard ratio 0.92, 95% confidence interval 0.90 to 0.94; P
• Farland, L. V., Lorrain, S., Missmer, S. A., Dartois, L., Cervenka, I., Savoye, I., Mesrine, S., Boutron-Ruault, M. C., & Kvaskoff, M. (2017). Endometriosis and the risk of skin cancer: a prospective cohort study. Cancer causes & control : CCC, 28(10), 1011-1019.
  More info

  Endometriosis has been associated with an increased risk of skin melanoma. However, associations with other skin cancer types and how they compare with melanoma are unclear. Our objective was to prospectively investigate the relationships between endometriosis and risk of non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers.
• Farland, L. V., Missmer, S. A., Bijon, A., Gusto, G., Gelot, A., Clavel-Chapelon, F., Mesrine, S., Boutron-Ruault, M. C., & Kvaskoff, M. (2017). Associations among body size across the life course, adult height and endometriosis. Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 32(8), 1732-1742.
  More info

  Are body size across the life course and adult height associated with endometriosis?
• Farland, L. V., Mu, F., Eliassen, A. H., Hankinson, S. E., Tworoger, S. S., Barbieri, R. L., Dowsett, M., Pollak, M. N., & Missmer, S. A. (2017). Menstrual cycle characteristics and steroid hormone, prolactin, and growth factor levels in premenopausal women. Cancer causes & control : CCC, 28(12), 1441-1452.
  More info

  Menstrual cycle characteristics are markers of endocrine milieu. However, associations between age at menarche and adulthood sex steroid hormone levels have been inconsistent, and data on menstrual characteristics and non-sex steroid hormones are sparse.
• Goldman, R. H., Kaser, D. J., Missmer, S. A., Farland, L. V., Scout, ., Ashby, R. K., & Ginsburg, E. S. (2017). Fertility treatment for the transgender community: a public opinion study. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 34(11), 1457-1467.
  More info

  The purposes of this study were to evaluate public opinion regarding fertility treatment and gamete cryopreservation for transgender individuals and identify how support varies by demographic characteristics.
• Goldman, R. H., Racowsky, C., Farland, L. V., Munné, S., Ribustello, L., & Fox, J. H. (2017). Predicting the likelihood of live birth for elective oocyte cryopreservation: a counseling tool for physicians and patients. Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 32(4), 853-859.
  More info

  Can a counseling tool be developed for women desiring elective oocyte cryopreservation to predict the likelihood of live birth based on age and number of oocytes frozen?
• Insogna, I. G., Farland, L. V., Missmer, S. A., Ginsburg, E. S., & Brady, P. C. (2017). Outpatient endometrial aspiration: an alternative to methotrexate for pregnancy of unknown location. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 217(2), 185.e1-185.e9.
  More info

  Pregnancies of unknown location with abnormal beta-human chorionic gonadotropin trends are frequently treated as presumed ectopic pregnancies with methotrexate. Preliminary data suggest that outpatient endometrial aspiration may be an effective tool to diagnose pregnancy location, while also sparing women exposure to methotrexate.
• Kaser, D. J., Bormann, C. L., Missmer, S. A., Farland, L. V., Ginsburg, E. S., & Racowsky, C. (2017). A pilot randomized controlled trial of Day 3 single embryo transfer with adjunctive time-lapse selection versus Day 5 single embryo transfer with or without adjunctive time-lapse selection. Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 32(8), 1598-1603.
  More info

  Compared to D5 selection with conventional morphology (CM), does adjunctive use of the Eeva™ test on D3 or D5 improve the clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) per transfer?
• Kaser, D. J., Farland, L. V., Missmer, S. A., & Racowsky, C. (2017). Prospective study of automated versus manual annotation of early time-lapse markers in the human preimplantation embryo. Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 32(8), 1604-1611.
  More info

  How does automated time-lapse annotation (Eeva™) compare to manual annotation of the same video images performed by embryologists certified in measuring durations of the 2-cell (P2; time to the 3-cell minus time to the 2-cell, or t3-t2) and 3-cell (P3; time to 4-cell minus time to the 3-cell, or t4-t3) stages?
• Lee, M. S., Farland, L. V., Missmer, S. A., & Ginsburg, E. S. (2017). Limitations on the compensation of gamete donors: a public opinion survey. Fertility and sterility, 107(6), 1355-1363.e4.
  More info

  To determine public opinion on gamete donor compensation.
• Lewis, E. I., Farhadifar, R., Farland, L. V., J Needleman, D., Missmer, S. A., & Racowsky, C. (2017). Use of imaging software for assessment of the associations among zona pellucida thickness variation, assisted hatching, and implantation of day 3 embryos. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 34(10), 1261-1269.
  More info

  The aim of this study was to determine if zona pellucida thickness variation (ZPTV) is associated with implantation and if this relationship changes with use of assisted hatching (AH).
• Chavarro, J. E., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Gaskins, A. J., Farland, L. V., Terry, K. L., Zhang, C., & Missmer, S. A. (2016). Contributions of the Nurses' Health Studies to Reproductive Health Research. American journal of public health, 106(9), 1669-76.
  More info

  To review the Nurses' Health Study's (NHS's) contribution to identifying risk factors and long-term health consequences of reproductive events.
• Farland, L. V., Collier, A. Y., Correia, K. F., Grodstein, F., Chavarro, J. E., Rich-Edwards, J., & Missmer, S. A. (2016). Who receives a medical evaluation for infertility in the United States?. Fertility and sterility, 105(5), 1274-1280.
  More info

  To investigate characteristics of receiving a medical evaluation for infertility among infertile women.
• Farland, L. V., Correia, K. F., Wise, L. A., Williams, P. L., Ginsburg, E. S., & Missmer, S. A. (2016). P-values and reproductive health: what can clinical researchers learn from the American Statistical Association?. Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 31(11), 2406-2410.
• Farland, L. V., Tamimi, R. M., Eliassen, A. H., Spiegelman, D., Bertrand, K. A., & Missmer, S. A. (2016). Endometriosis and mammographic density measurements in the Nurses' Health Study II. Cancer causes & control : CCC, 27(10), 1229-37.
  More info

  Endometriosis and mammographic density have been hypothesized to be influenced by sex steroid hormonal exposures in adolescence and early adulthood. We investigated the association between endometriosis and mammographic density, a consistent and independent risk factor for breast cancer.
• Farland, L. V., Tamimi, R. M., Eliassen, A. H., Spiegelman, D., Collins, L. C., Schnitt, S. J., & Missmer, S. A. (2016). A prospective study of endometriosis and risk of benign breast disease. Breast cancer research and treatment, 159(3), 545-52.
  More info

  Given the altered hormonal and inflammatory environment of women with endometriosis, several studies have suggested a positive association between endometriosis and breast cancer, although findings have been mixed. This study investigates the relationship between endometriosis and benign breast disease (BBD), benign lesions that are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
• Farland, L. V., Tamimi, R. M., Eliassen, A. H., Spiegelman, D., Hankinson, S. E., Chen, W. Y., & Missmer, S. A. (2016). Laparoscopically Confirmed Endometriosis and Breast Cancer in the Nurses' Health Study II. Obstetrics and gynecology, 128(5), 1025-1031.
  More info

  To investigate the association between laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis and the risk of breast cancer. Previous research on endometriosis and breast cancer has reported mixed results.
• Goldman, R. H., Kaser, D. J., Missmer, S. A., Srouji, S. S., Farland, L. V., & Racowsky, C. (2016). Building a model to increase live birth rate through patient-specific optimization of embryo transfer day. Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, 33(11), 1525-1532.
  More info

  Many practices are moving away from cleavage-stage transfer in favor of blastocyst transfer. The purpose of this study is to evaluate how the overall live birth rate for fresh IVF cycles may increase by optimizing the day of transfer for each patient.
• Goldman, R. H., Missmer, S. A., Robinson, M. K., Farland, L. V., & Ginsburg, E. S. (2016). Reproductive Outcomes Differ Following Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and Adjustable Gastric Band Compared with Those of an Obese Non-Surgical Group. Obesity surgery, 26(11), 2581-2589.
  More info

  Little is known about how bariatric surgery type may impact reproductive health outcomes. Our objective was to determine differences in infertility and birth outcomes among women who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), adjustable gastric band (AGB), and an obese non-surgical group.
• Lewis, E. I., Missmer, S. A., Farland, L. V., & Ginsburg, E. S. (2016). Public support in the United States for elective oocyte cryopreservation. Fertility and sterility, 106(5), 1183-1189.
  More info

  To determine whether public support for oocyte cryopreservation (OC) exists and if support varies by demographic factors.
• Mahalingaiah, S., Hart, J. E., Laden, F., Farland, L. V., Hewlett, M. M., Chavarro, J., Aschengrau, A., & Missmer, S. A. (2016). Adult air pollution exposure and risk of infertility in the Nurses' Health Study II. Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 31(3), 638-47.
  More info

  Is there an association between air pollution exposures and incident infertility?
• Prescott, J., Farland, L. V., Tobias, D. K., Gaskins, A. J., Spiegelman, D., Chavarro, J. E., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Barbieri, R. L., & Missmer, S. A. (2016). A prospective cohort study of endometriosis and subsequent risk of infertility. Human reproduction (Oxford, England), 31(7), 1475-82.
  More info

  Is there a temporal relationship between endometriosis and infertility?
• Carter, E. B., Stuart, J. J., Farland, L. V., Rich-Edwards, J. W., Zera, C. A., McElrath, T. F., & Seely, E. W. (2015). Pregnancy Complications as Markers for Subsequent Maternal Cardiovascular Disease: Validation of a Maternal Recall Questionnaire. Journal of women's health (2002), 24(9), 702-12.
  More info

  We designed and tested the validity of a questionnaire to characterize maternal recall of pregnancy complications associated with increased future cardiovascular disease risk, based on the 2011 American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines.
• Farland, L. V., Grodstein, F., Srouji, S. S., Forman, J. P., Rich-Edwards, J., Chavarro, J. E., & Missmer, S. A. (2015). Infertility, fertility treatment, and risk of hypertension. Fertility and sterility, 104(2), 391-7.
  More info

  To evaluate the association between infertility and fertility treatments on subsequent risk of hypertension.
• Farland, L. V., Rifas-Shiman, S. L., & Gillman, M. W. (2015). Early Pregnancy Cravings, Dietary Intake, and Development of Abnormal Glucose Tolerance. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 115(12), 1958-1964.e1.
  More info

  Little is known about the relationships between pregnancy cravings, maternal diet, and development of abnormal glucose tolerance.
• Kvaskoff, M., Mu, F., Terry, K. L., Harris, H. R., Poole, E. M., Farland, L., & Missmer, S. A. (2015). Endometriosis: a high-risk population for major chronic diseases?. Human reproduction update, 21(4), 500-16.
  More info

  Despite an estimated prevalence of 10% in women, the etiology of endometriosis remains poorly understood. Over recent decades, endometriosis has been associated with risk of several chronic diseases, such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, asthma/atopic diseases and cardiovascular diseases. A deeper understanding of these associations is needed as they may provide new leads into the causes or consequences of endometriosis. This review summarizes the available epidemiological findings on the associations between endometriosis and other chronic diseases and discusses hypotheses for underlying mechanisms, potential sources of bias and methodological complexities.
• Farland, L. V., Missmer, S. A., Rich-Edwards, J., Chavarro, J. E., Barbieri, R. L., & Grodstein, F. (2014). Use of fertility treatment modalities in a large United States cohort of professional women. Fertility and sterility, 101(6), 1705-10.
  More info

  To evaluate the use of fertility treatments among a large cohort of women in the United States.
• Shammas, N. W., Dippel, E. J., Shammas, G. A., Farland, L., Brosius, S., Jerin, M., Avila, A., Gehbauer, L., Winter, M., Stoakes, P., Byrd, J., Sharis, P., & Robken, J. (2008). Intermediate term outcomes with bifurcation coronary stenting using the paclitaxel drug-eluting stent: a single centre experience. The International journal of angiology : official publication of the International College of Angiology, Inc, 17(2), 88-92.
  More info

  Percutaneous treatment of bifurcation coronary artery disease (BCD) is complex and, in the era of bare metal stents (BMS), was reported to have a high rate of repeat target lesion revascularization (TLR). Paclitaxel drug-eluting stents (PES) have been used in the treatment of BCD, with better overall outcomes than BMS. Also, acute stent thrombosis (AST), with an incidence ranging from 2.7% to 4.3%, has been reported with the use of bifurcation PES, and remains a concern in treating these patients. In the present report, intermediate term outcomes with BCD stenting using TAXUS Express (Boston Scientific, USA) PES are presented from the Genesis Medical Center.
• Shammas, N. W., Dippel, E. J., Avila, A., Gehbauer, L., Farland, L., Brosius, S., Jerin, M., Winter, M., Stoakes, P., Byrd, J., Majetic, L., Shammas, G., Sharis, P., & Robken, J. (2007). Long-term outcomes in treating left main trifurcation coronary artery disease with the Paclitaxel-eluting stent. The Journal of invasive cardiology, 19(2), 77-82.
  More info

  Left main trifurcation coronary artery disease stenting is a challenging and complex percutaneous procedure that has been infrequently reported. We present our own experience with left main trifurcation stenting using the Taxus paclitaxel-eluting stent (Boston Scientific).

Presentations

• Farland, L., Valenti, M., Linde-Krieger, L. B., & Allen, A. M. (2023, April). Menstrual phase identification questionnaire (MPIQ): Development and validation of a cross-sectional survey. 44th Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. Phoenix, AZ.
• Farland, L., Dolan, H. R., & Rainbow, J. (2021, April). Nurses' Experiences Working During Pregnancy: A Qualitative Descriptive Study. Western Institute of Nursing 54th Annual Communicating Nursing Research Conference. Online due to Covid: WIN.