{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T20:40:51Z","timestamp":1790023251692,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,22]],"date-time":"2024-10-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1729555200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Reproductive tract infections (RTIs) represent a critical public health concern impacting women\u2019s health, particularly pronounced in developing countries. We aim to investigates the prevalence of self-reported RTI symptoms in women aged 18 to 65 and the factors influencing gynecological examination behavior and associated risks are explored.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>From May 6, 2022, to September 20, 2022, a comprehensive survey engaged 20,864 women aged 18 to 65 in 19 townships in Lueyang, Shaanxi. Each survey team, comprising a gynecologist, two female health center staff, and a master\u2019s student, conducted face-to-face questionnaire surveys in villages and households. The questionnaire featured three sections: prevalence of self-reported RTI symptoms, gynecological examination history, and factors influencing examination behavior.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>The high response rate of 98.69% yielded 20,590 valid questionnaires. Among surveyed women, 42.04% reported RTI symptoms, with a higher prevalence in those aged 30 and above, peaking at 44.88% in the 50\u201359 age group. Vulvar itching (24.73%), abnormal vaginal discharge (17.41%), and urinary tract irritation signs (11.73%) were most common. Older adult women (\u226560) reported higher frequency and longer duration of symptoms. Only 9.88% of symptomatic women underwent gynecological examinations in 2022. Examination likelihood decreased with age, presenting a critical gap in healthcare utilization among older women. Reasons for checkups included routine checkups (47.02%), symptom concerns (41.29%), and the availability of free medical checkup programs (9.82%). Barriers included perceived lack of serious symptoms (23.7%), lack of necessity (4.41%) and lack of time (3.98%). Among those examined, 40.58% had a diagnosis of gynecological disorders, including pelvic inflammatory disease, human papilloma virus infection and cervical cancer.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Widespread RTI symptoms, particularly in perimenopausal and older women, underscore the need for enhanced healthcare. Barriers to gynecological examinations include awareness, education, and accessibility issues. Strategies must prioritize health education, routine examinations, and improved healthcare infrastructure in underdeveloped regions.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2024.1401474","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,22]],"date-time":"2024-10-22T04:26:44Z","timestamp":1729571204000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Women\u2019s self-reported symptoms of reproductive tract infection, medical consultations, and factors influencing them in less developed regions: perimenopausal and older women in need of urgent attention"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Ruoyi","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dan","family":"Kang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Siyuan","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dehua","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Li","family":"Bai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yongping","family":"Ao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiaojiao","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuxian","family":"Nie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaowei","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qiuling","family":"Shi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,10,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"ftaa022","DOI":"10.1093\/femspd\/ftaa022","article-title":"Reproductive system infections in women: lower genital tract syndromes","volume":"78","author":"Brunham","year":"2020","journal-title":"Pathog Dis"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0188234","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0188234","article-title":"From menarche to menopause: a population-based assessment of water, sanitation, and hygiene risk factors for reproductive tract infection symptoms over life stages in rural girls and women in India","volume":"12","author":"Baker","year":"2017","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1499","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1532-5415.2001.4911243.x","article-title":"Advancing age and cervical cancer screening and prognosis","volume":"49","author":"Sawaya","year":"2001","journal-title":"J Am Geriatr Soc"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1161","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(00)04333-6","article-title":"The burden of reproductive-organ disease in rural women in the Gambia, West Africa","volume":"357","author":"Walraven","year":"2001","journal-title":"Lancet (North American ed)"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.12927\/whp.2010.21723","article-title":"Use of health services by women with gynecological symptoms in rural China","volume":"11","author":"Jiang","year":"2010","journal-title":"World Health Popul"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2519","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph16142519","article-title":"What are the challenges faced by village doctors in provision of basic public health Services in Shandong, China? 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