JerMa88/BMC_Womens_Health_Peer_Reviews huggingface dataset:
Title: Relationship between menstruation-related experiences and health-related quality of life
of Japanese high school students: A cross-sectional study
Version: 1 Date: 30 Sep 2023
Reviewer's report:
This paper is well-presented and well-written. However, there are a number of points that I think
could be made clearer in this paper. I have listed them here:
Background: It is not clear to me if this study is novel and if it will generate new knowledge. I
recommend to add in a few lines on the novelty of this study.
Lines 57-58: "Japan is one of the wealthiest countries in the world; however, some people here
suffer from “period poverty”." How many percent of people suffer from "period poverty" in
Japan?  And is this percentage of a concern?
Lines 79-80: "This cross-sectional study was conducted on March 1, 2022, at a municipal high
school located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan."  Why is this particular high school selected? Is it
situated in a part of Japan where the low-income families stay?
Lines 141-146: "Regarding lifestyle, students with sufficient sleep and a well-balanced diet
showed significantly higher MCS scores (Figure 1G and H). The students who reported eight
(median) or more menstruation-associated symptoms and felt bothersome toward menstruation
showed significantly lower MCS scores (Figure 1I and J). Significantly lower PCS and MCS
scores were observed among students who felt debilitating about menstruation (Figure 1K)."
It seems like lower MCS scores were associated with negative feelings on menstruation but
a healthy lifestyle could perhaps increase MCS scores. In your discussion section, you could
perhaps include education on improving lifestyle as one of your recommendations.
Lines 234-244: This limitation is well described. I am concerned especially because the results
of this study is based on students of one school and are not representative of general high school
students in Japan. You could perhaps emphasize here that this is a pilot study and more research
needs to be conducted for the results to be conclusive.
Lines 251-253: "For those with severe symptoms that interfere with their daily lives, the study
suggests that improving access to medical care, information, and education  can contribute to
better mental health." You have concluded with this recommendation but in the background,
there is no description on what the existing health policy is like and how health resources are
distributed in this part of Japan.
Title: Strong social disparities in access to IVF/ICSI despite free cost of treatment: a French
population-based nationwide cohort study
Version: 2 Date: 02 Aug 2023
Reviewer:  Giuseppe Gullo
Reviewer's report:
Dear authors,
I read with great interest the manuscript, which falls within the aim of this Journal. In my honest
opinion, the topic is interesting enough to attract the readers’ attention. Nevertheless, authors
should clarify some points and improve the discussion, as suggested below. Authors should
consider the  following recommendations:
In my opinion you have to refer in the paper to the updated literature about the inequality in sub-
fertility treatment  and to the psycological  implication that these couple found in their infertile
pathway.
i suggest you to read and cite these articles:
Psychological variables in medically assisted reproduction: a systematic review
Global inequality in sub-fertility treatment needs safer, cost effective, evidence-based and
economically viable choices for patients and stakeholders
Perceived Elementary Grid (PEG) proposal for dyadic coping evaluation in the infertile couple
during assisted reproductive treatments
Title: Strong social disparities in access to IVF/ICSI despite free cost of treatment: a French
population-based nationwide cohort study
Version: 2 Date: 07 Oct 2023
Reviewer:  Antoine Naem
Reviewer's report:
General Impression:
The authors conducted an interesting study to define the barriers to access to ARTs in France
based on their socio-demographic information. The aim of the study is important and the
methodology (in the way it is currently presented) helps address it. However, an important fact
to be reported is whether there are several levels of insurance and whether those levels cover
different percentages of fertility treatment. For example, if people in the richest social layer
pay more for insurance coverage but also pay less for the treatment and have access to more
treatment options, then the variation in receiving fertility treatment between the reported social
classes is partly explained. Moreover, it is predictable why women in their early reproductive
years and women in their perimenopausal period have less access to IVF. The first are too young
for such an aggressive treatment and have enough time to conceive naturally, while the second
group may find it nonsense to try with very low success chances. Those may not even be referred
to further treatment. However, I still find the study has merit and the findings are important to
guide future research.
Comments:
1) Please add the name of the country to the title.
2) In the abstract (line 20), please correct "FIV" to "IVF".
3) Generally speaking, does the study cover only the barriers of accessing to IVF/ICSI
specifically or it may cover IUI also? My question is only to suggest using the term Assisted-
Reproductive Technology (ART) instead of IVF/ICSI if the study covers all those approaches.
4) Please express the odds ratios and the corresponding confidence intervals as follows: OR=
2.17, 95% CI: 1.85-2.54) in the abstract and the main text.
5) Please make sure to write the full term of the abbreviations before their first use in the abstract
and main text, except for odds ratio (OR) and Confidence Interval (CI). Those are not typically
explained since they are well-known.
6) Please have the manuscript revised by someone fluent in English or a native English speaker
because it requires extensive language editing and polishing.
7) In the introduction section (lines 51-52), please clarify whether the national health insurance
itself is free for everyone, whether all the people are equally covered and receive the same
therapy under the same insurance, and whether this insurance is mandatory. Those details are
important to justify the used methodology.
8) In the materials and methods section (lines 74-75), please clarify whether the occurrence
of pregnancy could be reported in the available data sources. Additional clarification of
"unsuccessful treatment" would be better to be included.
9) In the results section (line 105), please indicate what does the number 1 in parentheses (1)
mean. Similarly, the number 2 in parentheses(2) in line 117.
Title: The Impact of Health Coaching on the Prevention of Gestational Diabetes in Overweight/
Obese Pregnant Women: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Version: 0 Date: 06 Sep 2023
Reviewer:  Fatemeh Vakili
Reviewer's report:
Respected to Editor
First, I am so happy to review this valuable manuscript, yet I have some comments that should
be considered.
Method:
1. This research was well designed and the manuscript is well prepared but I think the most
significant limitation of this study is related to inclusion and exclusion criteria. It would be
much better if you considered the gestational diabetes risk factors in your exclusion criteria and
excluded women with a higher risk of gestational diabetes. Because, even if your intervention is
efficacious, other risk factors can affect the incidence of gestational diabetes in your participants.
2. The formula for calculating sample size should be clarified.
3. Clarify the length of each session.
4. Clarify the cut-off of the PPAQ questionnaire.
5. Clarify the reason for the dropout of the study in the consort diagram (for instance:
discontinued intervention, grief, not available, etc.)
Results:
6. You clarified the demographic characteristics of pregnant women in the first table, but you
did not clarify the midwifery characteristics (for instance gestational age). Please add them.
Discussion:
7. It is mentioned that “this study is the second study which aimed to investigate the impact of
coaching interventions aimed at preventing GDM among overweight or obese women.” Please
reference that study at the end of this sentence and mention the similar and different results
between your study and that study.
8. Please add the mentioned limitation in the first comment to your discussion.
Title: The Impact of Health Coaching on the Prevention of Gestational Diabetes in Overweight/
Obese Pregnant Women: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Version: 3 Date: 18 Oct 2023
Reviewer's report:
I have reviewed the manuscript "The Impact of Health Coaching on the Prevention of
Gestational Diabetes in Overweight/Obese Pregnant Women: A Quasi-Experimental Study" .
The manuscript addresses an important and timely topic related to maternal health. It
provides valuable insights into a critical aspect of maternal health. However, I would like to
reiterate my concern regarding the study's reliance on the recommendation of the Institutional
Research Ethics Committee to use the term "randomly divided" when assigning participants to
groups. It is crucial to acknowledge that, in a quasi-experimental design, true randomization
may not be feasible due to various constraints and ethical considerations. It's essential
to emphasize that quasi-experimental designs are based on sound scientific reasoning and
a review of the existing literature rather than whether an institutional ethics committee
recommends randomization. Quasi-experimental designs are well-suited for situations where
true randomization is impractical or unethical, and they can yield valuable insights when
adequately conducted. Therefore, the authors should consider explaining in the manuscript
the rationale for using a quasi-experimental design based on the existing literature, ethical
considerations, or other pertinent factors.
While the findings and implications of this research could significantly contribute to maternal
health and gestational diabetes prevention, this terminology clarification is essential to maintain
scientific rigor.
I appreciate the authors'  response to my earlier comments and hope that my feedback has been
beneficial in enhancing the manuscript's clarity and scientific accuracy.
Thank you for considering my review.
Best regards
Title: Genital Warts and Women's Sexual Challenges: Is Sexual Compatibility Possible?A
qualitative study
Version: 2 Date: 01 Sep 2023
Reviewer's report:
thank you for your article
The following are suggested to improve the article
1. Please show your study type in the title
2. In the introduction, write more about sexual compatibility and the effects of warts and
challenges. You don't need to write about sexual disorders
3. In total, how many interviews were conducted and by whom?
4. How long were the interviews?
5. How is the accuracy and strength of the data done? please explain completely
6. Please write exclusion criteria
7. How the data was collected and how it was analyzed?
8. Statistically explain demographic characteristics
9. please write  Sub- Subcategories, Subcategories, Main categories , Theme completely
10. For each theme, in addition to the explanation, include quotations for better understanding
with Regards
Title: Genital Warts and Women's Sexual Challenges: Is Sexual Compatibility Possible?A
qualitative study
Version: 2 Date: 16 Sep 2023
Reviewer's report:
Comments to authors
Thank you for the opportunity to review this well-written manuscript. The manuscript needs
some revisions.
Why are the spouses not interviewed? Their views and experiences are very important in
explaining the sexual challenges of these women. It could be a major limitation of the study.
Please use “ trustworthiness” instead of the term " robustness”.
This study was conducted during the covid 19 pandemic, were all the interviews conducted in
person? Please explain.
Please remove table 1 and also table 2 and present them as text and general explanation.
“ Women who had more lesions or experienced recurrent lesions reported more anxiety and
worry. Women who knew more about the disease also experienced more anxiety.” How can you
achieve such a result with 14 interviews with women? For this result, there is no evidence in
the findings.
Title: Chronic pain in female breast cancer survivors - prevalence, characteristics and
contributing factors: a cross-sectional pilot study
Version: 1 Date: 23 May 2023
Reviewer:  John Weru
Reviewer's report:
Dear Authors
Thank you for engaging in this important area of study. The methodology used is applicable in
the research to meet the objectives of the study and the selection criteria for the participants is
well articulated. The measurements tools used are applicable in this type of study. The flow of
the manuscript is well done and easy to read and connect the various topics and subtopics.
Observations & recommendations
1. Question on perceived discrimination appears not to fit in the paper and with the other
questions. It is validated in postpartum settings. Its use might introduce some data analysis bias.
Further, the meaning of discrimination in the setting the study is done might mean different
things to the participants and not necessarily what the study seeks to understand. I would suggest
using another tool or remove it all together.
2. The paper will be more informative if literature from other countries in the same
socioeconomic status was used and referenced. Please include these references
3. Please explain further the meaning of “The majority were H1 classified (earning less than
ZAR70000 single income or ZAR100000 family income per year) which means that their
treatment is partially subsidised by the government. This suggests that the majority of these
women struggle to make ends meet, thus making them more vulnerable or at high risk of
developing chronic pain”. The readers might not be aware of the ZAR value and economic power
which need clarification. In addition, what does partial subsidy mean in the context of entire
treatment costs?
4. Please explain why the questionnaires were not fully self-administered by the participants
now that they had been translated in their own language.
Title: Chronic pain in female breast cancer survivors - prevalence, characteristics and
contributing factors: a cross-sectional pilot study
Version: 1 Date: 23 Aug 2023
Reviewer's report:
Great attempt by the authors to highlight a critical and frequently underreported concern among
breast cancer patients in the region. A few pointers may help to better clarify the understanding
of this manuscript for readers.
1.a bit of editing may need to be done for clarity of data presentation. For instance, the results
start by describing methodology telephonically contacted etc) this should have been described
in the methods. In addition, we encounter some new statistics -type of surgery etc towards the
end of the discussion. Reworking these will aid the flow of the manuscript.
Other points of consideration are:
-survivorship has been loosely defined but could we perhaps clarify what was the median follow
up of the patients seen + range - is there any correlation with time post treatment completion
versus qol, pain etc
-Were there any correlations with pain versus type of surgery- mastectomy versus BCT, axillary
dissection versus SLNB
-is there any correlation with pain and the stage of the tumor?
-for patients on disability grants may there have possibly been any biases (desirability) in
answering the questionnaires.
-We may not be able to demonstrate causality but how do we explain more pain in younger
patients?
Many scales are used in this study which is commendable although different components from
different scales were used. Was this combination of questionnaire pre-tested?
-what is the significance of having multiple pain sites in relation to the scales used?
-the recommendations suggest screening for chronic pain? what tools would the authors
recommend for this?
-some statements- line 356- 'where patients present late surgery gold standard for local
infiltration' may be inadvertently misleading as suggests that multimodal therapy -neoadjuvant
chemo, radiotherapy etc may not be needed
-consider reworking the conclusion - it would be difficult to make generalizations about south
africa  with  a fairly small sample size at a single institution-  also consider a brief  comment
on study limitations
I would consider reworking table 3 as the specific drugs may not have any correlation unless we
feel individual meds may influence pain? consider groupings- anti-hypertensives etc
-Table 4 needs a little more explanation- it wasnt too clear what we are trying to convey?
Title: The impact of SARS-COV-2 infection on menstruation
Version: 0 Date: 04 Aug 2023
Reviewer's report:
Thanks to the respected authors; comments have been provided to improve the article:
Abstract
1. Background: This section should be created and the importance of conducting the study should
be written.
2. Methods: This section should include the following items: the method of conducting the study,
the exact location of the study, data collection tools, the name and version of the statistical
software that was used to analyze the data. There is no need to mention the inclusion criteria here!
3. Results: OK
4. Conclusion: Ok
Main text
5. Background: Ok
Method:
6. The exact place and time of the study should be written.
7. Write the method of calculating the sample size.
8. Write the research environment.
9. How did you recruit participants?
10. Were women without a history of Covid-19 also invited? In this case, the aim of the present
study was to investigate the relationship between COVID-19 and menstruation in premenopausal
women.
11. Write the inclusion and exclusion criteria.
12. The study method should be written more clearly.
13. At the end of this section, you should create a section named "Ethical considerations" that
includes the code of ethics and ethical issues of the study.
Results:
14. The response rate should be written.
Discussion:
15. In the limitations section: "Secondly, data of menstrual cycle characteristics, SARS-CoV-2
infection and vaccination were self-reported, although the validity of self-reported health
information has been demonstrated to be reported with strong accuracy"
How is the correctness of the information and its high accuracy ensured?
16. Conclusion: Ok
Title: The impact of SARS-COV-2 infection on menstruation
Version: 0 Date: 15 Aug 2023
Reviewer's report:
I thank the dear authors for preparing this manuscript. Here are the major problems that make
this article unacceptable in my opinion:
- Due to the fact that this research was done retrospectively, it depended on the recall of
the participants. How can women accurately remember the characteristics of their menstrual
bleeding?
Menstrual bleeding changes under the influence of many factors, one of which is stress and may
have affected the results of this study.
- You have not left out the women who were in the pre-menopausal stage, while during this
period, menstrual changes occur, which can affect your results as an interfering factor.
Title: The impact of SARS-COV-2 infection on menstruation
Version: 0 Date: 22 Sep 2023
Reviewer's report:
Review: The impact of SARS-COV-2 infection on menstruation
Plagiarism check: not satisfactorily with 23% of plagiarism. This issue requires revision.
Abstract
What was the menstrual history before COVID-19?
Lines 16-17:the authors mention 4 groups but list only 2.
Line 32: in order to call a change an change of increased prevalence the study must compare
the previous menstrual history.
Line 50: was the question of “underlying mechanisms” handled by the authors?
A correct evaluation of current menstrual status should include sonography with a description of
the characteristics of the endometrium. Remember the influence of Yin and Yang on menstrual
function (1, 2).
Line 89: “Participants were mainly” makes no sense.
Line 91: “most of them” is quite diffuse.
Lines 987-98: how did the study measure the menstrual volume, or do they mean the menstrual
blood volume?
Section on lines 114 onwards
The study lacks biochemical parameters. A questionnaire is an insufficient method.
Line 119: please specify which Chinese patent medicines were used? What was the diagnosis
based on pulse and tongue inspection? What was the TCM pattern of each subject? Please read
a related paper on TCM and infertility (3).
Discussion
The paragraph lines 127-130 are discordant.
The discussion is too long.
1. Deadman P. Acupuncture in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome. J Chin Med.
1995;48:5-14.
2. Chang R, Chung PH, Rosenwaks Z. Role of acupuncture in the treatment of female infertility.
Fertil Steril. 2002;78:1149-53.
3. Ried K, Stuart K. Efficacy of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine in the management of
female infertility: a systematic review. Complement Ther Med. 2011;19(6):319-31.
Title: The impact of SARS-COV-2 infection on menstruation
Version: 1 Date: 06 Oct 2023
Reviewer:  Phuc Nhon Nguyen
Reviewer's report:
Dear authors,
Thank you for your revision.
After the second round of review process, the paper is more clarified and  meet the jjournal's
criteria for publication now.
Best regards,
Phuc Nhon Nguyen MD, MSc
Department of High-risk Pregnancy
Tu Du Clinical Research Unit (TD-CRU)
Tu Du Hospital , Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Title: The quality of life and body image disturbances of Turner syndrome patients in Malaysia:
a cross-sectional study
Version: 3 Date: 13 Aug 2023
Reviewer's report:
It is a well-written manuscript which highlights on the  quality of life and body image
disturbances among Turner syndrome patients in Malaysia and South-east Asia. Though the
sample size is limited as the authors themselves have highlighted, the manuscript fills the gap in
the information on Turner syndrome patients in this part of region. However, minor corrections
as listed below are necessary.
* Cardiovascular abnormalities such as coarctation of aorta is the most common cause of
mortality in childhood whilst...
*This research is thus an initiative to understand the impact of the syndrome on the patients
living with this lifelong and often complicated conditions.
*The first part of the study describes the sociodemographic and medical profiles of the study
cohort...
*Informed consent for participation was obtained from all the participants.
*However, they had a lower percentage in the aspect of living with parents. Among women with
TS, 20 (83.3%) of them lived with their parents.
*The majority of TS participants were classical TS (58.3%). - Abbreviations can be used once
abbreviated for the first time. Please check for all.
* On the other hand, psychological health (r=0.694) and social relationship (r=0.421) were the
only domain that significantly correlated with general health
* Correlation that depicts the correlations between the domains and ratings for overall QoL and
general health for the control group is seen in Table 6. - Rephrase the first part of sentence please
* Our study is the first in Malaysia and in Southeast Asia where the quality of life and BID
among adult population with TS is investigated
* Le ARTIC, Krantz E, Landin-wilhelmsen K, Trimpou P, Bryman I. Health-Related Quality of
Life in Turner Syndrome and the Influence of Growth Hormone Therapy: A 20-Year Follow-
Up. 2019 ;104(11):5073–83 - Journal name missing.
* Also some journal names are abbreviated while some written in full. Please make it consistent
as per journal format.
Title: The quality of life and body image disturbances of Turner syndrome patients in Malaysia:
a cross-sectional study
Version: 5 Date: 09 Oct 2023
Reviewer's report:
Dear Authors,
Thank you very much on your effort in improvement of the writings according to the comments
and suggestions ( as in Reviewer 1).
Authors have able to include the relevant information as needed and made the corrections
accordingly.
Nevertheless, one more minor correction is needed (grammatical error): In the section of
Discussion, Subtitle Body Image Disturbances, second sentence:
"These two factors were gained from their answers tom the open-ended questions in the BIDQ".
There is a spelling error on "tom". Kindly correct it.
Thank you very much.