I n 1988, a multidisciplinary group of researchers set out to investigate and document women's reproductive health in two rural villages in Giza, Egypt. The vast majority of the women studied were found to have at least one gynecological or related condition. The team also discovered that two-thirds of women with symptoms had not sought care. At the time of the research, Zurayk was Senior Associate at the Population Council's Cairo office.
Women perceive pelvic discomfort as part of their nature and lot in life.
The researchers collected data from clinical examinations and laboratory tests, which are considered the gold standards for determining women's health status, and a questionnaire supplemented with in-depth interviews, which illuminated women's perceptions of illness and the sociocultural context of the community. The researchers studied a random sample of 509 women who were not pregnant, and who were or had been married. They found that these women suffer from a spectrum of conditions. The investigators found suspicious cervical cell changes in 11 percent of the women and cervical erosion in 22 percent. Only 1 percent of the women had syphilis, however.