Perry: Maternal Child Nursing Care, 7th Edition
Chapter 03: Assessment and Health Promotion
Key Points















The female’s reproductive tract structures and breasts respond predictably to changing
levels of estrogen/progesterone across her life span.
The myometrium of the uterus is uniquely designed to expel the fetus and promote
hemostasis after birth.
Normal feedback regulation of the menstrual cycle depends on an intact hypothalamicpituitary mechanism.
Prostaglandins affect smooth muscle contractility and modulation of hormonal activity.
Climacteric and menopause signify declining ovarian function.
The sexual response cycle is divided into excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolutions
stages.
Barriers that keep a woman from entering the health care system are financial, cultural,
gender, and social determinants of health.
Preconception counseling and care guides couples on how to avoid unintended
pregnancies, identify and manage risk factors in their lives and environment, and identify
healthy behaviors that promote the well-being of the woman and her fetus.
Periodic health screening, including history, physical examination, and diagnostic and
laboratory tests, provides the basis for overall health promotion, prevention of illness,
early diagnosis of problems, and referral for management.
Effective educational programs about sex and family life are imperative to control the
rate of teen pregnancy and STIs.
Conditions that increase a woman’s health risks also increase risks for her children (i.e.,
genetics, substance use and abuse, alcohol, smoking, caffeine consumption, nutrition
problems, stress, and lack of exercise).
IPV against women is a major social and health care problem in the United States and
includes physical, sexual, emotional, psychologic, and economic abuse.
Battering affects all races, all socioeconomic, educational, and religious groups, and
many pregnant women.
The women’s health assessment focuses on the patient’s history, physical assessment,
and assessment of psychosocial issues.
Health promotion is the motivation to increase well-being and actualize health potential.
Illness prevention is the desire to avoid illness, detect it early, or maintain optimal
functioning when it is present.
Copyright © 2023, Elsevier, Inc. All Rights Reserved.