This is the first 2021 issue after the beginning of the worldwide vaccination against the coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) aimed to stop this terrible pandemic. The humanity has suffered different epidemics, almost always due to the passage of bacterias or viruses from animals to humans, and almost always favored by poor sanitation and/or poor nutrition. In these previous epidemics, the spread of contagion was prolonged over time. The new bat-virus has spread in few days throughout the world due to its intrinsic characteristics, and to the traveling facilities of current civilization.
All scientists were astonished at the end of 2019 by the arrival and the rapid diffusion of this new viral infection. Gynecological Endocrinology published in 2020 an editorial related to the impact of this terrible infection on human pregnancy, a period of increased risk for mother and child [Citation1], and just a few days ago the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology MFM accepted the article of Craig AM et al. [Citation2], presenting the major considerations related to pregnancy and the COVID-19 vaccination.
The higher incidence of the disease in men as compared to women has focused the attention of the scientific community on the particular role of estrogens, androgens and progesterone in the pathogenesis of the disease, mainly in the modulation of the immune system in COVID-19 affected individuals and in the binding strategy of the COVID-19 virus to human respiratory tract cells [Citation3,Citation4]. This rises the attention to the gender differences in the sensitivity to the viral infection and the role of sex steroids in such mechanisms and their impact on women’s health.
In December 2019, I left the Editor-in-Chief position of Gynecological Endocrinology after 34 years. We have assisted to the wide progress of gynecological endocrinology, reproductive medicine, infertility, contraception, menopause and aging. The journal has always took care not only of the scientific content, but also of ethical protocols and conflict of interests.
The Executive Board of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology (ISGE) suggested to Taylor and Francis, the owner of the Journal, to ask Peter Chedraui, Associate Editor, a recognized member of the ISGE Board and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador, to take over this position and he accepted this task with enthusiasm since the first issue of 2020. He will lead the journal with the help of consolidated researchers in the field: Faustino R. Pérez-López, Xiangyan Ruan, Basil C. Tarlatzis, Tommaso Simoncini, Aydin Arici, and myself.
Being Editor-in-Chief of a journal devoted to a rapidly expanding area such as gynecological endocrinology was a fantastic adventure in my life, and from the first article published in March 1987 [Citation5] to the last one of the December 2019 issue [Citation6], together with more than 7000 other papers, represent a testimony of the role of our journal in growing the endocrinological culture in gynecology and obstetrics. The 2019 impact factor of 1.571 also supports the efforts done by the whole Editorial Board, the Associated Editors, and myself to maintain the high level of Gynecological Endocrinology inside the scientific community.
The journal was created with the help and support of Mr. David Bloomer, the owner of Parthenon Publishing, who believed in our dream as ISGE to have an official journal where our work and our engagement in education and science for the protection of women’s health could be evident for everybody. After Parthenon Publishing several other companies followed as owners of the journal until Taylor and Francis took over and gave full support to reach the current recognition and impact of Gynecological Endocrinology!
I wish all our readers a happy and healthy new year. Hopefully a successful COVID-19 worldwide vaccination will aid in the growing of the importance, diffusion and impact of our beloved journal Gynecological Endocrinology.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
References
- Pérez-López FR, Saviron-Cornudella R, Chedraui P, et al. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 19 and human pregnancy. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2020;36(4):277–278.
- Craig AM, Hughes BL, Swamy GK. COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy. Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM. 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.ajomf.2020.100295.
- Mauvais-Jarvis F, Klein SL, Levin ER. Estradiol, progesterone, immunomodulation and COVID-19 outcomes. Endocrinology. 2020;161(9):bqaa127.
- Moradi F, Enjezab B, Ghadiri-Anari A. The role of androgens in COVID-19. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2020;14(6):2003–2006.
- Shadmi AL, Lunenfeld B, Bahari C, et al. Abolishment of the positive feedback mechanism: a criterion for temporary medical hypophysectomy by LH-RH agonist. Gynecol Endocrinol. 1987;1(1):1–11.
- Liutkevičienė R, Mečėjus G, Žilovič D, et al. Endometrial biopsy and density of nerve fibers in eutopic endometrium. Looking for easier ways to diagnose endometriosis. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2019;35(12):1107–1110.