Articles

Randomized controlled trial of probiotics for the prevention of spontaneous preterm delivery associated with intrauterine infection: study protocol

Spontaneous preterm deliveries that occur before the 34th week of gestation, and particularly before the 32nd week of gestation, have been strongly associated to intrauterine infection, ascending from vagina, ...

Authors: Leticia Krauss-Silva, Maria Elizabeth L Moreira, Mariane B Alves, Maria R Rezende, Alcione Braga, Karla G Camacho, Maria Rosa R Batista, Clarisse Savastano, Antonio Almada-Horta and Fernando Guerra

Using a Caesarean Section Classification System based on characteristics of the population as a way of monitoring obstetric practice

to compare the distribution of caesarean rates in the Robson's 10 groups classification in order to see if any change occurred after the implementation of an audit and feedback intervention. Design: cross section...

Authors: Maria L Costa, Jose G Cecatti, João P Souza, Helaine M Milanez and Metin A Gülmezoglu

Determinants of male involvement in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV programme in Eastern Uganda: a cross-sectional survey

Mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) accounts for over 95% of all paediatric HIV infections worldwide. Several studies have shown that male participation in the antenatal care of their spouses together w...

Authors: Robert Byamugisha, James K Tumwine, Nulu Semiyaga and Thorkild Tylleskär

Community-level intimate partner violence and the circumstances of first sex among young women from five African countries

Gender-based violence is an important risk factor for adverse reproductive health (RH). Community-level violence may inhibit young women's ability to engage in safer sexual behaviors due to a lack of control o...

Authors: Anu Manchikanti Gómez and Ilene S Speizer

Parents' experiences of an abnormal ultrasound examination - vacillating between emotional confusion and sense of reality

An ultrasound examination is an important confirmation of the pregnancy and is accepted without reflection to any prenatal diagnostic aspects. An abnormal finding often comes unexpectedly and is a shock for th...

Authors: Anna-Karin Larsson, Elizabeth Crang Svalenius, Anita Lundqvist and Anna-Karin Dykes

Can follow-up study questions about correct and consistent condom use reduce respondent over-reporting among groups at high risk? An analysis of datasets from six countries

Authors: Varja Lipovsek, Kim Longfield and Justin Buszin

A cluster randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the clinically integrated RHL evidence -based medicine course

Evidence-based health care requires clinicians to engage with use of evidence in decision-making at the workplace. A learner-centred, problem-based course that integrates e-learning in the clinical setting has...

Authors: Regina Kulier, Khalid S Khan, A Metin Gulmezoglu, Guillermo Carroli, Jose G Cecatti, Maria J Germar, Pisake Lumbiganon, Suneeta Mittal, Robert Pattinson, Jean-Jose Wolomby-Molondo, Anne-Marie Bergh and Win May

Access to infertility services in Canada for HIV-positive individuals and couples: a cross-sectional study

Family and pregnancy planning issues are important among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals and couples. However, access to fertility services may be limited for this population. The objec...

Authors: Mark H Yudin, Heather M Shapiro and Mona R Loutfy

Parent-child communication about sexual and reproductive health in rural Tanzania: Implications for young people's sexual health interventions

Many programmes on young people and HIV/AIDS prevention have focused on the in-school and channeled sexual and reproductive health messages through schools with limited activities for the young people's famili...

Authors: Joyce Wamoyi, Angela Fenwick, Mark Urassa, Basia Zaba and William Stones

Choices on contraceptive methods in post-abortion family planning clinic in the northeast Brazil

In Brazil, a Ministry of Health report revealed women who underwent an abortion were predominantly in the use of contraceptive methods, but mentioned inconsistent or erroneously contraceptive use. Promoting th...

Authors: Ana Laura CG Ferreira, Ariani I Souza, Raitza A Lima and Cynthia Braga

Evaluation of 'see-see and treat' strategy and role of HIV on cervical cancer prevention in Uganda

There is scant information on whether Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) seropositivity has an influence on the outcome of treatment of precancerous cervical lesions using cryotherapy. We studied the prevalenc...

Authors: Twaha Mutyaba, Florence Mirembe, Sven Sandin and Elisabete Weiderpass

Psychological distress as predictor of quality of life in men experiencing infertility: a cross-sectional survey

Infertility is associated with impairment in human life. The quality of life (QOL) construct allows measuring the impact of health conditions in a broader way. The study aimed to explore the impact of the psyc...

Authors: Juliana L R Chachamovich, Eduardo Chachamovich, Hélène Ezer, Fernanda P Cordova, Marcelo M P Fleck, Daniela R Knauth and Eduardo P Passos

Transactional sex amongst young people in rural northern Tanzania: an ethnography of young women's motivations and negotiation

Material exchange for sex (transactional sex) may be important to sexual relationships and health in certain cultures, yet the motivations for transactional sex, its scale and consequences are still little und...

Authors: Joyce Wamoyi, Daniel Wight, Mary Plummer, Gerry Hilary Mshana and David Ross

Antenatal and delivery care in rural western Kenya: the effect of training health care workers to provide "focused antenatal care"

Maternal mortality remains high in developing countries and data to monitor indicators of progress in maternal care is needed. We examined the status of maternal care before and after health care worker (HCW) ...

Authors: Peter O Ouma, Anna M van Eijk, Mary J Hamel, Evallyne S Sikuku, Frank O Odhiambo, Kaendi M Munguti, John G Ayisi, Sara B Crawford, Piet A Kager and Laurence Slutsker

Pre-treatment preferences and characteristics among patients seeking in vitro fertilisation

This study sought to describe patient features before beginning fertility treatment, and to ascertain their perceptions relative to risk of twin pregnancy outcomes associated with such therapy.

Authors: Anthony PH Walsh, Gary S Collins, Monique Le Du, David J Walsh and Eric Scott Sills

A multi-centre randomised controlled study of pre-IVF outpatient hysteroscopy in women with recurrent IVF implantation failure: Trial of Outpatient Hysteroscopy - [TROPHY] in IVF

The success rate of IVF treatment is low. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis found that the outcome of IVF treatment could be improved in patients who have experienced recurrent implantation failure ...

Authors: Tarek El-Toukhy, Rudi Campo, Sesh Kamal Sunkara, Yacoub Khalaf and Arri Coomarasamy

Inconsistent fertility motivations and contraceptive use behaviors among women in Honduras

Recent studies have demonstrated that it is common for women to report inconsistent fertility motivations and family planning behaviors. This study examines these inconsistencies among urban Honduran women int...

Authors: Ilene S Speizer, Laili Irani, Janine Barden-O'Fallon and Jessica Levy

WHO Global Survey on Maternal and Perinatal Health in Latin America: classifying caesarean sections

Caesarean section rates continue to increase worldwide with uncertain medical consequences. Auditing and analysing caesarean section rates and other perinatal outcomes in a reliable and continuous manner is cr...

Authors: Ana P Betrán, A Metin Gulmezoglu, Michael Robson, Mario Merialdi, João P Souza, Daniel Wojdyla, Mariana Widmer, Guillermo Carroli, Maria R Torloni, Ana Langer, Alberto Narváez, Alejandro Velasco, Anibal Faúndes, Arnaldo Acosta, Eliette Valladares, Mariana Romero…

Consanguinity and reproductive health among Arabs

Consanguineous marriages have been practiced since the early existence of modern humans. Until now consanguinity is widely practiced in several global communities with variable rates depending on religion, cul...

Authors: Ghazi O Tadmouri, Pratibha Nair, Tasneem Obeid, Mahmoud T Al Ali, Najib Al Khaja and Hanan A Hamamy

Audit of short term outcomes of surgical and medical second trimester termination of pregnancy

As comparisons of modern medical and surgical second trimester termination of pregnancy (TOP) are limited, and the optimum method of termination is still debated, an audit of second trimester TOP was undertake...

Authors: Annamarie Mauelshagen, Lynn C Sadler, Helen Roberts, Mahesh Harilall and Cynthia M Farquhar

Brazilian network for the surveillance of maternal potentially life threatening morbidity and maternal near-miss and a multidimensional evaluation of their long term consequences

It has been suggested that the study of women who survive life-threatening complications related to pregnancy (maternal near-miss cases) may represent a practical alternative to surveillance of maternal morbid...

Authors: Jose G Cecatti, João P Souza, Mary A Parpinelli, Samira M Haddad, Rodrigo S Camargo, Rodolfo C Pacagnella, Carla Silveira, Dulce T Zanardi, Maria L Costa, João L Pinto e Silva, Renato Passini Jr, Fernanda G Surita, Maria H Sousa, Iracema MP Calderon, Lale Say and Robert C Pattinson

Religiosity and teen birth rate in the United States

The children of teen mothers have been reported to have higher rates of several unfavorable mental health outcomes. Past research suggests several possible mechanisms for an association between religiosity and...

Authors: Joseph M Strayhorn and Jillian C Strayhorn

Social differentiation and embodied dispositions: a qualitative study of maternal care-seeking behaviour for near-miss morbidity in Bolivia

Use of maternal health care in low-income countries has been associated with several socioeconomic and demographic factors, although contextual analyses of the latter have been few. A previous study showed tha...

Authors: Mattias Rööst, Cecilia Jonsson, Jerker Liljestrand and Birgitta Essén

Design and validity of a questionnaire to assess sexuality in pregnant women

A review of validated methods for assessing female sexual dysfunction and a review of male and female sexual dysfunction did not refer to any specific questionnaire for evaluating sexuality during pregnancy. A...

Authors: Cibele VC Rudge, Iracema MP Calderon, Adriano Dias, Gerson P Lopes, Angélica P Barbosa, Izildinha Maestá, Jon Øyvind Odland and Marilza VC Rudge

High rate of unintended pregnancy among pregnant women in a maternity hospital in Córdoba, Argentina: a pilot study

Although Argentina has a new law on Reproductive Health, many barriers continue to exist regarding provision of contraceptive methods at public healthcare facilities.

Authors: Celina Palena, M Valeria Bahamondes, Verónica Schenk, Luis Bahamondes and Julio Fernandez-Funes

Does hypoglycemia following a glucose challenge test identify a high risk pregnancy?

An association between maternal hypoglycemia during pregnancy with fetal growth restriction and overall perinatal mortality has been reported. In a retrospective pilot study we found that hypoglycemia was link...

Authors: Suzanne K Pugh, Dorota A Doherty, Everett F Magann, Suneet P Chauhan, James B Hill and John C Morrison

Maternal health in resource-poor urban settings: how does women's autonomy influence the utilization of obstetric care services?

Despite various international efforts initiated to improve maternal health, more than half a million women worldwide die each year as a result of complications arising from pregnancy and childbirth. This resea...

Authors: Jean-Christophe Fotso, Alex C Ezeh and Hildah Essendi

National data system on near miss and maternal death: shifting from maternal risk to public health impact in Nigeria

The lack of reliable and up-to-date statistics on maternal deaths and disabilities remains a major challenge to the implementation of Nigeria's Road Map to Accelerate the Millennium Development Goal related to Ma...

Authors: Olufemi T Oladapo, Olalekan O Adetoro, Oluwarotimi Fakeye, Bissallah A Ekele, Adeniran O Fawole, Aniekan Abasiattai, Oluwafemi Kuti, Jamilu Tukur, Adedapo BA Ande and Olukayode A Dada

Reproductive age mortality survey (RAMOS) in Accra, Ghana

Maternal mortality remains a severe problem in many parts of the world, despite efforts to reach MDG 5. In addition, underreporting is an issue especially in low income countries. Our objective has been to ide...

Authors: Afisah Yakubu Zakariah, Sophie Alexander, Jos van Roosmalen, Pierre Buekens, Enyonam Yao Kwawukume and Patrick Frimpong

Maternal mortality in the informal settlements of Nairobi city: what do we know?

Current estimates of maternal mortality ratios in Kenya are at least as high as 560 deaths per 100,000 live births. Given the pervasive poverty and lack of quality health services in slum areas, the maternal m...

Authors: Abdhalah Kasiira Ziraba, Nyovani Madise, Samuel Mills, Catherine Kyobutungi and Alex Ezeh

Availability and quality of emergency obstetric care in Gambia's main referral hospital: women-users' testimonies

Reduction of maternal mortality ratio by two-thirds by 2015 is an international development goal with unrestricted access to high quality emergency obstetric care services promoted towards the attainment of th...

Authors: Mamady Cham, Johanne Sundby and Siri Vangen

Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections among pregnant women with known HIV status in northern Tanzania

To determine the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other reproductive tract infections (RTIs) among pregnant women in Moshi, Tanzania and to compare the occurrence of STIs/RTIs among hum...

Authors: Sia E Msuya, Jacqueline Uriyo, Akhtar Hussain, Elizabeth M Mbizvo, Stig Jeansson, Noel E Sam and Babill Stray-Pedersen

Limits to modern contraceptive use among young women in developing countries: a systematic review of qualitative research

Improving the reproductive health of young women in developing countries requires access to safe and effective methods of fertility control, but most rely on traditional rather than modern contraceptives such ...

Authors: Lisa M Williamson, Alison Parkes, Daniel Wight, Mark Petticrew and Graham J Hart

Active management of the third stage of labour without controlled cord traction: a randomized non-inferiority controlled trial

The third stage of labour refers to the period between birth of the baby and complete expulsion of the placenta. Some degree of blood loss occurs after the birth of the baby due to separation of the placenta. ...

Authors: A Metin Gülmezoglu, Mariana Widmer, Mario Merialdi, Zahida Qureshi, Gilda Piaggio, Diana Elbourne, Hany Abdel-Aleem, Guillermo Carroli, G Justus Hofmeyr, Pisake Lumbiganon, Richard Derman, Pius Okong, Shivaprasad Goudar, Mario Festin, Fernando Althabe and Deborah Armbruster

Water aerobics II: maternal body composition and perinatal outcomes after a program for low risk pregnant women

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of water aerobics during pregnancy.

Authors: Sergio R Cavalcante, Jose G Cecatti, Rosa I Pereira, Erica P Baciuk, Ana L Bernardo and Carla Silveira

Adolescent and adult first time mothers' health seeking practices during pregnancy and early motherhood in Wakiso district, central Uganda

Maternal health services have a potentially critical role in the improvement of reproductive health. In order to get a better understanding of adolescent mothers'needs we compared health seeking practices of f...

Authors: Lynn Atuyambe, Florence Mirembe, Nazarius M Tumwesigye, Johansson Annika, Edward K Kirumira and Elisabeth Faxelid

Maternal death after oocyte donation at high maternal age: case report

The percentage of women giving birth after the age of 35 increased in many western countries. The number of women remaining childless also increased, mostly due to aging oocytes. The method of oocyte donation ...

Authors: Joke M Schutte, Nico WE Schuitemaker, Eric AP Steegers and Jos van Roosmalen

A study of young peoples' attitudes to opportunistic Chlamydia testing in UK general practice

The objective of this study was to assess young people's perceptions of being offered a chlamydia screening test in United Kingdom (UK) general practice.

Authors: Joanne Heritage and Melvyn Jones

Water aerobics in pregnancy: cardiovascular response, labor and neonatal outcomes

To evaluate the association between water aerobics, maternal cardiovascular capacity during pregnancy, labor and neonatal outcomes.

Authors: Erica P Baciuk, Rosa I Pereira, Jose G Cecatti, Angelica F Braga and Sergio R Cavalcante

Building Irish families through surrogacy: medical and judicial issues for the advanced reproductive technologies

Surrogacy involves one woman (surrogate mother) carrying a child for another person/s (commissioning person/couple), based on a mutual agreement requiring the child to be handed over to the commissioning perso...

Authors: Eric Scott Sills and Clifford M Healy

Age differences at sexual debut and subsequent reproductive health: Is there a link?

Experiences at sexual debut may be linked to reproductive health later in life. Additionally, young women with older sexual partners may be at greater risk for HIV and sexually transmitted infections. This stu...

Authors: Anu Manchikanti Gómez, Ilene S Speizer, Heidi Reynolds, Nancy Murray and Harry Beauvais

Assessing the health and development of ART-conceived young adults: A study of feasibility, parent recall, and acceptability

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to treat infertility have been available for nearly three decades. There have been a number of systematic comparisons of the health and development of ART-conceived wit...

Authors: Jane RW Fisher, Karin Hammarberg, HW Gordon Baker and John C McBain

Severe maternal morbidity (near miss) as a sentinel event of maternal death. An attempt to use routine data for surveillance

To identify all the records within the Brazilian Hospital Information System (HIS) that contained information suggestive of severe maternal morbidity (near miss); to describe the diagnoses and procedures used;...

Authors: Maria H Sousa, Jose G Cecatti, Ellen E Hardy and Suzanne J Serruya

Inter- and intra-observer variability in Sonographic measurements of the cross-sectional diameters and area of the umbilical cord and its vessels during pregnancy

The purpose of the study was to evaluate inter- and intra-observer variability in sonographic measurements of the cross-sectional area of the umbilical cord and the diameters of its vessels in low-risk pregnan...

Authors: Cristiane Barbieri, Jose G Cecatti, Carla E Souza, Emilio F Marussi and Jose V Costa

ICPD to MDGs: Missing links and common grounds

The ICPD agenda of reproductive health was declared as the most comprehensive one, which had actually broadened the spectrum of reproductive health and drove the states to embark upon initiatives to improve re...

Authors: Farina G Abrejo, Babar T Shaikh and Sarah Saleem

Gynaecological morbidity among HIV positive pregnant women in Cameroon

To compare the prevalence of gynaecological conditions among HIV infected and non-infected pregnant women.

Authors: Enow R Mbu, Eugene J Kongnyuy, FX Mbopi-Keou, Rebecca N Tonye, Philip N Nana and Robert JI Leke

Comparison of two doses and two routes of administration of misoprostol after pre-treatment with mifepristone for early pregnancy termination

It is not known whether a 400 μg dose of misoprostol has a similar efficacy as an 800 μg dose when administered sublingually or vaginally 24 hours after 200 mg mifepristone.

Authors: Helena von Hertzen, Gilda Piaggio and Lena Marions

Reproductive health issues in rural Western Kenya

We describe reproductive health issues among pregnant women in a rural area of Kenya with a high coverage of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) and high prevalence of HIV (15%).

Authors: Anna M van Eijk, Kim A Lindblade, Frank Odhiambo, Elizabeth Peterson, Evallyne Sikuku, John G Ayisi, Peter Ouma, Daniel H Rosen and Laurence Slutsker

A three-arm randomised controlled trial comparing Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) agonist long regimen versus GnRH agonist short regimen versus GnRH antagonist regimen in women with a history of poor ovarian response undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment: Poor responders intervention trial (PRINT)

Poor response to ovarian stimulation with exogenous gonadotrophins occurs in 9–24% of women undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, which represents an estimated 4000–10,000 women per year in the UK...

Authors: Sesh K Sunkara, Arri Coomarasamy, Yakoub Khalaf and Peter Braude

A three-year longitudinal evaluation of the forearm bone density of users of etonogestrel- and levonorgestrel-releasing contraceptive implants

The aim of this study was to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) at baseline and at 18 and 36 months of use of etonogestrel (ENG)-and levonorgestrel (LNG)-releasing contraceptive implants. This is a continuati...

Authors: Cecilia Monteiro-Dantas, Ximena Espejo-Arce, Jeffrey F Lui-Filho, Arlete M Fernandes, Ilza Monteiro and Luis Bahamondes