Entire Reproductive Life Research Articles

Preconception Health Education is Provided to Healthy Childbearing Couples in The Preconception Phase

<div><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="left"><tbody><tr><td align="left" valign="top"><p><em>Several biological, behavioral, and social preventative strategies can improve the chances of having a healthy baby during pregnancy. Preconception health care spans the entire reproductive life cycle. Early preconception counseling should attempt to improve both women's and men's sexual and reproductive health. It should begin with early instruction on healthy lifestyle behaviors, safe sex, and pregnancy planning for childbearing couples. This research aims to develop preconception health education for family-based childbearing age couples planning a healthy pregnancy in Deli Serdang district. The Equivalent Time Series Samples approach was employed in this study as a quasi-experimental approach. The total sample size was 90 couples of reproductive age. </em><em>The analysis in this study was carried out descriptively to see the characteristics of each variable studied and to measure the effect of providing health education during the preconception period on the knowledge and perception of Couples of Childbearing Age about preconception health using a paired sample T test. The intervention provided is health education about preconception health provided to couples of childbearing age. The implementation of the research has received approval from the Health Research Ethics Committee of the Medan Health Polytechnic with the number: 01.25.174 /KEPK/POLTEKKES KEMENKES MEDAN 2023. </em><em>There is a difference in the average variable knowledge of couples of childbearing age at pretest and posttest with an increase of 5, 2778, and there is also an increase in the perception variable with an increase of 0.8889, and the results of statistical tests using the Paired Samples Test obtained show differences in respondents' knowledge and perceptions before and after the intervention. Family-based preconception health education has been effective in raising the awareness and attitudes of childbearing couples regarding the planning and preparation of a healthy pregnancy as well as in motivating them to seek a check-up at a health care facility.</em><em> </em><em></em></p><p class="TableParagraph"><strong><em> </em></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><strong><em>Keywords: Health Behavior, Health Services, Preconception Care, Pregnancy</em></strong>

The relationship between hypertensive disorders in pregnancy and endometriosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundEndometriosis is a chronic and debilitating disease that can affect the entire reproductive life course of women, with potential adverse effects on pregnancy. The aim of the present study is to investigate the association between hypertensive disorders in pregnancy and endometriosis.MethodRelevant articles were searched from the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science from inception up to December 2023. The full-text observational studies published in English that had a confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis were included. The case group included pregnant women diagnosed with endometriosis at any stage, while the control group consisted of pregnant women who had not been previously diagnosed with endometriosis. Two authors extracted and analyzed the data independently. Disagreements were reconciled by reviewing the full text by a third author. Endnote X9 was used for screening and data extraction. We used fixed and random effects models in Review Manager 5.3 to analyze the pooled data. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Downs and Black checklist.ResultsOut of the 9863 articles reviewed, 23 were selected for meta-analysis. According to the results of this study, there was an association between endometriosis and gestational hypertension (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.16; I2 = 45%, P < 0.00001; N = 8), pre-eclampsia (OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.18, 1.36; I2 = 37%, P < 0.00001; N = 12), and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.21; I2 = 8%, P = 0.0001; N = 8).ConclusionsThis study confirmed that endometriosis may elevate the risk of developing gestational hypertensive disorders. Raising awareness of this issue will help to identify effective strategies for screening and early diagnosis of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.

Cell-cell interactions during the formation of primordial follicles in humans.

Gametogenesis is a complex and sex-specific multistep process during which the gonadal somatic niche plays an essential regulatory role. One of the most crucial steps during human female gametogenesis is the formation of primordial follicles, the functional unit of the ovary that constitutes the pool of follicles available at birth during the entire reproductive life. However, the relation between human fetal germ cells (hFGCs) and gonadal somatic cells during the formation of the primordial follicles remains largely unexplored. We have discovered that hFGCs can form multinucleated syncytia, some connected via interconnecting intercellular bridges, and that not all nuclei in hFGC-syncytia were synchronous regarding meiotic stage. As hFGCs progressed in development, pre-granulosa cells formed protrusions that seemed to progressively constrict individual hFGCs, perhaps contributing to separate them from the multinucleated syncytia. Our findings highlighted the cell-cell interaction and molecular dynamics between hFGCs and (pre)granulosa cells during the formation of primordial follicles in humans. Knowledge on how the pool of primordial follicle is formed is important to understand human infertility.

The role of parity in the relationship between endometriosis and pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Endometriosis is a chronic and debilitating condition which can affect the entire reproductive life course of women with a potentially detrimental effect on pregnancy. Pregnancy (and increasing parity) can affect endometriosis by modulating disease severity and suppressing symptoms. Multiparous women could be less likely to suffer from endometriosis-related pregnancy complications than primiparous women. We aimed to systematically review the evidence examining the role of parity in the relationship between pregnancy outcomes and endometriosis. A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library was performed from inception to May 2022. We searched for experimental and observational studies. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation was used to assess the quality of evidence with the risk of bias in non-randomised studies of interventions tool incorporated. Eleven studies were included in the meta-analysis. Primiparous women with endometriosis had almost double the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.50-2.63, P < 0.001) compared to multiparous women with endometriosis. Primiparous women with endometriosis were at significantly increased risk of preterm delivery, caesarean delivery, and placenta praevia compared to primiparous women without endometriosis. There were no significant differences in outcomes when multiparous women with endometriosis were compared to multiparous women without endometriosis. There is limited evidence to suggest that primiparous women with endometriosis may be at higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes compared to multiparous women. The modulatory role of parity in the pathophysiology of endometriosis and its impact on pregnancy outcomes should be investigated. Endometriosis can adversely affect pregnancy and cause complications that can affect both mother and baby. The severity and symptoms of endometriosis are lessened in pregnancy and with increasing births. Women who have previously given birth could experience fewer pregnancy complications than women giving birth for the first time. We reviewed the literature to compare pregnancy outcomes in women with endometriosis by whether they had given birth before or not. Our review included 11 studies. More women with endometriosis giving birth for the first time had blood pressure disorders in pregnancy than women with endometriosis who had given birth before. First-time mothers with endometriosis tended to have a baby born early, caesarean delivery, and an abnormally located placenta compared to those without endometriosis. This study supports the theory that women with endometriosis in their first pregnancy are at higher risk of complications and may benefit from additional monitoring.

Modelling differences in reproductive effort between iteroparous and semelparous reproductive strategies in Bromeliaceae

Abstract Quantifying reproductive effort (RE), the trade-off between devoting resources to reproduction versus individual growth, in plants presents a number of challenges. Of particular interest is comparing RE between reproductive strategies, such as those in Bromeliaceae: semelparous, where individuals undergo a one-time and subsequently lethal sexual reproductive event, versus iteroparous, where individuals reproduce sexually multiple times by producing clonal offshoots called pups. We introduce a dynamic model of vegetative and reproductive growth in long-lived Bromeliaceae rosettes accounting for the allocation of resources over developmental time. We compare multiple definitions of RE in semelparous and iteroparous Bromeliaceae at critical times during development and over the entire reproductive life of the individual. While others have posited that semelparous taxa exhibit higher RE than comparable iteroparous taxa, our results indicate that this will only occur in limited circumstances: when RE is calculated over the lifespan of a rosette started from seed, semelparous RE is greater when pup mass is accounted for as if it were purely vegetative; or when RE is calculated over the lifespan of the genetic individual, semelparous RE is greater when the ratio of vegetative to inflorescence mass in each pup is greater than that of the originating rosette started from seed.

Fate of the germ cells in mammalian ovary: A review

Ovary has a fix number of germ cells during fetal life in mammals. The germ cells are depleted rapidly and a large number of germ cells (≥99%) are eliminated from the cohort of ovary through follicular atresia during prepubertal life. The various cell death pathways including apoptosis, autophagy, necrosis, and necroptosis are involved in follicular atresia. Hence, &lt;1% of germ cells are culminated into oocytes that are available for meiotic maturation and ovulation during entire reproductive life. These oocytes are arrested at diplotene stage of meiotic prophase-I and remain arrested for few months to several years during entire reproductive life. Resumption from diplotene arrest in follicular oocytes starts in response to gonadotropins surge and progresses through metaphase-I to metaphase-II stage that extrudes first polar body at the time of ovulation. Surprisingly, oocytes do not wait for fertilizing spermatozoa and quickly undergo abortive spontaneous oocyte activation (SOA) in few mammalian species including humans. The abortive SOA makes oocyte unfit for fertilization and limits assisted reproductive technologies outcome. Indeed, majority of germ cells and oocytes are eliminated from the cohort of ovary and only few oocyte that are of good quality get selectively recruited to become right gamete after ovulation during entire reproductive life span in mammals.

Reproductive context of extremely short sperm in the parasitic waspCotesia congregata(Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

AbstractAmong adaptive traits under sexual selection, the length of spermatozoa shows high interspecific variation. In insects, extremes exist for both short and long sperm. The spermatozoa of the endoparasitic wasp Cotesia congregata (Say) are the shortest flagellated sperm described in animals, 6.6 µm in length. By comparison, the sperm of Drosophila bifurca are almost 6000 times longer. Thus, C. congregata has the potential to shed light on the selection pressures that drive variation in sperm length in relation to their production and use. The reproductive organs, sperm counts, controlled oviposition and sex ratios were investigated. The testes showed stratified differentiation stages of spermatogenesis, and sperm counts revealed continuous spermatogenesis in the late pupal stage. The small female spermatheca stored ~1000 sperm, resulting in an extremely high sperm concentration. The number of progeny per brood decreased over time until depletion of eggs. Females produced up to 370 daughters, corresponding to the effective use of 34% of the average sperm stock. Haploid males made up a greater proportion of broods in later parasitisms. Sperm miniaturization may be an adaptation to transfer increased quantities for the entire reproductive life of females in the absence of sperm competition but in the reduced space offered by the spermatheca.

Territorial behaviour and breeding in the Southern Antpipit Corythopis delalandi (Aves: Rhynchocyclidae) in southeastern Brazil

ABSTRACT The Southern Antpipit is a terrestrial insectivore passerine that ranges in the undergrowth of semideciduous forests in central South America. Despite the historical interest on its disputed systematic position, no detailed study about its natural history is available. In this paper, we studied its territorial and breeding biology in southeastern Brazil. We studied colour-banded birds and closely monitored the nests found, estimating the home range using two distinct methods, the Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) and the Kernel Density Estimator (KDE). The nest (n = 4) is a dome, somewhat elliptical in shape and with a side entrance, placed on the forest litter. Its structural layer is built with unidentified vegetable fibres, leaf petioles and horsehair fungus, and the external decorative layer is built with dry leaves and mosses. No well-defined lining layer was observed. Two eggs are usually laid and incubation, done solely by the female, lasts for 17 days. Both parents feed the nestlings, which fledge when 14–15 days old. Our data, together with citizen science data, reveal that the breeding season extends from August to December, therefore from the end of the dry season to the middle of the wet season. A mean home range size of 1.08 ± 0.44 ha was estimated using the MCP and of 1.42 ± 0.47 ha using the KDE (n = 9). The home range is defended against conspecifics, thus characterising an all-purpose territory, which is hold throughout the year, possibly during the entire reproductive life of the male.

Chromosome Errors in Human Eggs Shape Natural Fertility Over Reproductive Life Span

(Abstracted from Science 2019;365:1466–1469) While it is understood that young females (≥13 years to early 20s) and women of advancing maternal age (AMA, mid-30s or older) have reduced fertility rates, the exact mechanisms behind this feature of the fertility curve remain unclear. Because chromosomal errors and aneuploidy cause a significant amount of pregnancy loss and congenital disorders in women of advanced maternal age, meiotic error rates throughout the entire reproductive life span may shape natural fertility.

Multiplicity of stigma: the experiences, fears and knowledge of young trafficked women in Nepal

We undertook a reproductive health study on young formerly trafficked women in Nepal using a new research method – the Clay Embodiment Research Method – designed with their vulnerability and the cultural context in mind. Following a two-month period of participant observation, six formerly trafficked women participated in a series of seven themed (clay embodiment/three-dimensional body mapping) workshops and, afterward, a group interview using photoethnography. We discovered that these women are subject to cultural stigmas other than those related to sex trafficking, such as menstrual stigma, stigma related to pre-marital sex, stigma related to pregnancy before marriage and stigma for having a female child. These can have a deep impact across the entire reproductive lives of women. As a cultural force, the stigmatisation is generated by both men and women, and has roots that lie in Hinduism and the patriarchal value system in Nepal. Nepal is attempting to address some of these issues and we recommend a public health campaign to eliminate the practice of the menstruation and other stigmatising traditions.

Transcriptome profiling of anti-müllerian hormone treated preantral/small antral mouse ovary follicles.

The predisposition for the initiation of folliculogenesis in mammals including humans is programmed to start at fetal life and continues until reproductive capacity. The follicles grow from a pool of primordial follicles which retain the major functions in the entire reproductive life of a female. Anti-müllerian hormone (AMH), a glycoprotein belonging to the transforming growth factor-beta family, has an inhibitory effect on ovarian follicle development. The key regulatory target genes in primordial follicle development are of paramount importance in reproductive biology of female. A systems biology method was used to find regulatory genes performing critical role in primordial follicle development. A complete in-depth bioinformatics analysis was performed to investigate the changes in transcriptome of preantral to small antral mouse follicles treated for 12 h and 24 h with two different concentrations; 50 and 200 ng/ml of AMH, and thereby identify candidate genes in time and concentration manner. Firstly, we found differentially expressed genes that were time and concentration dependent in response to AMH. The network analysis of these differentially expressed genes provided new candidate genes and pathways associated with inhibitory action of AMH on the primordial follicle development. To further emphasize the function of AMH, the key identified genes’ protein-protein docking was analyzed and found the intracellular and extracellular protein-protein interaction. This study elucidates one of the novel mechanisms of AMH involvement in inhibition of ovarian follicle development which may lead to prolong productive life in female.

Live imaging of C. elegans oocytes and early embryos.

Caenorhabditis elegans is a self-fertilizing hermaphroditic worm. A single C. elegans worm therefore produces both male and female gametes that fuse to generate embryos. While sperm production stops at the end of the C. elegans larval development, oocytes are continuously generated and fertilized during the entire reproductive life of the adult worm. The molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in gametogenesis and the early embryonic divisions are highly conserved between worms and humans; thus C. elegans is a powerful model to study meiotic and mitotic cell divisions in a metazoan system. Additionally, the optical transparency of the worm combined with the ease of the genome-editing methods can be used to easily follow the subcellular behavior of any fluorescently tagged protein of interest using light microscopy approaches. Here we describe two methods for preparing live samples to study oocyte meiotic and early embryonic mitotic divisions by confocal microscopy in C. elegans.

Duration of Reproductive Life Span, Age at Menarche, and Age at Menopause Are Associated With Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Women.

BackgroundAlthough the timing of menarche and menopause may be associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), the entire reproductive life span has not been considered comprehensively as risk for CVD. We investigate the associations of reproductive life span duration and ages at menarche and menopause, induced by natural means or surgical bilateral oophorectomy, with incident CVD in women.Methods and ResultsProspective cohort study of 73 814 Nurses' Health Study following participants without CVD, defined as incident coronary heart disease or stroke, from 1980 through 2012. Duration of reproductive life span was generated by subtracting age at menarche from age at menopause. A shorter reproductive life span was associated with a higher risk of incident CVD after multivariable adjustment (relative risk, 1.32 [95% confidence interval, 1.16–1.49] comparing duration <30 with ≥42 years; P trend<0.0001). Early age at menopause was associated with higher multivariable‐adjusted CVD risk (1.32 [1.16–1.51] comparing age <40 with 50 to <55 years; P trend<0.0001), with excess risk for both natural and surgical menopause. Compared with women with menarche at 13 years, the multivariable‐adjusted CVD risk for early menarche at ≤10 years was 1.22 (1.09–1.36). The association between reproductive life span and CVD remained significant in sensitivity analyses excluding women who experienced extreme early age at menarche or who used hormone therapy.ConclusionsA shorter duration of reproductive life span is associated with a higher risk of CVD, which is likely driven by the timing of menopause induced either naturally or surgically. Extremely early age at menarche is also associated with a higher risk of CVD.

Non-surgical interventions for treating heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia) in women with bleeding disorders.

Heavy menstrual bleeding without an organic lesion is mainly due to an imbalance of the various hormones which have a regulatory effect on the menstrual cycle. Another cause of heavy menstrual bleeding with no pelvic pathology, is the presence of an acquired or inherited bleeding disorder. The haemostatic system has a central role in controlling the amount and the duration of menstrual bleeding, thus abnormally prolonged or profuse bleeding does occur in most women affected by bleeding disorders. Whereas irregular, pre-menarchal or post-menopausal uterine bleeding is unusual in inherited or acquired haemorrhagic disorders, severe acute bleeding and heavy menstrual bleeding at menarche and chronic heavy menstrual bleeding during the entire reproductive life are common. This is an update of a previously published Cochrane Review. To determine the efficacy and safety of non-surgical interventions versus each other, placebo or no treatment for reducing menstrual blood loss in women with bleeding disorders. We searched the Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis Haemoglobinopathies Trials Register (25 August 2016), Embase (May 2013), LILACS (February 2013) and the WHO International Clinical Trial registry (February 2013). Randomised controlled studies of non-surgical interventions for treating heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia) in women of reproductive age suffering from a congenital or acquired bleeding disorder. Two authors independently assessed studies for inclusion, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. Three cross-over studies, with 175 women were included in the review. All three studies had an unclear risk of bias with regards to trial design and overall, the quality of evidence generated was judged to be poor.Two of the studies (n = 59) compared desmopressin (1-deamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin) with placebo. Menstrual blood loss was the primary outcome for both of these studies. Neither study found clear evidence of a difference between groups. The first of these reported a mean difference in menstrual blood loss in the desmopressin versus placebo group of 21.20 mL (95% confidence interval -19.00 to 61.50)The second study reported that even though there was an improvement of pictorial bleeding assessment chart scores with desmopressin and placebo when compared to pretreatment assessment, there was no clear evidence of difference in these scores when the two were compared to each other (results presented graphically, P = 0.51). The data from these studies could not be combined.The third study (n = 116) compared desmopressin with tranexamic acid (n = 116). This study found a decrease in pictorial bleeding assessment chart scores after both treatments as compared to baseline. The decrease in these scores was greater for tranexamic acid than for desmopressin, with a mean difference of 41.6 mL (95% confidence interval 19.6 to 63) (P < 0.0002).In relation to adverse events, across two studies, there was no clear evidence of a difference when placebo was compared to desmopressin, risk ratio 1.17 (95% confidence interval 0.41 to 3.34) . The same was also true when desmopressin was compared to tranexamic acid, risk ratio 1.17 (95% confidence interval 0.41 to 3.34).Only the study that compared desmopressin to tranexamic acid assessed quality of life. However, we are unable to present any data from this study, since no differences in this outcome between the two intervention groups were reported. Evidence from randomised controlled studies on the effect of desmopressin when compared to placebo in reducing menstrual blood loss is very limited and inconclusive. Two studies, each with a very limited number of participants, have shown uncertain effects in menstrual blood loss and adverse effects. A non-randomised comparison in one of the studies points to the value of combining desmopressin and tranexamic acid, which needs to be tested in a formal randomised controlled study comparison.When tranexamic acid was compared to desmopressin, a single study showed a reduction in menstrual blood loss with tranexamic acid use compared to desmopressin.There is a need to evaluate non-surgical methods for treating of menorrhagia in women with bleeding disorders through randomised controlled studies. Such methods would be more acceptable than surgery for women wishing to retain their fertility. Given that women may need to use these treatments throughout their entire reproductive life, long-term side-effects should be evaluated.

Mating frequency positively associates with fitness inOphraella communa

1. Why animals mate multiple times, owing to the lack of immediate fitness benefits, presents an intriguing problem for evolutionary biologists. Yet, the profusion of this behaviour suggests it must be maintained by natural selection via increased performance. 2. The possible benefits of multiple mating using the leaf beetles Ophraella communa LeSage, the biological control agent of the invasive common ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia L., were studied and the fitness consequences of single, twice, three, four, and unrestricted mating events were assessed. 3. Overall, it was observed that the number of copulation events was positively associated with fitness parameters of the insects. Insects performed the best under unrestricted mating regimes, with average increases of 48% in longevity, 75% in fecundity, and 55% in egg hatch rate. In addition, females that experienced unrestricted access to mates maintained very high viability over their entire reproductive lives. Nevertheless, insects also performed better when allowed to mate four times compared with once or twice. 4. The present findings thus support the hypothesis that multiple-mating behaviour is maintained owing to increased fitness benefits in the current and the next generation. Selection for re-mating is, therefore, expected in field populations, which is likely to happen naturally owing to the aggregate lifestyle of O. communa.

Non-surgical interventions for treating heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia) in women with bleeding disorders.

Heavy menstrual bleeding without an organic lesion is mainly due to an imbalance of the various hormones which have a regulatory effect on the menstrual cycle. Another cause of heavy menstrual bleeding with no pelvic pathology, is the presence of an acquired or inherited bleeding disorder. The haemostatic system has a central role in controlling the amount and the duration of menstrual bleeding, thus abnormally prolonged or profuse bleeding does occur in most women affected by bleeding disorders. Whereas irregular, pre-menarchal or post-menopausal uterine bleeding is unusual in inherited or acquired haemorrhagic disorders, severe acute bleeding and heavy menstrual bleeding at menarche and chronic heavy menstrual bleeding during the entire reproductive life are common. To determine the efficacy and safety of non-surgical interventions versus each other, placebo or no treatment for reducing menstrual blood loss in women with bleeding disorders. We searched the Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis Haemoglobinopathies Trials Register (13 March 2014), Embase (May 2013), LILACS (February 2013) and the WHO International Clinical Trial registry (February 2013). Randomised controlled studies of non-surgical interventions for treating heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia) in women of reproductive age suffering from a congenital or acquired bleeding disorder. Two authors independently assessed studies for inclusion, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. Three cross-over studies, with 175 participants were included in the review. All three studies had an unclear risk of bias with regards to trial design and overall, the quality of evidence generated was judged to be poor.Two of the studies (n = 59) compared desmopressin (1-deamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin) with placebo. Menstrual blood loss was the primary outcome for both of these studies. Neither study found clear evidence of a difference between groups. The first of these reported a mean difference in menstrual blood loss in the desmopressin versus placebo group of 21.20 mL (95% confidence interval -19.00 to 61.50)The second study reported that even though there was an improvement of pictorial bleeding assessment chart scores with desmopressin and placebo when compared to pretreatment assessment, there was no clear evidence of difference in these scores when the two were compared to each other (results presented graphically, P = 0.51). The data from these studies could not be combined.The third study (n = 116) compared desmopressin with tranexamic acid (n = 116). This study found a decrease in pictorial bleeding assessment chart scores after both treatments as compared to baseline. The decrease in these scores was greater for tranexamic acid than for desmopressin, with a mean difference of 41.6 mL (95% confidence interval 19.6 to 63) (P < 0.0002).In relation to adverse events, across two studies, there was no clear evidence of a difference when placebo was compared to desmopressin, risk ratio 1.17 (95% confidence interval 0.41 to 3.34) . The same was also true when desmopressin was compared to tranexamic acid, risk ratio 1.17 (95% confidence interval 0.41 to 3.34).Only the study that compared desmopressin to tranexamic acid assessed quality of life. However, we are unable to present any data from this study, since no differences in this outcome between the two intervention groups were reported. Evidence from randomised controlled studies on the effect of desmopressin when compared to placebo in reducing menstrual blood loss is very limited and inconclusive. Two studies, each with a very limited number of participants, have shown uncertain effects in menstrual blood loss and adverse effects. A non-randomised comparison in one of the studies points to the value of combining desmopressin and tranexamic acid, which needs to be tested in a formal randomised controlled study comparison.When tranexamic acid was compared to desmopressin, a single study showed a reduction in menstrual blood loss with tranexamic acid use compared to desmopressin.There is a need to evaluate non-surgical methods for treating of menorrhagia in women with bleeding disorders through randomised controlled studies. Such methods would be more acceptable than surgery for women wishing to retain their fertility. Given that women may need to use these treatments throughout their entire reproductive life, long-term side-effects should be evaluated.

The Role of Free Radicals and Antioxidant in Abortion

BACKGROUND: Free radicals and antioxidant exist in balance under normal condition. In prooxidant condition, excessive free radicals can initiate a state of oxidative stress (OS) followed by capillary endothelial cell damage, a process involved in the pathophysiology of abortion.CONTENT: Abortion is a common complication of pregnancy and occurs in 25% of women. Many factors can cause abortion including fetal factor, implantation process and hormonal status. Combination those factors with OS influence the entire reproductive life of a woman. Antioxidant can neutralize free radicals and used to reduce OS especially in recurrent abortion.SUMMARY: Antioxidant therapy is a very interesting field in abortion especially used as prevention approach mainly caused by the high cost of infertility treatment methods.KEYWORDS: free radical, antioxidant, abortion

Economic Insecurity and the Fertility Intentions of Italian Women with One Child

The present study addresses the issue of economic insecurity and its relationship with the reproductive plans of 5,358 Italian women in couples who have recently had their first child. Data were sourced from the ISTAT Sample Survey on Births, 2005 edition. This article’s originality lies in the conceptualization of economic insecurity and the investigation of its effects on fertility intentions. We propose to capture economic insecurity by considering both the insecurity associated to the two partners’ employment status and a variety of aspects that contribute to the household’s ability to cope with possible unpredictable future events. Then, we investigate whether and how economic insecurity shapes the fertility intentions of women over their entire reproductive life span. With specific respect to women who intend to have one additional child only, we also observe the effect of economic insecurity on their intention to give birth sooner (i.e., within the next 3 years) or later. Our data show the existence of a critical factor in the passage from the generic fertility intentions to the contingent plan to have a child in the next 3 years: only half of women with one child who intend to follow the two-child family model feel ready to plan to have a second child in the next 3 years. The study also reinforces an argument that is frequently made: fertility intentions over the entire lifetime are less conditioned upon contingent constraints, and are often more closely related to individual traits and/or preferences.

Mental health of dogs formerly used as ‘breeding stock’ in commercial breeding establishments

Canine commercial breeding establishments (CBEs) are kennel facilities where puppies are produced in large numbers for commercial sale. In the popular media, CBEs are commonly referred to as “puppy mills” or “puppy farms.” Conditions in CBEs vary widely in quality. Dogs in these facilities are routinely housed for their entire reproductive lives in cages or runs, and provided with minimal to no positive human interaction or other forms of environmental enrichment. Numerous anecdotal reports have suggested that after removal from CBEs many of the former breeding dogs display persistent behavioural and psychological abnormalities when compared with the general pet dog population. The purpose of this study was to determine if this anecdotal evidence could be confirmed empirically. Behavioural evaluations of the dogs were obtained from current owners/fosterers using the Canine Behavioural Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ), which utilizes ordinal scales to rate either the intensity or frequency of the dog's behaviours. A total of 1169 former CBE dogs were included in the study. Among the CBE ex-breeding dogs, 76 different breeds were represented. With the exception of the Bichon Frise (31.5%), all other breeds comprised <5% of the dogs. The sex ratio was 70.3% females and 29.7% males. The dogs had been living in their adoptive homes for an average of 2 years when the C-BARQ was completed. When compared with a convenience sample of pet dogs matched for breed, sex, age and neuter status, former CBE breeding dogs were reported as showing significantly higher rates of health problems (23.5% versus 16.6%, P = 0.026). With respect to behaviour, CBE dogs displayed significantly higher rates of fear (both social and nonsocial; ordinal GLM models, P < 0.001), house-soiling ( P < 0.001), and compulsive staring ( P < 0.005); and significantly lower rates of aggression (toward strangers and other dogs; P < 0.0001), trainability ( P < 0.0001), chasing small animals ( P < 0.0001), excitability ( P < 0.0001), and energy ( P < 0.0001). By demonstrating that dogs maintained in these environments develop extreme and persistent fears and phobias, possible learning deficits as evidenced by lower trainability, and often show difficulty in coping successfully with normal existence, this study provides the first quantitative evidence that the conditions prevailing in CBEs are injurious to the mental health and welfare of dogs.

Medicine could be constructing human bodies in the future

In the 21st century human life has been profoundly changed by developments in sanitation, medical interventions and public health measures. Practically every person born into a developed nation population has a chance to survive throughout entire reproductive life and well beyond. Human body has evolved in the past adaptations to hunting–gathering, and later, agricultural ways of life. In the new situation of practically non-existent premature mortality and technologically developed complex societies medical practice will devote less attention to “saving lives” – preventing premature deaths – and more to enhancing capacities of our biological organisms and providing for maintenance of the bodies beyond their biological limits established by evolution. The role of advances in nanotechnology, information technology, neuroscience and biotechnology is discussed in the context of mind and body enhancements.