The efficacy, safety and acceptability of medical termination of pregnancy provided by standard care by doctors or by nurse-midwives: a randomised controlled equivalence trial.

Objective: To assess nurse-midwife provision of early medical termination of pregnancy (TOP) in a high-resource setting where ultrasound examination for dating of pregnancy is part of the protocol.

Design: Randomised controlled equivalence trial.

Setting: Out-patient family planning unit at a university hospital.

DNA methylation of HOXA10 in eutopic and ectopic endometrium.

Study Question: Does the methylation status of the promoter region of the HOXA10 gene differ in eutopic and ectopic endometrium?

Summary Answer: The eutopic endometrium in women with endometriosis is significantly more methylated when compared with controls.

What Is Known Already: Expression of the HOXA10 gene, which is important for successful implantation, is reduced in women affected by endometriosis.

Study Design, Size And Duration: A pilot study was carried out including 18 women admitted for surgery for endometriosis-related pain (cases) and 12 women admitted for surgery because of non-endometriotic disease (control).

Contraception following abortion and the treatment of incomplete abortion.

Family planning counseling and the provision of postabortion contraception should be an integrated part of abortion and postabortion care to help women avoid another unplanned pregnancy and a repeat abortion. Postabortion contraception is significantly more effective in preventing repeat unintended pregnancy and abortion when it is provided before women leave the healthcare facility where they received abortion care, and when the chosen method is a long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) method. This article provides evidence supporting these two critical aspects of postabortion contraception.

Pharmacokinetics of two low-dose levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine systems and effects on ovulation rate and cervical function: pooled analyses of phase II and III studies.

Objective: To assess the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) 13.5 mg and LNG-IUS 19.5 mg (total content).

Bleeding pattern and user satisfaction in second consecutive levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system users: results of a prospective 5-year study.

Study Question: What is the bleeding pattern during second consecutive levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) use?

Summary Answer: Consecutive use of LNG-IUS is associated with a predictable bleeding pattern, characterized by the absence of the initial period of irregular bleeding seen after interval insertion of an LNG-IUS and a non-bleeding pattern in the vast majority of women.

What Is Known Already: With increased popularity of the LNG-IUS for long-term birth control and treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), consecutive use of the system is becoming more frequent. One previous study showed 60% amenorrhea rate in consecutive IUS users; however, the sample size was small.

Medical students' attitudes and perceptions on abortion: a cross-sectional survey among medical interns in Maharastra, India.

Introduction: Although abortion care has been an established routine since decades in India, 8% of maternal mortality is attributed to unsafe abortion. Increased knowledge and improved attitudes among health care providers have a potential to reduce barriers to safe abortion care by reducing stigma and reluctance to provide abortion. Previous research has shown that medical students' attitudes can predict whether they will perform abortions.

Recent advances in understanding endometrial receptivity: molecular basis and clinical applications.

Advancement in the field of ART has lead to the possibility of achieving good quality embryos. However, the success rate in ART needs further improvement. This is largely dependent on identifying the receptive endometrium for the successful implantation of embryos as well as modulating the endometrium to the receptive stage.

Caring for women undergoing second-trimester medical termination of pregnancy.

Objective: The objective was to explore the experiences and perceptions of nurses/midwives caring for women undergoing second-trimester medical termination of pregnancy (MTOP).

Study Design: The study had a qualitative design using semistructured interviews. It took place in three wards at one gynecological clinic in a general hospital in Stockholm.

Intrauterine contraception: attitudes, practice, and knowledge among Swedish health care providers.

Objectives: Intrauterine contraception (IUC) is safe and highly effective, but its use remains low. Previous studies have shown that knowledge of IUC among health care providers (HCPs) is poor and that IUC is recommended to a very limited group of women. This study sought to investigate attitudes, practices and knowledge regarding IUC among Swedish HCPs.

Barriers and facilitators in the provision of post-abortion care at district level in central Uganda - a qualitative study focusing on task sharing between physicians and midwives.

Background: Abortion is restricted in Uganda, and poor access to contraceptive methods result in unwanted pregnancies. This leaves women no other choice than unsafe abortion, thus placing a great burden on the Ugandan health system and making unsafe abortion one of the major contributors to maternal mortality and morbidity in Uganda. The existing sexual and reproductive health policy in Uganda supports the sharing of tasks in post-abortion care.

Medical students' knowledge, attitudes and perceptions towards contraceptive use and counselling: a cross-sectional survey in Maharashtra, India.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions towards contraceptive use and counselling among medical students in Maharashtra, India.

Setting: Considerable global maternal mortality and morbidity could be avoided through the use of effective contraception. In India, contraception services are frequently unavailable or there are obstacles to obtaining modern, reversible contraceptives.

GSTM1 gene expression correlates to leiomyoma volume regression in response to mifepristone treatment.

Unlabelled: Progesterone receptor modulators, such as mifepristone are useful and well tolerated in reducing leiomyoma volume although with large individual variation. The objective of this study was to investigate the molecular basis for the observed leiomyoma volume reduction, in response to mifepristone treatment and explore a possible molecular marker for the selective usage of mifepristone in leiomyoma patients. Premenopausal women (N = 14) were treated with mifepristone 50 mg, every other day for 12 weeks prior to surgery.

Provision of medical abortion using telemedicine in Brazil.

Objective: To evaluate the need for and outcome of self-administered medical abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol in Brazil, provided through Women on Web, a global telemedicine abortion service.

Study Design: A retrospective case review of women from Brazil who contacted Women on Web in 2011. Information from the online consultation, follow-up questionnaire and emails were used to analyze data including demographics, gestational age, outcome of the medical abortion and symptoms that lead to surgical interventions.

Two low-dose levonorgestrel intrauterine contraceptive systems: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of two low-dose levonorgestrel intrauterine contraceptive systems.

Methods: Nulliparous and parous women aged 18-35 years with regular menstrual cycles (21-35 days) requesting contraception were randomized to 3 years of treatment with one of two levonorgestrel intrauterine contraceptive systems: 13.5 mg total content or 19.

Practical advice for avoidance of pain associated with insertion of intrauterine contraceptives.

Few studies in the scientific literature provide clear direction on the prevention or management of pain associated with intrauterine contraceptive (IUC) placement. Those that have been published have studied small numbers of women and fail to provide definitive conclusions. There are also no guidelines available detailing recognised standard approaches to this problem.

Embracing post-fertilisation methods of family planning: a call to action.

Family planning methods that act when administered after fertilisation would have substantial benefits: they could be used longer after sex than current emergency contraceptives, and potentially a woman could use them only on relatively rare occasions when her menstrual period is delayed. Although such methods would displease abortion opponents, they would likely be welcomed by many women. Research to develop post-fertilisation fertility control agents should be pursued.

Factors influencing women's selection of combined hormonal contraceptive methods after counselling in 11 countries: results from a subanalysis of the CHOICE study.

Objectives: To investigate which characteristics of women and healthcare professionals (HCPs) were associated with changing to another combined hormonal contraceptive (CHC) method after contraceptive counselling.

Methods: CHOICE was a cross-sectional survey in which 18,787 women were counselled about combined hormonal contraceptives, during which their contraceptive methods preferred both prior to and after counselling were recorded. In this subanalysis, characteristics associated with changing the method after counselling were determined using logistic regression models.

Polyethylene glycated leukemia inhibitory factor antagonist inhibits human blastocyst implantation and triggers apoptosis by down-regulating embryonic AKT.

Objective: To study the effect of polyethylene glycated leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) antagonist (PEGLA) in the human blastocyst viability and implantation process.

Design: In vitro study.

Setting: University hospital and research laboratory.

Reason for the increasing use of vacuum extraction in Sweden: a population-based study.

Objective: To explain the increasing rates of vacuum extraction in Sweden.

Design: Population-based register study.

Setting: Nationwide study in Sweden.