Is my period normal? How college-aged women determine the normality or abnormality of their menstrual cycles.

The purpose of this descriptive, qualitative study was to explore young adult women's conceptualizations of their menstruation experiences using a feminist approach. Grounded theory was used to understand how 15 college-aged women (ages 18-22 years, 86% white) evaluate their menstrual patterns as "normal" or "abnormal." Data analysis of the semi-structured interviews revealed four themes that the women used to judge the pattern of their menstruation (i.

Women's sexual desire: a feminist critique.

This paper offers a critical feminist analysis of the biomedical conceptualization of women's sexual desire. The five major features of the biomedical model of female sexual desire examined and critiqued are: 1) use of the male model as the standard, 2) use of a linear model of sexual response, 3) biological reductionism, 4) depoliticalization, and 5) medicalization of variation. A "New View", an alternative to the biomedical model, is offered for reconceptualizing women's sexual problems.

Negotiating sexual agency: postmenopausal women's meaning and experience of sexual desire.

The purpose of this feminist grounded theory study was to understand the meaning and experience of postmenopausal women's sexual desire. Data collection from 22 postmenopausal women who were ongoing participants of the TREMIN Research Program on Women's Health occurred via audiotaped, telephone-based, semistructured interviews. Women's descriptions of their sexual needs and desires led to the discovery of the core category, negotiating sexual agency, which refers to women's ability to act on behalf of their sexual needs, desires, and wishes.

Eszopiclone for insomnia.

Objective: To review the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy data, and adverse effects of eszopiclone in the treatment of transient and chronic insomnia in adult and geriatric patients.

Data Sources: A MEDLINE literature search (1966-May 2005) was conducted to retrieve articles and abstracts involving eszopiclone. The manufacturer of the drug provided a general summary of clinical data and abstracts of unpublished Phase III clinical trials.