Non-daily contraception: Reinforcing the choice of users and addressing unmet needs of reproductive health.

Despite great societal efforts promoting female autonomy, Sweden still faces unmet contraceptive needs, with abortion rates being the highest in the Nordic countries. In this commentary, we discuss using non-daily contraception options to combat these unmet needs. Non-daily methods include transdermal (i.

Birth Weight, Childhood and Young Adult Overweight, and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Men.

Background: Low birth weight is a known risk factor for adult coronary heart disease (CHD), but the additional effect of weight development during childhood and early adult life has not been studied.

Methods: We included 35 659 men born 1945 to 1961 from the population-based BMI Epidemiology Study Gothenburg, with data available on birthweight, BMI in childhood (8 years), and BMI in young adulthood (20 years). Information on CHD diagnoses was retrieved from national registers.

Impact of BMI and smoking in adolescence and at the start of pregnancy on birth weight.

Background: Birth weight is an indicator of intra-uterine conditions but also a determinant for future health. The importance of preconception health for a healthy birth weight has been emphasized, but evidence is lacking on how modifiable factors in adolescence, such as body mass index (BMI) and smoking, affect future pregnancy outcome. We evaluated associations between BMI and smoking in adolescence and at the start of pregnancy and birth weight of the first-born child.

Reproductive changes among women in their 40s: A cross-sectional study.

Introduction: The aim was to describe and compare changes in the reproductive pattern of women in their 40s observed over a decade in Scandinavia.

Material And Methods: Cross-sectional study using the total population of women aged 40-49 years between 2008-2018 in Denmark, Norway and Sweden (on average n = 1.5 million).

New types of diaphragms and cervical caps versus older types of diaphragms and different gels for contraception: a systematic review.

Introduction: Our primary objective was to evaluate whether new types of single-size diaphragms or cervical caps differ in prevention of pregnancy compared with older types of diaphragms, and whether different types of gels differ in their ability to prevent pregnancy. A secondary aim was to evaluate method discontinuation and complications.

Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library.

Ecological study on the use of hormonal contraception, abortions and births among teenagers in the Nordic countries.

Objectives: Compare hormonal contraceptive use, birth and abortion rates among teenagers in the Nordic countries. A secondary aim was to explore plausible explanations for possible differences between countries.

Design: Ecological study using national registry data concerning births and abortions among all women aged 15-19 years residing in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden 2008-2015.

Sexual function and combined oral contraceptives - a randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Objective: The effect of combined oral contraceptives (COC) on female sexuality has long been a matter of discussion, but placebo-controlled studies are lacking. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate if an estradiol-containing COC influences sexual function.

Design: Investigator-initiated, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial where 202 healthy women were randomized to a combined oral contraceptive (1.

Ongoing or previous mental disorders predispose to adverse mood reporting during combined oral contraceptive use.

Purpose: Previous studies have emphasised that women with pre-existing mood disorders are more inclined to discontinue hormonal contraceptive use. However, few studies have examined the effects of combined oral contraceptives (COC) on mood in women with previous or ongoing mental disorders.

Materials And Methods: This is a supplementary analysis of an investigator-initiated, double-blinded, randomised clinical trial during which 202 women were treated with either a COC (1.

High birth rates despite easy access to contraception and abortion: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to describe and compare contraceptive use, fertility, birth, and abortion rates in the Nordic countries.

Material And Methods: National data on births, abortions, fertility rate (1975-2013), redeemed prescriptions of hormonal contraceptives and sales figures of copper intrauterine devices (2008-2013) among women 15-49 years of age in the Nordic countries were collected and analyzed.

Results: Use of hormonal contraceptives and copper intrauterine devices varied between 31 and 44%.

Combined oral contraceptive use is associated with both improvement and worsening of mood in the different phases of the treatment cycle-A double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial.

Objective: Ever since the introduction of combined oral contraception (COC), one of the major reasons for discontinuing the pill use has been mood-related side effects. Moreover, women who discontinue the pill turn to less effective methods whereby the probability of an unintended conception increases. Approximately 4-10% of COC users complain of depressed mood, irritability or increased anxiety, but drug-related causality has been difficult to prove.

Contraceptive use in the Nordic countries.

Introduction: The aim was to compare contraceptive use in the Nordic countries and to assess compliance with recommendations from the European Medicines Agency regarding the use of combined oral contraception containing low-dose estrogen and levonorgestrel, norethisterone or norgestimate.

Material And Methods: Data on hormonal contraceptive prescriptions and sales figures for copper intrauterine devices were obtained from national databases and manufacturers in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden in 2010-2013.

Results: Contraceptive use was highest in Denmark (42%) and Sweden (41%), followed by Finland (40%).

The changing pattern of contraceptive use and pregnancies in four generations of young women.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to describe contraceptive use and pregnancies and their relationship to socio-economic status (SES) in four generations of young Swedish women.

Material And Methods: Questionnaires regarding contraceptive use and pregnancies were sent to random samples of 19-year-old women in 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011 (n = 4732).

Results: Current contraceptive use was higher in 2001 (78%) (p < 0.

Immediate versus delayed insertion of an etonogestrel releasing implant at medical abortion-a randomized controlled equivalence trial.

Study Question: Does a progestin releasing subdermal contraceptive implant affect the efficacy of medical abortion if inserted at the same visit as the progesterone receptor modulator, mifepristone, at medical abortion?

Summary Answer: A etonogestrel releasing subdermal implant inserted on the day of mifepristone did not impair the efficacy of the medical abortion compared with routine insertion at 2-4 weeks after the abortion.

What Is Already Known: The etonogestrel releasing subdermal implant is one of the most effective long acting reversible contraceptive methods. The effect of timing of placement on the efficacy of mifepristone and impact on prevention of subsequent unintended pregnancy is not known.

Type II collagen antibody response is enriched in the synovial fluid of rheumatoid joints and directed to the same major epitopes as in collagen induced arthritis in primates and mice.

Introduction: Antibodies towards type II collagen (CII) are detected in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in non-human primates and rodents with collagen induced arthritis (CIA). We have previously shown that antibodies specific for several CII-epitopes are pathogenic using monoclonal antibodies from arthritic mice, although the role of different anti-CII epitopes has not been investigated in detail in other species. We therefore performed an inter-species comparative study of the autoantibody response to CII in patients with RA versus monkeys and mice with CIA.

Oral delivery of plant-derived HIV-1 p24 antigen in low doses shows a superior priming effect in mice compared to high doses.

During early infection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), there is a rapid depletion of CD4(+) T-cells in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, immediate protection at these surfaces is of high priority for the development of an HIV-1 vaccine. Thus, transgenic plants expressing HIV-1 antigens, which are exposed to immune competent cells in the GALT during oral administration, can be interesting as potential vaccine candidates.

Epitope-specific antibody response is controlled by immunoglobulin V(H) polymorphisms.

Autoantibody formation is essential for the development of certain autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Anti-type II collagen (CII) antibodies are found in RA patients; they interact with cartilage in vivo and are often highly pathogenic in the mouse. Autoreactivity to CII is directed to multiple epitopes and conserved between mice and humans.

The influence of intrauterine contraception on the prevalence and severity of dysmenorrhea: a longitudinal population study.

Study Question: Does intrauterine contraception influence the prevalence and severity of dysmenorrhea?

Summary Answer: In this longitudinal study, a copper intrauterine device (Cu-IUD) did not influence the severity of dysmenorrhea, whereas the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) reduced dysmenorrhea severity.

What Is Known Already: Dysmenorrhea is a common problem among young women. The LNG-IUS has been reported to be associated with less painful menstruation, although more long-term studies are necessary.

Comparative analysis of collagen type II-specific immune responses during development of collagen-induced arthritis in two B10 mouse strains.

Introduction: Immune responses against collagen type II (CII) are crucial for the development of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare the CII-directed T cell and antibody specificity at different time points in the course of CIA using two mouse strains on the B10 genetic background - B10.Q, expressing Aq MHC class II molecules, and B10.

The effect of combined oral contraceptives and age on dysmenorrhoea: an epidemiological study.

Background: Combined oral contraceptives (COCs) are widely advocated as treatment for primary dysmenorrhoea, but their efficacy has been questioned in a Cochrane review. The aim of this study was to evaluate COCs and the influence of age on the severity of dysmenorrhoea.

Methods: Postal questionnaires regarding weight/height, contraception, pregnancy history and other reproductive health factors were sent to random samples of 19-year-old women born in 1962 (n = 656), 1972 (n = 780) and 1982 (n = 666) resident in the city of Gothenburg in 1981, 1991 and 2001.

Crystal structure of an arthritogenic anticollagen immune complex.

Objective: In rheumatoid arthritis, joint inflammation and cartilage destruction are mediated by autoantibodies directed to various self antigens. Type II collagen (CII)-specific antibodies are likely to play a role in this process and have been shown to induce experimental arthritis in susceptible animals. The purpose of this study was to reveal how arthritogenic autoantibodies recognize native CII in its triple-helical conformation.

A novel chimeric MOMP antigen expressed in Escherichia coli, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Daucus carota as a potential Chlamydia trachomatis vaccine candidate.

The major outer membrane protein (MOMP) of Chlamydia trachomatis is a highly antigenic and hydrophobic transmembrane protein. Our attempts to express the full-length protein in a soluble form in Escherichia coli and in transgenic plants failed. A chimeric gene construct of C.

The long-term influence of combined oral contraceptives on body weight.

Background: There is a need to increase our knowledge regarding the influence of combined oral contraceptive (COC) use on individual weight change in the long term. The first aim of this study was to assess the long-term influence of COC's on body weight, and the second aim was to describe body weight increase during the fertile period.

Methods: Postal questionnaires regarding weight/height, contraception, reproductive health, smoking and exercise were sent to random samples of 19-year-old women born in 1962 (n= 656) and 1972 (n = 780) resident in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden in 1981 and 1991.

Courage and nursing practice: a theoretical analysis.

This article aims to deepen the understanding of courage through a theoretical analysis of classical philosophers' work and a review of published and unpublished empirical research on courage in nursing. The authors sought answers to questions regarding how courage is understood from a philosophical viewpoint and how it is expressed in nursing actions. Four aspects were identified as relevant to a deeper understanding of courage in nursing practice: courage as an ontological concept, a moral virtue, a property of an ethical act, and a creative capacity.