Robson's Group 2 Criteria among Total Caesarean Sections in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Globally, there is a dramatic rise in cesarean section rate which has increased the maternal morbidity and adverse effects in a subsequent pregnancy. Robson's classification will aid in the optimization of the cesarean section use, assessment of the strategies aimed to decrease the cesarean section rate and thus improve the clinical practices and quality of care in various health care facilities. The main aim of this study is to find out the prevalence of caesarean section for Robson's group 2 among total caesarean sections done in a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at a tertiary care centre in Nepal from August 2020 to January 2021. Ethical approval was taken from the institutional review committee (reference number: 1607202003) and data were entered using Robson's criteria. The convenient sampling technique was used. Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and percentage for binary data. RESULTS: According to Robson's group 10 classification, among 380 caesarean sections, 110 (28.94%) (24.38-33.50 at 95% Confidence Interval) cases were in Robson's group number 2. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the prevalence of caesarean section which lies in Robson's group 2 in our study is higher than the standard of World Health Organization. It showed that Robson's group 2 was one of the significant contributors to the greater caesarean section rate. Improved case selection, standardization, and protocol for induction of labour as well as regular audit could also reduce caesarean section rates.

Study of Menopausal Symptoms using Menopause Rating Scale at a Tertiary Care Center: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation for more than a year resulting from the loss of follicular activity of the ovaries. It is manifested by vasomotor, psychological, and urogenital symptoms which can be assessed by an internationally accepted scale known as Menopause Rating Scale. This study was conducted to find out the issues of perimenopausal women and proceed for management and proper counseling. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among women visiting the gynecological outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital from June 2017 to May 2018 using the Menopause Rating Scale. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee (reference number: 20122016). Convenient sampling was done. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0 was used for data analysis. Point estimate at 90% confidence interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data. RESULTS: Out of 189 perimenopausal women interviewed, the mean age of menopause was found to be 50.2±2.1 years. The most common gynecological symptoms among the study population was abnormal uterine bleeding 66 (34.9%) followed by abnormal vaginal discharge 50 (26.5%). Among symptoms in Menopause Rating Scale, the depressive mood was found in 99 (52.4%) cases followed by joint and muscular discomfort 88 (46.6%) and bladder problems in 87 (46%). None of the women had a score on the Menopause Rating Scale more than 16 and did not require management for their problem. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the women didn't know menopausal symptoms. However, none required intervention from gynecologists for their problems reflecting better quality of life.

Feasibility of a hospital outpatient day procedure for medication abortion at 13-18 weeks gestation: Findings from Nepal.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety, acceptability and feasibility of a one-day outpatient medication abortion service at gestations 13-18 weeks. STUDY DESIGN: Open-label prospective study in which participants received mifepristone 200 mg orally to swallow at home or at the clinic followed 24 h later by misoprostol 400 mcg buccally. They presented to the outpatient clinic 24-48 h after mifepristone for misoprostol 400 mcg buccally every three hours (no maximum dose). The primary outcome was successful abortion without transfer to overnight inpatient care. Secondary outcomes included time to abortion from initial misoprostol dose, safety, additional interventions and side effects. RESULTS: We enrolled 230 women from December 2017 to November 2018. Approximately nine of ten (n = 206, 89.6%) achieved a successful abortion without transfer to overnight care. Twenty-four were transferred to overnight inpatient care; of these 18 were to manage a complication, five for incomplete abortion and two by choice. Among these 24, three women experienced an SAE. The median time to successful abortion from time of the first misoprostol dose was 7.2 h (range: 0.75-92.3), with an average of three misoprostol doses. Most participants expelled the fetus and the placenta at or around the same time; median time between fetal and placental expulsion was 15 minutes (range: 0-4.5 h). Fifteen participants (6.6%) received more than five misoprostol doses and were transferred to inpatient care. Administration of more than five doses of misoprostol was associated with nulliparity. Provision of antibiotics (27.9%, n = 64), manual removal of placenta (15.3%, n = 35), uterotonics (4.4%, n = 10) and surgical interventions (4.4%, n = 10) were also reported. About one in four participants experienced nausea, vomiting and chills; fever was infrequent (2.5%, n = 5). CONCLUSIONS: For gestations 13-18 weeks, an outpatient day process for medication abortion is safe, effective and feasible. IMPLICATIONS: Medication abortion in 13 - 18 weeks need not be limited to inpatient care; nine of ten cases can be managed as an outpatient day service.

Abdominal Cocoon Syndrome following Primary Subfertility Management with IVF-ET.

Abdominal cocoon syndrome is a rarely encountered surgical emergency first described by Foo et al. in 1978. This condition is characterised by a thick fibrous membrane which encases the small bowel partially or completely. Diagnosis of this condition is usually made per operatively and the treatment of choice is surgical release of entrapped bowel. This is a case report of abdominal cocoon syndrome diagnosed during laparotomy done with the provisional diagnosis of abdominal pregnancy following In vitro fertilization- embryo transfer. A 30 Years lady was admitted at Kathmandu Medical College for suspected ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome following In vitro fertilization- embryo transfer. Conservative treatment was done as the first line of management. Failing this, she was treated surgically with the provisional diagnosis of abdominal pregnancy. Abdominal cocoon syndrome was observed intraoperatively. Patient was managed medically with injection due to raised ßhCG level and empty uterine cavity. Intrauterine gestational sac was seen after about seven weeks of In vitro fertilization- embryo transfer. Pregnancy was terminated medically and patient was discharged. Sub fertility is a common gynecological problem. Its management may sometimes produce challenging health hazards. Thorough screening for medical and surgical illness is very important before proceeding to any kind of assisted reproductive technologies. A multidisciplinary approach is very important to manage such cases. Keywords: abdominal cocoon syndrome; embryo transfer; In Vitro fertilization; ovarian Hyper stimulation syndrome; sub fertility.

A prospective open-label study of home use of mifepristone for medical abortion in Nepal.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the uptake and acceptability of self-administration of mifepristone at home for medical abortion in Nepal. METHODS: A prospective, comparative, non-randomized, open-label study was conducted at two hospitals in Kathmandu, Nepal, between November 11, 2009, and January 15, 2011. All women in good health and aged 18 years or older who sought medical abortion after fewer than 64 days of pregnancy were enrolled. Participants were offered the choice of taking 200mg mifepristone orally in the clinic or at home; all participants self-administered 400 µg of sublingual misoprostol at home 24-72 hours later. All participants were scheduled to return to the clinic within 14 days of mifepristone administration for follow-up. RESULTS: Among 200 participants, 144 (72.0%) opted to take the mifepristone at home. Medical abortion was successful in 130 (95.6%) of 136 women in the home group who were followed up and 53 (94.6%) of 56 women in the clinic group. Only 4 (2.9%) women in the home group took the mifepristone after the scheduled time. Overall, 133 (97.8%) women in the home group stated that they would recommend home administration of mifepristone if a friend wanted a medical abortion. CONCLUSION: Self-administration of mifepristone outside the clinic should be offered to all women as part of routine medical abortion services in Nepal. Clinical trials.gov: NCT00994734.

Contraceptive knowledge and attitudes among women seeking induced abortion in Kathmandu, Nepal.

OBJECTIVE: To map the knowledge about and attitudes toward birth control methods among women in Kathmandu, Nepal, and to compare the results between women seeking an induced abortion and a control group. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional cohort study with matched controls. Women aged 15-49 years seeking medical care at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Kathmandu Medical College were included and interviewed. A case was defined as a woman who sought an elective medical or surgical abortion. A control was defined as a woman who sought medical care at the outpatient department or had already been admitted to the ward for reasons other than elective abortion. A questionnaire developed for the study - dealing with different demographic characteristics as well as knowledge about and attitudes toward contraceptives - was filled out based on the interview. RESULTS: A total of 153 women were included: 64 women seeking an abortion and 89 controls. Women seeking an abortion had been pregnant more times than the control group and were more likely to have been informed about contraceptives. Women with higher education were less likely to seek an abortion than women with lower education. There was no significant difference in knowledge about and attitudes toward contraceptives between cases and controls. The women considered highest possible effectiveness to be the most important feature when deciding on a birth control method. CONCLUSION: Women seeking abortion in Kathmandu had shorter education and a history of more pregnancies and deliveries than women in the control group. Education and counseling on sex and reproduction as well as on contraceptive methods probably need to be improved in Nepal to avoid unwanted pregnancies. Attitudes about contraceptives need to be further investigated to develop better and more effective methods to educate women about family planning in order to increase reproductive health.

Laparoscopic management of benign ovarian masses.

INTRODUCTION: Laparoscopic surgery is one of the most common procedures performed for benign ovarian masses. The aim of the study was to analyze all benign ovarian masses treated laparoscopically to assess safety, feasibility and outcome. METHODS: A prospective study was carried out at Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital, Sinamangal, Nepal. All the patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for benign ovarian masses from 1st January 2012 to 31st December 2012 were included in the study. The pre-operative findings, intra-operative findings, operative techniques and post-operative complications were analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients were taken for the study. Two cases were excluded since intra-operatively they were tubo-ovarian masses. The most common tumor was dermoid cyst (n=13; 38.23%) and endometriotic cyst (n=14; 41.17%). Out of 34 cases, five cases of endometriotic cyst (14.70%) were converted to laparotomy due to severe adhesions and four cases of endometriotic cyst underwent deroofing surgery. Two cases underwent laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy with bilateral salphingo-oopherectomy. Successful cystectomies were carried out in 22 cases. None were malignant. Major complications were not noted while minor complications like port-site infection (n=3; 8.82%) and subcutaneous emphysema (n=1; 2.9%) were present. CONCLUSIONS: Laproscopic management of benign ovarian masses is safe and feasible.

Acceptability and feasibility of medical abortion in Nepal.

OBJECTIVE: To test the feasibility and acceptability of a simplified mifepristone-misoprostol regimen for early abortion in 2 tertiary teaching hospitals and 2 family planning clinics in Nepal. METHODS: Consenting pregnant women (n=400) with amenorrhea of 56 days or less seeking termination of pregnancy received 200 mg of oral mifepristone followed 48 hours later with 400 microg of oral misoprostol, administered either at home or at the clinic. Prospective data were collected to determine the women's experience, abortion outcome, and the operational requirements for providing the method. RESULTS: Most (91.3%) of the 367 women with known outcomes had successful medical abortions. Given the option, most (89.7%) women elected to administer the misoprostol at home. CONCLUSION: A simplified medical abortion protocol, including home administration of misoprostol, can be successfully integrated into clinical services in Nepal, where abortion services were recently legalized.

Voluntary surgical contraception: a study on level of satisfaction.

Voluntary surgical contraception (VSC) is said to be one of the most popular, safe, effective and long term methods of birth control not only in Nepal but also in the world One of the very frequently suspected complication or effect of voluntary sterilization (female) is "post tubal sterilization syndrome". The term post tubal sterilization syndrome has been used variously to include abnormal menstrual bleeding, dysmenorrahoea, premenstrual distress, hysterectomy and miscellaneous other conditions like need for recanalisation, feeling of regret and menopausal syndrome. Abnormal vaginal bleeding due to ovarian dysfunction has been a regular and common complaint of the female clients after their TS. This study was carried out in a clinic setting to find out the level of satisfaction among the cases of VS. Level of satisfaction was measured by whether the client regretted the procedure, whether their menstrual pattern was changed after the procedure, performed either by themselves or VSC by the husband and also by finding out how many of them needed hysterectomy and recanalisation procedure. Women who had undergone TS were taken as the cases (group A) and those women whose husband has VSC were taken as control group (group B). The result showed that there is almost no difference in the age group of both case and control at the time of their consultation. At the time of VS almost 60% (56.53%) of cases were <29 years of age and >70% (71.23%) of the women were <29 years of age when their husbands were vasectomised. 26.15% of the women in group A were in the age group of 30-40 whereas this age group comprised of only 15.38% in group B. Average age at menarche was 14 years and average age at marriage 17 years. The menstrual pattern was not found to have changed in both groups excepts for those who had organic condition. Hysterectomy had been performed in only 5 cases at the age of 30, 34, 40, 42 and 43 years in group-A and in two case in group-B. Indications of hysterectomy n these cases were (DUB) and fibroids. Two patients in group-A had to undergo recanalisation but the indication in both the cases were loss of previous children.