Serum Vitamin D Levels in Fertile and Infertile Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Introduction In polycystic ovary syndrome, serum vitamin D levels are known to correlate with metabolic conditions such as diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. However, there are not enough studies showing such a relationship with female fertility. We aimed to compare serum vitamin D levels in fertile and infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome to evaluate whether vitamin D may play a role in the pathogenesis of fertility problems in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Materials and Methods 274 infertile and 111 fertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome were included in this retrospective study. Infertile and fertile groups were matched by age, body mass index and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. Anthropometric, clinical and laboratory characteristics of the women were recorded. Serum 25(OH)D 3 levels were used to assess serum vitamin D levels. Results No significant differences were detected between groups in terms of anthropometric, clinical and laboratory features except for serum 25(OH)D 3 levels and the incidence of vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D levels were significantly lower and vitamin D deficiency was more common in the infertile group compared to the fertile group. When the groups were stratified into obese/non-obese or insulin resistance positive/negative, infertile obese and infertile insulin resistance-positive women had the lowest serum 25(OH)D 3 levels. Conclusion Serum vitamin D levels are lower in infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome compared to fertile women. When insulin resistance or obesity was present, vitamin D levels were reduced further. Thus, in polycystic ovary syndrome, lower vitamin D levels may play a role in the pathogenesis of fertility problems.

Are the cesarean section skin scar characteristics associated with intraabdominal adhesions located at surgical and non-surgical sites.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether skin scar characteristics are associated with the presence and severity of abdominal or pelvic adhesions in women who have undergone previous cesarean section. METHODS: In this prospective study, 104 women who had undergone at least one previous cesarean section and were scheduled for laparoscopic surgery due to benign gynaecologic indications were included. Preoperative skin scar characteristics as well as intraoperative adhesions were evaluated using the modified Manchester Scar Scale and the Peritoneal Adhesion Index, respectively. RESULTS: During laparoscopic surgery, adhesions were detected in the upper region of the abdominal cavity in 30 women, in the middle region in 46 women and in the lower region in 82 women. Total abdominal scar scores were significantly increased in women with adhesions in all three adbominal regions. Multiple cesarean section scars and palpable scars were more common in women with adhesions. Significant positive correlations were found between the skin scar and adhesion scores in all abdominal regions. CONCLUSION: The skin scar characteristics of the previous caesarean section are associated with the presence and severity of pelvic and abdominal adhesions. Skin scarring especially with palpable texture may be an indicator of adhesion formation in the entire abdominopelvic cavity.

Contraceptive choices of adolescents before and after the voluntary termination of pregnancy.

In this retrospective study, we aimed to investigate the contraceptive choices before and after voluntary termination of pregnancy among adolescents. Seventy pregnant adolescents aged 17-19 and undergone voluntary pregnancy termination were included. Counseling about contraceptives was given before the procedure. Contraceptive choices before and after termination of pregnancy were evaluated. Before pregnancy termination, all of the adolescents reported the use of a contraceptive method. The most commonly used method was coitus interruptus (37.1%), followed by male condom (34.3%) and the rhythm method (18.6%). The use of oral contraceptive pills (7.1%) and intrauterine devices (IUDs; 2.9%) were very low. Implants and injections were not used. None of the methods used were dual methods (used with the male condom). After the termination procedure, IUD was main choice (54.3%) followed by oral contraceptive pills (31.4%). Four adolescents (5.7%) selected to insert subdermal implants and three adolescents (4.3%) preferred injections. All of these preferred methods were dual methods. The preference of male condom as a single method decreased by about 3%. The rhythm method and coitus interruptus were not preferred. As a conclusion, contraceptive choices of adolescents significantly change to more effective methods by sufficient counselling during the termination of an unintended pregnancy. Impact statement What is already known on this subject? Adolescent pregnancies are an important public health problem. The prevention of these pregnancies is important in this respect. However, especially in developing countries, adolescents do not have sufficient knowledge of effective contraceptive methods. What do the results of this study add? The contraceptive choices of adolescents significantly change to more effective methods by appropriate counselling during the termination of unintended pregnancies. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? An unintended pregnancy termination may be an opportunity to provide appropriate counselling to prevent subsequent pregnancies in adolescents, especially in countries where the sexual and reproductive health or family planning services are inadequately used.

Hidden association between the presence and severity of striae gravidarum and low back pain in pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE(S): To investigate the association between striae gravidarum and low back pain in pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: 200 healthy pregnant women with first, uncomplicated and singleton pregnancy at a gestation age of 36-37 weeks were evaluated for striae gravidarum Davey score. Back pain was assessed by Visual Analogue Scale and functional disability by the Turkish version of Oswestry Disability Index. RESULTS: 118 (59%) had low back pain. The Davey score was higher in women with low back pain (6.6 ± 2.2 vs. 4.4 ± 2.1; p < 0.001). Davey score and total Oswestry Disability Index score were positively correlated with Visual Analogue Scale in women with low back pain (r = 0.570, p < 0.001 and r = 0.329, p < 0.001, respectively). There were also significant positive correlations between Davey scores and Oswestry Disability Index scores of each different situation (pain intensity, personal care and lifting, walking, sitting, standing, sleeping, sexual life, social life and travelling). CONCLUSION: Presence and severity of low back pain is correlated with the presence and severity of striae gravidarum in pregnant women. Therefore, the presence of low back pain can be predicted by simple striae gravidarum evaluation and follow-up. So, necessary precautions can be recommended to prevent pain and functional limitations that can occur during pregnancy.

Comparison of female sexual function in women who underwent abdominal or vaginal hysterectomy with or without bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of abdominal and vaginal hysterectomy with or without bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy on female sexuality. METHODS: Perimenopausal, sexually active, aged 45-50 years women who underwent abdominal or vaginal hysterectomy with or without bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy due to benign indications were included in this retrospective study. For the assessment of preoperative and postoperative female sexual function, Turkish validated Female Sexual Function Index form was used. RESULTS: Of the study population, 82 women (Group A) underwent hysterectomy + bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and 78 women (Group B) underwent hysterectomy-only operations. The groups were statistically similar in terms of mean age, number of gravida and parity, body mass index, duration of postoperative evaluation, type of hysterectomy and presence of preoperative female sexual dysfunction. Both in Group A and B, postoperative total Female Sexual Function Index scores increased significantly compared to preoperative total scores. And there were no differences between the groups regarding the total preoperative and postoperative Female Sexual Function Index scores. However, postoperative arousal and orgasm scores were higher while pain score was lower in Group B than in Group A. CONCLUSION: Abdominal and vaginal hysterectomy with or without bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for benign causes positively affect female sexuality in general. But, premenopausal bilateral oophorectomy may cause more pain during intercourse, decreased libido and orgasm than ovary conservation.

Effect of time intervals from the end of sperm collection to intrauterine insemination on the pregnancy rates in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation-intrauterine insemination cycles.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effect of time intervals from the end of sperm collection to IUI on the pregnancy rates in couples who treated by COH-IUI cycles with gonadotropin due to unexplained infertility. METHODS: 556 couples who underwent the first COH-IUI treatment with gonadotopin due to unexplained infertility were included. Semen samples were obtained by masturbation in a private room near the laboratory on the day of insemination. For each semen samples, time between the delivery time to the laboratory and starting time of sperm washing procedure was noted as semen collection to sperm washing (SC-SW) interval, the time between the starting time of sperm washing procedure and insemination time was noted as sperm washing to insemination (SW-IUI) interval and the time between the delivery time to the laboratory and insemination was noted as semen collection to insemination (SC-IUI) interval. Clinical pregnancy was defined as positive pregnancy test followed by the presence of an intrauterine gestational sac with fetal cardiac activity by transvaginal ultrasonography at least 4 weeks after IUI. RESULTS: Among 556 couples, there were 84 cases of succesful clinical pregnancy and pregnancy rate was calculated as 15.1%. Intervals from SW to IUI and SC to IUI were significantly shorter in pregnant women than in non-pregnant (p<0.001 and p=0.007, respectively). SW performed ≤40min after SC resulted in higher clinical pregnancy rates than did SW performed >40min after SC (19.1% vs. 6.3%, respectively) (p<0.001). IUI performed ≤60min after the end of SW had higher pregnancy rates (16.9%) compared to IUI performed >60min after the end of SW (4.0%) (p=0.017). Likewise, IUI performed ≤90min after SC resulted in higher pregnancy rates than did IUI performed >90min after SC (18.9% vs. 12.0%, respectively) (p=0.029). CONCLUSION: IUI outcome is enhanced by shorter intervals from SC to SW, from SW to IUI, and from SC to IUI in gonadotropin-IUI cycles for unexplained infertile couples.

A comperative study for short-term surgical outcomes of midurethral sling procedures in obese and non-obese women with stress urinary incontinence.

There is little data comparing the surgical outcomes of tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) and transobturator tape (TOT) procedures in obese women. Therefore, we aimed to compare the surgical outcomes of TOT and TVT procedures among obese women with a diagnosis of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). One hundred and eighty-nine women who underwent TVT or TOT procedures due to pure SUI were included. Women in whom the body mass index (BMI) was ≥30 kg/m2 were considered as obese, while <30 kg/m2 were non-obese. And women with BMI ≥35 kg/m2 was defined as morbidly obese. At sixth month postoperative follow-up, neither the comparison of TVT and TOT results in obese women nor the comparison of TVT or TOT results between obese and non-obese women showed any significant differences in terms of objective and subjective cure rates, quality of life improvements, or intra/postoperative complications. TVT and TOT procedures also have similar effectiveness among morbidly obese women. We have concluded that TVT and TOT operations seem to be equally effective and safe surgical treatment procedures for female SUI regardless of BMI.

Association between anti-Mullerian hormone and insulin resistance in non-obese adolescent females with polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to evaluate the association between anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and insulin resistance (IR) in non-obese adolescent females with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) with and without IR. METHODS: Seventy-seven consecutive non-obese patients were recruited and distributed into three groups according to diagnoses of PCOS and IR. Group I included 27 females diagnosed with PCOS and IR, group II included 18 females diagnosed with PCOS but without IR, and group III included 32 controls without PCOS. RESULTS: Group I had significantly higher AMH levels compared to group II and group III (p < 0.012 and p < 0.000, respectively). ROC curve analyses demonstrated that the AUC, indicative of the AMH value for discriminating PCOS with IR, was 0.763, with a confidence interval of 0.607-0.920 (p = 0.004). There was a significant positive correlation between serum AMH and HOMA-IR levels in adolescent females with PCOS (p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: We found that serum AMH levels were higher in non-obese adolescent females with PCOS and IR than in PCOS patients without IR and the healthy controls. There was a significant positive correlation between AMH levels and IR in non-obese adolescent females with PCOS.

Predictive role of transvaginal ultrasonographic measurement of cervical length at 34 weeks for late pre-term and late-term deliveries in nulliparous women.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the predictive role of transvaginal ultrasonographic measurement of cervical length (CL) at 34 weeks of gestation in determining late-preterm and late-term deliveries in nulliparous women. METHODS: CL was measured by transvaginal ultrasonography at 34 weeks in 318 women (singleton, nulliparous, low-risk and vertex presentation). All women were followed-up till birth and delivered at hospital. Deliveries were classifed according to gestational week as late-preterm (34(0/7) to 36(6/7) weeks), term (37(0/7) to 40(6/7) weeks) and late-term (41(0/7) to 41(6/7) weeks). RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between CL at 34 weeks and gestational week at delivery (r = 0.614, p < 0.001). Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that CL measurement below 25.5 mm predicted late-preterm delivery with a sensitivity of 80.0%, specificity of 93.9%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 52.6% and negative predictive value (NPV) of 98.2%; while CL above 42.5 mm had 70.4% sensitivity, 93.5% specificity, 50.0% PPV and 97.1% NPV in prediction of late-term delivery. CONCLUSION: Measurement of CL with transvaginal ultrasonography at 34 weeks of gestation can be of beneficial in predicting the risk of late-preterm and late-term deliveries in nulliparous women.

Unilateral angiokeratoma of vulva: a rare clinic entity.

The aim of this study is to present a very rare dermatologic condition of the vulva. Angiokeratoma is a benign dilation of ectatic thin-walled blood vessels and congested capillaries in the superficial dermal layer of skin. It occurs predominantly in men and extremely rare in women. Angiokeratoma presents as single or multiple papular lesions on the vulva with smooth or verrucous surface. These lesions are easily confused with infectious disease, inflammatory lesions, and epithelial tumors. In this report, we presented a 42 year old unmarried woman who was admitted to our clinic with complaints of two papuler lesions of the right labium majus with vaginal discharge, vulvar pruritis, and vulvar edema. She had been previously treated with different local or systemic antiinfectious agents and her screening tests for sexually transmitted disease were negative. The genital examination showed a very thinned, hyperemic and edematous vulvar skin with two lesions measured 0,5-1 cm in diameter on the right labium majus. The surface of the lesions was partly uneven and partly veined. A local excision was performed. Histological examination showed hyperkeratosis, papillomatosis and acanthosis with dilated vascular areas in the dermis and the specimen revealed angiokeratoma. In conclusion, we should be aware of this clinical entity to make the differential diagnosis of a lesion on the vulva.

Spontaneous Membranous Dysmenorrhea in an Adolescent Girl: A Case Report and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Membranous dysmenorrhea is a rare entity. It involves the sloughing of the endometrium in 1 cylindrical or membranous piece, retaining the shape of the uterine cavity. Herein, we report the first case of spontaneous membranous dysmenorrhea in an adolescent girl. CASE: A 17-year-old girl was admitted to the emergency clinic with severe painful menstrual bleeding and passage of tissue via the vagina. Bloody endometrial tissue resembling the endometrial cavity expulsed from the vagina was seen on inspection. The pathologic diagnosis of the mass was membranous dysmenorrhea. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first case of the spontaneous occurrence of membranous dysmenorrhea. The relationship between membranous dysmenorrhea and endogenous or exogenous progesterone should be investigated further. A review of the literature on membranous dysmenorrhea is presented.

Effect of reproductive history, lactation, first pregnancy age and dietary habits on bone mineral density in natural postmenopausal women.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible risk factors related with osteoporosis in women with spontaneous menopause. METHODS: Five hundred and one postmenopausal women were divided into three groups as normal, osteopenic and osteoporotic according to their bone mineral density (BMD). By face-to-face interview, parity, age at menarche, age at menopause, duration of fertility, duration of menopause, first pregnancy age, total lactation period, exercise, smoking were assessed. Women with menopause age before 40 years, surgical menopause, who had any anti-osteoporosis treatment, hormone replacement therapy at the time of BMD measurement and corticosteroid use longer than 6 months were excluded from the study. RESULTS: Among 501 postmenopausal women, 107 women were classified as normal, 170 as osteopenic and 224 as osteoporotic. Among demographic features of patients, there was statistically significant difference between the groups in age, BMI and parity (p < 0.001, p < 0.0001 and p = 0.002, respectively). There were statistically significant differences between the groups in case of age at menopause, duration of fertility and duration of menopause (p = 0.013, p = 0.013 and p < 0.0001, respectively). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, BMI over 32 and fertility duration over 33 years had a statistically significant protective effect against osteoporosis (OR 0.42, CI 95 % 0.27-0.66; OR 0.36, CI 95 % 0.24-0.56, respectively), but age was positively correlated with osteoporosis (OR 1.13, CI 95 % 1.01-1.17) CONCLUSIONS: Duration of fertility (years of menstruation) longer than 33 years and body mass index higher than 32 seem to protect against postmenopausal osteoporosis. Age is also an independent risk factor for postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Continuous versus interrupted episiotomy repair with monofilament or multifilament absorbed suture materials: a randomised controlled trial.

PURPOSE: To compare different repair techniques and different suture materials for episiotomy. METHODS: 160 women having vertex delivery with right-mediolateral episiotomy were randomly allocated to four groups. In the groups where continuos technique was performed, vaginal mucosa, perineal muscles and the skin were sutured continuously. In the groups of interrupted technique, vaginal mucosa was sutured with continuous sutures, then muscle layers and skin were closed by interrupted sutures. Two different types of synthetic absorbed suture material were used: monofilament type is in form of polyglycolide-co-caprolactone and multifilament one is polyglactin 910-Rapide. Perineal pain during different activities on the first and tenth day postpartum and also during sexual intercourse 6 weeks after the delivery was questioned by visual analogous scale (VAS). Furthermore, repair time, amount of suture and episiotomy complications were investigated in each groups. RESULTS: On the first day after delivery, the perineal pain scores, the repair time, the amount of suture were statistically less in the continuous technique groups. The differences between the pain at tenth day and during sexual intercourse 6 weeks after the delivery were statistically same. CONCLUSIONS: The continuous suturing techniques for episiotomy closure, compared to interrupted methods, are associated with less short-term pain, are quicker and also need less suture material.