THE ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF THE TYPE OF CONTRACEPTION USED BY WOMEN ON THE LEVEL OF THEIR SEXUAL SATISFACTION AND COMFORT OF USE.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: To compare satisfaction of women using oral contraception to satisfaction of women using the levonorgestrel-secreting intrauterine system. In the comparison the following factors were taken into account: comfort of use, menstrual cycle, libido level, well-being and the impact on the relationship with a partner. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: The study involved 129 randomly selected women who had to fill in the research survey questionnaire. RESULTS: Results: It has been proved that patients are more willing to use the intrauterine system secreting levonorgestrel because of a more reliable contraceptive effect and convenience of use. This kind of contraception has a beneficial effect on libido and relationships with a partner. Women using oral contraception did not report such advantageous influence of their method of contraception. An increase in libido was noticed for 24 women in the group of patients using the levonorgestrel-secreting intrauterine system and for 8 women in the group of users of oral contraception, which corresponds to 33.8% and 13.8%. Patients used oral contraception more often in order to regulate their menstrual cycle and to reduce heavy menstrual bleeding. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: The study identifies groups of women for whom a specific method of contraception would be appropriate. The greatest benefits of using the levonorgestrel-secreting intrauterine system will have patients who appreciate the convenience of use, as well as those who have sex drive disorders or for whom oral contraception causes undesirable symptoms. Women with hormonal disorders, irregular menstrual cycles and heavy menstrual bleeding will benefit most from the use of oral contraception.

The expression of Platelet-derived Growth factor receptors (PDGFRs) and their correlation with overall survival of patients with ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVES: The main aim of the study was to investigate the expression of Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptors alpha (PDGFR-alpha) and beta (PDGFR-beta) in malignant and benign ovarian tumors. We performed an analysis of the correlation of PDGFRs expression and stage of the disease, tumor grade and histopathological type of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Additionally, we evaluated patient prognosis according to PDGFR expression. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Our study group was composed of 52 samples of EOCs, 35 samples of benign ovarian tumors (BOTs), and 21 samples of unchanged ovaries (UOs). The samples were collected from patients who had been operated on in the Division of Gynecological Surgery of the Poznan University of Medical Sciences. RESULTS: PDGFR-alpha was found to be expressed more frequently in cancer cells of EOCs, when compared with tumor cells of BOTs and epithelium of UOs. On the other hand, PDGFR-alpha receptors were present less frequently in the stroma of EOCs, when compared with the stroma of BOTs and UOs. Comparing the studied groups, there were no statistically significant differences in the expression of PDGFR-beta. The expression of both PDGFRs was not related to the FIGO stage, grade or histopathological type of EOCs. The expression of the PDGFR-beta receptor in cancer cells was associated with an improved overall survival among patients with EOCs. Patient prognosis was not affected by either PDGFR-alpha expres- sion or by PDGFR-beta tumor stroma expression. CONCLUSIONS: The expression of PDGFR-alpha is significantly different when comparing EOCs, BOTs and UOs. However, the prognosis of EOC only seems to be affected by PDGFR-beta expression in cancer cells.