Effects of speculum lubrication on cervical smears for cervical cancer screening: A double blind randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Speculum lubrication may help to reduce the pain experienced during Pap-smear collection and hence increase uptake of cervical cancer screening and repeat testing, but there are fears of its interference with cytological results. AIM: To determine and compare the adequacy of cervical cytology smears and the mean pain scores of women undergoing cervical cancer screening with or without speculum lubrication. METHODS: This was a randomised controlled study of 132 women having cervical cancer screening at a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Sixty-six participants were randomly assigned to the 'Gel' and 'No Gel' groups, respectively. Pap smears were collected from each participant with a lubricated speculum ('Gel group') or a non-lubricated speculum ('No Gel group'). The primary outcome measures were the proportion of women with unsatisfactory cervical cytology smears and the mean numeric rating scale pain scores, while the secondary outcome measures were the proportion of women who were willing to come for repeat testing and the cytological diagnosis of Pap-smear results. RESULTS: The baseline socio-demographic variables were similar in both groups. There was no significant difference in the proportion of unsatisfactory cervical smear results between the two groups (13.6% vs. 21.2%, p = 0.359). However, the mean pain scores were significantly lower in the gel group than in the no gel group (45.04 vs. 87.96; p<0.001). An equal proportion of the participants in each group (90.9% vs. 90.9%; p > 0.999) were willing to come for repeat cervical smears in the future. CONCLUSION: Speculum lubrication did not affect the adequacy of cervical smears but significantly reduced the pain experienced during pap smear collection. Also, it did not significantly affect the willingness to come for repeat cervical smears in the future. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered with the Pan-African Clinical Trial Registry with a unique identification and registration number: PACTR2020077533364675.

Unexplained left Mullerian agenesis with agenesis of left kidney: A case report.

The exact incidence of Mullerian agenesis is unknown because women with this condition might be asymptomatic and diagnosis is mostly incidental. We report an incidental finding of left Mullerian agenesis involving the left fallopian tube, left ovary, and the left kidney following evaluation and treatment for a right tubal ectopic pregnancy.

Fetal Fibronectin as a Predictor of Preterm Delivery: A Nigerian Cohort Study.

Background: Fetal fibronectin is a useful biomarker in the diagnosis and management of preterm labour. Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between cervical fetal fibronectin and preterm delivery and the association between cervical fetal fibronectin level and gestational age at delivery. Materials and Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria, involving equal number of pregnant women with (96) and without (96) preterm labour. Fetal fibronectin assay was done using solid-phase immunogold assay. The data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 24. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were done. The level of significance was p-value <0.05. Results: Less than half (47.9%) of the women in the study group had preterm delivery while 13.09% of the women in the control group delivered preterm. Fetal fibronectin test had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 78%, 86.5%, 71.9%, and 89.0%, respectively, a positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio of 5.76(95% CI, 3.67 - 9.64) and 0.26(95% CI, 0.16 - 0.41), respectively. Conclusion: The findings in our study value of fetal fibronectin in predicting preterm delivery. Its use will support less intervention for patients with negative results.

Maternal and Neonatal Outcome following Day Two versus Day Five or Seven Discharge after an Uncomplicated Elective Caesarean Section: A Randomized Control Study.

BACKGROUND: In recent times, it has become a common practice to discharge a woman early after an uncomplicated caesarean section (CS), to satisfy their wishes, reduce cost, and maximize efficient use of healthcare system resources. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a comparative analysis of maternal and neonatal outcomes following day two hospital discharge versus day 5 or 7 discharge after an uncomplicated CS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eligible parturient (228) who met the inclusion criteria were randomized into two groups between 1st October 2018 and 30th September 2019 in two different maternity centers in Ebonyi state. The study group (114) was discharged two days after an uncomplicated CS while the control group (114) was discharged on the 5th or 7th postoperative day. Their satisfaction, cost, morbidities, and breastfeeding practices were evaluated using a pretested questionnaire. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 22. RESULTS: Day 2 discharge was not associated with a higher rate of readmission as compared with day 5-7 discharge (χ 2 = 0.95, P = 0.329). There were no statistically significant differences in cost incurred by patients discharged on day 2 after uncomplicated CS compared to the control group (χ 2 = 1.65, P = 0.649). Maternal satisfaction was high following day 2 discharge compared with day 5-7 discharge (χ 2 = 16.64, P = 0.0001, OR = 0.857, 95%CI = 0.59-1.25). The majority of mothers (79.6%) discharged on day 2 were able to initiate and sustain breastfeeding with no statistically significant difference in the initiation and sustenance of breastfeeding with those discharged on days 5-7 (χ 2 = 4.45, P = 0.108). Early hospital discharge did not have any significant negative impact on neonatal health (χ 2 = 1.063, P = 0.303). CONCLUSION: Early discharge of patients after an uncomplicated CS is not associated with increased rate of readmission. It is associated with good maternal satisfaction, adequate initiation and sustenance of breastfeeding, and good neonatal wellbeing. We advocate early discharge of women following uncomplicated CS.

Age at menarche, menstrual characteristics, and its associated morbidities among secondary school students in Abakaliki, southeast Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Menstruation has a variable pattern. Knowledge of age at menarche and providing accurate information to adolescent girls is necessary to allay anxiety, treat menstrual morbidities, and improve their quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To determine the age at menarche and menstrual characteristics of adolescent secondary school girls in Abakaliki. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in seven secondary schools in Abakaliki among 960 female students. A total of 450 girls were randomly selected for the study. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used in data collection. Four hundred questionnaires were properly filled and used for the final analysis. RESULTS: The age range of the students was between 10 - 21years. The mean age of the respondents was 16.2 ± 1.7years. The average age at menarche was 13 ± 1.0 years. Urban dwellers had menarche 0.2years earlier than rural dwellers. There is an association between menarche and social class (X [2] 372.9 (2), p = 0.001). About 87.75% of the respondents had an average cycle length. Most (88.3%) of the respondents had a menstrual flow duration of 3-5 days. Dysmenorrhoea was present in 82% of respondents and was severe enough to cause absence from school in 56.5% of students. Oligomenorrhea and menorrhagia occurred in 8.5 % and 6.25 % of the student studied. Mothers (80.0%), friends (75.0%) and teachers (74.5%) accounted for the bulk of the information on menstrual health. CONCLUSION: The average age at menarche was 13 ± 1.0 years. Dysmenorrhea is a major cause of morbidity amongst this age group and should be empathically addressed. It is therefore important that the students, their parents, and school managers in the study area be educated on the issues of menstrual problems that can occur in an adolescent.

Perceptions and practice of epidural analgesia among women attending antenatal clinic in FETHA.

BACKGROUND: The pain of childbirth is arguably the most severe pain that most women will endure in their lifetime. Epidural analgesia is widely used as an effective method of pain relief in labor. It provides almost complete relief of pain if administered timely, and does not affect the progress of the first stage labor. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine the awareness and utilization of epidural analgesia in labor in pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic at Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (FETHA). METHODOLOGY: This is a cross-sectional study involving 350 women attending the antenatal clinic between April 2016 and July 2016. A total of 335 questionnaires were correctly completed, and used for analysis. RESULTS: The average age and parity of the respondents were 27.6±8.2 years and 2.4±1.8, respectively. About 58.2% of respondents were civil servants, 98.5% were married, and 74.6% had a tertiary level of education. About 43.3% of the respondents are aware of the use of epidural analgesia in labor, but only 7.5% had used it; 95% of these were satisfied and desired to use it again. The reasons responsible for the poor uptake were desire to experience natural labor, cost, and fear of side effects. However, 70% of those who had not used it expressed the desire to use it. CONCLUSION: Epidural analgesia is one of the most effective methods of pain relief in labor. However, the present study indicates that knowledge and practice of epidural analgesia among parturients are low. Efforts should be made to raise awareness, dispel misconceptions, and subsidize the cost of providing this invaluable care in modern day obstetrics.