BACKGROUND In Senegal, only 12% of women of reproductive age in union (WRAU) were using contraceptives and another 29% had an unmet need for contraceptives in 2010-11. One potential barrier to accessing contraceptives is the lack of stock availability in health facilities where women seek them. Multiple supply chain interventions have been piloted in low- and middle-income countries with the ai...

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY To update the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and to identify factors associated with vitamin D status in the Swiss adult population. METHODS Data from the 2010-2011 Swiss Study on Salt intake, a population-based study in the Swiss population, was used. Vitamin D concentration in serum was measured by liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry. Major factors t...

The transdermal contraceptive patch is an innovative contraceptive technology. The failure rate is quite low and has high continuation rate. The side effects and complications are not different from other hormonal contraceptives. This contraceptive method should be an alternative birth control technique for women.

BACKGROUND Enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) reduce the efficacy of oral contraceptives. Little is known of contraceptive practice among reproductive-age women who receive AEDs. STUDY DESIGN We explored the use of contraceptive methods among Dutch women aged 15 to 49 years with prescriptions of AEDs using pharmacy dispensing database. Drug dispensing data of AEDs and contraceptives i...

CONTEXT Because individuals' and couples' needs vary, the availability of a variety of contraceptive choices is a key component of successful family planning programs. Most women in Uzbekistan rely on a single contraceptive method (the IUD), but it is unclear whether this reflects constraints on choice or simply a widespread preference. METHODS Nationally representative data from the 1996 Uzb...

BACKGROUND In the latest report of Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) 2011, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) was estimated at 676/100,000 live births, with total fertility rate at 4.8 and contraceptive prevalence rate at 29 %. Knowledge and utilization of long acting contraceptive in the Tigray region are low. This study aims at comparing and identifying factors related to the uti...

Though fertility in Ghana has declined from an average of 8 children per woman over the past three decades to 4 per woman in recent times, the current rate of population growth is still unmatched by the requisite economic growth. Recent evidence suggests that the use of contraceptives have increased marginally despite the considerable decline in fertility rate. This paper revisits the determina...

7 Sammanfattning på svenska 8 Abbreviations 9 Original papers 10 Introduction 11 1 Porphyria 11 1.1 Background 11 1.2 Heme 11 1.3 Genetics 12 1.4 Diagnosis 13 1.5 Prevalence 14 1.6 Clinical symptoms 16 1.7 Precipitating factors 16 1.8 Latent and manifest porphyria 16 2 Women and porphyria 17 2.1 Women 17 2.2 Pregnancy 17 3 Sex hormones 18 3.1 The menstrual cycle 18 3.2 GnRH 20 3.3 Progestins an...

PURPOSE To identify the period prevalence of hormonal contraceptive (HC) use and characterise the perceived side effects associated with the menstrual cycle and HC use. METHODS 430 elite female athletes completed a questionnaire to assess; the period prevalence of HC use, the reasons for initiation and discontinuation of HCs and the side effects experienced by HC and non-HC users. Descriptive...

OBJECTIVE Migraine is a disease of high prevalence with important impact on people's daily activities. The study aimed at assessing the distribution of migraine in adult population and some of its determinants. METHODS A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted with a multi-stage and probabilistic sampling. A total of 2,715 individuals aged 20 to 64 years old living in the urban a...