OBJECTIVE: Much emphasis has been placed on the morbidity and mortality of infants delivered before 32 weeks of gestation, including intraventricular hemorrhage and respiratory distress. The incidence of these complications and their association with long-term sequelae are well defined. This information is important, especially when decisions regarding delivery have to be made. Although delivery at >32 weeks of gestation may be considered free of serious sequelae of prematurity, morbidities are still associated with delivery between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation. The purpose of this study is to determine the incidence of minor morbidities associated with premature delivery between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation. We tried to find out the proper time to decrease the minor perinatal morbidities and the adverse effect of tocolytic treatment. METHOD: The study population is consisted of infants delivered between 20 and 36 weeks of gestation at Kang Nam St. Mary's hospital from 1995 to 1999. Maternal and neonatal charts were abstracted for maternal past history, pregnancy complications and neonatal demographics comparing complications present at each gestational week. Mann-Whitney test and x2 test were used to assess statistical significance. RESULTS: There was no significant difference of delivery time due to maternal age and parity. There was increased risk of low Apgar score and low birth weight before 34 weeks of gestation. Neonatal death was significantly high before 32 weeks of gestation. Neonatal death, sepsis, intraventricular hemorrhage, respiratory distress, ventilatory equipment use was significantly high before 32-33 weeks of gestation. Hypothermia, feeding difficulty, jaundice, NICU admission was significantly high before 30, 32, 35, 35 weeks of gestation. So it is approved that minor perinatal morbidity was decreased after 34-35 weeks of gestation. CONCLUSION: Major morbidity was significantly high before 32-33 weeks of gestation and Minor morbidity was significantly high before 34 weeks of gestation. Therefore considering of minor and major morbidity, it is reasonable to postpone the preterm delivery until 34 weeks of gestation.
Apgar Score ; Demography ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypothermia ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Jaundice ; Maternal Age ; Mortality ; Parity ; Pregnancy ; Reproductive History ; Sepsis ; Tocolysis

PURPOSE: Germline mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes confer increased risks for breast cancers. However, the clinical presentation of breast cancer among women who are carriers of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA1/2 carriers) mutations is heterogenous. We aimed to identify the effects of the reproductive histories of women with the BRCA1/2 mutations on the clinical presentation of breast cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data on women with proven BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations who were recruited to the Korean Hereditary Breast Cancer study, from 2007 to 2014. RESULTS: Among the 736 women who were BRCA1/2 mutation carriers, a total of 483 women had breast cancers. Breast cancer diagnosis occurred at significantly younger ages in women who experienced menarche at ≤14 years of age, compared to those who experienced menarche at >14 years of age (37.38±7.60 and 43.30±10.11, respectively, p<0.001). Additionally, the number of full-term pregnancies was significantly associated with the age of diagnosis, especially in women with the BRCA2 mutation. The prevalence of advanced stages (stage II or III vs. stage I) of disease in parous women was higher than in nulliparous women (68.5% vs. 55.2%, p=0.043). This association was more pronounced in women with the BRCA2 mutation (hazard ratio, 2.67; p=0.014). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that reproductive factors, such as the age of onset of menarche and the presence of parity, are associated with the clinical presentation patterns of breast cancer in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers.
Age of Onset ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Genes, BRCA1 ; Genes, BRCA2 ; Germ-Line Mutation ; Humans ; Menarche ; Parity ; Pregnancy ; Prevalence ; Reproductive History ; Retrospective Studies

John Michael Bedford ( Figure 1) studied at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University (1952–1958), and gained his BA (1955) and MA (1958) in Natural Sciences, with postgraduate training in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (Vet MB 1958). He had academic appointments as a Fellow at Bristol University (1958–1959), a scientist with MC Chang at the Worcester Foundation in Shrewsbury, MA, USA (1959–1961), and studied for a PhD in Physiology with Professor Amoroso at the University of London (1961–1965). During this time, he was also a lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College (1961–1966) and a teacher at the University of London (1965). He then returned to Worcester (1966–1967) and thereafter was an Assistant Professor of Anatomy at Columba University, New York (1967–1970), Associate Professor (1970–1972), and from 1972 to 2000, both Professor of Reproductive Biology and Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy at Cornell University Medical College (now Weill Cornell Medical College). He became the Percy and Harold Uris Professor of Reproductive Biology (1981–2000) and Professor Emeritus of Reproductive Biology in Obstetrics and Gynecology (2000) at Cornell University. From 1986 to 1990, he was the Director of the in vitro fertilization laboratories at Cornell.
History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Humans ; Male ; Reproductive Medicine/history* ; Spermatozoa/physiology* ; United Kingdom

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the associations of the potential risk factors including reproductive history and lifestyle factors with bone mineral density at postmenopause. METHODS: The bone mineral density of the lumbar spine and proximal femur were measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and physical and anthropometric data were obtained in 187 healthy postmenopausal women aged 45 to 73. Informations about risk factors were assessed by questionairres including medicosurgical and family history, reproductive history and lifestyle factors (dietary calcium intake, past use of oral contraceptives, consumption of alcohol and caffeine, smoking habits and exercise pattern). RESULTS: 1) Each prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis was 43.9% and 16.6% in postmenopausal women. 2) In simple correlation analysis between each risk factor and bone mineral density, factors associated with higher level in body mineral density (BMD) were body mass index (BMI)(p<0.01) and reproductive periods (p<0.05) in lumar spine and femur neck, and exerecise strength in femur neck (p<0.05). On the other hand, more aging and longer postmnopausal periods, lower BMD in lumbar spine and femur (p<0.01) and later menarche, lower BMD in lumbar spine (p<0.01) and femur neck (p<0.05) and higher frequencies of parity were influenced on lower BMD in lumbar spine and femur wards (p<0.01) and femur neck (p<0.05). But the other factors had no relation to BMD. 3) There was no significant difference in BMD according to the amount of diet calcium intake, gravity, lactation, the past use of oral contraceptives, the family history of osteoporosis, smoking habits and intake of caffeine and alcohol. 4) No reproductive history and other risk factors were significantly associated with BMD after the influences of age, postmenopausal periods and BMI were adjusted in multiple regression analysis. CONCLUSION: These results show there are no consistent effects on bone mineral density, after adjusting for age and BMI, of reproductive history and any other risk factors in postmenopausal women.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Aging ; Body Mass Index ; Bone Density* ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic ; Caffeine ; Calcium ; Contraceptives, Oral ; Diet ; Female ; Femur ; Femur Neck ; Gravitation ; Hand ; Humans ; Lactation ; Life Style ; Menarche ; Osteoporosis ; Parity ; Postmenopause* ; Prevalence ; Reproduction ; Reproductive History ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spine

BACKGROUND: In postmenopausal women, there is rapid bone loss due to estrogen depletion. In women, reproductive factors such as age at menarche, breastfeeding, and parity are considered risk factors of osteoporosis. Many reports suggest that obesity is associated with a reduced risk of osteoporosis. This nationwide, population-based study aims to identify the association between maternal age and osteoporosis risk in postmenopausal women of different obesity classifications. METHODS: We assessed data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010–2012. The study included 1,328 postmenopausal women, after excluding women with missing data for reproductive history among 4,546 postmenopausal women in the survey. Multivariate regression was used to identify the association between childbirth age and postmenopausal bone mineral density after adjustments for confounding factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of postmenopausal osteoporosis was 35.24% (n = 468). After dividing the subjects into obese and non-obese groups based on body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, there were significant differences between non-osteoporosis and osteoporosis groups with regard to age at first childbirth, age at last childbirth, and parity in the BMI-based general obesity group. The prevalence of osteoporosis was highest in women older than 35 years old at last childbirth. The prevalence of osteoporosis was also greater in women with parity ≥ 4 compared to those with lower parity levels. CONCLUSION: Postmenopausal women of older age at last childbirth and higher parity were at increased risk of osteoporosis in the BMI-based non-general obesity group.
Body Mass Index ; Bone Density* ; Breast Feeding ; Classification ; Estrogens ; Female ; Humans ; Maternal Age ; Menarche ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity ; Osteoporosis ; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal ; Parity ; Parturition* ; Prevalence ; Reproductive History ; Risk Factors ; Waist Circumference

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the concept of happiness among pregnant women. METHODS: Walker and Avant's method for concept analysis was used. RESULTS: The defining attributes of happiness among pregnant women were 1) period of pregnancy, 2) emotional dimension (positive affect), and 3) cognitive dimension(existence need-satisfaction, relatedness need-satisfaction, growth need-satisfaction). The antecedents of happiness among pregnant women were 1) intrapersonal characteristics, 2) reproductive history and related characteristics, 3) interpersonal relationship, and 4) external factors. The consequences included 1) pregnant women's well-being, 2) fetal well-being, 3) maternal well-being, and 4) child's happiness. CONCLUSION: Although further studies are required to refine the diverse attributes of the concept, the results of this study contribute to explaining happiness among pregnant women. In addition, the development of adequate interventions to increase prenatal happiness is needed.
Female ; Happiness* ; Humans ; Methods ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women* ; Reproductive History ; Walkers

The purpose of this review study is to evaluate sexual function and its effective factors in menopause. A systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The key words of “menopause,” “postmenopause,” “postmenopausal,” “premenopause,” “pre-menopausal period,” “sexual function,” “sexual health,” “sexuality,” “sexual and gender disorders,” “sexual development,” “sexual dysfunction,” “sexual disorders,” “sexual behavior and “sexual activity” were used in combination with the Boolean operators OR and AND. After reviewing the selected articles, 27 papers were selected based on the criteria for entering the study and the goals set. The results of the reviewed articles showed that, in the physical domain, the factors affecting sexual function can be mentioned, age, hormonal changes, medical problems and reproductive history. Sexual disorders in menopause can be affected by some of the individual and social characteristics and psychological problems. Considering the fact that many psychological and social injuries occur in this period following sexual disorders; therefore, policies and programs for improving the quality of life of women in menopause should be aimed at eliminating sexual dysfunction, correcting attitudes and negative emotions and help to women for more comfortable in menopause.
Female ; Humans ; Menopause ; Quality of Life ; Reproductive Health ; Reproductive History ; Sexual Behavior ; Sociological Factors

OBJECTIVE: A dichotomous Thl and Th2 cytokine profile has been associated with reproductive failure and success, respectively. The purpose of our study was to determine the levels of Thl cytokine (IFN- y ) secreted by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) form women with unexplained recurrentabortion (URA) and fertile controls in response to trophoblast antigen. METHODS: PBMCs were isolated from 30 nonpregnant women with URA and from 10 nonpregnant fertile controls. Following 4 days of culture (1 * 10(6) cells/mL) with and without a protein extract derived from a trophoblast cell line (30 ug/mL, protein). None of the women had allergies, atopy or recent infection. Cytokines were measured in supernatants with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. IFN- r kit was obtained from BOISOURCE (lower limit of sensitivity, 15.6 pg/mL for IFN- r ). All values below the lowest limit of sensitivity as determined by test kit standards were considered negative. The cytokine stimulation test is considered positive if the IFN- r concentration increases by 200% or more with the trophoblast antigen stimulation. Datas are presented as mean+ SEM. Nonparametric testing (Mann-Whitney U) was used for analysis with P<0.05 considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The Thl-type cytokine (IFN- r ) was detected in 20(67%) of 30 supernatants from women with URA. In contrast, 2 (20%) of trophoblast-activated PBMC culture supernatants from the 10 parus women with normal reproductive histories was detected IFN- r and but were significantly lower than levels in women with URA who had secreted IFN- r upon trophoblast stimulation (99.80+ 18.17 pg/mL versus 166.47 + 36.96 pg/mL, p<0.05). Spontaneous secretion of IFN- r was significantly higher in culture supernatants from women with URA than in supernatants from women with successful reproductive histories (41.36.09+6.99 pg/mL versus 25.89+9.34 pg/mL, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: These data indicate that there are significant differences between women with URA and women with normal reproductive histories in their regulation of the Thl-cytokine (IFN- r) in response to trophoblast. Thl-type immunity to trophoblast is associated with URA and may play a role in reproductive failure.
Abortion, Spontaneous* ; Cell Line ; Cytokines ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Pregnancy ; Reproductive History ; Trophoblasts*

PURPOSE: This study was done to analyze the changes in the clinical conditions and the diagnosis of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. METHODS: We report a retrospective clinical analysis of 39 patients with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis from Jan. 1992 to Aug. 2001. The age and sex distribution, family and birth history, clinical symptoms, the ultrasonographic and the operative sizes of pyloric canals were compared. RESULTS: The body weight was below the 3 percentile at admission in eight cases(20.5%). "Olive like mass" in right upper quadrant was palpated during physical examination in 23 cases(59%) and gastric peristaltic wave observed in six cases(15%). The ultrasonographic measurements showed that the pyloric muscle thickness to be 4.95+/-0.99 mm(mean+/-SD), pyloric diameter 14.42+/-2.64 mm, and pyloric length 20.17+/-3.92 mm. Fredet-Ramstedt pyloromyotomy was employed in all cases. The operative measurements of the pyloric muscle thickness was 5.11+/-1.01 mm, pyloric diameter 15.01+/-2.47 mm, and pyloric length 22.32+/-3.43 mm. CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference between the ultrasonographic and operative measurements. Currently, the hypertrophic pyloric stenosis patients showed lesser clinical hallmarks of the disease. The earlier diagnosis using imaging studies before development of significant metabolic abnormalities is becoming an important factor that change the future outcomes of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.
Body Weight ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Physical Examination ; Pyloric Stenosis, Hypertrophic* ; Reproductive History ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Distribution

PURPOSE: We investigated whether there are independent intradaily changes in bilirubin levels in normal neonates. METHODS: During the period of January 1996 till July 1996, 100 healthy newborn infants were studied for at least 3 consecutive days. Starting from the third day of life, consistent intradaily changes of bilirubin concentration were observed. And obstetric history, birth history, weight change at 3 days were recorded from chart review. A complete blood cell count was obtained from each subject at the beginning of the study. RESULTS: The mean bilirubin concentrations at morning were 10.4 +/- 1.8mg/dl (3rd day), 11.6 +/- 2.1mg/dl (4th day) and 11.2 +/- 2.7mg/dl (5th day). The mean bilirubin concentrations at evening were 11.1 +/- 2.1mg/dl (3rd day), 11.3 +/- 2.2mg/dl (4th day) and 10.8 +/- 2.8mg/dl (5th day). Interdaily changes of bilirubin levels were found: morning levels were higher compared with those of the evening. CONCLUSION: We showed a consistent diurnal rhythm in bilirubin levels, with higher levels in the morning than in the evening. This diurnal rhythm in serum bilirubin concentration affects endogenous factors as well as exogenous. Mechanism of diurnal variation was unknown.
Bilirubin* ; Blood Cell Count ; Circadian Rhythm ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal ; Infant, Newborn* ; Reproductive History