The purpose of this study was to study the determinants of self rated health in the low-risk pregnant women of Melaka Tengah in Malaysia. A total of 387 subjects were analysed. The role of mental health, psychosocial stressors, support from husband, coping skills, socio-economic status and pregnancy characteristics in determining self- rated health were studied. Health items were taken from the Duke Health Profile. Bad obstetric history, poor mental health, stress from the family were found to be significantly associated with poor self - rated health whereas good support from the husband was related to good self - rated health.
Ultrasonographic cervical length assessment is increasingly being utilized clinically to identify women at risk for spontaneous preterm delivery. In a randomised prospective longitudinal study involving 200 women, we measured cervical length and internal os diameter by transvaginal scan at 20 - 24 weeks and analysed their ability to predict preterm birth. The risk of spontaneous preterm delivery increased steeply as cervical length decreased. At cut off value of < or = 2.5cm, the cervical length measurements had sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 77%, 95%, 56% and 98% respectively. However, internal os diameter lacked sensitivity and specificity. Our data suggests that the duration of pregnancy is directly related to length of the cervix: the shorter the cervix, the greater the chance of preterm delivery.
Hysterectomy is performed for a wide range of benign and malignant conditions, such as fibroids, menorrhagia and pelvic pain, and gynaecological malignancies. One in four women has a chance of undergoing hysterectomy in her lifetime. Conventionally abdominal hysterectomy is done through the open approach. However, many patients assume that the modern laparoscopic hysterectomy is superior to the standard approach. Laparoscopic surgical centres are mushrooming in major cities. This article presents ethical considerations involved in the decision-making process of choosing from the surgical options available.
The purpose of this study was to develop a risk prediction score for distinguishing benign ovarian mass from malignant tumors using CA-125, human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), ultrasound findings, and menopausal status. The risk prediction score was compared to the risk of malignancy index and risk of ovarian malignancy algorithm (ROMA).