Biomedical subjects

B Winikoff

Publications and source records attributed to B Winikoff.

58 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Assessing the role of family planning in reducing maternal mortality.

It is widely believed that family planning has important benefits for both maternal and child health. Despite this, little work has been done to quantify the potential effect of family planning in reducing maternal mortality. This paper assesses the impact of family planning in averting maternal deaths, and discusses the overall ability of risk strategies to address the bulk of maternal mortality. The practical difficulties of providing effective contraception to populations with high maternal mortality are addressed, and the need for maternal health care services as an adjunct to useful family planning programs is emphasized. Although family planning cannot by itself cause a substantial reduction in risk of pregnancy, the combined strategies of general fertility reduction, abortion services, and family planning for high-risk groups might effectively address about half of all maternal mortality in the developing world. Pregnancy and delivery care have the potential for saving large numbers of lives with appropriate interventions. It is concluded that reproductive risks can be reduced only by preventing unwanted pregnancies and protecting maternal health during wanted ones.

Abortion, Legal↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Contraceptive use, amenorrhea, and breastfeeding in postpartum women.

Data from a 1981-1982 survey of infant feeding practices in four developing countries are used to analyze the relationship of amenorrhea, lactation, and time since childbirth with contraceptive use. The relationship was first explored using contingency table analysis. Logistic regression analysis was then performed to control for the effects of background variables. Models were tested separately for oral contraceptive users and users of other methods. Analysis showed a strong, independent, and consistent negative relationship between amenorrhea and contraceptive use. Women who were less than four months postpartum were also less likely to use contraceptives. The strength of the association with amenorrhea outweighed all other variables, including demographic correlates of contraceptive use. A negative relationship between breastfeeding and contraceptive use was found only for users of oral contraceptives. It is possible that women in the immediate postpartum period, especially those who are lactating and amenorrheic, are not as highly motivated to use contraception as had been supposed.

Amenorrhea↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Acceptability of medical abortion in early pregnancy.

A review of 12 published studies on patient attitudes and reactions to early first-trimester pregnancy termination by medical methods shows consistent patterns, despite important differences in study design, measurement and outcome. In most trials that offered participants a choice between surgical and medical abortion, 60-70% of patients chose the medical method. The most common reasons cited for choosing the medical method were greater privacy and autonomy, less invasiveness and greater naturalness than surgery. Frequently mentioned drawbacks included pain, the duration of bleeding, the number of visits, and the waiting time to know if the treatment has been successful. Most women who had a medical abortion said they were satisfied with the method, would recommend it to friends and would use it again if they needed another abortion.

Abortifacient Agents↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Expanding access to emergency contraception in developing countries.

Emergency contraception has been called the best-kept contraceptive secret. Previous research shows that several regimens of postcoital contraception offer safe and effective ways for women to avoid pregnancy. Yet the methods are typically unavailable to women in developing countries. In this article, the authors review the main methods of emergency contraception and describe experience with them to date. The prevalence and urgency of the need for making these methods available to women in developing countries are assessed. The necessary elements for creating such access are described. In several developing countries, conditions for introducing the methods may be more favorable than in industrialized countries. These advantages are reviewed. Finally, the authors describe the challenges anticipated for broadening the availability of postcoital methods in the developing world. They conclude with a brief series of recommendations for policymakers.

Contraceptives, Postcoital↗