Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

P Helm

Publications and source records attributed to P Helm.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Length and variation in the menstrual cycle--a cross-sectional study from a Danish county.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current epidemiology of menstrual patterns among women of fertile age. DESIGN: Cross-sectional postal questionnaire study. SETTING: County of Copenhagen, Denmark. SUBJECTS: 3743 women, aged 15-44, selected at random from a Danish county, who were asked to provide information on menstrual pattern during the preceding year, 1981. The response rate was 78%. Information from non-responders was obtained via telephone interviews. RESULTS: In women with regular menstrual cycles, the 5th-95th centile range of usual cycle length decreased from 23-35 days in the 15-19 years age group to 23-30 days in the 40-44 years age group. Only 0.5% of regular menstruating women had a usual cycle length of less than 21 days and 0.9% had a usual cycle length of greater than 35 days. At least one cycle length of less than 21 days was experienced by 18.6%, whereas 29.5% had at least one cycle of greater than 35 days. Menstrual cycle variation of greater than 14 days was present in 29.3% of all women. Cycle length variation of greater than 14 days was 2.7 times more frequent in women from lower social groups (controlled by age). CONCLUSION: The study confirmed the normally used definitions of polymenorrhoea (cycle length less than 21 days) and oligomenorrhoea (cycle length between 36 and 90 days), as these very short or long menstrual cycle lengths were very seldom recorded for a longer period. However, the high frequency in a normal population of large menstrual cycle length variation challenges the view that an intra-individual variation of greater than 5 days should be regarded as a sign of disease in the woman.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Secondary amenorrhoea: prevalence and medical contact--a cross-sectional study from a Danish county.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of secondary amenorrhoea and the patterns of seeking medical advice for secondary amenorrhoea in an unselected population. DESIGN: Cross-sectional postal questionnaire study. SETTING: County of Copenhagen, Denmark. SUBJECTS: 3743 women, aged 15-44, selected at random from a Danish county who were asked to provide information on menstrual patterns for the preceding year, 1988. The response rate was 78%. Information from non-responders was obtained via telephone interviews. RESULTS: One-year period prevalence of secondary amenorrhoea of more than 3 months duration was 4.6% and was 7.6%, 3.0%, and 3.7% in women aged 15-24, 25-34, and 35-44 respectively. The duration of secondary amenorrhoea was 6 months or less in 75% aged 15-34 years, but longer than 6 months in 55% of those aged 35-44 years. A social gradient was found of the prevalence of secondary amenorrhoea (odds ratio 3.3, 95% CI 1.5-8.3) in the lowest social group compared with the highest social group; controlled by age. Only 39% of women with secondary amenorrhoea had contacted a doctor. Educational level or social status did not seem to influence the frequency of medical contact in women with amenorrhoea. CONCLUSION: Spontaneous return of the menstrual cycle occurs within 6 months in many amenorrheic women below the age of 35. The detailed investigation of secondary amenorrhoea in this age group can be postponed until it is of 6 months duration, unless there is clinical suspicion of disease. The relative infrequency with which women with secondary amenorrhoea seek medical advice constitutes an important source of selection bias in hospital-based clinical research on this topic.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Cervix factors as a cause of infertility].

The uterine cervix plays an important role in the natural fertilization process and, consequently, it is also a significant factor in infertility. In about 6% of infertile couples, the infertility is caused by the cervical factor. The post coital test (PCT) is the most essential diagnostic procedure. A good PCT result excludes the cervical factor as the cause of infertility. A poor or negative PCT result, on the other hand, only indicates that the cervical tract is the cause in the case of women with verified ovulation and in whom other causes have been excluded. Treatment of the cervical factor has always been difficult. Intrauterine insemination is the best documented treatment method with a pregnancy rate of about 30%. In future, gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) may be alternatives in the treatment of infertility owing to the cervical factor.

Cervix Mucus↗
PubMed1990

Pelvic inflammatory disease: the influence of contraceptive, sexual, and social life events.

In order to determine associations between pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and contraceptive, sexual, and social life events, 620 Danish women aged 15-54 were invited to participate in an in-depth interview. Of 585 participating women, 459 were consecutive gynecological in- or outpatients, and 126 were randomly selected from visitors in general practice. Data were analyzed by multivariate test statistics. The mean number of PIDs thereby retrospectively assessed was 1.0. Two-thirds had never had PID, one third had had on average 3 PIDs. The sexual parameter which had the highest predictive value for later PID was the coital debut. Women with coital debut before the 16th year had double the number of PIDs, as women with sexual debut at age 18 or later. Likewise, the mean coital frequency was positively correlated to the number of PIDs. The number of sexual partners, on the other hand, was merely a risk-indicator without a direct influence on PID. Women who used barrier methods (condom and/or diaphragm) for 2 years or more had 23% fewer PIDs than women who had used barrier methods for less than two years. The small number of PIDs among women at high socioeconomic levels could be explained alone by a later coital debut and longer use of barrier methods than that among women at low socioeconomic levels.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

The relationship between menarche and sexual, contraceptive, and reproductive life events.

Relationships between menarche and sexual, contraceptive, and reproductive life events were investigated by structured interviews of 585 Danish women, aged 15-54 years. Data were analyzed by multivariate test statistics. The trend toward an earlier menarche was confirmed. No association was found between menarche and social class. Women with early menarche had an earlier coital debut. After correction for coital debut, no association was observed between menarche and coital frequency, number of sexual partners, or use of oral contraceptives. Menarche was not associated with number of births, spontaneous or induced abortions, or frequency of ectopic pregnancies. The results suggest that the predictive value of the menarche for sexual and contraceptive life events is conditioned primarily by the association between menarche and coital debut.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1989

Premature rupture of the fetal membranes, the phases of the moon and barometer readings.

Over a 2-year period, 1,516 births were investigated to determine whether the onset of parturition could be correlated with the phases of the moon or to barometric height. 1,269 births started spontaneously, and of these, 254 (20%) started with premature rupture of the fetal membranes (PROM). No association was observed between the phases of the moon and deliveries beginning with PROM or with deliveries beginning without PROM. 1,302 of the women had regular menstrual cycles before pregnancy, and among these no specific relationship was found between the phases of the moon and the first day of the last menstruation before pregnancy. No relationship was found between the frequency of PROM and the barometric height. Variations in barometric height up to 9 h before the fetal membranes ruptured did not influence the frequency of PROM. Deliveries with PROM occurred significantly more often among primipara than among multipara. PROM occurred more frequently during night-time in the 8-hour period between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. These results suggest that the causes of PROM are not correlated to the phases of the moon or to meteorological variations.

Atmospheric Pressure↗
PubMed1988

Sexual and reproductive life events in relation to duration of oral contraceptive use.

In order to disclose differences between users and non-users of oral contraceptives (OC), 620 women aged 15-54 were invited to participate in an in depth interview about sexual, contraceptive, and reproductive life events. Of the 585 women who participated, 459 were consecutive gynecological in- or outpatients, and 126 were selected from visitors in general practice. Data was analysed by multivariate test statistics. After correction for present age and social class, the duration of use of OC (DOC) among women 15-34 years of age correlated negatively to age at menarche and coital debut and positively to number of sexual partners, oral-genital sexual practice, and number of pelvic inflammatory diseases. Among women over 35, DOC was positively associated only to cigarette smoking. No correlation was found to coital frequency (whether earlier, present or during pregnancy or menstruation), number of births and abortions, or to social classification. In epidemiological research on benefits and risks of oral contraceptives, confounding influence of one or more variables is of crucial importance. The present findings point at sexual and life-style habits as potential confounders in the study of OC and associated diseases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Pregnancy outcome after metroplasty in women with müllerian anomalies.

Pregnancy outcomes in 22 consecutively operated women with Müllerian anomalies are described. In 16 women the indication for metroplasty was two or more spontaneous abortions and/or premature deliveries. The frequency of successful pregnancies increased from 5% before to 76% after operation. In 6 women metroplasty was performed on account of infertility. It is argued that infertility rarely constitutes an indication for metroplasty, and only when concurrent causes of infertility have been excluded. Several of the postoperative pregnancies and deliveries presented serious complications. Cesarean section is therefore recommended in some deliveries after metroplasty.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Pregnancy in a 50-year-old.

A 50-year-old women was admitted on suspicion of abdominal tumor. Clinical examination and ultrasonography revealed a living fetus of 24.2 weeks' gestational age. Amniocentesis revealed trisomy 18 (Edwards' syndrome). At 34 weeks the fetus died spontaneously, and by cesarean section a stillborn boy of 770 g was delivered. The risk of pregnancy in women after the age of 45 is emphasized.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1986

Function after lower limb amputation.

Functional ability and social dependence were investigated by personal interview of 107 lower limb amputees surviving 1-5 years postoperatively. Among eight independent variables studied by multiple regression analysis, increased age was associated unfavorably with physical ability and social dependence. Independence from social provisions preoperatively showed favorable relationships with functional capacity and postoperative dependence. Above-knee or bilateral amputation and postoperative pain were associated with reduced functional ability, but not with social dependence. No significant association was found with cause of operation or sex of the amputees. The importance of proper prosthetic fitting and pain control is emphasized.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Uncertainties in designation of age at menarche in the nineteenth century: revised mean for Denmark, 1835.

The earliest Danish study of mean age at menarche by Ravn (Fenger 1850) is analysed with special reference to age recordings and their subsequent groupings into age-classes. Uncertainties of interpretation of the age designations are discussed, and it is argued that, in all probability, mean age at menarche was 17 years in the samples of Danish women born around 1820, rather than below 16 years as believed previously.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Serial casting: a method for treating burn contractures.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of serial casting of burn contractures that were resistant to traditional methods of treatment such as paraffin therapy, massage, exercise, and splinting. Serial casting was used to increase the range of motion in 35 joints in 15 patients with burns. A mean increase of 54% was achieved. Casting provided immediate results with minimal complications and was accepted well by patients. Casts were easy to apply and effective even with noncompliant patients. They also delayed or eliminated the need for surgical correction.

Adult↗