birth control
Psychosocial factors in maternal phenylketonuria: prevention of unplanned pregnancies.

Waisbren SE, Shiloh S, St James P, Levy HL.

Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115.

BACKGROUND. Women with phenylketonuria (PKU) not treated prior to conception can have a pregnancy that results in serious fetal damage. In this report, factors associated with preventing unplanned (and hence late treated) pregnancies are described. METHODS. Subjects included 60 phenylketonuric women and two comparison groups composed of female acquaintances and diabetic women. All were interviewed and administered tests of intelligence, general well-being, knowledge, and personality. RESULTS. Thirty-five percent of the sexually active women with PKU used contraception only sporadically. The variables that best predicted reported frequency of birth control use were the extent to which women felt social support to use contraception (r = .64) along with positive attitudes about birth control (r = .66) and knowledge of family planning (r = .43). For the comparison groups, a different pattern of variables predicted contraceptive use, with locus of control figuring most prominently for the diabetics (r = .39) and social support for birth control being most important for the acquaintances (r = .46). CONCLUSIONS. As more girls with PKU enter childbearing ages, there will be an increased need for specific programs that address psychosocial factors in maternal PKU.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1994738&dopt=Abstract birth control



birth control
Preference for male children and contraceptive use in Taiwan.

Wang R, Lethbridge DJ.

Taiwan has an active family-planning program. Yet the preference for sons is deeply ingrained in the Chinese culture and may discourage women from limiting their family size if they feel they have too few sons. In this study, research problems concerned the relationships between women's stated preferences for the sex of their children, their perceptions of their in-laws' preferences for the number and sex of their children, and their use of birth control and choice of birth control methods. It was found that few women verbalized a preference for the sex of children, but the number of boys already in the family was related to the reliability of contraceptive method used later and to the willingness to consider abortion if pregnancy occurred. The desired number and occurrence of additional children related to women's perceptions of their in-laws' preferences for boys. The perception of in-laws' preferences for girls either related negatively or was not significant.

PIP: Taiwan has an active family planning program. Yet, son preference is deeply ingrained in the Chinese culture and may discourage women from limiting their family size if they feel they have too few sons. In this study, research problems concerned the relationships between women's stated preferences for the sex of their children, their perceptions of their in-laws' preferences for the number and sex of their children, and their use of birth control and choice of birth control methods. It was found that few women verbalized a sex preference for their children, but the number of boys already in the family was related to the reliability of contraceptive method later used and to the willingness to consider abortion if pregnancy occurred. The desired number and occurrence of additional children related to women's perceptions of their in-laws' preferences for boys. The perception of their preferences for girls either related negatively or was not significant. author's modified

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2022536&dopt=Abstract birth control



birth control
Contraceptive behavior among sexually active Hispanic adolescents.

Durant RH, Seymore C, Pendergrast R, Beckman R.

Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912-3770.

The purpose of this study was to examine those factors associated with the contraceptive behavior of a national representative sample of Hispanic female adolescents. The subjects included all (n = 85) unmarried, sexually active Hispanic women, aged 15 to 19, from the 1982 National Survey of Family Growth. Contraceptive behavior was measured on a normalized scale, ranging from oral contraceptives to no contraception. Mexican/American and Central/South American background females were more likely (p less than 0.031) to use effective birth control than Puerto Rican, Cuban, and other Hispanic background subjects. Twenty additional social, behavioral, and demographic variables were found to be significantly associated (p less than 0.05) with contraceptive behavior. Based on multiple regression analysis, seven of these variables were found to explain 62% (p less than 0.0001) of the variation in the contraceptive behavior of this sample. Poorer contraceptive behavior was associated with noncompliance with the initial birth control method used (33.8%), lower coital frequency (8.3%), older postmenarchial age (5.7%), failure to use birth control at first coitus (4.6%), fewer years dating (4.0%), lower frequency of church attendance (3.3%), and never having experienced a pregnancy scare (2.0%). These findings suggest that the contraceptive behavior of Hispanic female adolescents is a dynamic process that can be understood in the context of previous sexual and contraceptive behavior.

PIP: The purpose of this study was to examine those factors associated with the contraceptive behavior of a national representative sample of Hispanic female adolescents. The subjects included all (n=85) unmarried, sexually active Hispanic women, aged 15 to 19, from the 1982 National Survey of Family Growth. Contraceptive behavior was measured on a normalized scale ranging for oral contraceptive to no contraception. Mexican/American and Center/South American background females were more likely (p0.031) to use effective birth control than Puerto Rican, Cuban,and other Hispanic background subjects. 20 additional social, behavioral and demographic variables were found to be significantly associated (p0.05) with contraceptive behavior. Based on multiple regression analysis, 7 of these variables were found to explain 62% (p0.0001) of the variation in the contraceptive behavior of the sample. Poorer contraceptive behavior was associated with noncompliance with the initial birth control method used (33.8%), lower coital frequency (8.3%), older postmenarcheal age (5.7%), failure to use birth control at 1st coitus (4.6%), fewer years dating (4.0%), lower frequency of church attendance (3.3%), and never having experienced a pregnancy scare (2.0%). These findings suggest that the contraceptive behavior of Hispanic female adolescents is a dynamic process that can be understood in the context of previous sexual and contraceptive behavior. (Authors).

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2262395&dopt=Abstract birth control



birth control
Frequency of use, knowledge, and attitudes toward the contraceptive sponge among inner-city black and Hispanic adolescent females.

Diaz A, Jaffe LR, Leadbeater BJ, Levin L.

Department of Pediatrics, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029-6574.

This study assessed the frequency of use, knowledge, and attitudes toward the contraceptive sponge in sexually active, inner-city, black and Hispanic adolescent females. A 54-item, self-administered questionnaire was completed by 208 adolescents (mean age 17.9 years) attending a gynecology/family planning clinic within a comprehensive adolescent health center. Twenty-nine (13.9%) had never used any birth control, and 49 (23.6%) had not used any form of birth control in the 3 months prior to the study. Fifty-three (25.5%) of the adolescents had used a less reliable method such as rhythm and/or withdrawal. The birth control method used least was the sponge. Only four (1.9%) of the adolescents had used the sponge in the 3 months prior to the study, and only ten (4.8%) had ever used it. Knowledge of the correct use of the sponge was poor. However, 69 (44.8%) of the 156 girls who knew about the sponge had a positive attitude toward it, and only 19% said they did not like it. The contraceptive sponge may be a viable option for adolescents, particularly those who are not using birth control or who are using a less reliable method.

PIP: This study assessed the frequency of use, knowledge, and attitudes toward the contraceptive sponge in sexually active, inner-city black and Hispanic adolescent females. A 54-item self-administered questionnaire was completed by 208 adolescents (mean age 17.9 years) attending a gynecology/family planning clinic within a comprehensive adolescent health center in New York City. 29 (13.9%) had never used any birth control and 49 (23.6%) had not used any form of birth control in the 3 months prior to the study. 53 (25.5%) of the adolescents had used a less reliable method such as rhythm and/or withdrawal. The birth control method used least was the sponge. Only 4 (1.9%) of the adolescents had used the sponge in the 3 months prior to the study and only 10 (4.8%) had ever used it. Knowledge of the correct use of the sponge was poor. However, 69 (44.8%) of the 156 girls who know about the sponge had a positive attitude toward it and only 19% said they did not like it. The contraceptive sponge may be a viable option for adolescents, particularly those who are not using birth control or who are using a less reliable method. author's modified

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2318710&dopt=Abstract birth control



birth control
Birth control vaccines and immunological approaches to the therapy of noninfectious diseases.

Stevens VC.

Division of Reproductive Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus.

Vaccination usually means the immunization of persons or animals against foreign infectious organisms for disease prevention. However, it has now been demonstrated that immunization against certain self substances to which tolerance normally exists can elicit beneficial effects to humans and other animals without inducing autoimmune disease. Clinical trials in women have been conducted with vaccines against reproductive antigens for the prevention of pregnancy and research is under way to develop more advanced formulations. Other self antigens have been described that might be used for developing methods of immunological therapy for such diseases as cancer, ulcers, and complications of diabetes. Emphasis is placed on the need for careful studies in appropriate animal models before any clinical application of such procedures is suggested.

PIP: By deliberately upsetting the body's recognition of self, and inducing an immune response against specific self antigens, birth control vaccines and disease therapies may be possible. The vaccine must be highly specific, the antigen must be present in small amounts or at limited times, and the benefit-to-risk ratio must be thoroughly evaluated. Target antigens being considered for birth control vaccines include sperm antigens or enzymes, zona pellucida of the ova and the pituitary hormone hCG. Anti-sperm immunity has been observed naturally occurring, and induced experimentally. Anti-ovum vaccines have the drawback of possibly reacting with ovarian tissue. The gonadotropin hormone receiving the most attention is hCG, or specifically its carboxy-terminal subunit. The rest of the peptide is too similar to hLH. Anti-hCG could act by preventing the luteotrophic effect of the hormone, or by attacking the hCG-producing cells of the blastocyst. Vaccines based on hCG with a tetanus toxoid carrier and a synthetic hCG peptide vaccine have been tested successfully in Phase 1 clinical trials. Other therapies based on immunization against self antigens include anticancer therapy, excess growth hormone and the Zollinger- Ellison syndrome of gastric ulcer disease. All of these approaches need to be monitored carefully to ensure that no damage is done to the host from circulating immune complexes.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2345290&dopt=Abstract birth control