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Query: UMLS:C0018681 (headache)
 56,091 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The vaginal contraceptive ring under development by the Population Council's International Committee on Contraceptive Research (ICCR) is 58 mm in diameter and consists of a core of Salastic covered by a thin layer of levonorgestrel and estradiol with an overcoat of silicone rubber. The ring is inserted on the 5th day of the menstrual cycle and withdrawn 3 weeks later for 1 week. The steroids are released from the Silastic and readily absorbed through the vagina. The blood levels of contraceptive hormones are sufficient to prevent ovulation but do not display the great daily variation commonly observed in women on oral contraceptive (OCs). The ring contains sufficient hormones for 6 months of contraception. Preliminary research in developed countries indicates that the ring is as effective as and safer than the pill. In order to determine whether a method requiring twice monthly handling of the genitals and carrying a foreign body in the vagina for 3 weeks at a time would prove acceptable to poorer periurban and rural women in developing countries, the International Development Research Centre supported a study of the ring's acceptability in actual practice in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and Campinas, Brazil. The ring was offered, with other methods, in several clinics in each country where prescription, instructions, and follow-up were provided by paramedical personnel. 150-200 ring acceptors in each country were to be compared with pill users, who were chosen for comparative purposes because both methods are hormonal, require the same sequence of use and rest, and tend to induce regular menses. Ring users were slightly older than pill users and tended to be better educated. 10% of ring users complained of difficulty with insertion, 20% of difficulty with removal, 43% worried about correct placement despite being told that the ring would work however inserted, 33% reported vaginal pain, and 10% reported having expelled it at some time. About half the women said the ring had changed color and about 1/3 of them did not like the change. Twice as many ring as pill users reported menstrual problems but 26% of pill users compared to 17% of ring users reported other problems such as headaches. 42% of ring users and 62% of pill users reported gaining weight. 17% of ring users and 7% of pill users considered their experiences "very good" but the general level of satisfaction with both methods was similar. An earlier study indicated that women liked having control over use of the method, inserting and removing the ring at will for intercourse or washing. The decreased amount and duration of menstrual bleeding was welcomed by most users, as was weight gain by some users.
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PMID:The hormonal ring. A new contraceptive gains acceptance. 1231 42

Although menopause is a normal developmental milestone through which all women pass, the transition has been long associated with chronic pain conditions that may be more accurately viewed as secondary to aging. Clinicians need to understand management of pain problems women may experience. This article examines pain syndromes including headache, back pain, osteoarthritis, pelvic pain, vulvo-vaginal pain, and burning mouth syndrome.
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PMID:Pain at midlife. 1554 82