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OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to check and present data on the relation between combined oral contraceptives (COC) use and body weight in young women living in Poland. METHODS: Observational study on the group of young women on COC and the control group of young women who never used COC. Candidates for study (145 women) and control (218 women) groups were recruited in selected gynecological clinics in Poland during the period of 1-31 January 2002 (with the use of randomization). RESULTS: Both groups (study and control) were almost identical in age, anthropometric characteristics, number of pregnancies and deliveries. On the basis of this investigation it was found that there was no relation between use of COC and weight gain. Observed (in both groups) weight gain in young women was most probably related rather to time-passing (patients were getting older). The higher risk for overweight and obesity was found in the group of young women who had already had problems with overweight in their childhood. and in the group of women with high weight gain during the first pregnancy. CONCLUSION: COC use is not associated with weight gain in young women with a Central European life-style.

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OBJECTIVE: The aim of the work was: to compare the effectiveness of body mass reducing program in women of perimenopausal (and menopausal) age with the effectiveness of such a program when it was applied to women aged 18-44 years. METHODS: The paper deals with observation study of the group of obese patients recruited and treated in Bialystok's Clinical Center for Cardiology and Body Mass Reduction. The authors summarize 12 months of clinical observation (as it was initially planned) of the two groups of obese women, taking part in the special body mass reduction program; Group I - 81 women in perimenopausal and menopausal age, Group II - 107 women in 18-44 years of age. The proposed treatment contained diet, physical exercises, psychological support and pharmacotherapy. RESULTS: The positive reaction for the treatment of obesity was less visible in obese women in perimenopausal and menopausal age, than in the group of obese women in 18-44 years of age (change of BMI in the group of younger women was -3.44 kg/m2 vs. -2.65 kg/m2 in older women). As it was observed, the weaker reaction for the proposed treatment in the group of older women, was not related to lower BMR, than in the group of younger obese women. Provisional result shows that use of HRT (Hormonal Replace Therapy) may probably result in better response of body mass reduction in perimenopausal and menopausal women. CONCLUSION: The high dropout of the patients included into the study does not allow to formulate unequivocal conclusions but it seems that body mass reduction program for women in perimenopausal and menopausal age should concentrate on building the motivation of the patients, HRT may play some role in improvement of effectiveness of such program but this should be confirmed by further studies.

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The Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) Survey in Swaziland was undertaken between March 27th 1996 and April 8th 1996. The objective of the survey was to generate reliable information regarding activities of TBAs in Swaziland. The survey was conducted in 25 Chiefdoms sampled out of a total of 206 Chiefdoms registered in Swaziland. The total number of sampled respondents in the 25 Chiefdoms was 721. From the survey, it is estimated that there were probably 3000 TBAs in the country, and in the majority of cases such TBAs would be a 51-year old woman who herself had delivered six children and had worked as a TBA for at least 10 years. Between 9,000 and 12,000 deliveries are estimated to take place out of health facilities. Of these many, nearly 43.5% are assisted by "TBAs"; 16.3% of woman interviewed deliver relative/family member and 15.1% are assisted by friends/neighbours, etc. Some of TBAs carry out procedures which are considered to be potentially harmful. Nearly 30% of TBAs have administered herbs; 45% attend to abnormal deliveries (breech and multiple pregnancies); 26.7% re-use their cord cutting tools and in the case of haemorrhage 23.4% do manual procedures within reproductive tract of delivering women.

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The first-ever written prescription for a contraceptive (barrier method) tampon can be found in the Ebers Papyrus, a compendium of medical practices written in 1550 BC. Modern spermicides are produced in a variety of formulations, including gels, foams, creams, suppositories, pessaries, capsules, foaming tablets and films. Spermicides are relatively inexpensive and widely available over the counter. Most of the currently used spermicides contain the chemical agent (non-ionic detergent) nonoxynol-9. The spermicide 'as a commonly used method' has a very high failure rate (one pregnancy in every four women using this method of contraception for 1 year). Implementation of other, much more effective methods of contraception has made spermicides less and less popular, but recently their potential properties against HIV and STI pathogens (a cause of sexually transmitted diseases) have led to new attention for these products. These properties have been widely evaluated in clinical trials, but the final conclusion does not favor spermicides as the tool for the global fight against HIV/AIDS. There is an urgent need for the invention of a chemical product that, for dual protection, would be administered vaginally before sexual intercourse to kill HIV and other STI pathogens, and at the same time disable or kill sperm. The new era for barrier methods should begin from the development of novel microbicides.

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We developed and performed a survey on practices of prescribing oral contraceptives in Poland. The survey was carried out in Warsaw, the capital city of Poland and one of the most important areas of the country (approximately 4 million inhabitants). The main aim of the study was to recognize the rationale and practices of prescribing oral contraceptives by gynecologists in Poland (oral contraceptives are prescribed mostly by gynecologists, not by general practitioners or midwives). The questions were sent to all members of Warsaw's Association of Gynecologists, but we have received back only 276 answers (79% of the total number of members) and the responses are presented here. The responses revealed that the most popular oral contraceptives are those modern formulations combining low doses of ethinylestradiol and progestogens such as norgestimate, desogestrel, gestodene and levonorgestrel. For gynecologists, the most important factors in the selection of an oral contraceptive were the dose of hormones (20.3%), the formulation (18.5%), tolerance by patients (23.5%) and past clinical experience with the formulation (9.4%). The price was most important for 3.7%, and good marketing practices were most important for 8.3% of the gynecologists.

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New diagnostic, prophylactic and treatment perspectives in HIV infection of the fetus and newborn is a challenge for health services in Poland. In view of these advances, the ascertainment of HIV status of all pregnant women is important both for individuals and for the health services. By law, laboratory HIV testing in Poland can be performed only on a voluntary basis. All newly diagnosed cases of AIDS and HIV infections are anonymously reported to the National Institute of Hygiene in Warsaw. There are no clear data about vertical transmission of HIV infection in Poland mostly because of the unknown number of women who are positive at delivery. Almost all our data were collected from Polish Regional AIDS/HIV Diagnostic and Therapeutic Centres. During the period 1986-95, 88 children were delivered by HIV-positive women and vertical transmission occurred in 15 cases.

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