Gender differences in infertility-related stress and the relationship between stress and social support in Thai infertile couples.

OBJECTIVE: To study infertility-related stress among men and women and to examine its relationship with the level of perceived social support. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI) and the Personal Resource Questionnaire (PRQ) were translated into Thai and used to assess the level of infertility-related stress and perceived social support, respectively, in 238 infertile subjects. RESULTS: The global FPI scores for men and women were 154.2 +/- 18.3 and 154.7 +/- 22.6, respectively (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in their perceived social support (PRQ scores = 137.8 + 14.0 and 134.0 +/- 16. 7 respectively). A significant negative correlation (r = -0.1894; p < 0.001) existed between global stress and social support in women, but not in men. CONCLUSION: Thai infertile couples experienced a high level of stress. Unlike previous studies from Western countries, there was no gender diference in infertility-related stress.

Quality of life and risk factors that affect the quality of life of Thai female physicians.

OBJECTIVE: To study the quality of life (QOL) and risk factors that affect QOL of Thai female physicians. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The Thai version of the briefform of WHO quality of life assessment instrument (WHOQOL-BREF-THAI) and risk assessment questionnaires were mailed to 1700 randomly selected female physicians. RESULTS: The authors obtained a response rate of 41.9%. Most physicians were married (57.3%), they worked 57.3 hours/week, and had a mean income of 64,622 baht/month. The prevalence of obesity was 12.6%. Most (99.3%) did not drink alcohol, 69.6% avoided high cholesterol and afat diet, 65.8% consumed a balanced diet, and 55.9% included vegetables and fruit in half of their meals. The majority (62.2%) exercised for less than 30 min/day. They used a safety belt (92.1%) or crash helmet (87.5%) when driving a motor vehicle. Regarding their current health, 8.9% had hearing problems, 6.1% had diabetes, 3.3% had glaucoma, and 1.8% had hypertension. CONCLUSION: Most female physicians had fair to good QOL scores. They were health and safety conscious. These aspects can be used in a campaign to promote a healthier life-style for Thai women.

Septo-optic dysplasia associated with abnormal pubertal development.

Septo-optic dysplasia (SOD) is a congenital anomaly, that is characterized by a triad of optic nerve hypoplasia, structural brain defects, and hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction. This condition is very rare and it has never been reported in a Thai population. In the present report, the authors described two SOD cases that presented with primary amenorrhea and abnormal pubertal development. Clinical features. Possible etiology of this condition was reviewed

A successful strategy for Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis of beta-thalassemia and simultaneous detection of Down's syndrome using multiplex fluorescent PCR.

OBJECTIVES: Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is an alternative to prenatal diagnosis providing couples the chance to start a pregnancy with an unaffected fetus. The objective of the present study was to develop and apply quick, sensitive and accurate single cell PCR protocols for PGD of beta-thalassemia and Down's syndrome detection. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Two couples carrying beta-thalassemia codon41-42 mutation underwent routine IVF procedures. Embryo biopsy was performed on Day-3 post-fertilisation and single cell multiplex fluorescent PCR was employed for mutation analysis, contamination detection and diagnosis of trisomy 21 cases. RESULTS: Seventeen embryos were tested in two clinical PGD cycles. This resulted in the first birth following PGD for a single gene disorder in Thailand and South East Asia, confirmed by prenatal testing. Two embryos were shown to be affected by Down's syndrome. CONCLUSION: Successful strategy for PGD of beta-thalassemia and Down's syndrome detection using multiplex fluorescent PCR was introduced.