[Prevalence, characteristics and factors associated with menstrual headaches in students]

Headache is a common complaint in women of reproductive age, and sometimes occurs only during menstruation. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence and characteristics of headaches associated with menstruation in university students. Nine-hundred and four women university students were selected through multistage random sampling. Headaches starting 2 days before menstruation and continuing till the end of the menstrual periods were defined as headaches associated with menstruation. The prevalence and severity of menstrual headaches and associated clinical manifestations were recorded. Mean age of participants was 21 +/- 3.5 years. Prevalence of menstrual headaches was 14.2 percent, 79.7 percent had moderate to severe headaches that caused disruption of daily activities in 4.8% of individuals. Associated symptoms included: irritability, nausea, pulsatile headache, photophobia, increased sensitivity to sounds and loss of appetite. A strong association was found between menstrual headache and the following factors: amount of menstrual hemorrhage, painful menstruation and its severity, PMS and the presence of menstrual headaches in sisters and mothers of the participants, [p<0.05]. Females with BMI higher than normal were more prone to menstrual headaches. The high prevalence of menstrual headaches underscores the need for effective intervention

What happens to sexuality of women during lactation period? A study from Iran

To compare the association of sexual activity and breastfeeding women within 2-6 months after child birth. This study was carried out in 2007. The sexual activity of 258 breastfeeding women was compared with 198 bottle-feeding women referred to a public maternity health care center in Tehran. Women in the age of 20-35 years were enrolled in the study after their first or second child and 2-6 months after birth. A self-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Women were interviewed face-to-face by the first author. Of 456 respondents, 258 were currently breastfeeding and 198 were bottle feeding. Mean age of the mothers was 27 +/- 4.7 years. About 28.3% of breastfeeding women and 22.9% of non breastfeeding women had sexual intercourse within one month of postpartum period. No significant difference was found between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding women on sexual desire and satisfaction before pregnancy and in postpartum period [p: 0.1, p: 0.5].The orgasm experience did not have a significant difference between the two groups during postpartum [p: 0.4]. We did not find significant difference in sexual activity between breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding women. Sexual history taking and counseling in antenatal class as well as postpartum period are suggested for the clients