Choice of contraceptive method for birth control and attitudes toward abortion in Swedish women ages 23-29.

In Sweden, contraceptive methods for birth control are readily available, but one in four pregnancies was legally terminated during the period from 1975 to 1990. Our purpose in conducting the present study was to describe young women's choices and use of contraceptive methods and their attitudes to abortion. The participants were 305 Swedish women ages 23-29 years. Eighty-eight percent of the women were using some contraceptive method. The most common method was hormonal (43%), followed by a barrier method (22%). The women considered that abortion should not be used as a method of birth control and that the fact that a pregnancy is unintended is not a sufficient reason for terminating it. An acceptable reason, they thought, for a woman to have an abortion is the woman's present situation, in particular her social situation. The women were aware that the use of contraceptive methods gives them the chance to choose if and when they wish to have children.

PIP: In 1991 in Orebro county in central Sweden, 118 women aged 23-29 attending the cytology outpatient clinic for a Papanicolaou test completed a questionnaire so researchers could learn about their contraceptive use, preferred contraceptive, reasons for using that contraceptive, and attitudes toward abortion. 88% used a birth control method. 80% used contraception to prevent unplanned pregnancies. The leading birth control methods were hormonal methods (43%) followed by barrier methods (22%) and combination of 2 methods (15%). 21% of all women used a condom, a rather low percentage considering the public debate on sexually transmitted diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS. Yet 79% of the women were in a monogamous relationship. 12% of all the women had had an abortion. 97% believed it to be wrong to consider abortion a birth control method. 67% thought that it is wrong to regulate fertility by abortion. 72% believed the women's current social situation to be an important argument for an abortion. The respondents knew that use of contraceptive methods grants them the ability to choose if and when they have children.

Students opinions about sex education in a Swedish school region.

Sex education has been a requirement in Swedish schools for the past 30 years. The purpose of the study was to describe the opinions of 17- and 18-year-old Swedish students at the upper secondary school regarding the sex education they received at school as well as their knowledge about the anatomy and physiology of reproduction. A questionnaire concerning education about sex and relationships was answered by 421 students. The results of questions regarding human reproduction illustrated that the students have insufficient knowledge about men's and women's reproductive organs. Two-thirds of the students who had received sex education thought the instructions were insufficient. The students wanted to talk more about positive and negative feelings within a relationship and feelings concerning sexually transmitted diseases and abortion. In summary, the results indicated that the content of sex education should focus on women's reproductive organs and the feelings and relationships between men and women. The type of instructions and how instruction time is utilized should be examined closely.

Swedish students' attitudes toward abortion.

The Swedish abortion legislation of 1975 gave women the right to make a decision about abortion before the end of the 18th week of pregnancy. The number of abortions is rising in Sweden as a chosen method of birth control. The attitudes of students toward abortion were studied in 1986-1987. A questionnaire containing items on how sex education is taught, the anatomy and physiology of reproduction, contraceptives, sexually transmitted diseases, and legal abortion was answered by 421 high school students. Results pertaining to the students' attitudes toward abortion are reported. Two thirds of the students believed that the decision about an abortion should be made by the man and woman together. Nearly all respondents believed that abortion should not be considered a method of birth control. These results may be considered a guide for interventions to prevent the need for abortion. One fourth of all pregnancies in Sweden terminate in abortion. The students in the present study thought of abortion as a solution. Authors studying samples with different cultural backgrounds have reported similar attitudes.

PIP: Sweden enjoys a well-organized family planning system in which sex education has been obligatory in schools for the past 30 years and women have had the legal right since 1975 to decide whether or not to have an abortion before the end of the 18th week of pregnancy. Abortion services have been provided free for 18 years. Following the enactment of this abortion legislation, the frequency of abortions initially increased, stabilized, then increased once again in the early 1980s. The number of abortions is presently increasing in Sweden as a chosen method of birth control. This study was conducted to assess high school students' knowledge and attitudes on abortion. 421 students aged 17-18 years from 7 schools in Orebro County responded to questionnaires in 1986-87 on how sex education is taught, the anatomy and physiology of reproduction, contraceptives, sexually transmitted diseases, and legal abortion. This sample comprised 10% of the county high school population. Two-thirds believed that decisions about abortions should be made jointly by male and female partners, and almost all feel that abortion should not be considered as method of birth control. Abortion should instead be considered as a solution to unplanned pregnancy. Authors studying samples with different cultural backgrounds have reported similar findings. With 25% of pregnancies in Sweden ending in abortion, these results may be considered as a guide for interventions to prevent the need for abortion.

Personal hygiene in external genitalia of healthy and hospitalized elderly women.

A comparative study of the personal hygiene of two groups of elderly women was carried out in Orebro, Sweden. The investigation group consisted of 28 women who were hospitalized in long-term care wards and the comparison group consisted of 35 healthy women. The results show that a remainder of soap in the genitalia may be one factor contributing to elderly hospitalized women's discomfort. Caregivers should be educated in how to assist elderly hospitalized women with their personal hygiene.

Lack of care givers' knowledge causes unnecessary suffering in elderly patients.

A comparative study of the personal hygiene of two groups of elderly women was carried out. The control group consisted of 35 healthy women aged 70-86. The experimental group consisted of 28 women aged 66-96 who were hospitalized in long-term care wards and who received help with their personal hygiene. The results show that care givers lack knowledge about the normal physiological ageing process in women, which prevents them from applying the eighth component of Virginia Henderson's nursing theory. In the group who received help with their personal hygiene, 25 (89%) had abnormal genital problems.

Postoperative chylous pseudocyst.

A 59-year-old man underwent resection of aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta with graft replacement. A postoperative chylothorax was managed by nonsurgical means and subsided. Subsequently, an expansile mass appeared in the left side of the chest and was surgically removed. This was found to be a chylous pseudocyst. Management of chylothorax and the details of this unique case are described.

Plasmacytoma arising in a pacemaker pocket.

A 48-year-old man developed a plasmacytoma in the subcutaneous pocket of a titanium covered pulse generator that had been inserted sixteen months previously. The tumor represented a cutaneous manifestation of myelomatosis. The presence of a pacemaker may affect the detection and treatment of tumors arising in the region of pulse generator pockets. Possible cause-and-effect relationships are explored.