ABSTRACT
Sociability and irritability are commonly cited symptoms of premenstrual syndrome but there has been little investigation of these cycle related changes using clearly defined test instruments. We examined the two symptoms using symptom specific subscales from the Multiscore Depression Inventory (Berndt, 1983). Clear and consistent cycle related changes in irritability and sociability were seen in 20 women with prospectively validated symptomatic premenstrual change but not in a control group of 8 women without symptomatic premenstrual change. The study suggests that these variables can be measured using specific brief scales.
Subject(s)
Interpersonal Relations , Irritable Mood/physiology , Premenstrual Syndrome/psychology , Adult , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Premenstrual Syndrome/diagnosis , Premenstrual Syndrome/physiopathology , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Reference Values , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The outcome of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in a group of infertile women with a history of in utero exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) was analyzed. Records from an academic IVF program were retrospectively reviewed. METHODS: Seventeen infertile women with a self-reported history of exposure to DES in utero, attending the IVF unit at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) for assisted reproductive technology (ART), underwent 27 IVF cycles. Analysis of the outcome of IVF including implantation and ongoing pregnancy rates was performed. The data were compared with results from a group of 20 infertile patients with idiopathic infertility undergoing 27 IVF cycles at MGH during the same period. The patients in the two groups were matched for age, basal day 3 levels of follicle stimulating hormone and serum estradiol, and the number and quality of embryos transferred. RESULTS: The response to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation was comparable in the two groups. Significantly lower implantation and ongoing pregnancy rates following IVF and embryo transfer were seen in the utero DES-exposed group compared to the control patients. CONCLUSIONS: Infertile patients with a history of in utero exposure to DES exhibit a significantly impaired implantation rate following IVF, and the outcome of ART remains poor.
Subject(s)
Diethylstilbestrol/adverse effects , Estrogens, Non-Steroidal/adverse effects , Fertilization in Vitro/methods , Pregnancy Rate , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects , Adult , Diethylstilbestrol/pharmacology , Embryo Implantation/drug effects , Estradiol/blood , Estrogens, Non-Steroidal/pharmacology , Female , Follicle Stimulating Hormone/blood , Humans , Pregnancy , Retrospective Studies , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Fluid intake was measured at 3 phases of the menstrual cycle in twenty women with prospectively validated premenstrual syndrome and 8 women with prospectively validated absence of cyclic symptoms. There was no cycle related change in fluid intake in either group but fluid intake was significantly lower in women with PMS than in controls at all phases of the menstrual cycle. All subjects but one denied voluntary fluid restriction. The mechanism, therefore, appears subconscious and may be related to perceived increase in fluid retention.
