Postpartum contraception: subsequent pregnancy, delivery, and abortion rates.

The first subsequent pregnancy rate in a group of women who accepted a variety of contraceptive methods after delivery and after therapeutic abortion is reviewed. Regardless of method chosen, 20 to 30% of postdelivery and 18 to 20% of postabortion patients were pregnant again after 1 year. In those patients who chose no method, 30 to 40% of postdelivery patients and 19 to 30% of postabortion patients were pregnant again 1 year later. When the postdelivery and postabortion patients were compared by outcome of this first subsequent pregnancy, there was no indication that subsequent therapeutic abortion was utilized to a greater extent by those who had had a prior therapeutic abortion than by those who had had a prior delivery.

Age and perceived effects of erotica-pornography: a national sample study.

In the spring of 1970, a national sample survey of 2486 adults (aged 20-80) was studied to ascertain U.S. public attitudes toward and experience with erotic materials. Twelve items measured whether or not those interviewed believed that looking at or reading sexual materials had certain effects on themselves or others. Initial description of the results revealed a considerable diversity of opinion. This report provides a multistage typology of those item responses, beginning with characterization of items as positive, neutral, or negative in effect. Striking age gradients were observed at each stage in the typology formation. At first glance, these results are hardly surprising, yet introduction of controls for level of education, gender, and reported previous levels of actual exposure to erotica did not appreciably change the age-graded response pattern. The last stage in the typology contained four levels and showed an attribute solely desirable and/or neutral effects to erotica. Those who expressed neutral and mixed (strongly positive and negative) views were somewhat older. The next age norms about explicit sexual materials took on a perception of no effects or a position of uncertainty. Finally, those who believed that pornography has largely or solely undesirable effects on its consumers were oldest. The replicability of the pattern suggests a specific order in the underlying process of change in values (historical and/or intraindividual).

Age at first coitus and choice of contraceptive method: preliminary report on a study of factors related to cervical neoplasia.

PIP: The incidence of cancer of the uterine cervix appears to be species-specific, thus confounding extrapolation of results from studies with experimental animals. In humans, the incidence varies more by social groups than does any other primary cancer. In a recent study, Puerto Ricans were found to have a 25 times higher risk of cervical cancer than Jews. Blacks had 4 times the risk of non-Jewish Caucasians. Age at 1st coitus (AFC) and number of coital partners have been related to increased risks. Upper socioeconomic level women have had contraceptive pills prescribed more often than others. Initial interviews and recordings of gynecologic results have been completed by the Institute for Survey Research for 25,000 American women attending large clinics and group health centers in 9 continental cities and 3 cities in Puerto Rico. Data concerning contraceptive, sexual, and reproductive history have been completed for almost 12,000. Years of education and current age have had a significant effect (p less than .001) on AFC. Gravida was also significantly related to AFC (p less than .001). The AFC of North American blacks was lower than others. Women who chose to use the pill were found to have a higher prevalence of cytologic dysplasia at the time of choice than other women. Data provide no evidence to suggest that the widespread use of oral contraceptives since the mid-1960s has been followed by increasing rates of carcinoma in situ. Other epidemiological research has failed to reveal retrospective associations between oral contraceptive use and abnormal cervical cytology. Present results are consistent with this pattern.^ieng

Dysplasia and the pill--a progress report on the American Women's Health Program.

PIP: 25,000 contracepting women attending family planning facilities in 1 3 clinical units in the United States and Puerto Rico have been enrolled in a study to determine the relationship, if any, of method of contraception to cervical dysplasia. Although the investigators are not yet in a position to report on any association or nonassociation, certain aspects of the study are described. Personal characteristics of those patients with dysplasia or cancer of the cervix detected at the time of enrollment will be compared, retrospectively, in the months ahead with the characteristics of the remainder of the cohort. The scope of work involved in defining the "prevalence" cases encompases retesting patients whose enrollment smears were diagnosed cytologically as unsatisfactory, neoplasm uncertain, or mild to moderate dysplasia. T he screening technique of 2 sequential cervical scrapings results in an increase of 50% of cytologically detected cases as compared with a single scrape. Approximately 80% of pill acceptors are 29 years old or less compared with 70% of the IUD users and 50% of the users of other methods. The pill acceptors comprise 51% of the total group, the IUD users, 31%, and users of other methods, 19%. It appears that in this analysis choice of contraception as a possible variable of cervical neoplasia rates will not be confounded with age at first coitus.^ieng