A clinical study of norethisterone enanthate in rural Mexico.

Clinical trials of norethisterone enanthate (NET-EN), a long-acting, injectable progestogen, have demonstrated its short-term safety and effectiveness as a method of contraception in a controlled trial setting. Family planning programs interested in providing NET-EN need information on its efficacy and acceptability under usual field conditions. This first field study of NET-EN was conducted in family planning clinics in rural areas of Mexico. Women admitted to the study were followed up at two-month intervals to receive an injection of 200 milligrams of NET-EN, and to be asked about possible side effects of the drug. Among the 5,792 women recruited, the overall life-table discontinuation rate was 57.0 per 100 women at 12 months and 69.0 at 18 months. The single most common reason for discontinuation was amenorrhea, followed by bleeding problems. Women who were older and who already had several children were most likely to continue using NET-EN. Nine pregnancies were reported during the study, with a cumulative pregnancy rate of 0.3 per 100 women at 18 months. NET-EN appears to be an effective method of contraception that is acceptable to a substantial proportion of women from rural areas in Mexico who choose to use it, when it is provided through a national family planning program.

[Amniotic fluid, amniocentesis, postmaturity]. / Liquido amniótico, amniocentésis, postmadurez.

The exchange among the elements of amniotic liquid is a dinamic process which keeps stable the concentration of their components, showing a variable relation with the maternal plasma in the differents stages of gestation. Thus the formations of the kidneys modifies the amniotic liquid with the urine excretion and then, factors as swallowing; the secretions of the skin and bronchi are factors which are implicated in its production. The amniocentesis is important in the study of high risk fetus, particulary with a prognostic value in the pregnancy sensitized to the Rh factor. The non cultivated celle give us information about the sexual chromatine and enzymes, to get a quick diagnosis, but this has to be confirmed with a culture cells for a final diagnosis, especially in diseases caused by inborn errors of metabolism.