Exploring Menstrual Hygiene Practices and Awareness of Menstrual Cups Among Nursing Professionals: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

BACKGROUND: Menstrual hygiene management poses significant challenges globally, with widespread reliance on disposable sanitary pads contributing to health risks and environmental degradation. Sustainable alternatives like menstrual cups offer promising solutions but face barriers to adoption, including myths and misconceptions. Educational interventions are crucial in promoting eco-friendly menstrual hygiene practices. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Nagpur (Central India) among nursing officers from January to February 2022. A structured questionnaire assessed the demographic characteristics, menstrual hygiene practices, knowledge of menstrual cups, and attitude toward their use. RESULTS: Of the 101 participants, the majority were between the age group of 25 and 40 years (71, 70.3%) and were educated up to a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (79, 78.21%). Overwhelmingly, 97 (96.03%) of the nursing officers used non-biodegradable sanitary pads. Frequent need to change and staining were cited as common difficulties. Although 97 (96.04%) of the participants had heard of menstrual cups, knowledge gaps existed regarding suitability for nulliparous women, material composition, cost, and lifespan. Despite expressing a desire for better alternatives by 56 (55.4%) participants, only one (0.99%) reported current menstrual cup usage, with 60 (59.4%) participants indicating future readiness to use. CONCLUSION: Discovering nurses' menstrual hygiene habits, this study sheds light on their reliance on disposable pads over menstrual cups. Improving the acceptability of menstrual cups hinges on addressing current knowledge gaps such as their feasibility for use by nulliparous women, ease of insertion, cost, and environmental sustainability. Despite hurdles like misinformation, participants show openness to embracing new options with the right guidance and education.

Aversion of surgical exploration in patients with complex ovarian cysts secondary to overt hypothyroidism: A series of three cases.

Long-standing, overt hypothyroidism-induced bilateral multiloculated ovarian cysts represent an infrequent occurrence. Our first case, presented with bilateral complex ovarian masses, exhibited overt hypothyroidism symptoms, including lethargy, weight gain and subfertility, prompting consideration for surgical intervention. Similarly, in the second case, a girl aged 11 years with stunting, delayed bone age and academic challenges was referred for surgical exploration due to bilateral complex ovarian masses. Both cases revealed elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone levels during preoperative workup. Commencing levothyroxine replacement therapy resulted in complete regression of ovarian cysts and substantial symptom improvement within an 8-week timeframe. The third case, a previously diagnosed patient with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, benefited from the lessons gleaned in managing the initial cases, responding well to levothyroxine therapy, thereby averting the necessity for surgery in all three instances. These cases underscore the significance of considering thyroid function in the evaluation of ovarian masses and highlight the efficacy of levothyroxine replacement therapy in resolving both hypothyroidism and associated ovarian cysts, thereby obviating the need for surgical intervention.

An Analysis of the Barriers in Implementation of Labour Care Guide in India and Possible Measures to Combat Them.

Majority of the maternal deaths, still births, and neonatal deaths occurring in low- to middle-income countries are preventable through timely interventions. In this context, World Health Organization (WHO) recently came up with the Labour Care Guide (LCG). It is the revised version of the WHO partograph and focuses on timely clinical interventions and the importance of respectful maternity care. Various sections of LCG facilitate early identification of potential complications and timely referral when required. However, it was realized that there were some concerns while using the LCG at various sites particularly in developing countries like India. The present manuscript analyses the barriers in implementation of LCG and also suggests feasible measures that could be taken to overcome them.