BACKGROUND: Domestic violence against pregnant women in the Indian context, violence against women is frequently by family members other than the spouse/ intimate partner/husband. AIMS: To study the incidence of domestic violence in pregnant North Indian women and the demographic features which put women at high risk for domestic violence. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh from January 2004 to December 2004. PARTICIPANTS: Nine hundred and ninety-one pregnant women admitted to the pregnant women admitted to the antenatal ward were interviewed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Test of significance used was Chi-square test. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated. RESULTS: The incidence of domestic violence in this study was 28.4%. The violence was more when the husband was educated up to Class 10 level or lower (OR 2.07 (95%) CI 1.54 to 2.79), was habituated to alcohol (OR 2.31 (95%) CI 1 -71 to 3.11) or to chewing tobacco (OR 2.77 (95%) CI 1.46 to 3.27) or to smoking cigarettes (OR 2.23 (95%) CI 1.59 to 3.11). The incidence of domestic violence was drastically high in women who were socially unsupported (OR 98.9 (95%) CI 43.65 to 235.68). The level of education and employment of the woman had no effect on the incidence of the abuse. The perpetrator of the abuse was the intimate partner (husband) in 48.2%, the husband's mother in 61.3%, and the husband's sister in 22.6%. Most often the abuse was by more than one person. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of abuse was more when the male partner was less educated or in the habit of taking alcohol, opium or tobacco and in socially unsupported women. The level of education and employment of the woman had no effect on the incidence of abuse.

Markers of bone formation in serum include total and bone specific alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin and Type 1 collagen carboxy terminal extension peptide. Bone resorption can be assessed by measuring plasma tartarate resistant acid phosphtase and urinary excretion of collagen degradation products: hydroxyproline, hydroxylysine glycosides and more recently the pyridinium crosslinks and associated peptides. We compared the excretion of hydroxyproline in women of reproductive age group to those of menopausal age group and found a significant difference in the two age groups. Udnary hydroxyproline was found to be significantly raised in post menopausal women. Thus hydroxyproline maybe used as the earliest indicator in the prognostic assessment of postmenopausal women of their risk of developing osteoporosis and fracture.

Approximately 250 cases of leiomyoma of the vagina have been reported. A case of a 46-year-old female with leiomyoma of the anterior vaginal wall, not associated with uterine leiomyomas is presented. The practical approach to such a vaginal mass entails immediate careful excision.

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An extremely rare case of vaginal birth of preterm conjoined thoracopagus twins diagnosed after delivery is being described and brief review of literature discussed.