INTRODUCTIONMaternal health care is important for better maternal, perinatal and infant health outcomes. High maternal and neonatal mortality rates are associated with inadequate and poor quality maternal health care, including antenatal care, skilled attendant at birth and postnatal care. Hence achieving MDG goal on maternal health requires providing high quality pregnancy and delivery care, improving sexual and reproductive health care and universal access to all its aspects.1-3 Antenatal care is recognized as a key maternal service in improving a wide range of health outcomes for women and children. It provides an opportunity to provide interventions for improving maternal nutrition, to encourage skilled attendant at birth and use of facilities for emergency obstetric care. 1,4 In any community, mothers and children constitute a priority group. In India, woman of the child-bearing age (15-44 years) constitute 22.2% and children <15 years of age about 35.3% of the total population. Together they constitute nearly 57.5% of the population.5 Pregnancy and child birth constitute significant events in the life of a woman. In this aspect, care of mother and child occupies a paramount place in our health service delivery system. 'MCH' refers to the promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative health care for mothers and children's. ABSTRACTBackground: Maternal health has ever been a serious matter of concern worldwide. In developing countries like India, maternal health care services are not sufficient as per requirement, which ultimately leads to maternal deaths triggering a challenge to achieve improve maternal health (i.e. MDG 5). Therefore the present study has tried to focus on the utilization of ante-natal care services by pregnant women by their demographic and socio economic characteristics. Method: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted on 3rd trimester pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in tertiary care hospital by convenience sampling method over a period of 2 year including 407 women after taking consent using semi structured questionnaire including information of socio demographic profile, antenatal health checkup and later followed up to note mode of delivery. Data was analyzed using MS excel 10.0 and SPSS 20.0 Results: out of total 407 respondents, 78.62% were in the age group of 20-30 years, 10.07% were illiterate, and 71.01% belonged to lower class. Majority (42.01%) were registered in 2nd trimester, 50.89% primipara registered in 1st trimester (p<0.0001). 69.53% and 30.47% had >4 and <4 visits respectively. 83.29% had regular IFA consumption and 100% had inj. TT. 78% delivered by normal vaginal delivery and 22% by LSCS. Conclusion: Ante natal care utilization in the view of early registration and regular visits to health care Centre seems to be very important.

Background: In developing countries reproductive tract infections (RTI) and sexually transmitted infections (STI) continue to present a major public health problem. Women in India had very low knowledge in sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS. It is found that many of the RTI/STI is preventable and curable. The occurrence of STI/RTI among married women is quite high. Hence, this study will be carried out to assess prevalence of STI/RTI in the married women of reproductive age group in an urban slum.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the general OPD of Urban Health Centre, Mumbai during the period of 1st July 2015 to 31st July 2015. The data of 180 women in the reproductive age group of 15 to 49 years was collected by Pretested, semi structure interview schedule and statistically analyzed.Results: In the present study, the prevalence of STIs/RTIs symptoms was found to be 35.6%. Maximum prevalence of the symptoms among the study subjects found to be higher in the age group of 35 years and above (40.4%), in illiterate women (53.7%), women having one or two children (52.7%), women using IUD (50%) and women having per capita income <Rs. 5000/- (45.2%).Conclusions: There is a need for preventing new STI/RTI cases by educating people about the common symptoms, common methods of transmission, complications and preventive measures.

A b s t r a c tBackground: Puberty is transformation of the child into an adult. It includes all the events of somatic and mental maturation. Secondary sex characters were also a part of this period. The objective was to assess the pattern of sexual maturation of adolescent school girls in rural India. Methods: This was a community based cross sectional study conducted among school children of Sevanand High school, Mahadula, Nagpur. 322 girls in the age group of 10-18 years were assessed for sexual maturation. The pubertal evaluation was made with reference to Tanner stages and grading was done as per Tanner's scale. For statistical analysis, median and standard error along with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using Epi Info statistical package programme version 6.0 updated 2009. Statistical significance was assessed at a type I error rate of 0.05. Results: We found that pubertal changes appeared earlier in girls. The first to appear was breast development at a median age of 10.40 years. The last to appear was pubic hair development (PH5) at median age 16.87 years, the total time taken for complete sexual maturation being 6.38 years. Median age of menarche was found to be13.18 years. Conclusion:The pattern of sexual maturation in rural adolescent school children revealed that though puberty set in earlier in girls, but took longer time for complete maturation.

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