Total body water (TBW) was measured early and late in a menstrual cycle in 56 women, 39 of whom had breast pain. The remainder were asymptomatic controls. Most women did not conform to the traditional view that there is a premenstrual increase in TBW. In some TBW decreased, while in others there was no change from the early cycle measurement. No TBW pattern correlated with any syndromes of breast pain or with any psychoneurotic profile.

The presence of tinnitus in pregnancy was investigated by a postal questionnaire survey. A group of pregnant women attending the ante-natal clinic and a control group of non-pregnant members of the nursing staff at the Royal United Hospital in Bath were studied. The prevalence of tinnitus in the pregnant and non-pregnant women was compared. Both groups were similar in age, previous noise exposure and the presence of ear disease or operations. Twenty-five per cent of the pregnant women reported tinnitus compared with 11% of the control group. Chi-square analysis of this data gives a value of chi 2 = 4.07, d.f. = 1, P < 0.05. The result of our survey shows that there is significantly increased prevalence of tinnitus in pregnant women compared with a similar non-pregnant control group. This association has not been previously reported.