No abstract

Objective (Background): The use of oral contraceptive pill is considered an acceptable practice worldwide. Socio-demographic patterns in Saudi Arabia are rapidly changing with time. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice among women in Jeddah towards the use of oral contraceptive pills. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire as a tool for data collection. Results: The study was conducted in Jeddah city in the Western region of Saudi Arabia between 2014-2015, 913 women were approached and 40 refused to participate (4.378% refusal rate). Out of those 873 who agreed to participate, 713 responded correctly and were included (78.09% response rate). Participants were grouped into six categories based on their age. The majority of the women polled were Saudis (71.4%). There was a positive correlation between the attitude of women towards the use of oral contraceptive pill and age (P-value < 0.001). Similar correlation was true also in the case of knowledge and the level of education towards the use of oral contraceptive pills. There was a significant correlation between marital status towards oral contraceptive pill use (P-value <0.001). Conclusions: This study should be extended to other regions of the kingdom. The results emphasize the need for women in Jeddah city as well as the rest of Saudi Arabia to be better educated, aware and informed about the different contraceptive methods available in order for them to make the right decision regarding the method they like to choose for birth control.

This retrospective chart review was conducted to determine the proportion of pregnant women with asymptomatic bacteriuria who were followed up at the antenatal clinics of King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah between January 2007 and January 2012. Clinical and paraclinical data were recorded for 337 women in their last trimester of pregnancy. The prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria in the cohort was 31.26%. The most frequently isolated bacteria included Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in 30.39% and 10.78% of the cases, respectively. In most cases, the isolated bacteria were sensitive to ampicillin (11.57%), amoxicillin (10.38%), and amikacin (5.63%). Most bacteria were resistant to nitrofurantoin (21.06%), tetracycline (21.06%) and cefixime (20.77%). The most common prescribed medications included multivitamins (n = 40; 11.87%), vitamin B12 (n = 47; 13.95%), folic acid (n = 45; 13.35%), and antibiotics (n = 43; 12.75%). Overall, it is possible that pregnant women with asymptomatic bacteriuria are undertreated at our institution. Gaps in the management of these patients should be identified to improve patient care.

Background: Women worldwide may experience excruciating pain during childbirth. Epidural analgesia, sometimes used to relieve pain, has been endorsed as a safe and efficient procedure. The objective of this survey was to evaluate the attitude of women towards the use of epidural analgesia. Materials and Methods: Data was collected via interviews based on a standard questionnaire and analyzed using the latest version of SPSS. Results: The results indicate that the participants were knowledgeable about the use of epidural analgesia and thought it should be available in future deliveries and cesarean sections. Those with a history of pregnancy thought that pain was unnecessary and that epidural analgesia should be made available. Safety concerns were the primary reason women gave for not wanting to use epidural analgesia. Educational level, income, age and health insurance status influenced women’s opinions concerning epidural analgesia use during labor. The main source of information reported was family and friends, followed by physician advice. Conclusion/Recommendation: Most women surveyed were informed about the use of epidural analgesia during labor. Although half believed labor pain was natural, they thought epidural analgesia should be administered to ease the pain, and 12.1% even felt that pain during delivery was unnecessary. These numbers suggest that the use of epidural analgesia for labor pain management is acceptable in this healthcare setting. However, a nationwide study with a larger sample size may be more informative owing to the significant association between socio-demographic factors and women's attitudes towards epidural analgesia use during labor.

Cervical pregnancy is a rare, potentially life-threatening condition that presents challenging management options. We report the cases of two patients: a 38-year-old, gravida 11 para 8+ 2 who presented with first-trimester vaginal bleeding and a 32-year-old female primigravida who presented in her ninth week of gestation with vaginal spotting and abdominal pain. Radiological and histopathological findings were consistent with cervical pregnancy in both cases, which were managed successfully with different approaches. Conservative management with intra-embryonic injection of potassium chloride was successful in the first case while dilatation and curettage after intramuscular methotrexate administration resolved the second patient's symptoms. Cervical pregnancy, when diagnosed early, can be successfully treated with medical therapy. Surgical intervention may be necessary, but adopting medical treatment as a first-line therapeutic option offers the advantage of uterine preservation.