Objectives The aim of the study was to determine whether a decrease in sexual desire is more prevalent among women using hormonal contraception than among women using hormone-free contraception, and whether a decrease increases the risk of changing to another contraceptive method. Methods A validated questionnaire was posted to 3740 women (aged 22, 25 or 28 years) living in Sweden. Descriptive statistics were used to present the results; differences between groups were tested using χ(2) analyses. A multiple logistic regression model was used for analysis of possible confounders. Results The response rate was 50%. The majority (81%) of respondents used some kind of contraception, and 88% were generally satisfied with the method used. Regardless of the type of method, 27% of hormonal contraceptive users reported a decrease in sexual desire that they attributed to their use of hormonal contraception, whereas only 12% of women using hormone-free contraception reported a decrease in sexual desire (p<0.01). This twofold risk of a decrease in sexual desire was shown in the multiple regression analysis to be independent of age group, depression, BMI, educational level and parity. However, having a partner was found to be a factor of equal importance: women with partners experienced reduced desire twice as often as women without partners. The observed odds ratio for planning to stop hormonal contraception or to change to a different type due to reduced desire was 8.16 (95% confidence interval 6.65-10.1) among women who had had the same experience during a previous period of hormonal contraceptive use. Conclusions Women using hormonal contraception were more likely to experience reduced sexual desire compared with women using hormone-free contraception. Experiencing reduced desire was a strong predictive factor for women to change contraceptive method.

Objectives: Hot flushes and night sweats affect 75% of all women after menopause and is a common reason for decreased quality of life in mid-aged women. Hormone therapy is effective in ameliorating symptoms but cannot be used by all women due to contraindications and side effects. Engagement in regular exercise is associated with fewer hot flushes in observational studies, but aerobic exercise has not proven effective in randomized controlled trials. It remains to be determined whether resistance training is effective in reducing hot flushes and improves quality of life in symptomatic postmenopausal women. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of standardized resistance training on hot flushes and other health parameters in postmenopausal women. Study design: This is an open, parallel-group, randomized controlled intervention study conducted in Linkoping, Sweden. Sixty symptomatic and sedentary postmenopausal women with a mean of at least four moderate to severe hot flushes per day or 28 per week will be randomized to an exercise intervention or unchanged physical activity (control group). The intervention consists of 15 weeks of standardized resistance training performed three times a week under supervision of a physiotherapist. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome is hot flush frequency assessed by self-reported hot flush diaries, and the difference in change from baseline to week 15 will be compared between the intervention group and the control group. Conclusion: The intention is that this trial will contribute to the evidence base regarding effective treatment for hot flushes. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

To determine the 1-year self-reported incidence of overuse and traumatic sport injuries and risk factors for injuries in children participating in a summer sports camp representing seven different sports. 4363 children, 11 to 15 years old participating in a summer camp in seven different sports answered a questionnaire. Injury in this cross-sectional study was defined as a sport-related trauma or overload leading to pain and dysfunction preventing the person from participation in training or competition for at least 1 week. A number of risk factors for injury were investigated such as sex, age, number of hours spent on training in general, and on resistance training with weights. Nearly half [49%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 48–51%] of the participants had been injured as a result of participation in a sport during the preceding year, significantly more boys than girls (53%, 95% CI 50–55% vs 46%, 95% CI 43–48%; P < 0.001). Three factors contributed to increased incidence of sport injuries: age, sex, and resistance training with weights. Time spent on resistance training with weights was significantly associated with sport injuries in a logistic regression analysis. In children age 11 to 15 years, the risk of having a sport-related injury increased with age and occurred more often in boys than in girls. Weight training was the only modifiable risk factor that contributed to a significant increase in the incidence of sport injuries.

This study tested how the flip angle affects body composition analysis by MRI, if adipose tissue is used as an internal intensity reference. Whole-body water-fat images with flip angle 5° and 10° were collected from 29 women in an ongoing study. The images were calibrated based on the adipose tissue signal and whole-body total adipose, lean and soft tissue volumes were measured. A mean difference of 0.29 L, or 0.90 % of the average volume, and a coefficient of variation of 0.40 % was observed for adipose tissue.

Quantitative and exact measurements of fat and muscle in the body are important when addressing some of the greatest health-challenges today. In this study whole-body combined regional muscle and fat volume quantification was validated in a group of postmenopausal women, where the body composition is changing. Twelve subjects were scanned with a 4-echo 3D gradient-echo sequence. Water and fat image volumes were calculated using IDEAL, and image intensity correction was performed. Subsequently, automatic tissue segmentation was established using non-rigid morphon based registration. Whole-body regional fat and muscle segmentation could be performed with excellent test-retest reliability, in a single 7-minutes MR-scan.

Studies on graduates’ transitions from education into clinical work highlight inequalities concerning how women and men experience their professional learning and development. This study explores how female and male students from different programs within the health care education system, i.e. medicine, nursing, occupational therapy and physiotherapy programmes, experience an IPTW as a part of their professional identity formation.

Students from the medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy programmes collaborate in teams during two weeks at one of three IPTWs at the medical school, Linköping University. They together take the responsibility for diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of the patients, albeit with professional supervisors as support. During 2010 to 2011 454 (93%) of the 488 students who practiced at the IPTWs answered a questionnaire on their experiences of the IPTW. The students stated that the IPTW had positively influenced their professional development. The female and male medical students were significantly less positive than other female and male students, respectively, concerning the value of IPTW. The male students from all programmes were slightly, but significantly, less positive than all the female students. These findings show that students “do gender” as an integral part of the educational practice. It is important to scrutinize the IPTW as an educational practice, influencing students’ preparation for future work. Gender should be discussed during the IPTW rotation but also in general during the curriculum for all healthcare programmes.

STUDY QUESTION Are Swedish women age 40–44 years with assumed early menopause ‘undertreated’ by hormone therapy (HT)?

SUMMARY ANSWER Many women with probable early menopause discontinue their HT after a short period of time. Thus, they fail to complete the recommended replacement up to age 51–52 years, the average age of menopause.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Spontaneous early menopause occurs in ∼5% of women age 40–45 years. Regardless of the cause, women who experience hormonal menopause due to bilateral oophorectomy before the median age of spontaneous menopause are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, osteoporosis, psychiatric illness and even death.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION The study is descriptive, and epidemiological and was based on the use of national registers of dispensed drug prescriptions (HT) linking registers from the National Board of Health and Welfare and Statistics Sweden from 1 July 2005 until 31 December 2011.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS The study population consisted of 310 404 women, 40–44 years old on 31 December 2005 who were followed from 1 July 2005 until 31 December 2011.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Only 0.9% of women 40–44 years old started HT during the study period. A majority of these women used HT <1 year.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION We do not know the indications that led to the prescription of HT but assume that early onset of menopause was the main reason. Because of the study design—making a retrospective study of registers—we can only speculate on the reasons for most of the women in this group discontinuing HT. Another limitation of this study is that we have a rather short observation time. However, we have up to now only been able to collect and combine the data since July 2005.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS As the occurrence of spontaneous early menopause in women age 40–45 is reported to be ∼5%, the fact that <1% of Swedish women age 40–44 are prescribed HT, and can be shown also to have had the medication dispensed at a pharmacy suggests an unexpectedly low treatment rate. Some women with early menopause may have used combined contraceptives as supplementation therapy, but in Sweden HT is the recommended treatment for early menopause so any such women are not following this recommendation. Women who experience early menopause are at increased risk for overall morbidity and mortality, and can expect to benefit from HT until they have reached at least the median age of spontaneous menopause. It is therefore important to individualize the information given these women and to convey new knowledge in this area to gynaecologists and physicians in general as well as the recommendation that women in this group continue HT at least until the average age for spontaneous menopause is reached.

Objectives The use of hormone therapy (HT) for hot flushes has changed dramatically over the past five decades. In this cross-sectional questionnaire study, the aim was to describe the use of HT and alternative treatments and to study the frequency of hot flushes. A further aim was to compare data from the present questionnaire with data from previous studies made in the same geographic area. Method A questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 2000 women aged 47-56 years living in Ostergotland County, Sweden. The results were compared with findings from previous studies regarding use of HT, alternative treatment and hot flushes, and the number of HT prescriptions dispensed during the corresponding time using data derived from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Registry. Results The response rate was 66%. Six percent used HT, in line with prevalence data from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Registry. Alternative treatments were used by 10%. About 70% of postmenopausal women reported flushes and almost one-third of those with flushes stated that they would be positive to HT if therapy could be shown to be harmless, a view more often stated by women with severe complaints of hot flushes (67%). Conclusion The use of HT and alternative treatments is low and many women suffer from flushes that could be treated. Women considered their knowledge of the climacteric period and treatment options as insufficient. Individualized information should be given and women with significant climacteric complaints, without contraindications, should be given the opportunity to try HT.

Objective: Incidence and disease course of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is influenced by sex steroids and several studies have shown less disease activity during high estrogen states. We have earlier shown variation in symptom experience related to estrogen/progestogen phase in women using combined hormonal contraceptives (CHC) in a small sample. The aim of this study was confirm these results in a larger sample.

Design: Self-assessment of symptoms of MS in relation to CHC cycle or menstrual cycle. Sample: Twenty-three female MS patients using CHC. Control groups were female MS patients without hormonal contraception and healthy women with CHC and without hormonal contraception.

Methods: All women filled out a symptom diary based on a validated instrument for cyclical symptoms.

Main Outcome measures: Mean scores for high and low estrogen/progestogen phases were compared.

Results: The women with MS using combined hormonal contraceptives scored all symptoms higher during the pill-free week than during the CHC-phase and the scores for vertigo, weakness, urinary symptoms and stiffness were significantly higher during the seven days without CHC (p < 0.05). No such relation was found in the group of women with MS not using any hormonal contraception. Women without MS did not report any symptoms at all.

Conclusion: Women with MS report more pronounced symptoms during the lowestrogen/ progestogen phase of CHC use. Future studies should investigate, with a prospective, controlled design, which effects continuous-use regimens of CHC have in women with MS.

Objective: Menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats may persist for 10 to 20 years or even longer. Information about the extent to which older women use hormone therapy is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the use of hormone therapy in Swedish women aged 80 years or older.Methods: The study is based on national register data on dispensed drug prescriptions (ie, prescribed therapy that has been provided to individuals by pharmacies) for hormone therapy and local low-dose estrogens.Results: Of 310,923 Swedish women who were aged at least 80 years, 609 (0.2%) were new users of hormone therapy. A total of 2,361 women (0.8%) were current users of hormone therapy. The median duration of hormone therapy use in new users was 257 days (25th to 75th percentiles, 611-120 d). About one in six women aged 80 years or older had used local vaginal estrogen therapy for at least four 3-month periods. The drugs were mainly prescribed by gynecologists and general practitioners.Conclusions: Our results show that a number of women aged 80 years or older still use hormone therapy and that most women who started a new treatment period had only one or two dispensations despite the median duration of treatment being more than half a year. Because at least some of the women aged 80 years or older who used hormone therapy probably did so owing to persistent climacteric symptoms, vasomotor symptoms and hormone therapy are still relevant issues that need to be discussed when counseling women around and after age 80.