Received 8 February 2012 Accepted 9 August 2012 Background There is a live moral debate in the UK over the independence of specialised private and non-profit abortion clinics – notably Marie Stopes and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) – that are licensed to provide state-funded abortion services, including pre-abortion counselling to discuss options and future contraceptive methods...

The prevalence of Down syndrome was studied among all live births occurring between 1989 and 1991 in the California counties monitored by the California Birth Defects Monitoring Program. Objectives of this study were: 1) to calculate adjusted prevalence rates and quinquennial maternal age-specific risk rates of Down syndrome after adjusting for elective abortion of prenatally diagnosed fetuses;...

BACKGROUND Hydrosalpinges have adverse effects on IVF outcomes. Salpingectomy is effective in improving outcomes, but it is not always practical or safe. Ultrasound-guided aspiration of hydrosalpinges at oocyte collection is an option for those who develop hydrosalpinges during controlled ovarian stimulation; however, there is no randomized evidence to show whether this practice is effective. ...

INTRODUCTION Copper is essential micronutrient and has an important role in the human body. The serum copper increases during pregnancy and is doubled at full term. Lower levels of serum copper in pregnancy are connected with some pathological conditions. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to estimate the levels of serum copper in normal and pathological pregnancies, comparing them with valu...

Ficus capensis, a wild fig tree is used in herbal medicines to treat pregnancy related ailment and most especially as a remedy for threatened abortion. The purpose of this study was to investigate this claim with view to validating scientifically the ethno-medicinal usage. The ethanolic extract obtained by maceration technique was subjected to pharmacological testing in vitro on a piece of isol...