Background: The recommended interval between pregnancies is at least 24 months in order to reduce the risk of adverse maternal, perinatal and infant outcomes. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India has taken initiative for provision of IUCD in immediate postpartum period. Several training programs and awareness camps are conducted by NHM for health service providers and also for the public.  The aim of the study was to determine proportion of women accepting post placental intrauterine Contraceptive Device insertion, and to describe the factors associated with acceptability and non-acceptance.Methods: The study was conducted at the Government Medical College Thrissur, Kerala, India and study period was 1 year (2014-2015). The study population included women who planned to deliver at Government Medical College, Thrissur during the study period including vaginal and caesarean section.Results: The awareness regarding PPIUCD was only 11.1% whereas for interval IUCD it was 94.9%. The acceptance rate of PPIUCD was very low (10.5%). The most common reason to accept was its long action (68.5%) The most common reason for rejection was that they wanted permanent sterilisation. The other reasons for non-acceptance include unwillingness of husband, fear of complications etc.Conclusions: The acceptance rate was very low even though majority of the study population were well educated. The most common reason for acceptance was long action followed by reversibility.The reasons for refusal like unwillingness of husband, fear of complications etc. can be overcome by proper counselling and public awareness programs.

BACKGROUNDAbnormal uterine bleeding can be defined as any bleeding from the genital tract, which is a deviation from the normal in frequency, cyclicity or quantity. The differential diagnosis of abnormal uterine bleeding includes organic causes that may be subdivided into reproductive tract disease, iatrogenic causes and systemic disease. Thyroid dysfunction is one of the causes included in the systemic diseases.This study was done to know the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in women presenting with abnormal uterine bleeding.

Background: India is the second most populous country in the world, sustaining 17.01% of world population on 2.4% of world’s surface area. Indian women have more children than desired and often too close together. Family Planning can have a positive impact on population growth, maternal mortality, and infant and new-born outcomes. In spite of availability of wide range of contraceptives, the unmet need for family planning is estimated to be 12.8%. The purpose of this study is to assess awareness of the effective use of contraceptive methods among pregnant women, which will provide useful information for future intervention strategies and the reduction of unwanted pregnancies.Methods: The study was conducted at the Government Medical College Thrissur, Kerala and study period was 1year (2014-2015). The awareness and contraceptive practices of 514 pregnant women who were admitted for delivery were assessed by using questionnaire. The data was entered in MS excel sheet and analysed using SPSS software.Results: the awareness regarding barrier method of contraception was maximum. (96.7%), followed by permanent methods (96.8%), IUCD (94.9%) and natural methods (92.6%). Around 71.6% of the study population has used some form of contraception. The most commonly contraceptive method was natural methods (69.6%) followed by barrier method (59.9%). IUCD was the method which was least practiced (2.9%) followed by OC pills (19.1%).Conclusions: Even though women are well aware of most of the contraceptive methods, the percentage of women using it is very low. This shows that there is good knowledge regarding contraceptive methods, but a change is needed in the attitude and practice.

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Background: Advanced maternal age defined as age 35 years and older at estimated date of delivery has become increasingly common in last two to three decades. The International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics in 1958 recommended that all women going through their first pregnancy over the age of 35 years should be considered high risk for pregnancy and included in this category 1.Methods: A one-year prospective observational study conducted in a tertiary care hospital after institutional ethical clearance. All 165 women above 35yrs who delivered during this period were taken as Cohort 1. Same number of women aged between 20 and 34 years were randomly selected as comparison group (Cohort 2). Both the groups were compared in terms of preexisting medical disorders, obstetrical morbidities, antenatal complications, intrapartum complications.Results: Older and younger women had similar antenatal booking, occupational and socioeconomic status. The main reason for pregnancy at advanced age group was late marriage. The risk of chronic hypertension, gestational diabetes mellitus, pre-existing medical disorders were higher in advanced maternal age.Conclusions: Increasing maternal age is associated with elevated risks for pregnancy complications. They are at high risk for gestational diabetes, cesarean section and to have low birth weight babies. Since these women are at higher risk of complications, they should be advised to adhere to frequent antenatal visits and close supervision.