Menstruation Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Menstruation, including details on menstrual cycle, pregnancy, pain, irregular menstruation.

The implications of objectification theory for women's health: menstrual suppression and "maternal request" cesarean delivery.

Andrist LC

Professor and Director, Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. landrist@mghihp.edu

Menstrual suppression with oral contraceptives and cesarean delivery on maternal request (CDMR) are relatively new options for women and increasingly are available, particularly in developed countries, around the world. In this article, I explore these issues using objectification theory as a framework for deconstruction. I offer a provocative hypothesis: Women who objectify their bodies are not only interested in menstrual suppression, but also in surgicalized childbirth at their request. I argue that because patriarchal societies have aligned women's reproductive functions with nature, disinterest in menstruation and vaginal childbirth has become another way for women to separate themselves from their "earthly" nature and transform or maintain their bodies as idealized cultural symbols.

Published 25 April 2008 in Health Care Women Int, 29(5): 551-65.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

Articles on Menstruation published 22 April 2008:

Acute treatment and prevention of menstrually related migraine headache: evidence-based review.   Neurology, 70(17): 1555-63.

Menstrually related migraine (MRM) headache is common in women and associated with substantial disability. Compared to nonmenstrual migraine, MRM attacks are more severe, longer in duration, and have a poorer response to analgesics. The purpose of this guideline is to provide a systematic review and meta-analysis of the existing therapy trials for MRM and evidence-based recommendations for acute and short-term preventive treatment of MRM headache. Prospective, double-blind, randomized ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Menstruation published 14 April 2008:

Progesterone supplementation during the luteal phase and in early pregnancy in the treatment of infertility: an educational bulletin.   Fertil Steril, 89(4): 789-92.

Exogenous P supplementation is a common element of treatment regimens for infertility, particularly those relating to the assisted reproductive technologies. [Abstract] [Full-text]

Luteal supplementation in in vitro fertilization: more questions than answers.   Fertil Steril, 89(4): 749-58.

OBJECTIVE: To update clinicians on different regimens of luteal phase supplementation in IVF-stimulated cycles and to identify areas that need further research in this subject. DESIGN: Literature review and critical analysis of published studies on luteal phase supplementation during the last 20 years. CONCLUSION(S): Luteal phase supplementation in IVF-stimulated cycles, both in gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist and antagonist protocols, is considered an essential requirement for optimal ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Statistically significant changes of antimüllerian hormone and inhibin levels during the physiologic menstrual cycle in reproductive age women.   Fertil Steril, 89(4): 927-33.

OBJECTIVE: To define the dynamics of antimüllerian hormone (AMH) and inhibins during the physiologic menstrual cycle. DESIGN: Longitudinal study. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENT(S): 36 young, healthy, normal weight Caucasian women without medication. INTERVENTION(S): Normal ovulatory menstrual cycles were evaluated by regular blood sampling taken every other day and periovulatory every day. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Serum concentrations of AMH, inhibin A and B, follicle-stimulating ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Menstruation published 28 March 2008:

Menstrual cycle-related changes in circulating androgens in healthy women with self-reported normal sexual function.   J Sex Med, 5(4): 854-63.

INTRODUCTION: There is currently neither a clinically useful, reliable and inexpensive assay to measure circulating levels of free testosterone (T) in the range observed in women, nor is there agreement on the serum free T threshold defining hypoandrogenism that is associated with female-impaired sexual function. AIM: Following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines, we generated clinically applicable ranges for circulating androgens during specific phases of the menstrual ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Menstruation published 12 March 2008:

Expected day of delivery from ultrasound dating versus last menstrual period--obstetric outcome when dates mismatch.   BJOG, 115(5): 585-9.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the association between fetal size at time of dating ultrasound and risk for preterm delivery and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth and to evaluate if timing of ultrasound, that is before 14 weeks of gestation or after 16 weeks affects this association. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Ultrasound departments of Ultragyn, Stockholm, Sweden. POPULATION: A total of 28,776 singleton pregnancies dated between 1998 and 2004. METHODS: Obstetric outcome was ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Menstruation published 11 March 2008:

The effect of luteal phase vaginal estradiol supplementation on the success of in vitro fertilization treatment: a prospective randomized study.   Fertil Steril, 89(3): 554-61.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the use of luteal phase vaginal E(2) supplementation improves clinical pregnancy rates in patients undergoing IVF treatment. DESIGN: Prospective randomized controlled trial. SETTING: University-based tertiary fertility center. PATIENT(S): One hundred sixty-six patients undergoing their first cycle of IVF treatment. INTERVENTION(S): Patients underwent three different protocols for controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for IVF treatment with long GnRH agonist ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Menstruation published 7 March 2008:

Porcine luteal function in relation to IGF-1 levels following ovulation during lactation or after weaning.   Reprod Domest Anim, 43(2): 131-6.

This study presents relationships between peripheral progesterone and Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations during the early luteal phase in sows. Data were derived from three experiments, one with primiparous weaned sows (n = 21) and two with multiparous sows that either ovulated during lactation (n = 23) or after weaning (n = 12). The sows that ovulated during lactation did so due to an intermittent suckling regime (inhibition of suckling for 12 h each day from day 14 of ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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