The Writer as Poet-Creator in Yiorgos Cheimonas' Work

The article traces the lines in Yiorgos Cheimonas' work that sketch the portrait of a creator. What constitutes creation, in the sense of writing, what is the ambition of the subject that comes to speak poetically, that is to utter a speech so personal as universal? In a type of writing that faces literature, both poetry and prose, in a unique way it searches through the limits of writing and speech, the responsibility, the power and also the freedom of the creator. Through a very modern thinking about speech, as Cheimonas' is, very traditional concepts in the theological register, such as poiein, are examined

The experience of pregnancy with egg donation: a phenomenological study

The purpose of the present study was to explore the subjective experience of pregnant Greek women who had conceived their child through egg donation. Personal perceptions, beliefs, values and feelings in relation to the pregnancy of a genetically unrelated fetus were explored. Nine pregnant women aged 32 to 49 years participated in the study (mean 40, 8 years, S.D. ± 4, 9). Each woman was successively interviewed in three semi-structured interviews during the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and a phenomenological interpretative analysis was undertaken to identify common themes in the participants’ stories. From the narratives, the following six hyper-themes emerged: 1) Motives for motherhood 2) Attempting pregnancy, 3) Deciding on egg donation, 4) Concerns about the donor and 5) Experiencing pregnancy of a non-genetic child. The results showed that some pregnant women before deciding to have a child by egg donation and during the first trimester of pregnancy had related anxieties in accepting that they would not have a genetically related child. As pregnancy progressed, and maternal foetal bonding developed, difficulties receded. However, the investment in genetic ties continued as most women continued to hope that one day they may have a genetically related child without medical intervention. In conclusion, although egg donation pregnancy requires psychic work to define what it means having a non-genetically linked child, pregnancy seems to follow the normal route.Η παρούσα μελέτη είχε ως στόχο να μελετήσει διαχρονικά το βίωμα της εγκυμοσύνης Ελληνίδων που κυοφορούν έμβρυο η γονιμοποίηση του οποίου πραγματοποιήθηκε με δωρεά ωαρίου. Συγκεκριμένα, διερευνήθηκαν οι στάσεις, οι αντιλήψεις, οι πεποιθήσεις, οι αξίες καθώς και τα συναισθήματα των γυναικών που κυοφορούν μωρό με το οποίο δεν έχουν γενετική συγγένεια. Στην έρευνα συμμετείχαν εννέα εγκυμονούσες ηλικίας 32 έως 49 ετών (Μ.Ο. 40,8 έτη, Τ.Α. ± 4,9). Σε κάθε συμμετέχουσα πραγματοποιήθηκαν συνολικά τρεις ημι-δομημένες συνεντεύξεις στο τέλος του 1ου, 2ου και 3ου τριμήνου της εγκυμοσύνης. Από τον Απρίλιο 2014 έως τον Δεκέμβριο 2015 διεξήχθησαν συνολικά 27 συνεντεύξεις. Οι συνεντεύξεις απομαγνητοφωνήθηκαν κατά λέξη και αναλύθηκαν με βάση τις αρχές της ερμηνευτικής φαινομενολογικής ανάλυσης. Από την αφήγηση των γυναικών αναδύθηκαν τα παρακάτω πέντε υπερ-θέματα: 1) Κίνητρο για αναπαραγωγή, 2) Οι προσπάθειες για την απόκτηση παιδιού, 3) Η προοπτική της δωρεάς ωαρίων, 4) Θέματα σχετικά με τη δότρια και 5) Βιώνοντας την εγκυμοσύνη χωρίς γενετική συγγένεια. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι κάποιες συμμετέχουσες, πριν αποφασίσουν να αποκτήσουν παιδί με δωρεά ωαρίων και κατά τη διάρκεια του 1ου τριμήνου της εγκυμοσύνης, είχαν κάποιες ανησυχίες στην προσπάθειά τους να επεξεργαστούν ότι δεν θα αποκτήσουν παιδί που θα φέρει το δικό τους γενετικό υλικό. Ωστόσο, καθώς προχωρούσε η εγκυμοσύνη και ανέπτυξαν δεσμό με το έμβρυο που κυοφορούσαν, οι ανησυχίες περιορίστηκαν. Παρόλα αυτά, οι περισσότερες γυναίκες συνέχιζαν να ελπίζουν ότι κάποια μέρα ίσως θα αποκτούσαν ένα γενετικά συγγενές παιδί χωρίς ιατρική παρέμβαση. Συμπερασματικά, η εγκυμοσύνη με δωρεά ωαρίων απαιτεί μεν μία σύνθετη ψυχική διεργασία η οποία σχετίζεται με τα ζητήματα της υπογονιμότητας, την προσωπική ιστορία και τους μηχανισμούς αντιμετώπισης της κάθε γυναίκας, παρόλα αυτά, ωστόσο, ακολουθεί μία φυσιολογική πορεία

Case Report: Laparoscopic Management of an Ectopic Pregnancy in a Rudimentary Non-communicating Uterine Horn

Introduction: Ectopic pregnancy in a non-communicating rudimentary uterine horn is a rare gynecological condition associated with a high risk of uterine rupture and important maternal mortality and morbidity. A surgical excision of the rudimentary horn is the standard treatment, usually performed by laparotomy in the second trimester.Methods: A 36-year-old woman, secundigravida and nulliparous, was admitted to the emergency obstetric unit with acute pelvic pain. The ultrasound found an ectopic pregnancy at 15 weeks gestational age with fetal cardiac activity. As her hemodynamic status was stable, a diagnostic laparoscopy was performed and confirmed the development of the pregnancy in a left rudimentary uterine horn.Results: We report a total laparoscopic removal of a pre-ruptured rudimentary uterine horn containing a second trimester ectopic pregnancy, using a vessel-sealer device. To our knowledge, only three other cases of successful laparoscopic treatment of second trimester rudimentary horn pregnancies have been reported in the literature.Conclusion: Laparoscopy is an efficient and safe surgical option for treating rudimentary horn second trimester pregnancy in patients with hemodynamic stability

Robotically assisted laparoscopic lateral suspension: a step-by-step approach aiming to standardize a novel procedure

Introduction and hypothesis: The aim of this video is to show a step-by-step approach to robotically assisted laparoscopic lateral suspension for pelvic organ prolapse aiming to standardize this procedure. Methods: This video shows a robotically assisted laparoscopic approach to a POP-Q stage 3 prolapse with a combined anterior and apical defect. First, the trocars are positioned, with one 8-mm trocar, two lateral trocars 5 cm above the anterior-superior iliac spine, and a 10-mm assistant trocar either paraumbilically or suprapubically. Second, the uterovesical pouch is dissected up to 2 cm above the level of the bladder neck. The mesh is then fixed to the vesicovaginal fascia and to the isthmus uteri. Next, a laparoscopic forceps is inserted retroperitoneally through the lateral trocars and the lateral arms of the mesh are pulled retroperitoneally. The peritoneum of the uterovesical fold is sutured, including round ligament plication. Finally, the lateral arms of the peritoneum are fixed to the peritoneum of the abdominal wall. Conclusions: Robotically assisted laparoscopic lateral suspension is a safe alternative to laparoscopic and robotically assisted laparoscopic sacropexy and very well suited for uterine-preserving POP surgery. This video contributes to the standardization of this procedure, and we believe our video to be useful in helping urogynecologists to perform this innovative procedure.</p

Laparoscopic lateral suspension for anterior and apical prolapse: a prospective cohort with standardized technique

Laparoscopic lateral suspension (LLS) for anterior and apical pelvic organ prolapse (POP) repair is a recent approach. Previous studies used various meshes or sutures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes of a standardized LLS technique

Preservation of fertility in non-Peutz-Jegher syndrome-associated ovarian sex cord tumour with annular tubules

We report the successful conservative management of a non-Peutz-Jegher syndrome-associated ovarian sex cord tumour with annular tubules in a 32-year-old patient. The patient underwent a unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy by laparoscopy, and conceived spontaneously approximately 6 months after the diagnosis. After a normal term pregnancy, she underwent a contralateral laparoscopic salpingo-oophorectomy with hysterectomy. The patient is now on hormone replacement therapy and, after 30 months of follow-up, continues to present no sign of disease recurrence