Young women's continued use of oral contraceptives over other hormonal methods: findings from a qualitative study

Background Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) have become more commonly promoted in the UK, but most young women still rely on the contraceptive pill. Here, we describe young women's accounts of hormonal contraceptive use to explore why this might be the case. Methods In-depth interviews with twenty 20-year-old women from eastern Scotland in the UK. Results All but one woman reported use of the pill. It was the method they expected to use, sought out, and received. Belief in the pill's efficacy was maintained even when knowledge or experience of failure suggested otherwise. Only four women reported using alternative hormonal methods and only did so after experiencing unmanageable problems with the pill (side effects or forgetting to take it). All then discontinued use because of weight gain or dislike of menstrual suppression. Conclusions Attempts to promote LARC must address these issues. Pill use can be unproblematic if managed well, and should continue to be promoted as an appropriate contraceptive for young women

Distúrbios nutricionais em atletas femininas e suas inter-relações Nutrition disorders in female athletes and their interrelationships

Pesquisas indicam que é elevada a prevalência de distúrbios alimentares em atletas femininas jovens envolvidas em esportes que preconizam a magreza e o baixo peso corporal, tais como ginástica olímpica e corridas de longa distância. A fim de compreender a etiologia destes problemas, esta revisão apresenta os principais distúrbios nutricionais encontrados em atletas femininas, incluindo definições, critérios para diagnóstico, fatores de risco, presença de desordens inter-relacionadas - anemia, irregularidades menstruais e desmineralização óssea e suas conseqüências sobre a saúde e rendimento atlético. É fundamental ressaltar a importância da nutrição no desempenho físico. A presença de um baixo peso corporal e um consumo energético severamente restrito é o principal fator de risco para o desenvolvimento de tais distúrbios. Como as atletas e seus treinadores não apresentam adequados conhecimentos sobre nutrição, é necessária uma orientação nutricional individualizada, de forma a evitar o desenvolvimento destas alterações.<br>Researches have indicated that the prevalence of nutrition disorders is high among young female athletes engaged in sports that emphasize the importance of leanness and low body weight, such as olympic gymnastics and distance running. In order to understand the etiology of these problems, this review presents the main nutrition disorders in female athletes, including definitions, diagnostic criteria, risk factors, presence of interrelated disorders (anemia, menstrual irregularities and failure of bone mineralization) and their consequences on health and athletic performance. It is fundamental to point out the importance of nutrition on physical performance. The presence of a low body weight and a very restricted energy intake is the principal risk factor for the development of nutritional disturbances. The athletes and their coaches do not have an apropriate knowledge about nutrition, so it is necessary an individualized nutritional orientation to avoid the development of these disturbances