Mohammed H. Addar

Age at menarche and the reproductive performance of Saudi women.

Background Saudi Arabia has undergone substantial development in the recent past with concomitant changes in living conditions, and economic and general health status that have affected the age at menarche in Saudi women. We evaluated the current age at menarche and reproductive events among Saudi women. Subjects and Methods Age, age at menarche, age at marriage, age of first pregnancy, number of children, and number of abortions were collected for Saudi women attending King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) over a 3-month period in 2002. Results For 989 Saudi women, the mean age at menarche was 13.05 years. There was a decrease in the age of menarche over the past 20 years, an increase in the age of marriage, age of first pregnancy, and a decrease in the number of children and abortions. Compared with data from two decades, the age at menarche decreased significantly from 13.22 to 13.05 years. Conclusion The decrease in the age of menarche among Saudi women indicates better socioeconomic status and improvements in health.

Multiple pregnancy management: The King Khalid University Hospital experience.

This review analyzes the multiple pregnancies in King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) from January 1985 to December 1989. Over this period, the incidence of multiple pregnancy was found to be 10.25/1000. The study confirms a higher incidence of complications among multiple pregnancy cases. For example, the cesarean section rate was 32.2% as compared with 3.6% for the single pregnancies, and the neonatal deaths occurred in a higher number (3.3%) as compared to 1.0% in the controls. However, even though the overall prematurity rate (</=34 weeks) of 18.2% is high, this is lower than in other reports.

Recurrent stage I borderline serous ovarian tumor.

Borderline ovarian tumors (BOT) are epithelial tumors with a low rate of growth and low malignant potential (LMP). They account for 5%-20% of all ovarian tumors. These tumors tend to occur in younger patients and often in a stage of disease earlier than the invasive epithelial carcinomas. In about 50% of cases the tumors are discovered through incidental examinations. However patients may present with diverse symptoms including abdominal pain distension abnormal bleeding urinary symptoms or primary infertility. The overall recurrence rate of the disease is 4.6% compared with 2.1% for stage I disease 7.1% for stage II and 14.4% for stages III and IV of the disease. Long-term follow-up of patients with BOT is required as the tumor can recur up to 20 years after the initial diagnosis especially in later stages. In contrast however stage I serous ovarian BOT rarely if ever recurs. (excerpt)