Biomedical subjects
M S Buckingham
Publications and source records attributed to M S Buckingham.
Studies on low dose oral contraceptives: plasma hormone changes in relation to deliberate pill ('Microgynon 30') omission.
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Serum-prolactin in female infertility.
55 of 100 new female patients attending an infertility clinic had serum-prolactin concentrations greater than the upper limit of normal (360 mU/l). There was no significant correlation between serum-prolactin value and clinical features including age, duration of infertility, past reproduction, menstrual pattern, past use of oral contraception, or pregnancy-rate after treatment. The place of serum-prolactin estimations in the management of infertile women is unclear, particularly since the precision of currently available radioimmunoassays is questionable. The major value of serum-prolactin estimations lies in identifying those patients in whom further investigation for pituitary tumour is indicated both before treatment and during any ensuing pregnancy, and in selecting patients suitable for bromocriptine therapy.
Comparison of plasma hormone changes using a "conventional" and a "paper" pill formulation of a low-dose oral contraceptive.
Two formulations of a low-dose oral contraceptive (Microgynon: 150 microgram of levonorgestrel [NG] +30 micrograms of ethynylestradiol [EE2]) were studied. The first was the "conventional" pill; the second was a "paper" pill prepared by evaporation of aliquots of a solution of the component steroids onto squares of edible cellulose separated by perforations, similar to a sheet of postage stamps. The effects of the two formulations on plasma levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), 17beta-estradiol (E2), and progesterone were compared. Samples of blood were obtained from five women during a treatment period on the "conventional" pill and from five on the "paper" pill. When possible, blood samples were also obtained from a "control" cycle of each of these female subjects. Plasma LH, FSH, E2, and progesterone levels were determined by specific radioimmunoassay methods during control and treatment periods and NG and EE2 levels during treatment periods. Eight-hour plasma profiles for NG and EE2 at the beginning and in the later stage of the treatment periods were obtained and these samples were also analyzed for LH, FSH, E2, and progesterone. Results showed that with one exceptcrogynon were equally effective in suppressing ovulation. As in a previous study, FSH levels appeared to be one of the most sensitive indices of suppression.
Bromocriptine in the treatment of secondary amenorrhoea and ovarian dysfunction in hyper- and normo-prolactinaemic patients.
The clinical use of bromocriptine (2.5 mg twice daily) was investigated in 40 women attending an infertility clinic and presenting with secondary amenorrhoea (18) or with ovarian dysfunction (22) which had failed to respond to anti-oestrogen therapy. Patients in each group were sub-divided into those with raised and those with normal prolactin levels, and re-examined at 3 and 12 months after the start of treatment. The results confirmed that bromocriptine is effective in the treatment of hyperprolactinaemic states whether there is amenorrhoea or not. Moreover, in cases of ovarian dysfunction as well as of amenorrhoea where the prolactin levels were within the normal range, there was evidence to suggest that bromocriptine can be associated with a return of ovulation, although the mechanism by which it might do so still needs evaluation.
Sexual knowledge and attitudes of Southampton medical students.
A survey of three groups of medical students at the University of Southampton--each group being at a different stage in the course--was carried out in order to establish how far sexual attitudes and knowledge were influenced by the curriculum. Few changes in attitude were recorded, but knowledge of sexual matters was found to have increased in the students who had completed the third year of the course, compared with the level of knowledge assessed in those who were about to begin their course or who had completed the first year. As a result of the survey, some changes have been made in the undergraduate curriculum.
Sexual knowledge and attitudes of general practitioners in Wessex.
A survey of the sexual attitudes and knowledge of general practitioners in Wessex found that GP trainees and those in practice for less than 10 years were less conservative and better informed than doctors in practice for 20 years or more, The results suggest that the attitudes of the doctors are determined by their early environmental influences rather than their clinical experience.
Maternal death and the I.U.D.
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Pelvic infection and intrauterine devices.
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