The negative effect of the IUCD on the occurrence of heteroploidy--correlated abnormalities in spontaneous abortions: an update

Lunar phase cycle and psychiatric hospital emergency visits, inpatient admissions and aggressive behavior

INTRODUCTION

We examined the correlation between lunar cycles and the number of psychiatric emergency visits, patients' gender, aggressive behavior, need for inpatient admission, legal referral and need for involuntary chemical restraint in a period of one calendar year.

METHOD

Charts of all psychiatric emergency room patients were reviewed retrospectively. Arabic calendar lunar months were divided based on three different models: Two 15 days sections, three 10 days, and six 5 days parts in the third model.

RESULTS

5431 patients were seen in the psychiatric emergency service (PES) during a one year period. We did not find a relationship between the visit time (day or night), gender, and legal referral in relation to moon cycles. A higher number of visits during full moon period which was not statistically significant (P>0.05) was found. Highest frequency of inpatient admissions was discovered in the first and last parts of the three part model and in the first and last segments of the six part model followed by second and fifth parts (P-values: 0.000).

CONCLUSION

This study revealed a slight increase in number of visits to psychiatric emergency room during full moon periods. In addition a highly significant increase in the severity of illness and aggressive behaviors and agitation in the beginning and end of the moon cycles were noticed. Some of the underlying possible causes such as changes in intra/extracellular fluids, neural and endocrine cell functions, hemodynamic and biological responses and changes in social dynamics and support are discussed.

The pathology of intra-uterine contraceptive devices

The IUCD is a simple and effective way of producing contraception without the need for patient compliance. It is not rendered ineffective by other drugs, as may be steroid contraceptives, and its side-effects, for carefully selected patients, are considered by most practitioners to be acceptably low (Van Kets et al. 1989).

The intrauterine contraceptive device and hydatidiform mole: a negative association

None of the 135 hydatidiform moles studied (40 complete and 95 partial) occurred in women currently wearing the IUCD. In the control series of 1,244 non-molar spontaneous abortions, conception took place with the IUCD in situ in 48 women (3.87%). The difference between the observed number of molar pregnancies with the IUCD in situ, i.e., 0, and the "expected" number, i.e., 4.64 (3.87%) was statistically different (p less than 0.05). This difference could not be explained by such uncontrolled confounding variables as maternal age, menstrual age of the abortions, prior pregnancy loss, gravidity, ethnicity or contraceptive practices. It is suggested that the IUCD selectively suppresses the development of molar pregnancies. The theoretical and practical implications of this observation are discussed.