Background: Traditional home delivery remains an important maternal-health issue in many Nigerian communities where cultural preferences, affordability, access to formal health services and trust in traditional birth attendants (TBAs) may influence place of childbirth. Objective: To assess knowledge and prevalence of traditional home delivery and identify factors associated with delivery choices among women of reproductive age in Oluku Community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 110 women aged 15–49 years residing in Oluku Community. Participants were selected using simple random sampling and data were collected with a structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20.0. Frequencies and percentages were used for descriptive analysis, while chi-square tests examined associations between selected sociodemographic characteristics and delivery-related variables. Results: Awareness of traditional home delivery was high (90.9%), and 85.5% identified TBAs as the common attendants at traditional home deliveries. Fifty participants (45.5%) reported delivering their last child at home, compared with 44 (40.0%) who delivered in a hospital or health centre; 16 (14.5%) reported other locations. TBAs were reported as the delivery attendant by 59.1% of respondents. Lack of access to healthcare facilities (27.3%), cultural or religious beliefs (22.7%), trust in TBAs (20.0%), fear of medical interventions (16.4%) and cost of hospital delivery (13.6%) were reported reasons for home delivery. Only 41.8% considered traditional home delivery to carry higher risks than hospital delivery, while 60.9% reported no access to a health facility within their community. Education level was significantly associated with location of last delivery (χ²=14.090, p=0.029); age and marital status were not significantly associated with location of last delivery. Conclusion: Traditional home delivery was common in Oluku Community despite high awareness of the practice. Access barriers, cost, sociocultural beliefs and trust in TBAs influenced delivery choices. Interventions should strengthen access to skilled childbirth care, reduce financial and transport barriers, improve respectful maternity care and establish effective referral linkages with community-based providers.

Background: Haemorrhage dominates discussion of early puerperal morbidity, but other complications arising in the first 24 hours after delivery also contribute to maternal illness. Their distribution across maternal risk factors in Bangladeshi tertiary hospitals is poorly documented. This study aimed to describe the types of non-haemorrhagic immediate puerperal complications and their distribution according to maternal risk factors. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study with prospective data collection was carried out at Dhaka Medical College Hospital from July to December 2009. Three hundred women aged 15 to 45 years, selected randomly from those admitted for delivery, were observed for 24 hours after birth. Women with teenage pregnancy, grand multiparity, severe anaemia, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, antepartum haemorrhage, prolonged or obstructed labour or prolonged rupture of membranes formed the risk group. Data were analysed descriptively. Results: Twenty-three non-haemorrhagic complications (7.66%) were recorded, 22 (7.33%) in the risk group and 1 (0.33%) in the non-risk group. Tachycardia was the most frequent complication (16 events), followed by paralytic ileus (4) and urinary retention (3). Prolonged rupture of membranes accounted for 8 events, obstructed labour for 6, prolonged labour for 4, antepartum haemorrhage for 3 and severe anaemia for 1. No complication was reported with age below 18 years, grand multiparity or pre-eclampsia/eclampsia. Lower uterine caesarean section was performed in 58.00% of the risk group and 4.60% of the non-risk group. Conclusion: Non-haemorrhagic immediate puerperal complications were concentrated among women with identified risk factors, particularly prolonged rupture of membranes, obstructed labour and prolonged labour. Close observation of such women in the first 24 hours is warranted.

Background: Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal gynecological cancers, with an age-standardized incidence rate of 3.0–11.4 per 100,000 women worldwide [1], and is commonly diagnosed at an advanced stage with poor survival outcomes. Accurate staging is essential for treatment planning, and CT is the recommended imaging modality for assessing the extent of ovarian malignancy and tumour resectability. The purpose of this study was to correlate pre-operative CT scan findings with surgicopathological staging in patients with ovarian cancer. Methods: This observational, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Gynecological Oncology, National Institute of Cancer Research & Hospital (NICRH), Dhaka, Bangladesh, from January to December 2021. A total of 100 women with suspected ovarian cancer underwent pre-operative CT and surgery, with CT, per-operative, and histopathological findings compared according to the 2014 FIGO staging system. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23.0; p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Among 100 patients, mean age was 43.2 ± 11.7 years; most were aged 41–50 years (38, 38.0%), urban (66, 66.0%), and poor socioeconomic status (44, 44.0%). All had a lower abdominal lump (100, 100.0%), and anemia was present in 72 (72.0%). Most masses were unilateral (72, 72.0%) and solid (78, 78.0%). Stage IA predominated on CT (60, 60.0%), peroperative (42, 42.0%), and histopathological (41, 41.0%) staging. Papillary serous cystadenocarcinoma was most common (64, 64.0%). CT sensitivity was 100.0% for IA, IIIB, and IIIC. Conclusion: Pre-operative CT scan is a useful tool for staging ovarian cancer, although early-stage disease may be under-staged compared with surgicopathological assessment.

Background: Accurate estimation of fetal weight at term is important for appropriate labour and delivery management, but available estimation methods have varying accuracy. Therefore, this study was undertaken to compare sonographically estimated fetal weight with actual birth weight in women at term pregnancy. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital (ShSMCH), Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 17 March to 16 September 2018. Women with singleton term pregnancies (37–40 weeks) were included. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 22, with p<0.05 considered significant. Written informed consent was obtained. Results: Among 100 participants, most were aged 18–25 years (56, 56.0%), housewives (84, 84.0%), primipara (74, 74.0%), and from the lower-income class (86, 86.0%); 82 (82.0%) received antenatal care. The mean sonographic estimated fetal weight was 3.06 ± 0.42 kg, while the mean actual birth weight was 3.11 ± 0.16 kg, with a significant difference (t = 2.21, p = 0.028). A significant positive correlation was found between estimated fetal weight and actual birth weight (r = 0.409, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Ultrasonographic estimation of fetal weight at term shows a significant positive correlation with actual birth weight and may assist in clinical decision-making during labour and delivery.