Word: pelvic
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There are signs, however, of a shift in attitude. It stems in part from studies showing that the gripping pelvic cramps as well as the headaches, backache, nausea and diarrhea suffered by many women during their monthly flow may be caused by prostaglandins. These potent chemicals, produced by the body, help regulate functions such as blood pressure, blood clotting and reproduction. Says Demers: "Some prostaglandins made by the uterus precipitate the contractions that are necessary for menses and labor. But when they're produced in excess, the uterine muscle cramps." Carried through the bloodstream to other parts...
When Shirley Brown, 53, slipped on her icy sidewalk in 1978, breaking two pelvic bones, she did not just get angry with her husband William, 58, she sued him in Massachusetts superior court for $35,000. She claimed that he was "careless and negligent in his maintenance of the sidewalks" in front of their house in Wakefield, a suburb of Boston. His lawyer, who was also representing Brown's insurance company, argued that under the state Equal Rights Amendment, it was just as much her responsibility as his to clear the sidewalks. The lawyer added that Mrs. Brown...
...have sex because my back is bothering me.' It's better than a headache. And if their backs aren't bothering them, they can avoid sex for fear of triggering back problems." There is no small irony in such excuses. As it happens, the pelvic movements of conventional intercourse are regarded by some orthopedists as an ideal preventive exercise for back pain...
...precise role of the I.U.D. in pelvic infections still puzzles doctors. One theory is that bacteria are able to ascend into the uterus via the threads that are attached to I.U.D.s to let women check on their proper position and make their removal easier. Another possibility: the I.U.D. somehow makes the uterus more hospitable, biochemically speaking, to invading bacteria. By contrast, birth control pills seem to have the opposite effect, suppressing infection...
Some doctors feel that the I.U.D.'s dangers are being exaggerated. They insist that pelvic infection, which now causes sterility in 80,000 women in the U.S. a year, is primarily linked to venereal disease and sexual activity with more than one partner. Says Dr. Bruce Stadel, coordinator of a $2 million federal study on gynecological complaints: "For women without serious problems the I.U.D. is probably a reasonable method of contraception and may sometimes be preferable to other methods." But until the issue is firmly decided, many physicians are declining to recommend the I.U.D. for young, sexually active women...