Menopause is a natural part of the aging process in women and is defined as occurring 12 months after the last menstrual period marking the end of menstrual cycles. Menopause has a negative impact on the quality of life (QoL). Various generic and specific questionnaires have been used for assessing different dimensions of QoL in menopausal women. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify those general and specific instruments, and to determine the factors that affect QoL in menopausal women. We assessed eight specific and three general tools and found that some general and specific instruments, such as the 36-item short form (SF-36) and the Menopause Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL), were mostly used for assessment. The specific tools available were diverse. Employment status and a high educational level in menopausal women were considered to be protective factors in improving QoL. Identification of predicting factors of QoL, such as body mass index, race, age, duration of menopause, and social and occupational variables can help to improve the QoL of these women allowing planning of psychological consultations and practical interventions.

Objective: Previous studies found a positive association between placenta previa and smoking during pregnancy. However, the results of these studies are inconsistent. The aim was to perform meta-analysis of the association between smoking during pregnancy and placenta previa. Methods: Major electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched until June 2015. The heterogeneity across studies was explored by Q-test and I² statistic. The possibility of publication bias was assessed using Begg’s and Egger’s tests. The results were reported using odds ratio (OR) estimate with its 95% confidence intervals using a random-effects model. Results: The literature search yielded 991 publications until October 2015 with 9,094,443 participants. Based on the random effect model, compared to nonsmoker women, the estimated OR and RR of placenta previa was 1.42 (95% CI: 1.30, 1.54) and 1.27 (95% CI: 1.18, 1.35), respectively. Conclusions: There is sufficient documents based on the observational studies that smoking during pregnancy is significantly associated with an increased risk of placenta previa. Therefore, smoking during pregnancy can be considered as a predictor of placenta previa.

Shobeiri F, et al. J Menopausal Med. 2016 Apr;22(1):31-38. https://doi.org/10.6118/jmm.2016.22.1.31

Background: Several epidemiological studies have determined that maternal smoking can increase the risk of placenta abruption. To date, only a meta-analysis has been performed for assessing the relationship between smoking and placenta abruption. This meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the association between smoking and the risk of placenta abruption. Methods: A literature search was conducted in major databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus from the earliest possible year to April 2016. The heterogeneity across studies was explored by Q-test and I² statistic. The publication bias was assessed using Begg’s and Egger’s tests. The results were reported using odds ratio (OR) estimate with its 95% confidence intervals (CI) using a random effects model. Results: The literature search yielded 1167 publications until April 2016 with 4 309 610 participants. Based on OR estimates obtained from case–control and cohort studies, there was a significant association between smoking and placenta abruption (1.80; 95% CI: 1.75, 1.85). Based on the results of cohort studies, smoking and placenta abruption had a significant association (relative risk ratio: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.51, 1.80). Conclusions: Based on reports in epidemiological studies, we showed that smoking is a risk factor for placenta abruption.

Shobeiri F, et al. Obstet Gynecol Sci. 2017 Jan;60(1):100-105. https://doi.org/10.5468/ogs.2017.60.1.100