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The maternal factors affecting the cytohormonal smear patterns of 200 puerperally fully lactating Nigerian women were studied. Lateral vaginal wall cytosmears obtained from these women during the sixth postnatal week showed a wide range of cytohormonal patterns, depicting varying degrees of epithelial regeneration. Maternal age, parity per se and the mode of delivery were found to be of no statistical significance in the determination of the cytohormonal patterns (0.1 greater than P greater than 0.05). However, the parity of the vaginally delivered patients was a highly statistically significant determinant (P less than 0.001), indicating a cumulative effect of trauma on the regenerative capability of the vaginal epithelium. Furthermore, a highly significant number (P less than 0.001) of these puerperally fully lactating women exhibited a midzone to cyclic cytohormonal smear pattern, with a maturation value greater than 50, thereby reflecting a near-maximal estrogenic activity and a resultant almost fully regenerated, mature vaginal epithelium in these women in the sixth postnatal week. The classical postnatal smear was found in only 36% of these women during the sixth postpartum week as opposed to the 28% previously documented for the first postnatal week.
The maternal factors affecting the cytohormonal smear patterns of 200 puerperally fully lactating Nigerian women were studied. Lateral vaginal wall cytosmears obtained from these women during the sixth postnatal week showed a wide range of cytohormonal patterns, depicting varying degrees of epithelial regeneration. Maternal age, parity per se and the mode of delivery were found to be of no statistical significance in the determination of the cytohormonal patterns (0.1 greater than P greater than 0.05). However, the parity of the vaginally delivered patients was a highly statistically significant determinant (P less than 0.001), indicating a cumulative effect of trauma on the regenerative capability of the vaginal epithelium. Furthermore, a highly significant number (P less than 0.001) of these puerperally fully lactating women exhibited a midzone to cyclic cytohormonal smear pattern, with a maturation value greater than 50, thereby reflecting a near-maximal estrogenic activity and a resultant almost fully regenerated, mature vaginal epithelium in these women in the sixth postnatal week. The classical postnatal smear was found in only 36% of these women during the sixth postpartum week as opposed to the 28% previously documented for the first postnatal week.