Need for Couple’s Awareness About Sexual Health in COVID-19 Pandemic

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Factors Related to Breast Cancer Screening in Women in the Northern Part of Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women and affects many women around the world each year. Breast cancer screening is one of the best strategies that can be used to reduce the death rate from the disease. Different factors influence the breast cancer screening rate. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the factors that affect the screening of women for breast cancer in the northern part of Iran. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Mazandaran Province of Iran in 2016 on 1,165 women who participate in breast cancer screening programs, using a cluster-sampling method. A valid and reliable researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect the data. The collected data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics via SPSS 21. RESULTS: In this study, 62% of the women had a history of breast self-examinations, 41.1% had breast examinations by healthcare staff, and 21.7% received mammography. The woman’s age, age at first marriage, age at onset of sexual intercourse, occupation, spouse’s occupation, household income, health status, history of infertility, smoking, and decision-maker on issues of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) were the best predictors of participation in screening for breast cancer (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: To encourage participation in breast cancer screening programs, women should be encouraged to seek preventive care. Also, factors that affect screening should be considered an appropriate educational method should be provided. ould be considered and appropriate educational methods should be provided

Health-promoting Lifestyles and Related Factors in Pregnant Women

Introduction: Health-promoting behavior increases the self-care of the individuals and improves the health. It reduces the chance of maternal and fetal harm during pregnancy. The objective of this study was to determine the sociodemographic factors related to health-promoting self-care behavior in Iranian pregnant women categorized by domains.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study design with convenience sampling was used to recruit 384 pregnant Iranian women that were referred to the health center in Sari in 2014-2015. Self-reporting questionnaires included sociodemographic characteristics and health-promoting lifestyle profile-II questionnaires. Data were analyzed with using the statistical package for the social sciences software (version 19). One-way ANOVA and chi-square tests were used to determine the relationship between the sociodemographic characteristics and health-promoting behaviors.Results: The mean age of pregnant women was 27.65±4.753 years. Most of the participants were in the second trimester of pregnancy. The mean of the total score for health-promoting behaviors was 142.96±17.947. Among the six dimensions of health-promoting behaviors, the interpersonal relations scored maximal, and the physical activity scored the lowest. Significant correlations existed between spirituality and the wife’s education, the wife’s job, and the family income. In addition, a significant correlation was established between stress management and the wife’s education, also between the aspect of relationships and the husband’s education, the wife’s education, the family income, and the decision maker (all P<0.005).Conclusion: The findings of the present study confirmed that the sociodemographic factors were vital in health-promoting behaviors in pregnant women

Investigating the mental health status of infertile women

Letter to Editor The stressful experience of infertility is associated with a wide range of psychological damage (1), so infertility affects people’s mental health and all aspects of an individual’s life (2). Since women in the family are considered to be the main pillars of the community and they are also more vulnerable to illnesses, therefore consideration of their health is also very important (3). The objective of the current letter is investigating the mental health status of infertile women and its related factors as predictors of mental health ininfertile women. This is a descriptive study conducted on 100 infertile women referred to the infertility treatment centers in Mazandaran province, North of Iran. The General Health Questionnaire was provided to the infertile women. The questionnaire is a self-reporting questionnaire that is used clinically to track those who are prepared for mental illness(4).Based on the findings, Total Scale of General Health Questionnaire was 33.18 ± 10.27 that was according to the cut-off point of 22, 85% of the infertile women in this study are in the disorder condition. Also, in terms of subscales: physical complaints was 8.65 ± 3.97, anxiety and insomnia was 8.69 ± 5.58, disruption of social function was 12.73 ± 3.34, and depression was 3.10 ± 3.79. The most common disorder was related tosocial disorder subscale and the least common subscale was related to the depressiondisorder. The subscales of physical symptoms and sleep disturbance and anxiety areranked almost at one level, and they are classified between the two subscales that werealready mentioned. Therefore, based on our findings and the level of women’s mental health, there isa need for a psychologist or midwifery counselor in the infertility treatment centers to improve the mental health of women. In addition, since the mental disease may also affect the outcome of the treatment, attention to the mental health of infertile women is really importance

Investigation of social capital and its relationship with emotional adjustment in infertile couples: A cross-sectional study

Background: Infertility is an abnormal event in the life of families and can have various consequences on a personal and social level. Therefore, infertile couples need to manage their emotional responses. Social capital, as one of the social determinants of health, can affect mental health. Objective: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between social capital and emotional adjustment in infertile couples. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2018 to February 2019 with 170 infertile couples visiting infertility centers in Sari, Iran. The data collection instruments included the social capital integrated questionnaire, an emotional adjustment scale and a demographic-reproductive checklist. Results: All the social capital dimensions, except for the groups and networks dimension, had a score of higher than 50 (more than the mean score). Based on ANCOVA and the multiple linear regression results, the dimension of trust and solidarity had a significant negative relationship with emotional adjustment (p = 0.01), but no significant relationship was observed between the other social capital dimensions and emotional adjustment. Conclusion: The trust and solidarity dimension had a significant relationship with emotional adjustment in infertile couples. Accordingly, increasing mutual trust between neighborhood residents can strengthen social capital, and in turn, improve emotional adjustment in infertile couples. Key words: Social capital, Emotional adjustment, Infertility

The efficacy of group counselling on perceived stress among infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment: An RCT

Background: One of the stressful and critical experiences that threat the individual, family, marital, and social stability is infertility. Objective: To identify the effects of midwifery-led counselling programs on the perceived stress of the women undergoing assisted reproductive treatment. Materials and Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 50 infertile women who underwent in vitro fertilization treatment for the first time were enrolled in two groups. The intervention group received six sessions of group counselling by M.Sc. midwifery of counseling student and the control group received only the routine care. All participants filled Newton’s standard questionnaire before and at the time of puncture, embryo transfer and the pregnancy test. Results: The mean ± SD scores for the perceived infertility stress before the intervention in the control and the intervention groups were 167.92 ± 12.14 and 166.75 ± 13.27, respectively. The mean of perceived stress after intervention at the time of oocyte puncture in the control and case group were 177.12 ± 19.37 and 115.75 ± 13.88, at the time of embryo transfer were 179.40 ± 18.34 and 118.08 ± 15.37, and at the time of pregnancy test was 183.76 ± 14.97 and 120.50 ± 16.24, respectively. The perceived stress of infertility after intervention were statistically significant in the two groups (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: Group counselling is one of the effective methods for reducing the perceived stress in women undergoing assisted reproductive treatment. Key words: Infertility, Group counselling, Perceived infertility stress

The effect of therapeutic- supportive interventions on body image in women with breast cancer: A Systematic Review

زمینه و اهداف: مبتلایان به سرطان پستان دچار تصویر بدن منفی میشوند که بر ارتباط زناشویی تاثیر بسزایی دارد. مطالعات مرتبط متعددی وجود دارد که می توان با مطالعه ساختاریافته، از نتایج بهتر مطالعات مطلع شد، لذا هدف از مطالعه حاضر، تاثیر مداخلات درمانی - حمایتی بر تصویر بدن مبتلایان به سرطان پستان است. مواد و روشها : مطالعه حاضر یک مطالعه ساختاریافته است. با استفاده از کلید واژههای مرتبط و استراتژی بولی، پایگاههای اطلاعاتی G oogle Schoolar ،Web Of Science ،s cience Direct، C ochrane library، P roQuest، Scopus، PubMed از سال 1990 تا 2016 در مدت تیر تا شهریور 1395 مورد جستجو قرار گرفت. پس از اعمال معیار ورود و خروج، در نهایت 9 مطالعه وارد و با استفاده از مقیاس Jadad مورد بررسی و ارزیابی کیفیت قرار گرفتند. این مطالعه با کد طرح 95.224 و کد اخلاق به شماره IR.MAZUMS.REC.95.S.122 در کمیته دانشجویی ثبت شد یافته ها: از 9 مقاله، 6 مطالعه از نوع نیمه تجربی، 3 مطالعه کارآزمایی بالینی بود. نتایج 5 مطالعه نشان داد، مداخله سبب بهبود تصویر بدن بیماران شد. در مطالعه حاضر نتایج به دو طبقه پیامد اولیه  )تاثیر مداخلات بر تصویر بدن ( و پیامد ثانویه )سن بیماران، ابزار سنجش، طول مدت پیگیری و مداخلات) سازماندهی گردید. ارزیابی مطالعات نشان داد روش ها نیاز نقطه قوت مقالات؛ شرح اهداف مطالعه، توضیح نتایج، معیار ورود - خروج و ضعف مطالعات در شرح کورسازی و ریزش نمونه ها بوده است نتیجه گیری: با توجه به اختلاف نظر بین مطالعات، مطالعه بیشتری با کارآمدترین روشها نیاز می باشد  Background and Aims: Patients with breast cancer get negative perceptions of body image, which affects their marital relationships. There are a lot of related studies and, thus, it is possible to provide a complete, exhaustive summary of current literature relevant to these articles. Therefore, the aim of this study was to review the effects of therapeutic-supportive interventions on body image in patients with breast cancer using a systematic review design.Materials and Methods: In this systematic review study, Electronic databases including Google Scholar, Web of Sciences, Science Direct, Cochrane library, ProQuest, Scopus, and PubMed [including Medline]were searched for retrieving articles published between 1990 and 2016 during July to September 2016. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 9 studies remained for assessing their quality which were finally evaluated by using a Jadad scale.This study with the design code 224/95 and IR.MAZUMS.REC.95.S.122. was registered in the Student Committee.Results: Among 9 articles in this systematic review, 6 articles were of semi-experimental type and the remaining 3 articles were clinical trial studies. Results of 5 articles showed that intervention has improved body image in the patients. In this study, the results were organized on two-Category of primary outcome (impact of interventions on body image) and secondary outcome (age, assessment tool, duration of followup and treatment). Assessment of studies revealed that the objectives of studies, explaining of results, inclusion and exclusion criteria were the strength points of these articles. Describing of blinding and attrition were also the weaknesses points of these studies.Conclusion: Considering some disagreements between studies, further studies are needed with mostefficient ways

Efficacy of group obstetric consultation in mild to moderate anxiety of pregnancy

Anxiety is a common mental disorder of pregnancy leading to adverse maternal and fetal pregnancy outcomes. Hence, preparation of effective approaches for reduction of anxiety is an issue of importance. Accordingly, this study was performed to determine the efficacy of group obstetric consultation on anxiety control in pregnant women in non-severe cases. In this randomized clinical trial, 90 pregnant women attending to a Health Care Center in Tehran, Iran from April 2010 to March 2012 with first pregnancy aging from 18 to 35 years and gestational age of eight to eighteen weeks were evaluated. They were randomly assigned into consultation and control groups. The consultation group was designed according to the different needs of pregnancy for five sessions in five weeks (each session 60 to 90 minutes) and the control group only received routine perinatal care. There was statistically significant difference between after-intervention scores in anxiety state (P=0.014); but the anxiety trait showed no difference (P=0.19). Also the changes in trait anxiety scores was more in consultation group compared with control group (P=0.002) that was also seen for anxiety state scores (P=0.0001). Totally, it may be concluded that group consultation is effective in reduction of state and trait anxiety in pregnant women with non-severe non-pathological cases of anxiety

Promoting menstrual health among persian adolescent girls from low socioeconomic backgrounds: a quasi-experimental study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Research in the past decade has revealed average to poor menstrual health among many Iranian girls. The present study investigated the effectiveness of a health promotion project on improving menstrual health in adolescent girls in Iran.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A quasi-experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the health intervention program. A total of 698 students (study participants and controls) in several schools in Mazandaran province, Iran were included. The project comprised 10 two-hour educational sessions. Educational topics included the significance of adolescence, physical and emotional changes during adolescence, pubertal and menstruation health and premenstrual syndrome. A self-administered questionnaire measuring demographic characteristics, behaviors during menstruation, menstrual patterns, sources of information about menstruation and personal health data was administered. The questionnaire was administered to all participating students after the experimental group received the training.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among the most significant results was the impact of educational sessions on bathing and genital hygiene. A total of 61.6% in the experimental group compared with 49.3% in the control group engaged in usual bathing during menstruation (p = 0.002). Individual health status was significantly statistically correlated with menstrual health. Attitude towards menstruation was also significantly related to menstrual health.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present study confirms that educational interventions, such as the health promotion project in this study, can be quite effective in promoting menstrual health.</p

Developing a core outcome set for future infertility research : An international consensus development study

STUDY QUESTION: Can a core outcome set to standardize outcome selection, collection and reporting across future infertility research be developed? SUMMARY ANSWER: A minimum data set, known as a core outcome set, has been developed for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews evaluating potential treatments for infertility. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Complex issues, including a failure to consider the perspectives of people with fertility problems when selecting outcomes, variations in outcome definitions and the selective reporting of outcomes on the basis of statistical analysis, make the results of infertility research difficult to interpret. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A three-round Delphi survey (372 participants from 41 countries) and consensus development workshop (30 participants from 27 countries). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Healthcare professionals, researchers and people with fertility problems were brought together in an open and transparent process using formal consensus science methods. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: The core outcome set consists of: viable intrauterine pregnancy confirmed by ultrasound (accounting for singleton, twin and higher multiple pregnancy); pregnancy loss (accounting for ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth and termination of pregnancy); live birth; gestational age at delivery; birthweight; neonatal mortality; and major congenital anomaly. Time to pregnancy leading to live birth should be reported when applicable. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: We used consensus development methods which have inherent limitations, including the representativeness of the participant sample, Delphi survey attrition and an arbitrary consensus threshold. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Embedding the core outcome set within RCTs and systematic reviews should ensure the comprehensive selection, collection and reporting of core outcomes. Research funding bodies, the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) statement, and over 80 specialty journals, including the Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility Group, Fertility and Sterility and Human Reproduction, have committed to implementing this core outcome set. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This research was funded by the Catalyst Fund, Royal Society of New Zealand, Auckland Medical Research Fund and Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust. The funder had no role in the design and conduct of the study, the collection, management, analysis or interpretation of data, or manuscript preparation. B.W.J.M. is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Practitioner Fellowship (GNT1082548). S.B. was supported by University of Auckland Foundation Seelye Travelling Fellowship. S.B. reports being the Editor-in-Chief of Human Reproduction Open and an editor of the Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility group. J.L.H.E. reports being the Editor Emeritus of Human Reproduction. J.M.L.K. reports research sponsorship from Ferring and Theramex. R.S.L. reports consultancy fees from Abbvie, Bayer, Ferring, Fractyl, Insud Pharma and Kindex and research sponsorship from Guerbet and Hass Avocado Board. B.W.J.M. reports consultancy fees from Guerbet, iGenomix, Merck, Merck KGaA and ObsEva. C.N. reports being the Co Editor-in-Chief of Fertility and Sterility and Section Editor of the Journal of Urology, research sponsorship from Ferring, and retains a financial interest in NexHand. A.S. reports consultancy fees from Guerbet. E.H.Y.N. reports research sponsorship from Merck. N.L.V. reports consultancy and conference fees from Ferring, Merck and Merck Sharp and Dohme. The remaining authors declare no competing interests in relation to the work presented. All authors have completed the disclosure form