Use of complementary and alternative medicines by a sample of Turkish women for infertility enhancement: a descriptive study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infertility patients are a vulnerable group that often seeks a non-medical solution for their failure to conceive. World-wide, women use CAM for productive health, but only a limited number of studies report on CAM use to enhance fertility. Little is known about traditional and religious forms of therapies that are used in relation to conventional medicine in Turkey. We investigated the prevalence and types of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) used by infertile Turkish women for fertility enhancement.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A face-to-face questionnaire inquiring demographic information and types of CAM used for fertility enhancement were completed by hundred infertility patients admitted to a primary care family planning centre in Van, Turkey between January and July 2009.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The vast majority of infertile women had used CAM at least once for infertility. CAM use included religious interventions, herbal products and recommendations of traditional "hodja's" (faith healers). Of these women, 87.8% were abused in the last 12 months, 36.6% felt not being supported by her partner and 80.5% had never spoken with a physician about CAM.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Infertile Turkish women use complementary medicine frequently for fertility enhancement and are in need of information about CAM. Religious and traditional therapies are used as an adjunct to, rather than a substitute for, conventional medical therapy. Physicians need to approach fertility patients with sensitivity and should be able to council their patients about CAM accordingly.</p

Prevalence and risk factors of the female sexual dysfunction in a sample of infertile Iranian women

Background Infertility has a major impact on women’s quality of life and emotional well-being. The resulting interpersonal problems extend to women’s sexual relationships, with a high proportion of infertile women reporting sexual problems. Aim To determine the prevalence and identify the potential risk factors of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) among infertile Iranian women. Methods Using a cross-sectional study design including 12 infertility clinics in five Iranian cities, FSD was assessed in 604 infertile women using the culturally adapted, multidimensional Female Sexual Function Index (IV-FSFI). Depression, anxiety and health-related quality of life (HRQL) were also assessed for all infertile patients. Depression and anxiety were assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) while HRQL was measured using the Short Form 36 (SF-36).Main outcome measure Prevalence of FSD in infertile women and associated factors. Results Infertile women reported significantly lower scores on the FSFI domains in comparison with healthy women. Risk factors for FSD as determined by multilevel analyses were older age and self-reported depression. Furthermore, secondary infertility, lower educational level and higher partner education put women at increased risk for FSD. Conclusions Among infertile women, sexual dysfunctions seem to be prevalent higher than previously published in Iran. This finding may have implications on the clinical assessment of sexual function and the role of demographic and psychological factors in infertile women