Reproductive Health

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular diseases are a common chronic illness in adults, with implications for health and psychological well-being. These implications not only affect the patients themselves but also impact family members, especially the spouses of patients. One significant issue and consequence of this disease is its impact on marital relationships and sexual satisfaction, which can also influence other dimensions of quality of life. The aim of the current study is to determine the effect of couple counseling based on the CHARMS model on sexual quality of life and marital satisfaction of wives of men suffering from myocardial infarction...

BACKGROUND: Diabetes during pregnancy has negative effects on both mothers and their fetuses. To improve perinatal outcomes and women's experience of care, the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests implementing health system interventions to enhance the use and quality of antenatal care. The main goal of this study is to implement and evaluate the outcomes of the Centering Pregnancy group care model for pregnant women with diabetes. METHODS/DESIGN: The study will consist of three phases: a quantitative phase, a qualitative phase, and a mixed phase...

BACKGROUND: The "Adequate Childbirth Program" (PPA) is a quality improvement project that aims to reduce the high rates of unnecessary cesarean section in Brazilian private hospitals. This study aimed to analyze labor and childbirth care practices after the first phase of PPA implementation. METHOD: This study uses a qualitative approach. Eight hospitals were selected. At each hospital, during the period of 5 (five) days, from July to October 2017, the research team conducted face to face interviews with doctors (n = 21) and nurses (n = 28), using semi-structured scripts...

BACKGROUND: Sexual health literacy (SHL) leads to the development of personal ability, understanding, evaluation and use of information related to sexual health. The purpose of this study was to assess the sexual health literacy level and its related factors among married college students at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (MAZUMS). METHODS: A web-based cross-sectional online study was conducted on married college students at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences between January and November 2020...

BACKGROUND: The increasing birthweight trend stopped and even reversed in several high income countries in the last 20 years, however the reason for these changes is not well characterized. We aimed to describe birthweight trends of term deliveries in Hungary between 1999 and 2018 and to investigate potential maternal and foetal variables that could drive these changes. METHODS: We analysed data from the Hungarian Tauffer registry, a compulsory anonymized data collection of each delivery...

BACKGROUND: Most forcibly displaced persons are hosted in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). There is a growing urbanization of forcibly displaced persons, whereby most refugees and nearly half of internally displaced persons live in urban areas. This scoping review assesses the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs, outcomes, and priorities among forcibly displaced persons living in urban LMIC. METHODS: Following The Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology we searched eight databases for literature published between 1998 and 2023 on SRH needs among urban refugees in LMIC...

BACKGROUND: Uttar Pradesh (UP) is the most populous state in India, with a historically lower level of family planning coverage than the national average. In recent decades, family planning coverage in UP has significantly increased, yet there are considerable geographic and socio-economic inequalities. METHODS: The data used for the study is derived from a cross-sectional quantitative survey of 12,200 currently married women conducted during December 2020-February 2021 in UP by the Technical Support Unit...

BACKGROUND: One of the reasons for the increase in cesarean section is the lack of knowledge of mothers in choosing the type of delivery. The present study aimed to determine the effect of education through pregnancy application during pregnancy on awareness and attitude and choice of delivery type in primiparous women at Shahid Alavi Specialized Medical Center clinic in Mashhad. METHODS: This study was a semi-experimental type. Seventy primiparous pregnant women who had no restrictions for birth was selected...

BACKGROUND: Eliminating unmet need for family planning by 2030 is a global priority for ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. We estimate the sub-national trends in prevalence of unmet need for family planning over 30 years in India and study differences based on socio-economic and demographic factors. METHODS: We used data from five National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) conducted between 1993 to 2021 for the 36 states/Union Territories (UTs) of India...

BACKGROUND: Significant scientific research has been conducted concerning menopausal syndrome(MPS), yet few bibliometric analyses have been performed. Our aim was to recognise the 100 most highly cited published articles on MPS and to analytically evaluate their key features. METHODS: To identify the 100 most frequently cited articles, a search was conducted on Web of Science using the term 'menopausal syndrome'. Articles that matched the predetermined criteria were scrutinised to obtain the following data: citation ranking, year of publication, publishing journal, journal impact factor, country of origin, academic institution, authors, study type, and keywords...

BACKGROUND: Female genital cosmetic procedures have grown rapidly in most parts of the world. Professional organizations have issued warnings about the complications and long-term consequences of these practices. To be able to adopt the right health policies, it is necessary to know why women decide to perform these procedures. Therefore, the present study will be aim to discover the decision-making process involved in performing female genital cosmetic procedures for Iranian women and construct and validate a results-based logic model for healthy public policy...

BACKGROUND: While postpartum weight changes may affect the levels of metabolic parameters, the direct effects of weight changes in the postpartum period on changes in the prevalence rates of metabolic syndrome and its components remain unstudied. This study aimed to investigate the effects of postpartum weight changes between 6 weeks and 6 months on changes in the prevalence rates of metabolic syndrome and its components in women who have recently experienced gestational diabetes mellitus...

BACKGROUND: Pursuant to studies, receiving the three key maternal health services (Antenatal Care, Skilled Delivery Service, and Postnatal Care) in a continuum could prevent 71% of global maternal deaths. Despite the Western African region being known for its high maternal death and poor access to maternal health services, there is a dearth of studies that delve into the spectrum of maternal health services uptake. Hence, this study aimed to assess the level and predictors of partial and adequate utilization of health services in a single analytical model using the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data (2013-2021)...

BACKGROUND: Approximately one in six couples are currently infertile, defined as unable to achieve pregnancy despite 12 or more months of active attempts to conceive. Experiencing infertility has been disproportionately associated with an array of psychological difficulties, particularly in women. However, currently available psychological interventions have had minimal benefits for distress, anxiety, or depression related to infertility. METHODS: A one-arm pilot study was conducted to test the acceptability of a newly created acceptance and commitment therapy-based self-guided program-Infertility ACTion...

BACKGROUND: Black women and people with uteri have utilized collectivistic and relational practices to improve health outcomes in the face of medical racism and discrimination for decades. However, there remains a need for interventions to improve outcomes of uterine fibroids, a condition that disproportionately impacts Black people with uteri. Leveraging personalized approaches alongside evidence that demonstrates the positive impact of social and peer support on health outcomes, we adapted from CenteringPregnancy, an evidence based group prenatal care intervention, for the education and empowerment of patients with uterine fibroids...

INTRODUCTION: Surgical repair of obstetric fistula aims to restore the anatomical and functional integrity of the urinary tract, enabling affected women to regain their dignity and quality of life. However, such repairs can end in a failure. The aim of this study is to develop a predictive score to identify factors influencing failure of surgical repair of obstetric vesico-vaginal fistula (FSROVVF) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. METHODS: This was an analytical cross-sectional study of 318 women with obstetric vesico-vaginal fistula (OVVF) who had undergone surgical management...

BACKGROUND: In 2015, a quality improvement project called "Adequate Childbirth Project" (PPA) was implemented in Brazilian private hospitals in order to reduce cesarean sections without clinical indication. The PPA is structured in four components, one of which is directed at women and families. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of PPA on women's preference for vaginal birth (VB) at the end of pregnancy. METHODS: Evaluative research conducted in 12 private hospitals participating in the PPA...

BACKGROUND: The human papillomavirus (HPV), a prevalent sexually transmitted infection, is linked to a wide range of diseases, with cervical cancer being the most common and serious one. HPV vaccination is crucial for preventing cervical cancer and other HPV-related problems. The low acceptability of HPV vaccination among teenagers globally is largely due to a lack of understanding and information about HPV among parents. Our study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge, attitude, intention, and HPV vaccination among parents in Lebanon as well as the variables influencing Lebanese mothers' intentions to vaccinate their children...

BACKGROUND: Female genital mutilation (FGM) has negative health implications and has long been recognised as violating sexual rights. Despite the huge efforts expended on eradicating FGM, generational continuation of the practice, i.e. the act of mutilated women also mutilating their daughters, persists in Nigeria. This study investigated the individual, household, and community factors associated with generational continuation of FGM among women in Nigeria. METHODS: The study analysed data from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS)...

BACKGROUND: Children's initiation of early sex has several negative implications on their sexual and reproductive health, growth and development. In Ghana, few studies on early sexual debut have focused on adolescents. Therefore, this study examined the prevalence, causes, correlates and effects of early sexual debut among children aged 8 to 17 in Ghana using secondary data from the Department of Children of the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection. METHODS: A convergent parallel mixed-method approach guided the study...