Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare : Official Journal of the Swedish Association of Midwives

We examined the prevalence of lifetime physical and any recent violence and related maternal characteristics and health in pregnant women. We used Patient Reported Outcomes data retrieved from the Copenhagen Pregnancy Cohort (n = 7,361). The prevalence of lifetime physical and any recent violence was 4.0 % and 1.6 %, respectively. For both lifetime and any recent violence, the highest prevalence rates were seen among women aged 18-24, non-cohabiting, smokers, low levels of educational attainment, and women with chronic medical and psychiatric disease and lower psychological well-being...

METHODS: Youth clinics in Sweden are not reaching young men to the same extent as young women. We conducted a qualitative study to explore healthcare providers' (HCPs) perspectives on the barriers to young men's access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and how youth clinics can better accommodate the needs of young men. We used thematic analysis to analyze eight interviews with nine HCPs (three men and six women). RESULTS: We developed three themes: 1) It's about the youth clinics and those working in them-the clinics suffered from low organizational support, which affected their ability to accommodate young men's needs and were perceived as "girls' clinics"...

OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of pain catastrophising and identify whether it impacts on the timing of hospital admission when in labour. METHODS: A longitudinal cohort study. Nulliparous women, experiencing an uncomplicated pregnancy in England, were recruited between 25 and 33 weeks gestation. Participants completed two online questionnaires, (1) on recruitment, including the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire (WDEQ-A) (2) at three weeks postnatal...

BACKGROUND: Sick leave during pregnancy is frequent and 36 % of Danish pregnant employees are on sick leave > 14 days. Health care professionals are considered a risk population. This intervention applies preventive sessions including the pregnant employee, her manager and a midwife in addition to usual practiceat Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark (AUH). It is hypothesised that pregnant employees who participate in preventive sessions will have less sick leave and report better wellbeing compared to the reference group...

INTRODUCTION: Although the prevalence of pain persisting after pregnancy or labour decreases with time, up to 35 % of women report pain 8 months to 12 years after childbirth. To prevent the development and reduce the impact of chronic pain, researchers and clinicians emphasize the importance of early diagnosis as well as timely and appropriate treatment. Previous studies have shown that when women with post-childbirth morbidities consult healthcare professionals during the first year following birth, their problems are often neglected, and they do not receive adequate treatment...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether trust in the provider and sociodemographics are associated with individual-level abortion stigma. METHODS: We performed a cross sectional and exploratory study design using secondary analysis of a randomized trial that enrolled participants undergoing second trimester abortion. We collected baseline survey data from 70 trial participants to assess stigma (Individual Level of Abortion Stigma scale, ILAS; range 0-4), trust in provider (Trust in Physician scale; range 1-5), anxiety, depression, and sociodemographics...

OBJECTIVE: Induction of labour (IOL) does not require formal written consent, and little is known about how consent operates in this context. This prospective study explores pregnant women's experiences of the IOL consent process. METHODS: Qualitative study using semi-structured, interviews with thirteen women admitted to hospital for IOL. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three themes emerged: 1) Voluntary nature of consent: Some women experienced genuine choice; others perceived pressure to prioritise their baby...

UNLABELLED: This study aimed to investigate factors associated with exposure to violence over the past 12 months among women seeking abortion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study, nested within a multi-center questionnaire survey, involving 623 abortion-seeking women in Sweden from January to June 2021. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and multivariate regression analysis (using odds ratios [OR] and 95% confidence intervals [CI]) were employed...

BACKGROUND: In Sri Lanka, the Emergency Contraceptive Pill (ECP) is categorized as a Schedule 2A medication, allowing it to be purchased over-the-counter without a prescription, but exclusively from licensed pharmacists. It is estimated that around 3 million ECPs are consumed by Sri Lankan women each year. This study aims to assess the knowledge and practices of Female Factory Workers (FFWs) on ECP and to unearth the association with unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion. METHODS: After receiving written informed consent, a structured interview schedule was administered among 585 FFWs attached to eight factories in a selected Export Processing Zone (EPZ)...

OBJECTIVE: Expecting mothers with high sense of coherence (SOC) exhibit improved physical, emotional, and childbearing health. However, the dimensions of SOC and the factor structure of the SOC-13 scale during prenatal period is slightly known. Especially the differences in experiencing SOC and its components (comprehensibility, manageability, meaningfulness) among both expecting parents (mothers and fathers) is poorly understood. The association between SOC and mood disorder symptoms (depression and anxiety) during pregnancy is scarcely studied...

BACKGROUND: 'Collegial Midwifery Assistance' (CMA) is a clinical practice aiming to reduce severe perineal trauma (SPT) during childbirth. This practice involves two midwives being present during the active second stage of labour rather than one, which is the case in standard care. The effectiveness of CMA was evaluated in the Oneplus trial and a 30% reduction in SPT was shown. AIM: The aim was to investigate the experience of women who received the CMA intervention in the trial and to explore factors influencing their experiences...

BACKGROUND: Male engagement in antenatal care (ANC) has been recommended by the World Health Organization to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes, but implementation challenges remain. This study explored barriers, facilitators, and opportunities to improve male attendance and engagement in ANC. METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted individually with pregnant women and male partners attending a first ANC visit at two public health facilities in Moshi, Tanzania...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of a new birthing room at a tertiary hospital in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on the caesarean section (CS) rate in women classified as Robson group 1, i.e., nulliparous women at term with spontaneous onset of labour of one foetus in cephalic presentation. METHOD: As part of quality improvement interventions, a new birthing room designed to promote person-centredness was constructed at the labour ward at Panzi General Referral Hospital in DRC...

BACKGROUND: Cesarean section rates are increasing and surpassing WHO guidelines. While sometimes necessary, excessive use poses risks and additional costs to pregnant women and healthcare systems. AIM: To evaluate the prevalence of cesarean section according to healthcare professionals, facility location, and the wealth index of pregnant women in each Peruvian healthcare system. METHODS: A cross-sectional study analyzed 20,870 records of women aged 12 to 49 from the Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES)...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

A mixed-methods study was conducted to investigate sexual function among infertile patients undergoing medically assisted procreation for the first time. The study employed an interview and content analysis approach, involving 45 infertile patients prior to their medically assisted procreation procedures. The findings revealed that infertile patients are a group at risk for sexual distress. Furthermore, patients with sexual dysfunctions exhibited lower levels of sexual activity, potentially diminishing their chances of achieving pregnancy...

OBJECTIVE: There is a growing body of research showing that birth related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms may impact the mother-infant relationship. The present study assessed the strength of the association between birth related PTSD symptoms and the mother-infant relationship. METHOD: A total of twelve studies (5,572 participants) were included based on database searches using PubMed, EBSCO and ProQuest. RESULTS: The findings showed that greater levels of birth related PTSD symptoms were associated with poorer mother-infant relationship, r = -0...

BACKGROUND: In the Netherlands, newly qualified midwives start work as registered midwives without any formal transition support. Research shows that newly qualified midwives do not feel sufficiently confident and competent in their work during the period following graduation. This could impact the quality of care provided by newly registered midwives. The aim of this study is to seek consensus with stakeholders concerning viable components of support for newly qualified midwives working in midwifery care in the Netherlands...

This study evaluates trends in long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) services among obstetrician/gynecologists (OB/GYNs) and non-OB/GYNs in the U.S. during 2012-2018. Using public and private insurance claims from the Symphony Health database, we calculated the percentage of LARC insertions, removals, and reinsertions performed by OB/GYNs and non-OB/GYNs. We then assessed time trends with linear regression. The proportion of LARC services that were performed by non-OBGYNs increased modestly between 2012 and 2018...

OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this research is to observe the various socio-economic, demographic, health-seeking, and environmental factors influencing infant mortality and the rural-urban division in Punjab, Pakistan. METHODS: The study used the data of 38,405 households from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey that was conducted by the Bureau of Statistics Punjab during 2017-18. This survey assessed 125 indicators i.e., health, education, etc. created by UNICEF to assess the well-being of mothers and children in Punjab, Pakistan...