Women’s Health Bulletin
Volume:8 Issue: 3, Sep 2021

Contex: 

Sexual function during pregnancy affects martial satisfaction of couples and increases empathy in the completion of pregnancy and women’s self-confidence with reduction in fears. Studies on the sexual function of Iranian pregnant women have shown controversial results. The present study aimed to review the sexual function of Iranian pregnant women.

The international and national databases of Web of Science/ISI, PubMed, Scopus, MagIran, and SID databases using “sex”, “sexuality”, “sexual intercourse”, “sexual function”, “sexual dysfunction”, and “pregnancy” without a time limit. We included all the papers published in Persian and English reporting the mean score of sexual function of pregnant women. Based on the pre-designed form, the required data included the name of the first authors, year of publication, sample size, research setting, questionnaire type, and methodological quality, which were extracted and recorded. Data analysis was performed in STATA version 14 using a meta-analysis method and random-effects models. The heterogeneity of the studies was evaluated utilizing the I2 test.

In total, 11 articles with the total sample size of 2,657 were reviewed. The highest and lowest standard scores of sexual function were reported in the first pregnancy trimester (58.92%; 95% CI: 54.08-63.75) and the third trimester (47.70%; 95% CI: 23.18-39.56), respectively. In addition, publication bias was significant in the first (P=0.001), second (P=0.009), and third trimesters (P=0.014).

The sexual function of women was found to reduce through pregnancy progress. Therefore, sexual function assessment and counseling on pregnancy care seem crucial for pregnant women.

Exercise training and omega-3 supplementation are believed to have a positive effect on obese and overweight people. We conducted the present study in order to investigate the effect of aerobic training and omega3 ingestion on the levels of Adipsin and insulin resistance in overweight and obese women. In this semi-experimental study conducted in Tehran, summer 2020, 40 overweight and obese women (aged from 20 to 35 years old, and BMI 29.6±1.93 kg.m2) were assigned in four equal groups, namely placebo (P), omega-3 (O), training (E), and training+omega-3 (OE) groups. The subjects in the training and training+omega-3 groups completed the eight-week (three sessions per week) aerobic training program. 2000 mg omega-3 supplement was consumed on a daily basis. Blood samples were obtained before and after completing the intervention and Adipsin and insulin levels were measured. The data were analyzed via repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) test along with Tukey post-hoc test. The study was approved under the IRCT registration code of IRCT20200811048360N1. The findings of the present research shed light on a significant decrease in serum Adipsin levels in the E and OE groups compared to those in the P and O groups (p <0.05). Moreover, insulin resistance significantly decreased in E compared with that in the P group (P=0.012) and also in the OE group compared to that in the P (P=0.001) and O (P=0.009) groups. The present study indicated that omega-3 supplementation could increase the effect of exercise training on the reduction in the Adipsin and insulin resistance; further effects may be observed by increasing the duration of exercise training period.

Free-of-charge vaginal deliveries have been offered as part of the Health Transformation Plan (HTP) in Iran, but still a high proportion of deliveries are occurring at home. This study aimed to investigate the reasons for home deliveries after the implementation of HTP in southeast of Iran. This case-control study included women who gave birth at home between September 2015 and September 2016 for their last pregnancy; considered as cases (n=300), and women who delivered at a health facility (hospital or Safe Delivery Posts), assigned to the control group (n= 600). Data were collected during face to face interview using a 77-item semi-structured questionnaire. A multivariable logistic regression technique was used to identify independent predictors of home delivery. Women who were worried about giving birth at a teaching hospital (OR=1.9, 95% CI:1.3 -2.8), women with negative experiences in the previous delivery (OR=1.6, 95% CI:1.0-2.4), illiterates (OR=3.8, 95% CI: 2.0-7.4), individuals with primary/secondary education (OR=2.3, 95% CI: 1.3 - 4.4), women with no health insurance (OR=5.1, 95% CI: 3.5- 7.4), if the decision on choosing the place of birth was made by the women alone (OR=12.7, 95% CI: 7-22.8), women with financial constraints (OR=1.7, 95% CI: 1.2-2.4), women with precipitate labour (OR=2.4, 95% CI: 1.7-3.5) and women with fear of the hospital environment (OR= 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1- 2.4) were more likely to deliver at home. Our findings highlight socio-economic and cultural barriers that need to be addressed to reduce home deliveries among the disadvantaged women.

Urinary incontinence (UI) is prevalent among women and seriously impairs the quality of life. Urinary incontinence is believed to be associated with a decrease in estrogen and estrogen regeneration improves these signs. We conducted the present study to assess the effects of aquatic exercise on multiple domains of urinary leakage and estradiol level in postmenopausal women. In this semi-experimental study, 24 postmenopausal women with UI were selected from October to December 2019 in Arak, Iran. They were randomized into the aquatic exercise (n=12) and control (n=12) groups. Aquatic exercise was carried out at moderate intensity, three days per week for eight weeks in 33–34°C, swimming pool. The control group did not participate in a supervised program. The International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire–Short Form (ICIQ-SF) was used to assess urinary incontinence and blood samples were collected 48 hours before and after the last sessions of exercise training. In addition, UI-related practices and the use and modification of daily protection were examined. Estradiol was assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA assay). The data were analyzed utilizing paired t test or Wilcoxon test in SPSS version 21. The mean age of the subjects was 56.77 years old; 78.6% were married and 58% were overweight. The ICIQ-SF score (P=0.03) as well as severity of urinary incontinence symptoms (P=0.05) in the exercise group improved significantly compared to those in the control group. Furthermore, no significant differences in estradiol level were observed between the groups (P>0.05). Aquatic exercise was found to be beneficial and improved fitness and severity of urinary incontinence in postmenopausal women although this improvement occurred without changes in estrogen levels.

Women are less likely to meet the suggested levels of physical activity compared to men, particularly in the rural setting. For this reason, community-based interventions associated with physical activity were developed to improve physical activity in village women. We conducted the present study to explore the experience of target group in term of physical activity to identify factors that could be strengthened and the weaknesses that could be improved.

This qualitative study was conducted applying content analysis. The study setting was Saied Abad, a village in the northwest of Iran. The data were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted between August 2018 and January 2019. All the participants were rural women, who had experienced at least once doing physical activity in the community-based intervention named Women’s Park.

The findings were classified into two main categories and six subcategories: (a) intrapersonal facilitators, such as habituation, (b) interpersonal facilitators, such as family support, (c) environmental facilitators, such as practical activities, (d) intrapersonal barriers, such as lack of time due to family responsibilities, (e) interpersonal barriers, such as not having the support of friends, and (f) environmental barriers, such as cost.

In the rural women’s experience, the factors affecting doing physical activity were both facilitators and barriers. This study demonstrated that in addition to the intrapersonal factors, doing physical activity is affected by interpersonal and environmental factors. These findings will be helpful in promoting community-based interventions and scheduling rural women’s health promotion behaviors.

The recent problems of couples necessitate the greater focus of research in this field on relationships between couples. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of transactional analysis training on communication skills and attribution beliefs of incompatible women in Tehran, Iran. The research method was quasi-experimental. The research population included all incompatible women who were referred to the psychological clinics of district 1 of Tehran, Iran in 2020. Thirty women were selected as the sample using convenience sampling and randomly divided into experimental and control groups (n=15 in each group). The experimental group underwent eight sessions (60-minutes sessions per week) of transactional analysis training. The follow-up was performed after 60 days. The research instruments included the Communication Skills Questionnaire, the Relationship Attribution Measure, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Data analysis was conducted using repeatedmeasures ANOVA by SPSS software version 24.0. The mean± SD of the post-test scores of communication skills and attribution beliefs of incompatible women was (115.93±8.40) and (85.33±13.40) in the experimental group and (87.93±8.53) and (113.23±12.53) in the control group. The results showed that transactional analysis training effectively and persistently improves communication skills and attribution beliefs of incompatible women (p <0.001). Transactional analysis training can be recommended as an intervention to improve the quality of life of families with computability problems.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases that could lead to cervical cancer. The current study aimed to assess the awareness of young girls about HPV and the relevant current sources of information about HPV. The present work also investigated the social factors related to young girls’ awareness of HPV. Methodologically, this was a cross-sectional study. The sample population was 303 single girls living in Shiraz, Iran. We used quota sampling. The data collection was carried out during October to November 2018. Data gathering tool included a two-part questionnaire: demographic information and HPV awareness measurement questionnaire. The validity of HPV awareness measurement questionnaire was confirmed by experts and its reliability was also assessed with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.942. We analyzed the data via descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS version 21. The findings of the present research showed that the participants’ mean awareness of HPV was 5.84 out of 23. A total of 48.5% of the respondents had information about HPV prior to this study, among which the awareness score was 10.12. There was a significant relationship between education level (p <0.001), monthly income, type of occupation (p <0.001), and field of study (p <0.001) with HPV awareness. Considering low awareness of girls about HPV, cultural, health, and governmental institutions, as well as non-profit organizations, need to make efforts to educate and inform the public about HPV and its transmission routes, which may result in the reduction of HPV-related diseases, including cervical cancer.

Choriocarcinoma is a rare and malignant tumor, which may present during or following any type of pregnancy. This tumor often demonstrates rapid hematogenous spread to multiple organs and is associated with high levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and a good response to chemotherapy. Herein, we introduced a case of metastatic choriocarcinoma who failed to response to conventional therapies.

A 22-year-old woman referred with vaginal bleeding. The evaluations revealed that she had a metastatic choriocarcinoma that failed to response to conventional therapies. Continuation of chemotherapy was not possible due to the development of neutropenia. Interestingly, the patient achieved a complete remission spontaneously without receiving further treatment. During the follow-up period, when the patient should not become pregnant, she became pregnant and had no problems during the pregnancy.

Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia is a rare disease. The majority of women suffering from this disease can be cured and their reproductive function could be preserved through the utilization of sensitive quantitation assay for human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) and highly effective chemotherapy.