International Journal of Women's Health最新文献

Purpose: This study aimed to compare knowledge and attitudes towards obstetric danger signs and care between females receiving maternal care and their male partners.

Methods and materials: A community-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural setting of Jimma, Ethiopia. Female and their male partners were selected randomly. The number of participants included from each sex was 3235 totaling 6470. Face-to-face data collection was employed using open data kit (ODK) software. A pre-test was performed before the data collection. Descriptive and analytical statistical analysis was used to compare knowledge and attitudes regarding obstetric danger signs and care. Predictor variables were declared considering a 95% confidence interval, adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and P-value less than 0.05.

Results: On average, male and female participants identified at least two obstetric danger signs. More females could mention more antenatal, childbirth, and postnatal danger signs than their male partners. Both females and their male partners who listened to the radio at least once per week had a statistically significant positive attitude towards obstetric care. Nonetheless, both had an almost similar magnitude of attitude towards obstetric care irrespective of belonging to different occupational, educational, and other social strata. Males' knowledge of danger signs during pregnancy (95% CI = (1.07-1.62), AOR = 1.32, P < 0.008) and postnatal care (95% CI = (1.16-1.89), AOR = 1.48, P < 0.002) had a statistically significant association with the females utilization antenatal care (ANC) service, though not delivery care (DC) or postnatal (PNC).

Conclusion: There were inequalities in obstetric danger signs knowledge between females and their male partners. Male partners' knowledge of obstetric danger signs is not only significant during pregnancy and delivery but also has a lasting impact on post-natal service utilization, which underscores the importance of their involvement in maternal healthcare.

An ectopic kidney is a rare congenital defect that is often asymptomatic, but can be incidentally discovered during imaging examinations. Moreover, the morphological characteristics and laboratory features of ectopic kidneys are nonspecific, which may lead to misleading diagnostic approaches, particularly when there are additional factors, such as infection, obstruction, or other anomalies. A 43-year-old female presented with a mass in the left adnexal area. She had septate uterus and a history of congenital urinary incontinence. Ultrasound and MRI findings indicated that the mass was a cyst originating from the ovary. However, it is possible that the lump was derived from the urinary system. To confirm the diagnosis, laparoscopy was performed, followed by pathological examination, which confirmed the presence of an ectopic kidney with a single-system ectopic ureter. The patient underwent nephroureterectomy, and her symptoms successfully resolved, leading to a favorable prognosis. This case report highlights a rare case involving an ectopic kidney with a vaginal ectopic ureter that initially presented as an adnexal cyst and caused urinary dribbling. This case emphasizes the importance of early recognition and accurate diagnosis in women with similar symptoms.

Purpose: To explore symptom experience and symptom clusters among Jordanian women with breast cancer and investigate whether these clusters predict patients' spiritual well-being.

Patients and methods: A sample of 142 Jordanian women with breast cancer were asked to complete the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy- Spiritual Well-being (FACIT-Sp) scale, and socio-demographic questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis was used to group symptoms into clusters, and multiple linear regression was used to explore the symptom clusters that predict spiritual well-being.

Results: The most prevalent symptoms among women with breast cancer were fatigue, anxiety, tension, and pain. All these symptoms have a prevalence greater than 50%. Three clusters were found: treatment-related symptom cluster consisting of eight symptoms, gastrointestinal symptom cluster consisting of seven symptoms, and psychological symptom cluster consisting of five symptoms. The psychological symptom cluster was the only cluster predicting the women's spiritual well-being (t (141) = -3.049; p < 0.01).

Conclusion: Women with breast cancer experience several concurrent symptoms and symptom clusters. Screening for psychological symptom clusters and their treatment improves patients' spiritual well-being. The majority of women with breast cancer did not receive any complementary therapies and hardly any spiritual or psychological support, which should be provided in the future to support their spiritual well-being.

Introduction: Cervical cancer screening has demonstrated high efficacy in reducing cervical cancer mortality worldwide. However, clinician sampling is often perceived as an uncomfortable procedure that could reduce screening uptake. Self-sampling methods for HPV diagnosis have shown high sensitivity, which could increase acceptance and screening rates among women.

Purpose: This study aims to identify the perceived barriers and advantages of self-sampling methods versus clinician sampling for cervical cancer screening in a rural setting in Ecuador.

Patients and methods: A qualitative study was conducted. Seven focus group discussions took place in the rural Parish of El Valle in Azuay Province, Cuenca, Ecuador. Women native to this rural area were included in the study. FGDs were recorded and transcribed, and content analysis was performed to categorize and analyze the data.

Results: A total of 45 women participated in the study. Clinician sampling was perceived as a painful and intrusive method. However, participants believed that it is more reliable compared to self-sampling methods, attributing this to the direct visualization of the cervix, which facilitates the detection of cervical pathologies. The perceived advantages of self-sampling included increased comfort, pain reduction, time savings, the ability to perform the test at home, and the potential for widespread availability through pharmacies or local traditional healers. Nevertheless, doubts about the test's reliability as well as the user's proficiency in self-testing posed barriers to the adoption of this technique.

Conclusion: Self-sampling methods offer several advantages over clinician sampling, such as enhanced privacy, comfort, and accessibility to cancer screening. Barriers primarily revolved around users' proficiency in performing the test and the reliability of the results. Providing training for using self-sampling tests could address these barriers.

Purpose: This study aims to examine the mediating effect of life stress and the moderated mediating effect of job satisfaction on work-family conflict and depression among working mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted using raw data from Wave 8 of the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Families, collected during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Among the 9175 respondents, study included 1315 women aged between 26 and 55, who have children cohabiting with them. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics; T-test, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation. The analysis was conducted using the SPSS/WIN 26.0 program and the SPSS PROCESS macro (version 4.0).

Results: Life stress was observed to have a significant mediating effect (indirect effect) on work-family conflict and depression. Within this indirect effect, job satisfaction was found to play a moderated mediating role.

Conclusion: Drawing from these findings, various interventional strategies can be devised to alleviate work-family conflict and life stress, and enhance job satisfaction, thereby improving the mental health of working mothers. Additionally, these results offer valuable insights for developing mental health promotion programs aimed at preventing and preparing for crises such as infectious diseases and can contribute to inform health policy-making.

Purpose: In recent years, female infertility has become a research hotspot in the field of health management, and its cause may be related to insulin resistance (IR). We used a novel and practical IR indicator, the TyG index to explore its association with infertility.

Patients and methods: We calculated the TyG index using data from adult women who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2013 to 2018. Then, we used multivariate logistic regression, smooth curve fitting, and subgroup analysis to examine the association between the TyG index and infertility in women.

Results: Logistic regression models showed a positive correlation between the TyG index and infertility, which remained significant even after adjusting for all confounders (OR=1.51,95% CI:1.14-2.00, p=0.005). This association was consistent in all subgroups (age, education level, marital status, BMI, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, diabetes, pelvic inflammatory disease/PID treatment, and menstrual regularity in the past 12 months) (p>0.05 for all interactions). However, the diagnostic power of the TyG index for infertility was limited (AUC=0.56, 95% CI: 0.52-0.61).

Conclusion: The TyG index is positively correlated with infertility, but its diagnostic value is limited. Further research is needed on the TyG index as an early predictor of infertility.

Objective: This study investigated the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate among pregnant women in Thailand and explored factors influencing their willingness to receive the vaccine, to enhance vaccine uptake among hesitant pregnant women in the future.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, Chiang Mai, Thailand, in October 2022. The data was collected using face-to-face questionnaires comprising 29 closed-end questions. Pregnant women aged 18 years old or over visiting the antenatal care clinic were included.

Results: The study included 200 participants, revealing a COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate of 17%. Healthcare provider recommendations significantly increased vaccine acceptance by nearly two-fold (30.77%, p-value < 0.01). The major cause of vaccine hesitancy was the concern about vaccine safety that potentially harmed their babies (77.44%).

Conclusion: The COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rate among pregnant women in Thailand was low. Healthcare provider recommendations played a pivotal role in positively impacting vaccine acceptance, highlighting their importance in increasing acceptance rates in the future.

Objective: This review examines the initial development of a transport system for neonates, followed by a subsequent evolution of a transportation system for the maternal/fetal unit, and then a maternal transport system (antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum) to specifically address maternal morbidity/mortality.

Methods: A literature search was undertaken using the electronic databases PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL. The search terms used were "maternal transport" AND "perinatal care" OR "labor" "obstetrics" OR "delivery". The years searched were 1960-2023.

Results: There were 260 abstracts identified and 52 of those are the basis of this review. The utilization of a transportation system with the regionalization of levels of care has resulted in a significant reduction in neonatal, perinatal, and maternal morbidity and mortality. Although preterm delivery remains a concern in women transported, the number of deliveries that have occurred during transport is relatively small. Reimbursement for transportation continues to be a problem in several states.

Conclusion: A state-of-the-art transportation system has evolved that transfers neonates, maternal/fetal dyad, and pregnant women (antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum) to the appropriate level of care facility to ensure the best maternal/fetal/neonatal outcomes.

Introduction: Previous studies have shown that pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) tend to have a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, but the potential causal role remained unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the causal relationship between SLE and some common pregnancy complications and outcomes using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR).

Methods: The genetic tools were derived from genome-wide association studies of SLE and pregnancy complications and outcomes. MR analysis was performed using inverse variance weighting as primary method. Sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the robustness of the results. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 200 pregnant women with SLE and a control group of pregnant women delivering at Tongji Hospital.

Results: In the results, we found that genetic susceptibility to SLE was associated with a higher risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.028, 95% CI: 1.006-1.050), premature delivery (OR = 1.039, 95% CI: 1.013-1.066), polyhydramnios (OR = 1.075, 95% CI: 1.004-1.151) and premature rupture of membranes (OR = 1.030, 95% CI: 1.001-1.060). Some of the retrospective analysis results align with the findings from the MR analysis, indicating that pregnant women with SLE have a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus and preterm birth. Additionally, although MR analysis did not reveal a causal relationship between SLE and preeclampsia/eclampsia, retrospective analysis discovered that SLE pregnant women are more susceptible to developing preeclampsia/eclampsia (OR = 2.935, 95% CI: 1.118-7.620).

Conclusion: Our study findings suggest a potential causal relationship between SLE and increased risks of gestational diabetes and preterm delivery. Clinical data indicate that pregnant women with SLE are more prone to developing preeclampsia/eclampsia. Clinicians need to be vigilant about the occurrence of these conditions when managing pregnant women with SLE.

Introduction: Localized provoked vulvodynia (LPV) is a prevalent sexual health condition with significant negative impacts on quality of life. There is a lack of consensus regarding effective management.

Methods: We used Arksey and O'Malley's five-step method to identify, collate, and evaluate literature published between 2010 and 2023. The scoping review investigated the efficacy or effectiveness of interventions in the management of LPV. The aim of this paper is to map the literature on the efficacy or effectiveness of physical interventions.

Results: The review produced 19 primary studies of physical interventions for LPV. These include acupuncture, laser therapy, physiotherapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, low-intensity shockwave therapy, transcranial direct current stimulation, and vestibulectomy.

Conclusion: Published studies that investigated a range of physical treatments for LPV showed some positive effects, except for transcranial direct-current stimulation. The remaining modalities demonstrated improved sexual pain and treatment satisfaction, when measured. Findings were mixed for non-sexual pain. There was insufficient evidence to draw conclusions regarding other outcomes. Researchers are encouraged to conduct larger, high-quality studies that sample more diverse patient populations and use patient-oriented outcomes to assess effectiveness of physical modalities.