African journal of reproductive health最新文献

This study was to identify independent risk factors for new-onset stress urinary incontinence (SUI) after pelvic organ prolapse (POP) surgery and to develop and validate optimized prediction models, thereby providing an evidence-based tool for clinical decision-making. A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted, including 213 patients who underwent POP surgery. Data on baseline characteristics, preoperative assessments, surgical details, and 12-month postoperative follow-up were collected via the electronic medical record system. Multiple imputation was used to handle missing data, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression for feature selection, and both logistic regression and classification and regression tree (CART) decision tree models were developed. LASSO regression identified preoperative POP-Q stage, abnormal urodynamics with prolapse reduction, postmenopausal duration >10 years, and parity as core risk factors. The logistic regression model achieved an internally validated area under curve (AUC) of 0.78 and accuracy of 83.0%, with external validation AUC of 0.75. After calibration, Hosmer-Lemeshow test yielded P=0.65. The CART decision tree model demonstrated an internally validated AUC of 0.84 and accuracy of 87.4%, with external validation AUC of 0.81 and accuracy of 85.2%. Preoperative POP-Q stage and abnormal urodynamics with prolapse reduction are the strongest predictors of new-onset SUI after POP surgery.

The African Journal of Reproductive Health (AJRH) is proud to mark its 30th anniversary with the release of its second January 2026 issue. Since its inception in 19971, in response to the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt, the AJRH has remained committed to its mission of documenting and disseminating high-quality research on reproductive health in Africa and beyond. It was phenomenal that world renowned experts in the fields of public health and reproductive health such as the legendary Professors Allan Rosenfield2, and Kelsey Harrison3, contributed to the first issue of the journal, which was immediately indexed in PubMed (Medline).

This review applies Crenshaw's intersectionality theory to analyze the challenges Pakistani women encounter while seeking maternal healthcare services. The theory explains how various social factors such as: femininity, wealth or poverty, socio-economic class, and caste combine to create barriers to attaining healthcare. Gender bias is still an important socio-economic concern in Pakistan, where women are socially conditioned to fulfill household duties which curtails their freedom to take care of their health. Decisions regarding childbearing tend to be the domain of male relatives or mothers-in-law which further curtails women's autonomy. In addition, women from poorer, more rural areas experience increased financial burdens, lack of educational opportunities, and no access to healthcare markets which makes the situation increasingly difficult. Moreover, large geographical distances and high transportation costs worsen the situation. In addition, lower-caste women, like those of the Kammi caste, are discriminated against in the healthcare system, which further limits their ability to access care. This paper contends that there is a need for mothers' healthcare policies in Pakistan which are compassionate and sensitive to the realities of maternal healthcare services.

Maternal infections remain a critical but under-addressed determinant of neonatal health in Indonesia, yet hospital-based evidence is limited. This retrospective study reviewed 206 maternal records at Haji Adam Malik Hospital, Medan (2015-2018) to examine the prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis and their associations with neonatal outcomes. HIV prevalence was 6.8% (14/206), substantially higher than national estimates, while hepatitis B was detected in 2.4% (5/206) and no syphilis cases were identified. Overall, one-third of infants (33%) were born with low birth weight and 9.2% had suboptimal Apgar scores. Bivariate analysis showed significant associations between HIV infection and elevated maternal leukocyte counts with adverse neonatal outcomes (p < 0.05). Unexpectedly, none of the hepatitis B-reactive mothers had infants with low birth weight or poor Apgar scores, a finding likely due to the very small sample size and potential confounding. These results highlight the disproportionate burden of HIV in Medan, the methodological challenges of small-case analyses, and the urgent need for reliable antenatal infection screening and strengthened prevention of mother-to-child transmission services to reduce preventable neonatal morbidity.

Stunting poses an urgent public health challenge with long-term consequences for child development. Despite various national initiatives in Indonesia, stunting persists due to limited awareness and low caregiving efficacy at the household level. This study evaluates the "Stunt Resilient Family" intervention model, designed to enhance family awareness of stunting risks and improve caregiving efficacy for stunted children. Employing a one-group pre-test/post-test design, data were collected from 77 families in the Nusa Penida 1 Community Health Center area. Statistically significant improvements were found in family awareness across key demographics-adolescents, pregnant women, toddlers-as well as in caregiving efficacy (p < 0.05). Family efficacy, defined as the confidence and capability of caregivers to provide adequate care for stunted children, improved notably. These results suggest that community-based, family-centered education can effectively address stunting and may be adapted for broader implementation across similar contexts in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Allostatic load (AL), which is often used to observe damage to the organism from chronic stressful stimuli, has been demonstrated to be connected to a number of harmful consequences for health. There is currently no conclusive correlation between AL and infertility. The objective of this study was to delve identify possible correlation between AL and infertility. We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database, from 814 women of childbearing age from the United States. We investigated the relationship between AL level and infertility using logistic regression analysis. Nine biomarkers were selected from three major systems (cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune systems) to assess AL level. Regression analysis revealed that, after controlling for the total number of deliveries, marital status, moderate work activity, and family-to-poverty income ratio, each unit increase in AL was associated with a 2.2-fold higher risk of infertility. Therefore, AL warrants greater attention as a modifiable factor related to infertility.

High fertility preferences and strong socio-cultural norms around gender and family slow fertility transitions in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We examine how gender attitudes shape fertility preferences among youth aged 15-24 using Demographic and Health Survey data from 10 high-fertility SSA countries (total fertility rate ≥5 in 2015-20). We conduct pooled and country-specific negative binomial regressions separately for men and women, relating attitudes towards wife beating and gender preferences for children to the ideal number of children. Tolerance of wife beating is associated with 7% higher desired fertility for both men and women (IRR=1.07, p<0.001), with substantial cross-country variation in magnitude and direction, particularly among women. Gender preferences (son, daughter, or none versus balanced) show clear differences between men and women; these associations are generally positive for men and mixed for women, although modest in magnitude. This study finds marked variation across and within countries, highlighting context- and gender-specific patterns in how gender attitudes relate to young people's fertility preferences in high-fertility SSA.

Hysterosalpingography (HSG) is an important diagnostic tool in infertility, often associated with pain and tubal spasms, potentially resulting in false proximal tubal occlusions. This randomised controlled trial compared oral diclofenac potassium plus intramuscular hyoscine-N-butyl bromide (HBB) with oral diclofenac alone in 138 women undergoing HSG at Central Hospital, Warri. Pain perception, the primary outcome, was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Secondary outcomes were tubal spasm, patient satisfaction, and adverse effects. Baseline characteristics were similar across the groups. Median VAS scores were not significantly different immediately after HSG (3 vs. 4, P = 0.126) or at 30 minutes post-procedure (1 vs. 2, P = 0.083). No significant differences were found in tubal spasm rates (P = 0.526), satisfaction scores (P = 0.054), and Dizziness (26.1%, P = 0.062). The addition of intramuscular HBB to diclofenac potassium did not confer improved outcomes and was associated with more side effects.

Maternal health postpartum is important for both maternal and infant health. Support from husbands is a major factor but its role is still not well understood in our cultural context, in Pariaman, Indonesia. The relationship between husband support and maternal well-being with the mediation of breastfeeding self-efficacy and sleep quality was also an area for investigation in this study. A cross-sectional study was carried out in the months between March to August 202143 among postpartum women in urban and semi-urban areas of Pariaman City, West Sumatra. Validated questionnaires such as the Husband's Support Scale for Postpartum Mothers, Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale Short Form, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and WHO-5 Well-Being Index were used to measure data analysed by Pearson correlation (cr) and Structural Equation Modeling with bootstrapping. Husband's support was significantly associated with breastfeeding self-efficacy (r = 0.54) and maternal well-being (r = 0.49), and negative with poor sleep (r = -0.41; all p < 0.01). The model showed a moderate direct effect of husband's support on well-being (β = 0.28, p < 0.008) and indirect effects mediated by breastfeeding self-efficacy (β = 0.19) and sleep quality (β = 0.15), accounting for 42% of the variance in well-being. The findings of this study underline that involvement of husband correlates with better well-being of the mother in terms of increased confidence about breastfeeding and better sleep quality.

To explore the knowledge, attitudes, and sexual behaviors regarding HIV among university men who have sex with men (MSM) , we conducted a questionnaire survey with 462 students from 15 universities in 11city of Jiangxi Province. The HIV awareness rate was 69.1%..The reported rate of engaging in sexting was 65.2%. The overall attitude towards sex was relatively open, with 85.9% having engaged in high-risk sexual behaviors. Regression results indicated that factors influencing high-risk sexual behaviors included academic major, awareness of HIV knowledge, attitudes towards multiple sexual partners, attitudes towards premarital sex, and attitudes towards homosexual marriage. Although MSM university students have some knowledge of HIV, their attitudes and high-risk behaviors are a matter of concern. Targeted sexual health education and interventions are needed to reduce high-risk behaviors and HIV infection risks.