Experiences of infertile women seeking assisted pregnancy in Iran: a qualitative study

Assisted reproductive technologies [ARTs] are complicated and stressful techniques and the social and cultural norms are major obstacles against their use. Many qualitative studies have been done in the field of women's experiences of infertility, but less is known about the experiences of infertile women seeking assisted pregnancy. The aim of this study was to understand and describe the experience of women who have used assisted reproductive technologies for their current pregnancy. This qualitative study was conducted based on a content analysis approach. With purposive sampling, 12 pregnant women who were using ART were recruited from Avicenna Fertility Center in Tehran. Women were selected purposefully and with maximum variation. Interviews were performed after a positive test of pregnancy and women were introduced to researchers in their first visit of pregnancy in the prenatal clinic. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed concurrently. Semi-structured interviews were coded, categorized and the themes were also identified. Four main themes were uncovered which included struggle to achieve pregnancy, fear and uncertainty, escape from stigma and the pursuit to achieve husband satisfaction. It is essential for these women to be counseled and prepared by their health care providers after the use of ARTs. Distress can be reduced for infertile women seeking assisted pregnancy when they are prepared for possible failures, empowered to deal with stigma, and have their partners' involvement in counseling sessions

effect of sexual health education program on women sexual function in Iran

Sexual dysfunction is the most common disorder in women. According to the WHO, sexual education programs are considered as a need. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the effect of educational program on sexual function in women with sexual dysfunction. This randomized trial, was conducted in 2013 on 90 married women by convenient sampling in Qazvin, central Iran. The demographic, Female Sexual Function Index [FSFI], and Beck's Depression Inventory [BDI] questionnaires were completed during structured interviews. After completing the sample size, subjects were divided randomly into two groups by using the table of random numbers [educational and control groups], then respectively received an educational intervention in the four sessions with one week interval and routine program offered by the center and following-up was done with refilling questionnaires 8 weeks after intervention. Sexual function improved after sex educational programs in all dimensions [sexual desire [P=0.006], sexual exciting [P=0.006], vaginal moisture [P=0.002], sexual satisfaction [P=0.011], and total score of sexual function [P=0.001]. Considering the importance role of sexual function in family strength, health, and development, it can be claimed that educational sex programs can help practitioners to improve sexual function of married women with sexual dysfunction

Quality of life in pregnant women with sleep disorder

Sleep disorders are common complaints of women during pregnancy. These disorders are the result of physiological, hormonal, physical changes, affecting before, during, and right after pregnancy. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life of pregnant women with sleep disorders in the second trimester. In this cross-sectional study, data was collected with continuous sampling method. A total of 100 pregnant women with sleep disturbances in their second trimesters were recruited in this study. The participant referred to two elected health centers in West Azerbaijan University of Medical Science [one and three numbers of health care centers] in order to get prenatal care in the city of Maku, West Azerbaijan, Iran. The data was gathered using the personal information forms and the questionnaires, prepared by the World Health Organization Quality of Life [WHOQOL: BREF]. To analyze the collected data, different statistical methods, like frequency tables, Pearson, Spearman and ANOVA were applied. The results indicate that the mean sleep quality is 8.62 +/- 2.81 in pregnant women with sleep disorders or poor quality of sleep in the second trimester. Quality of life [p

[Maternal-fetal attachment and its associated factors]

Maternal-fetal attachment plays an important role in maternal identity forming. The attachment behavior is different between mothers; and most of the reported studies are from Western countries. The aim of this study was to assess maternal-fetal attachment behavior and some related factors among Iranian mothers. This cross-sectional study was carried out in 12 health and medical centers, affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Four hundred pregnant women were selected for the study. Data were gathered using two questionnaires. The first one was a self-structured questionnaire and the second one was the maternal-fetal attachment scale. Data were analyzed using the Pearson, Anova and t-test statistical tests. The P<0.05 denoted statistical significance. Findings showed that the mothers had good attachment toward their fetuses [M=84.72]. The race, higher maternal age, higher education, gestational age, planned pregnancy, sex of fetus, and assessing health of fetus had positive effects on prenatal attachment [P<0.05]. Tobacco use, multiparity, and high risk pregnancy had negative effects on attachment. There were no relationships between attachment and previous marriage, infertility, abortion, number/type of ultrasound, participation in prenatal classes and healthy baby [P>0.05]. Understanding maternal-fetal attachment behavior could play an important role in quality of prenatal care. Midwives can assess and promote attachment behavior as well as recognize factors influencing maternal-fetal attachment

Physical and psychological violence against infertile women

To investigate the prevalence of physical and psychological violence against women with female factor infertility. A total of 400 women with primary infertility attending the Vali-e-asr Reproductive Health Research Center in Tehran, Iran, were interviewed using the conflict tactics Scales [CTS2] questionnaire to investigate their experiences of physical and psychological violence. The prevalence of psychological violence was 135 [33.8%], followed by physical 56 [14%]. All women reported their husbands to be the perpetrators. Clinicians should identify the abused women and provide them with medical care and supportive counseling