Health-related quality of life in polycystic ovary syndrome patients: a systematic review

Increasing attention to the concept of polycystic ovary syndrome [PCOS] health-related quality of life has led to the development of tool that aims to measure this concept. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of psychometric properties of the PCOS health-related quality of life questionnaire. A search of database [Pubmed, PsychInfo, CINAHL, CENTRAL, Scopus and SID] from January1998 to December 2013 yielded 6152 references of which 27 papers remained after review of the titles and abstracts. The reviewers used structural tools to analyze the articles, critically appraise papers, and extract the data. Finally, eight papers met the full inclusion criteria. A search of database [Pubmed, PsychInfo, CINAHL, CENTRAL, Scopus and SID] from January1998 to December 2013 yielded 6152 references of which 27 papers remained after review of the titles and abstracts. The reviewers used structural tools to analyze the articles, critically appraise papers, and extract the data. Finally, eight papers met the full inclusion criteria. The PCOSQ/MPCOSQ showed acceptable content and construct validity, reliability and internal consistency. However, some other properties, particularly those related to factor and longitudinal validity, absolute error of measurement, minimal clinically important difference and responsiveness still need to be evaluated

impact of polycystic ovary syndrome on the health-related quality of life: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Polycystic ovary syndrome [PCOS] has been shown to cause a reduction in health-related quality of life [HRQOL]. However, the relative degree of impairment in each domain differed among samples, and it was not clear which aspect of disease-specific HRQOL [modified polycystic ovary syndrome health-related quality of life questionnaire] was most negatively affected. To systematically review the effects of PCOS on specific domains of HRQOL. Literature search using search engine of database [PubMed, PsychInfo, CINAHL, CENTRAL, and Scopus] between 1998 to December 2013 yields 6 relevant publications. Pairs of raters used structural tools to analyze these articles, through critical appraisal and data extraction. The scores of each domain of polycystic ovarian syndrome questionnaire [PCOSQ] or modified version [MPCOSQ] of 1140 women with PCOS were used in meta-analysis. The combine mean of emotional [4.40; 95% CI 3.77-5.04], infertility [4.13; 95% CI 3.81-4.45] and weight [3.88; 95% CI 2.33-5.42] dimensions were better, but menstruation [3.84; 95% CI 3.63-4.04] and hirsutism [3.81; 95% CI 3.26-4.35] domains were lower than the mean score of PCOSQ/MPCOSQ in related dimension. The meta-analysis showed that the most affected domains in specific HRQOL were hirsutism and menstruation. Based on these findings, we recommend healthcare providers to be made aware that HRQOL impairment of PCOS is mainly caused by their hirsutism and menstruation, which requires appropriate management

Frequency and severity of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and its association with psychosocial health

The present study aimed to evaluate the frequency and severity of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy [NVP] and to investigate the association between psychosocial health and the severity of NVP. This cross-sectional study was performed on 200 eligible pregnant women with nausea and vomiting at three prenatal care centers in Kashan, Iran. The participants completed demographic and pregnancy-related questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory-Short Form, Winnfield Tiygmann social support questionnaire and Paykel scale of stressful life events. the severity of NVP was also recorded. ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to determine the relationship between different variables. P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The frequency of NVP was estimated at 71.5%. In total, 19%, 45.5% and 7% of these cases had mild, moderate and severe NVP, respectively. The severity of NVP was significantly associated with depression level [P=0.01]. However, there was no correlation between the level of social support and unpleasant life events with severity of NVP. According to the results of this study women with more severe NVP experienced a higher level of depression, compared to others. However, social support and other factors were not correlated with the severity of NVP

Evaluation of female youth educational needs about reproductive health in non-medical students in the city of Qom

To evaluate reproductive health education which is essential to the prevention of sexual risk behavior and its associated adverse outcomes of unwanted pregnancy, AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease in adolescents. Little is known about youth educational needs about reproductive health in Iran. The aim of this study is evaluation of female youth educational needs about reproductive health in non-medical universities in the city of Qom, north central of Iran. The study was descriptive-analytical type conducted in nine non-medical universities [400 students]. A questionnaire was constructed to meet the purpose of the study based on similar studies of knowledge and attitude in different countries, yet it was modified according to Iranian culture and social norms. The findings showed that a majority of participants have moderate knowledge about all components of reproductive health. Approximately, one-third of the participants reported difficulties to discuss about sexual health with mothers. The most of the participants believed insufficient female youth reproductive health services and low knowledge about reproductive health were the main barriers for female youth reproductive health aims. The participants in this study are representatives of an important subgroup in Iran in order to evaluate female youth reproductive health educational needs. The study identified many misconception and negative attitude that need to be addressed. A health education program through parents, peers, mass media campaign and more comprehensive family planning curriculum in universities are recommended to overcome misconception and spread awareness