ABSTRACT
The discomfort and anxiety associated with the intrauterine device (IUD) insertion process is a significant barrier to its adoption as a form of contraception despite its high efficacy. This study aimed to classify and identify methods for minimizing pain and anxiety in IUD implantation in women below the age of 49. A search of publications from online databases, PubMed and Google Scholar, revealed 14 articles that met the inclusion criteria. An analysis of the selected studies showed that several pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures effectively minimized patient discomfort associated with IUD insertion. Of the 14 studies, 12 evaluated pharmacological methods for pain management in IUD insertion, while two studies assessed non-pharmacological methods. The results showed that although the IUD is more effective than other forms of contraceptives, fear of pain related to the insertion process is one of the most significant barriers to the use of an IUD among women. Most studies identified pharmacological methods of pain management for IUD insertion, highlighting a need for more research on non-pharmacological methods to improve patient experiences and reduce associated fears.
ABSTRACT
Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a condition characterized by the production of procoagulant antibodies, which in turn increases the risk of thrombotic events in multiple blood vessels and is associated with recurrent miscarriages and premature births. The study aimed to identify and analyze the gender trends of the first authors in PubMed-indexed publications related to APS. The present cross-sectional study analyzed all PubMed-indexed articles published between January 2018 and December 2022. All articles with the term "antiphospholipid syndrome" in their titles were included in the study. Full names and countries were used to determine the gender of the author in the NamSor application program interface (API) and statistical analysis was done using R software version 4.3.1 (R Core Team, Vienna, Austria) and the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model. Finally, a total of 1176 articles were evaluated in the study after the inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. The highest number of publications by female first authors was in the year 2022 with a total of 132 articles published. Forecasting predicts that by 2027, approximately 122 articles will be published by male authors and 132 articles will be published by female authors. The highest female-to-male publication ratio is seen in Russia, with a ratio of 2, followed closely by Poland (1.86) and Greece (1.85). In conclusion, gender equality has not significantly improved in the field of APS research. Thus, the gender gaps must be addressed, to advance the medical field, improve patient care, and ultimately contribute to better health outcomes for women worldwide.