The effect of complementary medicine on maternal health promotion: An experimental study.

BACKGROUND: During the immediate post delivery period, women are particularly susceptible to distension of the bladder. Complementary and alternative medicine is becoming an established intervention modality within the contemporary health care system. However, very little is known about the impact of foot reflexology on the urinary system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the most popular type of complementary therapy (the foot reflexology) on first voiding time following elective cesarean section without urinary catheter. METHODS: This experimental study was performed on 61 pregnant women in Pastor Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, who met the inclusion criteria. Accordingly, participants were randomly allotted to either treatment or control groups. The intervention group received a single 20-min foot re?exology session at 2-3 h after the surgery. The time taken for first void was recorded by research assistant that blinded to the allocation of groups. The findings were recorded and analyzed with the SPSS software by using of Chi-square, independent t-test, Mann-Whitney, and Fisher exact methods P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: Using General Linear Model (GLM) for controlling of confounding variables, the results of t-test showed significant differences between two groups in terms of first voiding time (P = 0.001) following surgery. CONCLUSION: It seems that the use of foot reflexology as a nursing care plan to prevent urinary retention after cesarean section without urinary catheter does shorten first voiding time and increase maternal satisfaction.

The association between women's pelvic organ prolapse and joint hypermobility.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether joint hypermobility is associated with pelvic organ prolapse. METHODS: The case-control study was conducted from January to April 2011 and comprised 30 women with pelvic organ prolapse, stage > or = II and 30 controls with stages 0 and I with similar age and parity. They were recruited from the gynaecology clinic at Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad, Iran. The condition was evaluated by a quantification system and, for the purposes of this study, pelvic organ prolapse was defined as stage > or = II. All the subjects were examined in the dorsal lithotomic position with an empty bladder. A separate investigator evaluated each subject for joint hypermobility by using Beighton score which was calculated by doing five simple manoeuvres. SPSS 11.5 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the 30 cases was 35.40 +/- 6.39 years, while for the controls it was 35.36 +/- 5.9 years. Overall clinical joint hypermobility was found in 24 of the 60 (40%) subjects. There were no significant difference in the prevalence of joint hypermobility between the two groups. The prevalence of hypermobility in the cases was 36.7% (n = 11) versus 43.3% (n=13) in the controls (p = 0.59). The prevalence of cystocele in subjects with joint hypermobility was 41.7% (n = 10) versus 38.9% (n=14), (p < 0.83); rectocele 33.3% (n = 8) versus 41.7% ( n =15), (p < 0.73) women with normal joint mobility. No Significant differences were found between the groups with regard to other markers of connective tissue weakness such as the presence of varicose veins (p < 0.37), easy bruising ( p < 0.43) and observed striae ( p < 0.42). CONCLUSION: Joint hypermobility was not associated with pelvic organ prolapse in the study population. Further studies involving more patients with pelvic organ prolapse are recommended.

Effect of early post cesarean feeding on gastrointestinal complications.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal complications are the main complication in patients after cesarean section. Previous studies have reported different results about the effect of early post cesarean feeding on vomiting, nausea, flatulence and illus. OBJECTIVES: To identify the effect of early post cesarean feeding on gastrointestinal complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 82 women who underwent cesarean section in Mashhad Omolbanin hospital. They were randomly assigned to two equal experimental and control groups. The experimental group started oral fluids four hours after surgery, followed by a regular diet after bowel sounds returned. Mothers in the control group received fluid intravenously during the initial 12 hours, and then if bowel sounds were heard, they were permitted to receive oral fluids and they could start a solid diet if they had defecation. Vomiting and flatulence were assessed with a visual analog scale. Nausea was assessed with an observation questionnaire and illus was assessed via bowel sounds, gas passing and defecation 4, 12, 24, 36 and 48, hours post surgery in the two groups. Also, they were studied for the time of gas passing, bowel sound return, defecation, sitting, walking and breast-feeding. Data were analyzed using the chi-square, Fisher's exact test, t-test and Man-Whitney U test. RESULTS: No mother experienced nausea, vomiting and illus. Flatulence severity 4 and 12 hours after surgery was similar in both groups (P = 0.856, P = 0.392). However, flatulence severity 24, 36 and 48 hours after surgery, was less in the experimental group (P = 0.030, P = 0.016, P = 0.001). Also, bowel sound return, time of gas passing, defecation, sitting and walking were less in the experimental group (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study showed that early feeding decreased post cesarean gastrointestinal complications.