COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and practices among Iranian pregnant and postpartum women: A national study.

BACKGROUND: To control the spread of COVID-19, Iran has adopted rigorous precautionary and preventive measures, particularly for vulnerable groups. Considering the effects of knowledge and attitudes about COVID-19 on adherence to preventive measures, we examined women's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) from pregnancy to 6 weeks postpartum about COVID-19 during this pandemic. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 7363 women were recruited via an online questionnaire between June 23, 2021 and July 7, 2021. The questionnaire consisted of 27 questions, measuring KAP. RESULTS: Most of the participants had a good understanding of COVID-19 (Mean: 7.30 out of 9, standard deviation [SD]: 1.27), but the knowledge of the disease's main symptoms and modes of transmission was at the lowest levels. The mean attitudes score was 31.47 out of 50 (SD: 7.70). The participants had good practices against COVID-19 with a mean score of 35.48 out of 40 (SD: 3.94). To reduce anxiety and fear during the pandemic, half of our participants strongly emphasized the role of family emotional support. Income status and educational levels were the most significant variables influencing KAP (p-value ≤0.001). A correlation was found between knowledge and practice scores (r = 0.205, p-value = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our findings may serve to formulate awareness-raising interventions and can be a guide to health policymakers and workers such as obstetricians, clinicians, and midwives for more effective educational communication emphasizing the COVID-19 symptoms and transmission modes and rendering appropriate counseling, particularly on the importance of emotional family support during the pandemic.

Pregnancy and Motherhood Concerns Surrounding Women with Multiple Sclerosis: A Qualitative Content Analysis.

BACKGROUND: There is a high prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) among Iranian women of reproductive age. However, very few studies have been conducted in Iran to assess the experiences with and concerns about pregnancy and motherhood of such patients. The present study was conducted to better understand the experiences and concerns of women with MS about pregnancy and motherhood. METHODS: The present qualitative study was conducted from August 2016 to January 2017 among Iranian women with MS visiting the Iran MS Society in Tehran, Iran. The purposive sampling method was used to recruit the participants and the sampling was continued until data saturation. Based on the inclusion criteria, a total of 25 women with MS were recruited in the study. The data were collected by in-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews and analyzed using the MAXQDA 10 software. RESULTS: The analysis of the interview data resulted in four main categories, namely "Pregnancy concerns", "Fear of failing as a parent", "Feeling of threatened fertility", and "Lack of social support". The results showed that Iranian women with MS avoided pregnancy due to the negative effects of the disease on their physical abilities and on life in general. They were also concerned about possible infertility, the effect of MS medications on their menstrual cycle, and the limitations of infertility treatments due to the presence of MS. These concerns led them to postpone pregnancy and lose time or opt for voluntary childlessness and consequently miss out on the experience of motherhood. CONCLUSION: MS poses a serious challenge to women who consider getting pregnant and wish to experience motherhood. Health care professionals should support such patients to overcome their concerns and indecisiveness by providing appropriate information and counseling.

"Life behind the mask": Sexual life of Iranian women with multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating and life-long disease that affects the sexual life of people. However, in Iran little attention has been paid to the sexual life of women with MS. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to understand the sexual life and experiences of Iranian women with multiple sclerosis. METHODS: A qualitative study was designed, and face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-five women with MS. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using a content analysis approach and through MAXQDA.10 software. RESULTS: The main themes identified during the analysis were: (1) limited sexual activity, (2) sex life behind the mask, and (3) lack of sexual support during the rehabilitation process. In fact, the participants in this study expressed that their sexual activity was negatively affected by MS. They were trying to hide their sexual problems, and present themselves to their husbands differently from what they are, which can be considered as sex life behind the mask. Furthermore, Iranian women with MS received little sexual support from the rehabilitation team. CONCLUSIONS: Hiding sexual problems from husbands is thought to be a common practice and behavior among Iranian women with MS. Understanding this insight and its consequences can assist the rehabilitation team in helping and solving sexual problems of women with MS. Moreover, sexual awareness and education should be extended, especially among the husbands of women with MS.

Sexual dysfunction levels in iranian women suffering from multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common complaint in women who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis (MS), which has been categorized in three levels (primary, secondary, and tertiary) in previous studies. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of sexual dysfunction (SD) at each level, and to identify associated factors and their impacts on SD in married women who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis. This study was conducted in Iran where the cultural barriers are recognized as important challenges in sexual function. METHODS: This is a single center study that was carried out in Iran MS Society. A total of 182 married women with MS (aged between 18 and 49 years) were participated in this study. We used the structured and self-report questionnaires including Multiple Sclerosis Intimacy and Sexuality Questionnaire-19 (MSISQ-19), together with socio-demographic and clinical questions, such as Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) to collect the data. Pearson's correlation coefficients and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed for data analysis. RESULTS: Sexual dysfunction was reported in 149 patients (81.9%), including 136 (74.7%) women with primary SD, 70 (38.5%) women with secondary SD and 81 (44.5%) with tertiary SD. The most prevalent symptoms at each level of SD were orgasmic problems, spasticity and worries about sexual satisfaction of partners, respectively. The total score of MSISQ-19 was associated with education (P<0.001), income status (P<0.001), age (P<0.001), number of children (P<0.05), marriage duration (P<0.05), EDSS score (P<0.01), fatigue (P<0.01), depression (P<0.001), length of disease (P<0.01) and length of drug medication therapies (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: According to this study, sexual dysfunction, especially primary SD was one of the most prevalent problems among women with MS. In addition, this study showed a complex and multifactorial nature for SD among these women. In order to provide an appropriate treatment and management of SD, associated factors and their impacts should be considered.

Sociodemographic Characteristics and Secondhand Smoke Exposure among Women.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke is an important health hazard. This study was designed to assess the sociodemographic risk factors related to women's exposure to secondhand smoke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A case-control analysis of data collected as part of a prospective cohort study was conducted. Participants were 340 female Tehran residents exposed to cigarette smoke. Women consented to participate in this study and completed a questionnaire containing socio-demographic characteristics, household characteristics and smoking status at home through a face-to-face interview. Factors related to women's exposure to secondhand smoke were assessed using the multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS: The final multivariate logistic regression model showed that lower levels of education (p = 0.002) and social class (p = 0.03) increase the risk of exposure to secondhand smoke in women. CONCLUSION: These results support the effect of women's educational level and social class on their exposure to secondhand smoke.