Health In Postpartum Period Research Articles

Cultural Beliefs and Practices in Postpartum Women in Iran: A Qualitative Study.

Cultural differences can be seen in the birth and postpartum period, where some traditional practices are used to protect the postpartum women and their newborns. The aim of this study was to investigate the cultural beliefs and practices of postpartum women. This was a qualitative study. Data were collected through semistructured in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 20 mothers in Qom hospitals, Iran from 2019 to 2020. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and finally analysed through conventional content analysis. Five themes of postpartum women's cultural beliefs and practices emerged from the data analysis including beliefs and practices related to public communications, women's postnatal care beliefs and practices, nutritional beliefs and practices, beliefs and practices pertaining to breastfeeding and infant care, as well as religious and traditional beliefs and practices. The most common cultural beliefs among women were beliefs related to public communications. Cultural and traditional postpartum beliefs and practices are common among postpartum women in Iran. To change postpartum behaviours, it is necessary to identify beliefs and practices first and then plan to correct wrong beliefs to achieve women's health in postpartum period.

DOĞUM SONU DÖNEMDEKI KADINLARIN AiLE PLANLAMASI YÖNTEMI KULLANIMI VE SAĞLIK ALGISININ İNCELENMESi

Bu araştırma doğum sonu dönemdeki kadınların aile planlaması yöntemlerini kullanımı ve sağlık algısının incelenmesi amacıyla yapılmıştır. Kesitsel tipteki bu araştırma Temmuz 2017 – Ocak 2018 tarihleri arasında 7 Aile Sağlık Merkez’inde (ASM) yapılmıştır. Veriler doğum sonrası 40 gün ile 8.ay arasında olan 401 kadından toplanmıştır. Veri toplama aracı olarak anket formu ve sağlık algısı ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Verilerin değerlendirilmesinde yüzde, ortalama, bağımsız gruplarda t testi ve tek yönlü varyans analizi kullanılmıştır. Katılımcı kadınların %56.6’sının 27-35 yaş aralığında olduğu, %63.8’inin lise ve üstü eğitimli olduğu, %83.3’ünün çalışmadığı belirlenmiştir. Kadınların %68.6’sının doğum sonu dönemde aile planlamasına yönelik danışmanlık hizmeti almadığı, %58.1’inin aile planlama yönteminden herhangi birini kullandığı saptanmıştır. Kadınların eğitim ve ekonomik düzeyleri yükseldikçe ve çalışma durumlarında artış oldukça sağlık algı puanlarının arttığı ve aralarındaki farkın anlamlı olduğu saptanmıştır (p<0.05). Kadınların yaşı, gebeliğinin planlı olma durumu ve aile planlaması danışmanlığı alma durumu ile sağlık algı puanları arasında anlamlı ilişki bulunmamıştır (p>0.05).Kadınların eğitim ve ekonomik düzeylerinin artması, yaşayan çocuk sayılarının azalması, sağlık algılarının artmasına neden olmaktadır. Sağlık algı düzeyinin bilinmesi, doğum sonu dönemde kadınların sağlıkla ilgili konuları, anlama ve kavrama düzeylerinin tanımlanmasını sağlayacak ayrıca kadınlara verilecek olan aile planlama hizmetlerinin ve sağlık eğitiminin etkinliğini artıracaktır.

The association of Vitamin D levels with lipid metabolism during pregnancy

Vitamin D deficiency is common in pregnant women, and it is associated with multiple gestational complications, fetal intrauterine dysplasia, and maternal and infant health in postpartum period. Vitamin D involved in lipid metabolism may affect maternal-fetal health during pregnancy through this biological pathway. This review provides an overview of three main aspects, including, the effect of vitamin D on the mechanism of lipid metabolism, the relationship between vitamin D and lipid metabolites in pregnant women and women with pregnancy complications. An association between vitamin D status and lipid metabolism at different stages of pregnancy has been justified in most current studies, and the underlying mechanism has also been partly elucidated. Given some gestational complications, such as gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia, pregnant women with these conditions are often associated with abnormal lipid metabolism and vitamin D deficiency. There is no doubt that the studies on the vitamin D supplementation and lipid metabolism improvement could have crucial clinical significance for this population. More randomized controlled trials with multi-center, large sample and multi-dose interventions are needed in the future to provide scientific evidence for clinical practice.

Sexual Function and its Relationship to General Health in Postpartum Women

Background and Objective: Satisfactory sexual relationships are one of the effective factors in the survival of the family and protection of community health. Since the disorders in these relationships are considered as worry factor for people’s health, this study aimed to determine the status of sexual function and its relationship with postpartum general health in women referred to health centers of Tabriz in 2015. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 386 women at 10-16 weeks postpartum. The cluster sampling method was used, and the research tool consisted of the socio-demographic questionnaire, Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The multivariate linear regression model was used to determine the relationship between sexual function and general health. Findings: The mean (SD) total score of sexual function was 24.3 (5.7) of the achievable score range of 0-36. The mean (SD) total score of general health was 24.6 (14.3) of the possible score range 0-84. A significant inverse correlation was observed between total sexual function score and total general health score (p<0.001, r= -0.78) and all of its subdomains (r= -0.4 to - 0.6). The variables of sexual function, pain during intercourse, husband’s education, satisfaction with the newborn’s gender, and pregnancy type were predictors of general health and were able to explain 63.6% of the variance in the general health score. Conclusion: Sexual function has relationship with general health in postpartum period at women. Therefore, in order to improve women’s health, health care providers, including midwives, should detect and treat sexual dysfunction in postpartum women in a timely manner to prevent the decline in their general health.