مجله زنان مامائی و نازائی ایران
سال بیست و یکم شماره 6 (شهریور 1397)

One of the most common problems in postmenopausal women is sleep disorders. This disorder can be manifested by mild to severe symptoms of discomfort in different people. One of the approaches to relieve sleep disorders is the use of complementary medicine, including aromatherapy. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted with the aim to evaluate and summarize the results of clinical trials on the effects of aromatherapy in premenopausal and postmenopausal women with sleep disorders.

Latin databases such as PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Persian databases such as SID and magiran were systematically searched until 10 February 2018 without time limitation. The Jadad scale was used to evaluate the quality of the articles. Sleep duration or sleep quality was considered as the main outcome of the study.

Among 4 found studies, Lavender essence was used for aromatherapy alone or in combination with other methods or fragrances. The results of the meta-analysis on three studies which had reported the quality of sleep showed that the standardized mean difference between intervention and control groups was 1.338 (95% CI: 0.329-2.347); this difference shows sleep quality score was improved in the intervention group compared to the control group (p = 0.009). In one study which had reported the sleep time of samples, there was no significant difference between intervention and control groups in sleep hours (p = 0.373).

Lavender essence aromatherapy alone or in combination with other methods can have beneficial effects on improving the sleep quality in pre and postmenopausal women

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neurological disorder accompanied by sleep disturbances leading to cardiovascular diseases, gestational hypertension, depression and increased rate of maternal and fetal mortality. Different prevalence rates have been reported for RLS. This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed with aim to evaluate the prevalence of RLS among pregnant women in Asia.

In this review study, the national and international databases, including SID, MagIran, Google Scholar, IranMedex, Science Direct, PubMed, and Scopus were searched and 16 observational studies with full texts published from 2003 to January 2018 were extracted. The meta-analysis was conducted using the Random effect model, and the I2 index was used to assess the heterogeneity between studies. Data were analyzed using STATA software (version 12).

Across the 16 reviewed articles with a total sample size of 49342, the prevalence of RLS among Asian pregnant women was around 18.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 13.75%-23.38%). The prevalence of RLS based on interview and questionnaire was 14.04% (95% CI: 12.02%-16.05%) and 22.75% (95% CI: 13.49%-32.01%), respectively. No significant relationship was found between prevalence of RLS and year of publication (p=0.939), sample size (p=0.161), and mean age of participants (p=0.105).

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is highly prevalent among Asian pregnant women. Considering the maternal and fetal outcomes of RLS, it seems necessary to examine the precise causes of its prevalence among this high-risk population.

Annually, many people in the world are affected with a variety of cancers. Today, with variety of intensive care and multidisciplinary and combined treatments, longevity increases in many cancer patients. Increasing the survival potential with cancer treatment is often associated with side effects including effects on fertility and its quality in young patients. Essential measures to maintain the fertility potential during cancer treatment is of particular importance. This review article was performed with aim to investigate the newest methods for preserving fertility during cancer treatments.

In this review article, to search the articles, three databases of Google Scholar, Scopus and PubMed and the keywords of "infertility cancer", "fertility cancer"، "infertility chemotherapy" and "fertility chemotherapy" were used. The articles that did not include the purpose of this article were removed from the study process.

There are various ways to maintain fertility in cancer patients after the common treatments. Freezing and preparation of sperm, egg and embryos bank, testis and ovarian tissue freezing, the use of fertoprotective agents and the stem cell types are the most important standard methods for preserving fertility in cancer patients undergoing treatment.

Today, before any cancer treatments, it is necessary for patients to receive appropriate counseling related to fertility risks and related support for fertility preservation options before any cancer treatment.

Congenital anomalies is one of most important causes of hospitalization, disability and neonatal death; the cost of admission and treatment of these children imposes a heavy burden on the health system and their families. Therefore, the present study was performed with aim to investigate the status of congenital anomalies in Iran through systematic review and meta-analysis.

In this review for finding the related articles, the databases of SID, Iranmedx , Irandoc, Magiran ,Scopus, Pubmed and Google scholar were searched using the keywords such as Prevalence, Iran, Congenital anomalies in Persian and English journals from 1986 to 2018. Data were analyzed by meta-analysis method using random effects model. The heterogeneity of the studies was calculated by I2 Index.

Of 2306 studies, 35 studies which met the inclusion criteria from 1986 to 2018 entered to the meta-analysis. The results of this meta-analysis showed that the total prevalence of congenital anomalies in Iran is 2.6%. The prevalence of abnormalities in boys is 2.8% and in girls is 2%. Also, the most common congenital anomalies were skeletal abnormalities (29.1%) and genitourinary system abnormalities (23.2%), respectively.

The results of this study indicate a high prevalence of congenital anomalies in Iran. Further studies are needed to more identify this issue and plan to prevent congenital anomalies.

Ear Acupressure is a non-invasive and safe technique and is one of the approaches which can be used by doctors, midwives, nurses, and even patients themselves. Several studies have been conducted on ear acupressure in treatment of various diseases and problems of women. Therefore, the present study was conducted with aim to review the usage of ear acupressure on gynecology and obstetrics.

In this review study, the articles indexed in databases of Pumped, Google scholar, Magiran, Irandoc, MEDLINE, Scoupus, and Web of Science were searched during 2006-2018 using the keywords based on MeSH including ear acupressure OR auriculotherapy by using AND with the keywords of dysmenorrhea, menopause, nausea and vomiting, constipation, low back pain, delivery, pregnancy, and infertility. The inclusion criteria included the insertion of search words in the title section and the articles' keywords in the clinical trials published in Persian and English. The articles which had used acupuncture and needles in combination were excluded from the study. The Jadad scale was used to assess the quality of the articles.

In this study, 12 clinical trials were reviewed. Out of three menopause-related articles, one had a significant effect with ear acupressure. Out of two dysmenorrhea-related articles, one showed a significant effect of ear acupressure on pain and negative emotions. Out of two labor pain-related articles, one reported significant effects of ear acupressure on pain relief. Out of two articles related to anxiety after cesarean section, one reported a significant reduction in anxiety. The article related to constipation also showed a significant improvement by using ear acupressure; no significant results were reported regarding nausea and infertility.

Ear acupressure can be helpful in improving women's problems and is suggested as a complementary and alternative approach. However, due to the limited number of studies which were conducted in this area, as well as the limitation of some studies, it is recommended to perform further studies with removing the limitations and defects of previous studies before using it in clinical medicine.

Oligomenorrhea is one of the most common menstrual disorders defined as the prolongation of menstrual intervals. This growing disorder reduce the quality of life for women of reproductive age due to complications, such as abnormal uterine bleeding, infertility, hirsutism and psycho-social consequences. Due to the complications of hormonal medications which are the common treatment of this disorder, the necessity of using complementary therapies is suggested; therefore, the present review study was conducted to investigate the therapeutic strategies of Persian medicine.

In this review study, the main sources of Persian Medicine were investigated using the synonyms of oligomenorrhea such as “Ehtebās-e-tams”, “Habs-e- heiz”, reduction and discontinuation of menstruation. Then, to find new studies, the databases such as Google scholar, PubMed and ISI were searched with the keywords of Oligomenorrhea, Amenorrhea, PCOS, Persian Medicine and Traditional Medicine and the results were compared.

In texts of Persian Medicine, oligomenorrhea is referred as the "Ehtebas Tams". Therapeutic approaches to "Ehtebas Tams", like other treatments in Persian Medicine, in the first step include lifestyle modification, dietary modification, sleep and wake adjustment, exercise and bathing. The second step includes the use of emmenagogue herbal medicine which are mostly considered as phytoestrogen. These herbs are prescribed in various forms (Pill, Decoction, Herbal Tea, Vaginal Suppository, Vaginal Douche, ointment and sitz-bath). In the third step, manipulations such as wet cupping and phlebotomy are recommended as a therapeutic approach.

Considering the effectiveness of some of these treatments in new studies such as Vitex agnus-castus, Mentha longifolia and Foeniculum vulgare, it is recommended to conduct more clinical studies based on Persian medicine therapies in addition to conventional medicine for treatment of oligomenorrhea.

Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infections, in addition to stomach disorders, are associated with colonization in the genital tract, causing some gynecologic problems, infertility and abortion. The prevalence of this contamination is about 50% in the world and is higher in third world countries. Recent studies have proposed the association between the infection with this bacterium and the gynecologic diseases, pregnancy problems, ovarian cysts, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS / PCOS), abortion and even male infertility. This review article was performed with aim to evaluate the effect of Hp infection on pregnancy and gynecologic diseases.

This review article was performed by searching the key words including Helicobacter pylori, H. pylori, abortion, breast cancer, PCOS, hyperemesis gravidarum, anemia and pregnancy, and their possible combination using the databases of Scopus, Pubmed, Web of Science, Iran medex and SID since 2001 to 2017. Then all Persian and English articles which had the inclusion criteria were evaluated.

31 articles were eligible for inclusion in the study. In most of these studies, the significant relationship was found between Hp and infertility (P<0.05); but there was contradiction with some variables such as ovarian cyst and abortion. There was also no significant relationship between Hp and breast cancer and ectopic pregnancy. Some studies have suggested the role of Hp in iron deficiency anemia and hyperemesis gravidarum.

Considering the role of Hp in the etiology of infertility, abortion, PCOS, anemia and hyperemesis gravidarum, it is recommended that serologic Hp tests be performed before starting treatment in all these cases.

Introduction: Preeclampsia is the most common medical complication in pregnancy. Regarding the pathophysiology and complex etiology of preeclampsia, a wide range of markers have been investigated. In addition to predictive value, identification of these factors may provide a clear mechanism for the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. This review study was performed with aim to evaluate the role of four serum markers and uterine artery Doppler ultrasonography in predicting preeclampsia at second trimester of pregnancy.

In this review study, the databases of SID, Weily online library, Elsevier, Scopus, Pubmed, and the Google Scholar search engine were used during 2000 to 2017 in order to find the relevant studies. To access all articles in English and Persian, the key words of BHCG, Inhibin A, Activin A, alpha-fetoprotein, serum markers, uterine artery Doppler sonography, second trimester, and preeclampsia prediction were used with all possible combinations of these words.

The results of various studies indicate that none of the studied markers, including AFP, β-HCG, INH-A and Activin A alone, do not provide predictive power for preeclampsia with high sensitivity and specificity. However, uterine artery Doppler ultrasonography at second trimester of pregnancy can be used as a screening test to predict preeclampsia in high risk women.

The most important strategies for prediction of preeclampsia include individual characteristics, uterine artery ultrasonography, and biomarkers. None of these markers alone can't predict preeclampsia with high sensitivity and specificity.

Dysmenorrhea is a common gynecological disorder that causes behavioral problems and impairment in daily life of a woman in each menstruation cycle. Ginger plays an effective role in treatment of dysmenorrhea. Therefore, this review article was performed with aim to collect and review the clinical trials about effects of oral and topical ginger on dysmenorrhea.

In this review study, clinical trials and Quasi – Experimental studies up to Dec 2017 in Persian and English languages in Persian databases of IranMedex, Magiran, IranDoct, IRCT and English dataases of PubMed, Scopus, Science direct, Embase, Cochrane with Persian and English keywords such as Dysmenorrhea, Menstrual pain, Menstrual cramps, Painful menstruation, Zingiber, Ginger, Shokyo, Gingiber officinale, and Zingier were reviewed without any time limitation and the articles with inclusion criteria entered into the study and were evaluated by qualitative analysis.

After reviewing 2101 articles, 12 clinical trials which based on Jadad score obtained ≥3 and 3 Quasi- experimental studies which based on EPHPP tool obtained 1.51-3.00 were evaluated. Most of the articles referred to the anti-inflammatory properties and inhibition of cyclooxygenase, followed by the reduction of gastrointestinal leukotriene and prostaglandin in relieving painful dysmenorrhea in both forms of oral and typical. There was not possible to do meta-analysis due to the heterogeneity of the studies.

According to the results, there is credible evidence on the positive effect of oral and topical ginger on reducing pain and inflammation, especially in the first three days of menstruation.

One of the essential components of the process of prenatal care is the assessment of the fetal health, for which there are several tests. Recently, in some studies, vibroacoustic stimulation and halogen light have also been evaluated as a test for the evaluation of fetal health. This study was conducted with the aim of systematically summarizing recent studies on the effect of stimulation with vibroacoustic and halogen light on the fetus.

In this review study, in order to retrieve relevant national and international studies published from 1990 to 2017, the researchers extensively searched the following databases: magirin, irandoc, SID، Google scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and science direct. English keywords included “vibroacoustic” and “halogen light”. The papers that had the highest similarity with our review title were entered into the study, and the results were reported.

Finally، 15 papers that investigated the effect of halogen light and vibroacoustic stimulation were studied. There was a correlation between fetal heart rate، fetal health assessment, and stimulation with vibroacoustic and halogen light (P<0. 05).

In general، according to the findings of most studies، there is a correlation between the effect of stimulation with vibroacoustic and halogen light and fetal health and fetal movement tests. Since stimulation with vibroacoustic and halogen light reduce the incidence of non-reactive fetal heart rate، this tool can be used safely and effectively in maternal health assessment centers to improve fetal non-stress test.