International Journal of Women’s Health and Reproduction Sciences
Volume:12 Issue: 1, Jan 2024

In recent years, early screening for endometrial cancer (EC) has received increasing attention. EC screening is recommended to be conducted among high-risk and risk-increasing populations, while the general-risk population, even with symptoms, is not within the scope of screening. This study aims to explore the role of endometrial sampler SAP-1 as a sample-collecting tool to screen EC among patients with general risk.

From August 2018 to June 2023, 275 patients, who were hospitalized for undergoing hysteroscopy and were confirmed as having a general risk of EC, were enrolled in this retrospective study. Before the procedure, endometrial samples were firstly collected by the method of SAP-1, and then hysteroscopy curettage or electrotomy was conducted to gather endometrial samples. With the pathological results of the latter as the gold standard, the diagnostic efficacy of SAP-1 sampling was analyzed.

The sample satisfaction rate of SAP-1 was 91.4%, slightly lower than that by method of hysteroscopy (95.1%), but there was no significant difference between the two methods (P>0.05). The samples of 275 cases were satisfied with both methods. One case of endometrial carcinoma and one case of precancerous lesion were misdiagnosed as normal endometrium with SAP-1 sampling. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of SAP-1 in diagnosing endometrial carcinoma and precancerous lesions were 88.2%, 100% and 99.3%, respectively.

Applying endometrial sampler SAP-1 to screen EC among women with general risk of EC has high diagnostic efficiency, easy manipulation, high safety, and can be completed in outpatient service with outstanding cost-effectiveness, which as well is worthy of clinical promotion.

This study aimed to assess the awareness of and risk factors for developing preeclampsia among women in Saudi Arabia.

In this cross-sectional study, women from the western region of Saudi Arabia were investigated from September, 2022 to December, 2022. To this end, the data were collected using a validated and reliable questionnaire. The survey was distributed to the general population via social media, shopping centers, outpatient clinics, and inpatient wards of King Abdulaziz University Hospital.

The study sample consisted of 541 women ages 18–50, who were not involved in the medical field. Only 11.7% of the participants had risk factors for pre-eclampsia, whereas the rest did not have any risk factors. These findings indicated that the participants were at low risk of developing preeclampsia, but they had poor knowledge of and limited general information about this disorder (e.g., its signs and symptoms, risk factors, and complications).

Women in the western region of Saudi Arabia faced lower risk of developing preeclampsia. However, they had poor knowledge of preeclampsia, which highlighted the need to increase their awareness of it.

The perception of Cannabis toxicity and safety in society, politics, and even scientific circles has changed dramatically in recent years. Consequently, a few questions have been raised regarding the effects of marijuana (Cannabis sativa) on the human body and psychic abilities in the short and long term. This study is undertaken in order to compare sperm cells quality before and after incubation with Cannabis (marijuana) extracts (THC- THC-COOH and CBD).

Semen samples were obtained from men (n=10) with age range between 20 to 35, regardless of their fertility status. Analyses of semen parameters (volume, sperm count, motility), were analyzed within 1 hour after collection, according to WHO criteria 2020. For accurate results, Computer Assisted Sperm Analysis (CASA) system was used to determine sperm parameters. Each sample was exposed to 1 mL; 10 µg/mL of THC, THC-COOH, and CBD dissolved in methanol. All samples were also exposed to 1 mL pure methanol as a control group to eliminate the potential effects of methanol on sperm cells. Several smears (10 µL) of each sample were taken in order to assess the functionality of sperm’s chromatin integrity by employing a chromomycin (CMA3 ) and DNA fragmentation (Acridine Orange) assays.

After treatment sperm cells with 10µL THC, THC-COOH and CBD. Total sperm’s motility was significantly reduced significantly when it was exposed to THC and CBD (P ≤ 0.001 and P ≤ 0.003 respectively). Progressive motility were decreased significantly (P ≤0.001) and the mean number of immotile sperm were significantly increased (P ≤ 0.003) after incubation with THC and CBD and respectively. However, slightly inhibition of total sperm’s motility was observed after incubation with THC-COOH.

Spermatozoa exposure to THC, CBD and THC-COOH deteriorate significantly sperm motility and should be avoided by men in reproductive age and those who undergoing ART.

This study aimed to determine the acceptability of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines and adherence to the preventive protocol among pregnant antenatal attendees in Niger Foundations Hospital Enugu, South-Eastern Nigeria.

Using a cross-sectional descriptive survey and in-depth interviews, we conducted a mixed method study from June to December 2021. We administered a structured questionnaire to 210 pregnant women to assess their knowledge and adherence to COVID-19 guidelines and interviewed 25 individuals. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using SPSS v.28 and thematic analysis, respectively.

The participants’ age range was 20-43 years, with a mean of 29.9 (4.8) years. Most individuals (81.9%) had a university degree, 40.5% were skilled workers, and 73.3% had parity 0-1. They identified close contact (87.1%), respiratory distress (96.2%), and handwashing with soap (96.2%) as the commonest mode of transmission, symptom, and preventive strategy of COVID-19, respectively. Older women and individuals with higher parity had lower knowledge and adherence to COVID-19 precautions. Most participants rejected the vaccines due to fear of the side effects on themselves and the fetus.

Although there was good adherence to COVID-19 protocols among the pregnant women in this study, vaccine acceptance/uptake rate was low. Education on vaccine advantages and correction of conspiracy theories are recommended.

The present study aimed to explore the emotional and social lives of the women with infertility issues in the Northern States of India.

In this study, a purposive sampling technique was adopted to examine a total of 17 married women aged 28-40. The hermeneutic phenomenology design was employed and the in-depth interviews, both face-to-face and online interviews, were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide.

The results from the analysis were classified into four major themes, namely Social Pressure, Psychological Vulnerabilities, Marital Disruption, and Coping Strategies. Issues reported by the participants such as the lack of purpose, insecurities in relationships, social stigmas and feelings of being incomplete, as well as high cost of infertility treatment were recorded. It was found that religious coping strategy was the most common strategy used by the participants to deal with their infertility.

In the present study, women’s psychological and emotional pains caused by infertility and, particularly, by stigmas were investigated. It was concluded that women rarely sought help from counselors and psychologists to overcome their psychological vulnerabilities.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of debriefing intervention on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following traumatic childbirth.

This was a randomized clinical trial conducted on 70 postpartum women who experienced traumatic childbirth and referred to health centers of Tabriz, Iran. The participants were assigned into two groups of counselling and control (n=35 per group) using block randomization. The intervention group joined a counselling session with critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) approach 3-5 days after childbirth. Post-traumatic Stress Checklist (PCL-5) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were completed by the subjects before the intervention session, and 4-6 weeks after childbirth. ANCOVA was used for data analysis.

The mean score of PTSD symptoms showed significant decrease in the intervention group compared to the control group (adjusted mean difference [AMD] =-5.72, 95% CI: -10.47 to -0.96, P=0.01).

It is recommended to compare the effectiveness of structured and unstructured debriefing in future studies.