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Background: Perinatal mortality is a fundamental indicator of the quality of the healthcare provided to women during pregnancy and childbirth, as well as the healthcare provided to neonates in the first week of life. At the national level, determining the direct and indirect causes of these deaths is vital, as it will assist in tracking the quality of antenatal, natal and postnatal care and help to detect the areas for avoidance. This study aimed to identify the main determinants of perinatal deaths in Jordan from the perspectives of health care providers (HCPs)., Methods: A descriptive qualitative approach using focus group discussion was used. Four focus groups were conducted in each of the four hospitals where the approached HCPs are employed. An average of 5 HCPs were interviewed in each focus group with a total of 80 HCPs participating in the 16 focus groups. Thematic analysis was carried out to analyze the data., Results: The HCPs provided a detailed description of the determinants of perinatal and neonatal death from their points of view. Four main themes with multiple subthemes emerged, namely maternal factors (ignorance, concealment of medical condition, and husbands' negligence), sociocultural factors (socioeconomic status, tribal and consanguineous marriage, and harmful cultural practices), political factors (early marriage driven by displacement and war consequences on maternal health), and health system-related factors (services management including capabilities and logistics, overcrowding of emergency rooms, discharge against medical advice, and unskilled general practitioners in private maternity clinics)., Conclusions: As perceived by HCPs, maternal factors, sociocultural factors, political factors, and health system-related factors are the main determinants of perinatal deaths in Jordan. Improvement in the quality of maternal and neonatal health care services, maternal health education, and maternity staff training are strongly recommended.

Introduction: Menopause is a transitional period that every woman goes through if she lives beyond the age of 52 years. The health care of women during this stage requires special attention to the identification of their health needs in order to provide competent care. The aim of the study was to assess severity of symptoms related to the menopausal period and to describe the differences in severity of menopausal symptoms according to menopausal status., Methods and Design: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. Data were collected from 350 Jordanian women using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of a sociodemographic, medical and obstetrical history form and the Greene Climacteric Scale., Results: Results on the severity of menopausal symptoms showed that 15.7%, 66.9% and 17.4% were experiencing severe, moderate and mild menopausal symptoms, respectively. Vasomotor signs were reported to have the highest scores for severity as manifested by hot flushes and night sweating. In addition, women in the perimenopausal period complained more frequently of menopausal symptoms compared to premenopausal and postmenopausal women, except for vasomotor and sexuality symptoms for which postmenopausal women reported higher scores. There was a significant relationship between the severity and occurrence of menopausal symptoms and age, family income, level of education, number of children, perceived health status and menopausal status., Implications: The study has implications for research, practice and education. Health-care providers need to play a more visible and instrumental role in continuously assessing menopausal women's needs as well as to implement appropriate health educational programs. Further research addressing women's health needs is also essential for improving the quality of life of menopausal women in Jordan.