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Objectives: Doxycycline is commonly prescribed as the primary prophylactic treatment for women undergoing hysterosalpingography (HSG). This study aimed to compare the prophylactic effectiveness and safety of azithromycin and doxycycline in terms of treating infections caused by HSG. Materials and Methods: This double-blind randomized clinical trial enrolled 107 women referred to Amiralmomenin Hospital in Arak, Iran, for HSG. After evaluation based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, the participants were randomly allocated to either the doxycycline or azithromycin group. The primary outcome was the incidence of adverse effects. The patients were also followed up to determine PCR test results for the clearance of chlamydia infection. Results: The cumulative incidence of side effects was 1.85% in the doxycycline group, with adverse effects observed in only one patient. Conversely, no adverse effects were reported in the azithromycin group (P = 0.505). In the doxycycline group, one patient (1.85%) tested positive in the PCR test, while no positive PCR tests were recorded in the azithromycin group. Neither group exhibited cases of fever or required additional treatments. The results of statistical analyses did not reveal any statistically significant differences between the compared groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions: A single dose of azithromycin could be considered interchangeable with a 1-week course of doxycycline as antibiotic prophylaxis in women undergoing HSG, as it provides similar effectiveness and safety.

Background: Infertility can lead to depression, anxiety, a loss of hope, and a sense of meaninglessness in the lives of affected women. Implementing spiritual/religious interventions may help alleviate the psychological and social stress experienced by infertile women. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of spiritually integrated psychotherapy (SIP) in enhancing hope and daily spiritual experiences in infertile women. Methods: This quasi-experimental study utilized a pre-posttest design with a control group. The study population consisted of all infertile women who had visited the Omid Royan Fertility Center in Arak (Iran) in 2022. A sample of 40 infertile women undergoing infertility treatment was selected through convenience and voluntary sampling. These women were divided into 2 groups, an intervention group and a control group, each consisting of 20 participants, using a randomized block design. Subsequently, participants in the experimental group attended 10 SIP intervention sessions. Data were collected using the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES) and the Adult Hope Scale (AHS). The collected data were analyzed using univariate ANCOVA with SPSS v. 16. Results: The results revealed a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of hopes (pre-test: 20.02 ± 4.01, post-test: 11.59 ± 2.81; P = 0.02) and daily spiritual experiences (pre-test: 32.81 ± 5.24, post-test: 33.07 ± 5.01; P = 0.01) in the participants of the 2 groups in the post-intervention phase. However, this difference was not significant for hope in the control group (pre-test: 12.02 ± 3.14; post-test: 11.59 ± 2.81; P = 0.52) and the DSES (pre-test: 32.61 ± 4.96, post-test: 33.07 ± 5.01; P = 0.81). Conclusion: The findings suggest that integrative fertility treatment can effectively blend psychosocial interventions with spiritual/religious treatments. Furthermore, SIP intervention can be considered a complementary, supportive, and ongoing treatment option for infertile couples.

Objective Hypovitaminosis D3 is a significant concern among pregnant women and their newborns because vitamin D3 (Vit-D3) plays a crucial role in embryonic growth, development, and health. This study aimed to evaluate the Vit-D3 status of a group of pregnant Iranian women and its association with newborn Vit-D3 levels, medical and clinical indices after delivery. Methods A total of 206 pregnant women and their newborns were assessed for Vit-D3 levels and their correlation with gestational age. Mean±standard deviation (SD) or the orders (non-parametric tests) of variables were compared, and correlation estimations were performed to elucidate any differences or associations between groups, with a confidence interval of at least 0.95. Results The mean±SD of mothers’ age and gestational age were 29.65±6.18 years and 35.59±1.6 weeks, respectively. Neonatal Vit-D3 levels were associated with maternal age. Using a 30 ng/mL cutoff point for serum Vit-D3 levels, 83.5% of pregnant women and 84.7% of newborns had hypovitaminosis D3. The average Vit-D3 levels of mothers and newborns at delivery time were 23.5±8.07 ng/mL and 20.76±9.14 ng/mL, respectively. Newborn Vit-D3 levels were positively correlated with maternal Vit-D3 serum levels (R=0.744; P

Background: Infertility can have many negative psycho-social consequences including depression, anxiety, and feelings of shame in couples, especially women. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) in increasing hope and happiness in women undergoing assisted reproductive therapy (ART). Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted using a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The research population consisted of all infertile women who had been admitted to Omid Royan Infertility Center in Arak, Iran, in 2022. The participants were a sample of 40 infertile women undergoing ART who were selected through convenience sampling and then they were placed into two intervention and control groups (each group with 20 members) through permuted block randomization. Afterward, the participants in the intervention group received PPIs for 10 sessions. However, the controls received no intervention. The data were collected through the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) and Adult Hope Scale (AHS). Finally, the collected data were analyzed through one-way ANCOVA with SPSS-26 software. Results: The data showed a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the variables of hope (p0.05). Conclusion: Psycho-social interventions can be implemented as a part of infertility treatments along with medical treatments and as complementary treatments for infertile couples in regular meetings. Thus, health and medical professionals can provide their supportive consultations in time to reduce the negative psycho-social effects of infertility.

Pregnancy is a very complex and highly stressful time in which women become more physically and emotionally vulnerable. Therefore, mothers are more likely to face decreased self-esteem and increased postpartum depression. Despite the high prevalence of postpartum depression, more than 50 % of mothers are undiagnosed or untreated, showing an urgent need to explore an effective preventive strategy. A healthy lifestyle and regular physical activity have been suggested to be associated with an increased quality of life in pregnant and postpartum women. The purpose of this study was to determine whether swimming exercise before and during pregnancy can affect maternal care and postpartum depression-related behaviors in dams. To this end, female NMRI and C57BL/6 J mice were subjected to swimming exercise before conception and throughout pregnancy. On postpartum days 1–2, maternal behavior including nest building, active nursing, and licking/grooming were monitored. A battery of behavioral tests was also used to measure depression-related symptoms including anhedonia- and anxiety-like behavior, social behavior, and behavioral despair. To identify the underlying mechanisms, corticosterone and inflammatory cytokines during late pregnancy, and corticosterone and brain serotonin during the postpartum period were measured in dams. The findings indicated that swimming exercise increased gestational corticosterone, decreased maternal care and brain serotonin, and increased all depression-related behaviors in postpartum C57BL/6 J dams, while only increased licking/grooming and social behavior, and reduced anhedonia-like behavior in postpartum NMRI dams. Taken together, this study suggests that swimming exercise before and during pregnancy could alter maternal care and postpartum depression-like behavior in a strain-dependent manner.

Abstract Background Based on previous studies, it has been hypothesized that tube sterilization may be associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. This study aims to investigate the relationship between tubal ligation and the risk of breast cancer through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods In this systematic review and meta-analysis, PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for relevant non randomized studies published up to November 2020. Then, we screened the papers to include the eligible papers in the meta-analysis. Finally, we pooled the extracted results of individual studies to estimate the summary effect size. All analyses were done using Stata software version 13 (Stata Corp, College Station, TX). Results Four hundred sixty-four papers were retrieved from PubMed/Medline (160), Scopus (165), and Web of Science (139), and 21 papers from Google Scholar and manual search of references in selected full texts. After the removal of duplicates and screening of the papers, 11 articles (6 cohort and 5 case-control study) were included in the final analysis. The results of cohort (RR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.97–1.0, I 2 = 21.1%) and case control studies (OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.62–1.12, I 2 = 88.9%) revealed that tubal ligation was not significantly associated with breast cancer risk. Conclusion According to our findings, tubal ligation cannot be considered as a risk factor associated with breast cancer risk.

Introduction: Postpartum pain is one of the common postpartum problems that has adverse consequences for both mother and infant. The side effects of chemical drugs have led to the tendency to use herbal medicines to reduce postpartum pain. This study was performed with aim to investigate the effect of Saliva hydrangea capsule on postpartum pain. Methods: This double-blind randomized clinical trial study was performed in 2018 on 100 mothers that 2 hours had passed from their normal vaginal delivery and had severity of moderate to severe postpartum pain based on visual pain scale (VAS). The women were randomly assigned in two groups: Saliva hydrangea+mefenamic acid and placebo+mefenamic acid. The capsules were used every 6 hours. The intensity and duration of pain were recorded before and one hour after the intervention by VAS. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 21) and independent- t and paired t-test, Mann-Whitney U test and repeated measures. P

Background In some patients with a family history of the gender-linked disease, determination of the fetal gender in the first trimester of pregnancy is of importance. In X-linked recessive inherited diseases, only the male embryos are involved, while in some conditions, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia, female embryos are affected; hence early determination of fetal gender is important. Objective The aim of the current study was to predict the gender of the fetus based on the accurate measurement of the fetal anogenital distance (AGD) by ultrasound in the first trimester. Materials and Methods To determine the AGD and crown-rump length in this cross-sectional study, 316 women with singleton pregnancies were exposed to ultrasonography. The results were then compared with definitive gender of the embryos after birth. Results The best cut-off for 11 wk to 11 wk, 6 days of pregnancy was 4.5 mm, for 12 wk to 12 wk, 6 days was 4.9 mm, and for 13 wk to 13 wk, 6 days was 4.8 mm. Conclusion AGD is helpful as an ultrasonographic marker that can determine fetal gender in the first trimester, especially after 12 wks.

Introduction: cesarean is one of the major surgeries after which mother will need to be hospitalized for a long period of time. One of the leading causes of the increase in the duration of hospitalization of such patients is the surgeons’ projections about the development of ileus and defecation. Given the previous studies, misoprostol can increase bowel movements. Moreover, gum-chewing has been recommended as a cheap and available technique for accelerating the resumption of normal Intestinal Movements. Methods and materials: the present study is a single-blind randomized clinical trial which has been done on 324 women over 18 years of age with singleton pregnancy who had visited Taleghani Hospital in Arak and was elective cesarean section candidates. The surgery and anesthesia techniques were similar for all patients. These patients were randomized into three groups of 108, namely control, misoprostol, and gum-chewing groups. The patients in these three groups were compared with one another in terms of normal bowel sound, gas passage, defecation and discharge. Results: the results have shown the mean age of a total of 324 patients has been 26.66 years. The results suggest that the time of hearing the first normal bowel sound, the first gas passage, and defecation have been shorter in the misoprostol group, gum-chewing group and control group, respectively. The difference observed between the three groups has been significant at a 0.05 significance level. Furthermore, no significant difference was observed between the patients in the misoprostol and gum-chewing groups and the patients in the control group while reviewing the time of discharge of these patients. Conclusion: the findings have been indicative of the positive effects of the misoprostol and gum-chewing techniques on the intestinal function of patients and mothers’ breastfeeding. Also, it has been observed that using misoprostol can be more effective than chewing gum.