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Background: Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) is one of the life-threatening complications of pregnancy, the prevalence of which has increased in parallel with the caesarean section rate. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of mothers with PAS who have also experienced maternal near miss. Methods: The participants of this study included 8 mothers who had experienced near miss due to placenta accreta during the past year, as well as two husbands and two health care professionals. Data collection was done using face-to-face, in-depth virtual and in-person interviews. In this qualitative study, the interpretive phenomenological analysis approach was used to analyse the data. Results: The superordinate theme that emerged from the lived experiences of the studied mothers is 'Living in a vacuum', which was derived from 3 main themes. The theme of 'distorted identity' is related to the mothers' experience of losing the uterus as a symbol of femininity and nostalgia for the former self. The theme of 'exacerbated exhaustion' indicates the burnout and fatigue perceived by these mothers and has dimensions far beyond the exhaustion caused by performing parenting duties. The third theme, 'a threatened future', reflects these mothers' vague image of the future in terms of health, preservation of life, and the continuation of living together with the husband. Conclusions: It seems that mothers with PAS need to be covered by integrated and well-organised psycho-social support from the time they are diagnosed with the complication until long after delivery due to the high potentiality of maternal near miss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study authors aimed to identify the prevalence and related factors of postpartum depression in Ahvaz, Iran. A total of 505 women enrolled in this study from six public health centers in Ahvaz city, Republic of Iran. This study started in February and completed in September 2014. Data was gathered using a socio-demographic and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale Persian version. Authors screened women from 14 days to 6 months postpartum. Mothers with a score of >12 were classified as a postpartum depression (PPD). Our results revealed that 196 individuals (38.8%) had PPD. Women with PPD had significantly more of the following characteristics: undesired pregnancy, neonatal hospitalization, congenital abnormalities, history of postpartum depression, history of lifetime episode of depression, stressful events during pregnancy and an experience of domestic violence during pregnancy (p < 0.05). Our results showed that congenital abnormalities (OR = 2.99, 95% CI: 1.44-5.90), history of PPD (OR = 2.61, 95% CI:1.53–4.44), a lifetime episode of depression (OR = 3.26, 95% CI: 1.63-6.49) and having stressful events in the last year (OR = 4.1, CI: 2.19–7.80) were significantly contributed to the PPD. PPD is a common health problem among mothers and screening should be performed after childbearing to identify mothers at the risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Increasing life expectancy in women and having menstrual problems and hormone-associated complications have led people to use complementary and alternative medicine. In menopause, the reduction in estrogen and androgen physiologically leads to a decrease in blood flow in the volvuleous and vaginal zone, resulting in a reduction in sexual desire and arousal. Sexual satisfaction plays an important role in mental health. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Tribulus terrestris on sexual satisfaction in postmenopausal women. Methods: This double-blind clinical trial was conducted in 2017 with the aim of investigating the effect of hydro-alcohol extract of T. terrestris on sexual satisfaction of postmenopausal women on 60 women referred to health center number 1 in eastern Ahvaz. A total of 60 postmenopausal women were randomly assigned into two groups of 30 to receive a syrup containing T. terrestris extract at a concentration of 0.9 mg and placebo for 8 weeks. Sexual satisfaction was calculated based on Larsson questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 22) and t-test was used for comparing two groups in quantitative variables and Chi-square test was used for qualitative variables. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Findings: After intervention, the mean of sexual satisfaction in the intervention group was significantly higher than in the preintervention group (P < 0.005), and a significant increase in sexual satisfaction was observed in the tetanus syrup group. Results: Taking T. terrestris syrup increased sexual satisfaction in postmenopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Most of the women suffer from vaginal atrophy and dryness, and therefore, effi cient and safe treatment is needed to improve vaginal lubrication. Vitamin D has several important functions which may be effective in proliferation and repair of the epithelial tissue. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of vitamin D vaginal suppositories on maturation index, pH, and dryness in postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: Women were enrolled in this double-blind clinical trial, in whom menopause occurred at least one year ago. Those women who had an abnormal Papanicolaou smear, had undergone hormonal treatment, or have had vaginal infection in the previous year were excluded. Forty-four women who found eligible were randomized into two equal groups, the treatment and control groups, which received vitamin D and placebo vaginal suppository daily for 8 weeks, respectively. Vaginal pH and maturation value were measured at the beginning and end of the study. Pain, dryness, and paleness were assessed before treatment and at the end of the 2, 4, and 8 weeks of treatment. Results: In the treatment group, the number (Mean ± SD) of superfi cial cells increased (69.76 ± 12.4) and vaginal pH decreased (1.42 ± 0.67) signifi cantly compared to the control group after 56 days. The mean pain signifi cantly reduced after 8 weeks in the treatment group (1.23 ± 0.53) compared to the control group 1.95 ± 0.74 (P < 0.001). The mean of dryness and paleness reduced signifi cantly in the treatment group versus control at 56 days. Conclusions: Vitamin D is effective in improving the maturation index and decreased the pH and dryness of the vaginal atrophy due to menopause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Menopause is an important stage in the life of every woman. Hot flashes are the most common climacteric symptom and a major cause of suffering in postmenopausal women. Licorice is one of the plants that is used to relieve menopausal symptoms. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of licorice on hot flash symptoms in menopausal women. The participants of this randomized, double blind, clinical trial study were 60 menopausal women randomly allocated to licorice or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) groups. The participants in this trial received licorice (1140 mg/day) or HRT (a conjugated estrogen 0.312 mg/day and Medroxyprogesterone 2.5 mg/day) for 90 days. In this study we observed that licorice is not very different from hormones in terms of reducing the number and duration of hot flashes, but that HRT can reduce the severity of hot flashes significantly better than licorice can. In addition, there was no significant difference between age, education level, marital status, occupation, income, number of pregnancies, time from cessation of menstruation, and severity of hot flashes in the two groups. We observed that licorice seems more effective than HRT in improving hot flash duration, but that HRT can reduce the duration and severity of hot flashes more than licorice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aim: To determine the effects of hyoscine-N-butyl bromide (HBB) rectal suppository on labor progress in primigravid women. Methods: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out on 130 primigravid women admitted for spontaneous labor. The women were recruited based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and randomized into the experimental (n = 65) and control group (n = 65). In the beginning of the active phase of labor, 20 mg of HBB rectal suppository was administered to the experimental group, while a placebo suppository was administered to the control group. Cervical dilatation and duration of active phase and second stage of labor were recorded. Results: The rate of cervical dilatation was 2.6 cm/h in the experimental and 1.5 cm/h in the control group (P < 0.001). The active phase and the second stage of labor were significantly shorter in the experimental group (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the fetal heart rate, maternal pulse rate, blood pressure, and the APGAR score 1 and 5 minutes after birth. Conclusion: Use of HBB rectal suppository in the active management of labor can shorten both the active phase and second stage of labor without significant side-effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Considering the fact that depression in patients with breast cancer increases the severity and complications of medical treatments such as chemotherapy (including fatigue, nausea, and cognitive problems), the identification of its related factors can be one of the important steps in reducing the complications of this disease. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between psychological hardiness and resilience with depression in women with breast cancer., Materials and Methods: The present study was a descriptive-analytic study, the population of which included all women with breast cancer under chemotherapy referred to Oncology Center of Imam Hassan Mojtaba Hospital in Dezful city from July 2015 to December 2016. A sample size of 114 people was selected. Data collection instruments included demographic information form, Ahvaz Psychological Hardiness Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and Beck Depression Inventory. Data were analyzed using SPSS ver.21., Findings: Findings showed that 61.4% of respondents had depressive symptoms. Mild, moderate and severe depression symptoms were prevalent among 37.7%, 20.2% and 3.5% of the participants, respectively. Also, there is a significant relationship between resiliency and hardiness with depression in women with breast cancer (P<0.05)., Discussion and Conclusion: The depression rate in women with breast cancer decreased if hardiness and resiliency against the disease has been increased. This means that there is a need for training courses and counseling services for women with breast cancer in order to improve their mental health status.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of green tea extract on serum lipid level in postmenopausal women., Method: In this randomized controlled trial 100 postmenopausal women with an abnormality in at least one lipid profile were recruited and randomly assigned to one of the two groups: green tea extract (n = 50) and control group (n = 50). The intervention group received two capsules (400 mg) of green tea extract two times daily; the control group received a placebo for 4 weeks. The serum level of the lipid profile (total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), triglyceride, and fasting blood sugar) was measured at baseline and 4 weeks after intervention., Results: In total, 79 women completed the study. The mean total cholesterol in the green tea group was significantly decreased after 4 weeks of intervention (mean difference -18.1 vs. -5 mg/dL in the green tea and placebo groups, p < 0.04). The triglyceride and LDL also decreased significantly in the green tea group compared to the control group (p = 0.002 and p = 0.04 respectively). The level of HDL and fasting blood sugar did not change within the group and between groups., Conclusion: Green tea extract is cost-effective way to decrease lipid profile in postmenopausal women without major side effects. Using this herb is recommended in women who have slight lipid profile abnormalities.