Objectives: Infertility is one of the important complications in gynecology and the aim of the present study was to investigate the etiology and risk factors associated with infertility in the southern region of Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in infertility centers of Hormozgan University of Medical Science (HUMS). Totally, 250 infertile couples were included. The variables including socio-demographic characteristics, smoking, body mass index (BMI), and infertility status (e.g., type of fertility, duration, etc.) were assessed by a self-administered and validated questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 22.0. Results: The most common causes of male and female infertility were varicocele (49.4%) and ovulation disorders (57.5%), respectively. There was a significant association between female factor infertility and level of education, age of women, women’s age at marriage, number of abortions, alcohol consumption, presence of an underlying disease, and BMI (P<0.005). There was also a significant relationship between male factor infertility and men’s job, addiction, smoking, and presence of an underlying disease (P<0.005). Conclusions: Considering various risk factors for infertility, an important step forward can be taken towards reducing the incidence of these risk factors by providing different education classes during pre-marriage, pre-partum, pregnancy and postpartum periods so as to inform couples of controllable risk factors.

BackgroundPreterm birth is a major cause of prenatal and postnatal mortality particularly in developing countries. This study investigated the maternal risk factors associated with the risk of preterm birth.MethodsA population-based case-control study was conducted in several provinces of Iran on 2463 mothers referred to health care centers. Appropriate descriptive and analytical statistical methods were used to evaluate the association between maternal risk factors and the risk of preterm birth. All tests were two-sided, and P values < 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant.ResultsThe mean gestational age was 31.5 ± 4.03 vs. 38.8 ± 1.06 weeks in the case and control groups, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis showed a statistically significant association between preterm birth and mother’s age and ethnicity. Women of Balooch ethnicity and age ≥ 35 years were significantly more likely to develop preterm birth (OR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.01–-2.44 and OR: 9.72; 95% CI: 3.07–30.78, respectively). However, no statistically significant association was observed between preterm birth and mother’s place of residence, level of education, past history of cesarean section, and BMI.ConclusionDespite technological advances in the health care system, preterm birth still remains a major concern for health officials. Providing appropriate perinatal health care services as well as raising the awareness of pregnant women, especially for high-risk groups, can reduce the proportion of preventable preterm births.

Background: Undesirable health outcomes of anemia impact all different groups of people within a society especially pregnant women (PW). Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate other fetal and maternal complications of anemia in various trimesters of pregnancy. Methods: A large retrospective cohort study was conducted on Iranian PW in 2017. The first and third trimesters of pregnancy were assessed as a separate study. The first study included 1038 anemic and 2463 non-anemic PW and the second comprised 756 anemic and 1986 non-anemic PW. The outcome-related pregnancies were analyzed for each study. Results: After adjusting for the potential confounding factors, the odds of neonatal mortality (OR = 1.63; CI 95%, 1.25 -2.13) were significantly higher and the odds of cesarean delivery (OR = 0.6; CI 95%, 0.46 -0.75) were significantly lower in women who had anemia during the first trimester. The chance of pre-term delivery (< 37 weeks; OR = 2.15; CI 95%, 1.6 -2.91) and abortion (OR = 1.68; CI 95%, 1.11 -2.53) was significantly higher in women who had anemia during the third trimester, while the chance of low birth weight (< 2500 kg) (OR = 0.66; CI 95%, 0.46 -0.93) was lower in anemic women during the third trimester than in those without anemia. Conclusions: Pregnant women who experience anemia in both first and third trimesters of pregnancy have different unpleasant pregnancy outcomes. Since anemia is preventable during pregnancy, many of these outcomes such as neonatal mortality, low birth weight, preterm and cesarean delivery, and abortion could be prevented and decreased by providing health education before pregnancy.

Background:HIV epidemic is mostly targeted adults and has numerous negative health, social, economic, cultural and political consequences. In this study Life Expectancy (LE) and Average Years of Life Lost (AYLL) in HIV/AIDS patients are estimated.Materials and Methods:In this descriptive study all the patients at the age of 18 and more under the care of BandarAbbas Behavioral Disorders Counseling Center (BBDCC) during 2005-2015 are included. The town of BandarAbbas is center of Hormozgan Province in southern Iran. LE and AYLL have been estimated based on Life Table.Results:One hundred thirty four of the 426 eligible patients died during the study period. Compared to the general population LE for HIV/AIDS patients at age 20 is 46 years less in comparison with the general population of BandarAbbas. Moreover, a total of 8839 years of life lost during 2005-2015.Conclusion:LE in HIV/AIDS patients is less than LE among BandarAbbas general population and AYLL among them is more than general population. Most of the years of life lost are preventable if the health care system seriously will implement programs to control HIV/AIDS.

Objective: Sleep disturbance during pregnancy is one of the most common maternal complaints. Not only does it play a crucial role in a mother’s life, but also it comes with a multitude number of complications. This study aimed at assessing the association between sleep disturbance in pregnancy and maternal and child outcomes. Materials and methods: This was a multicenter cross-sectional study, conducted on pregnant women across 11 provinces in Iran in 2018. Sleep disturbance as a composite variable was defined using the principal component analysis based on five questions. Abortion, anemia in the first and third trimester, gestational diabetes, gestational age, glucose tolerance test (GTT), fasting blood sugar (FBS), mode of delivery, low birth weight and stillbirth were defined as study outcomes. Results: Totally, 3675 pregnant women enrolled in the study. Most of the participants (84.5%) reported that their sleep duration is less than 8 hours per day. The prevalence of sleep disturbance was 20.7% (95% CI: 19.1, 22.3). After adjusting for maternal age, education, job, place of residency and physical violence, sleep disturbance would increase the odds of abortion (p=0.009), anemia in both first (p=0.001) and third (p=0.003) trimester, gestational age (p=0.049), abnormal FBS (p=0.015) and cesarean section (p<0.001). Conclusion: Regarding the effect of sleep quality on maternal outcomes, planning and implementing a suitable intervention in the context of primary health care is necessary. Increasing the awareness of mothers, health workers and medical personnel about the suitable quality and quantity of sleep during pregnancy is of great importance.

No abstract

Background: Congenital anomalies are one of the major public health problems and one of the leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity. We aimed to investigate some factors associated with infant mortality due to congenital anomalies in several provinces of Iran. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 2199 women referring health centers of nine provinces of Iran 2015-2018. Cases were defined as mothers with infant death due to congenital anomalies, and control group comprised of mothers with live birth or infant deaths due to other causes (n=1986). The descriptive data were expressed as percentage and frequency. Factors associated with infant death due to congenital anomalies were evaluated and analyzed at 95% confidence level by logistic regression analysis. Results: The multiple logistic regression analysis reveal that history of cesarean delivery [OR:2.13 ;95%CI (1.58-2.87)], maternal age [OR:1.94 ;95%CI (1.31-2.86)])], area of living [OR: 1.69;95%CI (1.22-2.33)], maternal smoking during pregnancy [OR: 1.41; 95%CI (1.02-1.95)], consanguineous marriage [OR:1.53;95%CI (1.12-2.08)], also low birth weight [OR: 3.09; 95%CI (2.23-4.30)] were significantly associated with infant death due to congenital anomalies. Conclusion: Identification of factors associated with congenital anomalies has been shown to reduce treatment costs and medical complications of neonates. Therefore, genetic counseling and educational programs for high-risk women, and prenatal screening are essential to identify and prevent factors contributing to congenital abnormalities.

No abstract