Background Pregnancy is a unique period with the increased likelihood of psychological changes and emotional disturbances such as depression, anxiety, and stress. In this study, we investigated the factors influencing depression, anxiety, and stress in pregnancy and identify their associations with Sexual Distress (SD) and Genital Self-Image (GSI). Methods This was a descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study performed using the two-stage cluster sampling method between September 2019 and January 2020. Overall, 295 pregnant women completed a demographics and obstetric information checklist, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), Female Genital Self-Image Scale (FGSI), and Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (FSDS-R). Results Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) showed significant differences in the mean scores of SD between the groups with varying degrees of depression, anxiety, and stress (P <  0.001) and in the mean score of GSI between the groups with varying degrees of depression (P = 0.01) and anxiety (P <  0.001). In multivariate linear regression analysis, higher (worse) depression, anxiety, and stress scores were found in women with more advanced age and higher SD scores; however, these scores were lower (better) in those with increased gestational age. Lower depression and anxiety scores were associated with moderate satisfaction with income, moderate satisfaction with BI in pregnancy, and lower stress and depression scores were linked to planned pregnancy. Higher (better) GSI score was a predictor of lower depression score, complication in a previous pregnancy was a predictor of higher stress score, and finally, fear of fetal abortion and being a housewife were predictors of a higher anxiety score. Conclusion Various factors contribute to the development of antenatal depression, anxiety, and stress. A positive correlation was found between SD and the severity of depression, anxiety, and stress, while a negative correlation was noted between GSI and the severity of depression and anxiety. Therefore, raising awareness regarding SD and GSI through screening and counseling sessions can have beneficial effects for mothers and their fetuses.

Background:One of the most common sexual-transmitted infections among women is human papillomavirus (HPV) infection which is associated with genital cancers. Different studies in Iran reported various prevalences, and combining their results could be important for health policy makers. This study aims to determine the total prevalence of HPV infection as well as its related genotypes, particularly HPV16 and HPV18 among Iranian healthy women.Methods:Searching the Scientific Information Database, Iranmedex, Magiran, Irandoc, PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and ScienceDirect databanks using relevant keywords and excluding duplicates and irrelevant evidence followed by applying exclusion criteria and quality assessment, eligible articles were selected. Standard error of the prevalence was calculated based on binomial distribution. Random effects model was used because of the high heterogeneity among the results.Results:Of 14 studies entered into the systematic review, 24 pieces of evidence reported the HPV prevalence among 7655 healthy and noncancerous women in different Provinces of Iran. Total prevalence of HPV, 9.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6.8–12.02); HPV16, 2.03% (95% CI: 1.3–2.8); HPV18, 1.7% (95% CI: 0.9–2.5); and other genotypes of HPV, 5.3% (95% CI: 3.6–6.9) were estimated.Conclusions:Our meta-analysis showed that the total prevalence of HPV and its high-risk genotypes (16 and 18) among healthy noncancerous Iranian women was very high.

Background: Hepatitis B infection can be transmitted both vertically and horizontally. Although the universal neonatal vaccination and catch up vaccination of teenagers along with targeted vaccination of at risk population have decreased the prevalence of HBV infection in Iran dramatically, there is still risk of vertical transmission with subsequent chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of latent HBV infection among Iranian pregnant women using metaanalysis method.Data Sources: Papers written in Persian or English were identified during a comprehensive search within five national and four international main databases. Study Eligibility Criteria and Participants:Studies reported the HBV infection prevalence among Iranian pregnant women and provided enough quality scores were selected for this meta-analysis. Methods:After a systematic review of national and international databases, duplicated and irrelevant studies were excluded. Standard error of the infection prevalence was calculated based on the binomial distribution. Because of the significant heterogeneity observed among the results, random effects model was applied to combine the results of the primary studies. Moreover, sensitivity analysis and meta-regression models were used to detect the sources of this heterogeneity.Results: At final step of the systematic search, 18 papers entered into the meta-analysis investigating 24853 pregnant women. Prevalence of HBV infection among Iranian pregnant women was estimated as 1.2% (95% confidence interval: 0.9 -1.6). Among different risk factors assessed, only familial history in four studies out of five relevant evidences was statistically significant. Conclusions:HBV infection prevalence among Iranian pregnant women is low and familial history is its major determinant.

Background: Seroepidemiologic studies indicate a high prevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. This infection leads to ophthalmic, dermatologic, oral, neurologic, vaginal and cervical problems. Different studies have been carried out to estimate the HSV seroprevalence in Iran. Combining the results of these studies would be useful for health policy-making. Objective: This study aims to estimate the pooled prevalence of HSV infection using meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: Using relevant keywords, national and international data banks were searched. Restricting the search strategy, excluding duplicates and investigating the titles and abstracts, relevant articles were identified. To increase the search sensitivity, the lists of references were investigated. To find un-published studies, specialized experts as well as research centers were interviewed. The heterogeneity between the results was assessed using Cochrane test and I-squared indicator. The pooled prevalence of HSV infection was estimated using random effects model. Results: We recruited 33 eligible papers investigated 7762 individuals. The total prevalences (95% confidence intervals) of HSV1, HSV2 and HSV infections were estimated as of 42.04% (20.9-63.1), 6.5% (4.7-8.2) and 25.7% (8.8-42.5) respectively. Conclusion: This meta-analysis showed that the HSV2 seroprevalence among Iranian people is considerably lower than HSV1 infection.