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Sexual health influences general well-being and the overall quality of life of all men and women. This study in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran, aimed to assess the level of knowledge of and attitudes towards sexual and reproductive health among adults. In a cross-sectional study in 2010, 276 men and 281 women were recruited at pre-marital counselling courses and completed a 33-item anonymous questionnaire in private. The overall level of knowledge of men and women was low. Both men and women had low scores on knowledge of genital anatomy, sexually transmitted infections and contraceptive use. The majority of participants had positive attitudes towards implementing educational programmes on sexual and reproductive health issues for young adults and prior to marriage. Efficient educational programmes providing up-to-date information about sexual and reproductive health are needed in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Background and Objective:We conducted this study to evaluate and compare postpartum sexual functioning after vaginal and caesarean births.Materials and Methods:This was a cross-sectional study that was carried out in postnatal health care in a hospital. A total of 50 primiprous women who had given birth 6-12 months ago and came to the hospital for postnatal care were asked to join the study. Forty of the women completed the entire questionnaire. Among these women, 20 delivered spontaneously with mediolateral episiotomy and 20 had elective caesarean section. Sexual function was evaluated by a validated, self-created questionnaire. A statistical evaluation was carried out by SPSS v.11. A two-part self-created validated questionnaire for data collection was administered regarding sexual function prior to pregnancy and 6-12 months postpartum.Results:The median time to restart intercourse in the normal vaginal delivery with episiotomy (NVD/epi) group was 40 days and in the caesarean section (C/S) group was 10 days postpartum. The most common problems in the NVD/epi group was decreased libido (80%), sexual dissatisfaction (65%), and vaginal looseness (55%). In the C/S group, the most common problems were vaginal dryness (85%), sexual dissatisfaction (60%), and decreased libido (35%). There were clinically significant differences between the two groups regarding sexual outcomes, but these differences were not statically significant.Conclusion:Postnatal sexual problems were very common after both NVD/epi and C/S. Because sexual problems are so prevalent during the postpartum period, clinicians should draw more attention to the women's sexual life and try to improve their quality of life after delivery.

This study investigated various sources of stress among junior and senior midwifery students in Iran. It also explored the effect of stress on the students’ performance and physical and mental health. Ninety junior and senior midwifery students participated in this survey. Data were collected using self-created questionnaires and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The data showed that the most stressful activity for juniors was nursing care practice. Prenatal health care practice was identified as the second most common cause of stress in juniors. For seniors, nursing care practice and prenatal health care practice were equally stressful. The preceptor (mentor) as well as the clinical setting and staff have been identified as two major factors causing stress, somewhat more in juniors than in seniors. The most common physiological and behavioural demonstrations of stress in the students were palpitation, exacerbated asthma, fatigue, unusual behaviour and dizziness. It is evident that efforts need to be made to minimize the negative effect of stress on students by creating and establishing healthy learning environments.

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