Safe motherhood in crisis; threats, opportunities, and needs: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of life, including pregnancy, childbirth, and safe motherhood so that pregnancy and childbirth take place in completely novel and unusual conditions for people. Therefore, we aimed to determine the opportunities, threats, and needs of pregnant women during a crisis. METHODS: The present qualitative study was conducted among women who had a history of pregnancy and childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic period in 2022. The data were collected by conducting face-to-face, semi-structured and in-depth interviews with 20 purposefully selected participants. Interviews continued until data saturation was attained. Data were analyzed through conventional qualitative content analysis based on the Graneheim and Lundman approach. RESULTS: The data were categorized under three main themes: 1("Opportunities for safe motherhood in crisis"(2 Sub­themes), 2) "Threats to safe motherhood in crisis"(2 Sub­themes), and 3) "Needs for safe motherhood in crisis" (3 Sub­themes). CONCLUSIONS: Crisis is not always a threat. By developing an awareness of the opportunities, threats, and needs that safe motherhood faced during the COVID-19 crisis, policy makers can identify the existing gaps affecting the health of mothers and take the necessary measures to improve their conditions, experiences, and health in further crises.

Explaining Iranian midwives' experiences of providing healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has changed and challenged the way health and maternity care is provided. Midwives are among the first and most influential maternity care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, there is inadequate information about their experiences in providing healthcare services, particularly in Iran. The present study was conducted to explain the midwives' experiences of providing healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Gorgan. METHODS: The present study was conducted qualitatively through the inductive content analysis method in 2022. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. A total of 21 individuals were selected as participants using a purposeful method and the maximum diversity strategy. RESULTS: Data analysis led to the emergence of 377 codes, 12 subcategories, and 3 main categories, including, the laborious occupational challenges for midwives during the pandemic, identifying and creating new opportunities for the development of the midwifery profession, and the lack of perceived organizational and social support. CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, midwives experienced various challenges in providing healthcare services, yet sacrificed themselves to perform their duties and provide quality care incessantly. The COVID-19 pandemic was a combination of laborious occupational challenges and individual and professional growth opportunities for midwives in Iran. Strong and managed organizational support is essential to overcome the crisis, maintain the workforce, and empower them to deal with future crises.

Effect of a follow-up counseling program on mental health of oocyte donors: A randomized field trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a follow-up counseling program on oocyte donors' mental health. METHODS: A randomized controlled field trial conducted on 72 Iranian women who volunteered for oocyte donation. The intervention was designed based on the qualitative section of the study and review of the literature, as face-to-face counseling, an Instagram page, an educational pamphlet, and a briefing session for service providers. Mental health was assessed using the DASS-21 questionnaire in two stages before ovarian stimulation (T1) and ovum pick-up (T2). RESULTS: The scores of depression, anxiety, and stress after ovum pick-up in the intervention group were significantly lower than in the control group. Besides, after ovum pick-up, the satisfaction of participation in an assisted reproductive technique (P < 0.001) in the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group, respectively. In the intervention group, the mean scores of depression and stress were lower at T2 compared to T1 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study showed that the follow-up counseling program could influence these oocyte donors' mental health during participation in assisted reproductive techniques. Designing these programs in the cultural context of each country is recommended. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20200617047811N1), Date of registration: 07/25/2020, Registry URL: https://www.irct.ir/trial/49196.

Self-image and social-image of the donors: Two different views from oocyte donors' eyes.

To identify the perceptions of women oocyte donors this qualitative study was conducted on 30 oocyte donors using in-depth interview. The three main categories of decision-making challenge, the consequences of participation in assisted reproductive treatment, and the contrast between the self-image and social-image of the donor were inferred. Financial and altruistic motivation, social taboo, and the approval of trusted people were the sub-categories of the decision-making challenge. The results of the study showed that the decision for oocyte donation follows the effort of women to balance the financial and spiritual benefits of the donation against its cultural barriers.

Psychosocial consequences of oocyte donation in donors: A systematic review.

Assisted Reproductive Technology by means of oocyte donation is a very successful method leading to psychosocial consequences in donors. The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic review of the existing literature on the psychosocial consequences of oocyte donation in the donors. The present study was conducted as a systematic review based on the PRISMA checklist. Searches were performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and SID databases for the documents written between 2000 and 2020 regardless of the research methodology and the employed tools. English and Persian articles focusing on psychological and social issues of oocyte donation were reviewed. From 2,759 studies which were found, finally 14 related ones were selected. Psychosocial challenges of donors were obtained in three dimensions including short-term and long-term psychological reactions to treatment complications, emotional reactions to their function as an oocyte donor, and emotional reactions to the resulting offspring resulting and related social challenges. According to the existing studies, oocyte donation is a challenging process with short-term and long-term psychosocial consequences for donors. In order to prevent the feasible psychosocial hazards caused by the donation process, it is necessary to provide oocyte donors with psychosocial support, proper counseling, and awareness of the facts and possible issues ahead.

A mental health intervention program for the oocyte donors: protocol for a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: Oocyte donation is one of the assisted reproductive techniques that can undermine the mental health of the women donor. As such, the aim of this study is to design a mental health promotion program for oocyte donors. METHODS: This is an exploratory mixed methods study (qualitative-quantitative) that consists of three phases. In the first phase, a qualitative study will be conducted to identify the needs and strategies of the mental health promotion program for the women donors. In this phase, the participants will be selected using purposeful sampling method and the data will be collected through semi-structured interviews. In the second phase, the initial draft of the program is designed and validated in the panel of experts and using the classic Delphi technique and, then, the program is finalized. In the third phase, the designed program will be implemented as a quasi-experimental study in two groups of program recipients (intervention) and control, and the effectiveness of the intervention program will be evaluated. DISCUSSION: In order to design a documentation-based mental health promotion program for the oocyte donors, their experience during the process of oocyte donation should be evaluated. Doing so, the program will be developed based on the specific circumstances of the target population and their social and cultural context and, hence, will have the highest impact.