Psychological distress in pregnancy and postpartum: a cross-sectional study of Babol pregnancy mental health registry.

BACKGROUND: Psychological distress (PD) is a significant issue during pregnancy and postpartum, adversely affecting both children and mothers. This study aims to determine PD's prevalence and risk factors in a large Iranian population sample during pregnancy and postpartum. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Babol Pregnancy Mental Health Registry (located in the north of Iran) between June 2020 and March 2021. A total of 2305 women were included, with 1639 during pregnancy and 666 during postpartum. Psychological distress was assessed using the Brief Symptoms Inventory (BSI-18), and data were analyzed using independent t-tests and multiple logistic regressions. RESULTS: The prevalence of psychological distress, defined by a cut-off score of BSI ≥ 13, was 19% during pregnancy and 15% during postpartum. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that high-risk pregnancy was the leading risk factor for psychological distress during the antenatal period (ß = 1.776, P < 0.001), as well as its three subscales: somatization (ß = 1.355, P = 0.019), anxiety symptoms (ß = 2.249, P < 0.001), and depressive symptoms (ß = 1.381, P = 0.028). Additionally, women with a gestational age < 20 weeks had a higher risk of psychological distress (ß = 1.344, P = 0.038) and the somatization subscale (ß = 1.641, P < 0.001). During the postpartum period, women residing in urban areas were at higher risk of psychological distress (ß = 1.949, P = 0.012), as well as two subscales: anxiety symptoms (ß = 1.998, P = 0.012) and depressive symptoms (ß = 1.949, P = 0.020). CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of psychological distress emphasizes detecting and treating PD during pregnancy and postpartum, particularly in women with high-risk pregnancies. This study suggests that obstetricians and midwives should implement programs to identify women experiencing psychological distress during early pregnancy through postpartum visits.

Evaluation of vitamin D status and its correlation with oxidative stress markers in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: There is little evidence about antioxidant properties of vitamin D. Recent studies suggest that oxidative stress may play a major role in the pathophysiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but the association of vitamin D with oxidative stress is still not known in PCOS. OBJECTIVE: The goal of the present study was to evaluate the correlation between serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D and oxidative stress markers in PCOS group compared to control group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 60 PCOS women (20-40 yr old) and 90 healthy women as control group were participated in this case-control study. Fasting serum level of 25(OH) D, glucose, insulin, calcium, malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl (PC), also homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and fasting glucose to insulin ratio (FGIR) were measured. RESULTS: It was found that the mean of serum 25(OH)D was lower in the PCOS group (10.76±4.17) than in the control group (12.07±6.26) but this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.125). Fasting insulin, HOMA-IR and MDA were significantly higher in the PCOS patients as compared to the controls, whereas PC level did not differ for the two groups (p=0.156). No significant correlations were found between 25(OH)D levels and oxidative stress markers (MDA and PC). CONCLUSION: The findings indicated no significant differences in the serum 25(OH)D levels between the PCOS patients and the matched controls. Also, no correlation was found between the serum vitamin D levels and oxidative stress markers in both groups.

In vitro maturation of germinal vesicle oocytes in stimulated intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated in vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes in the germinal vesicle (GV) stage in stimulated intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 26 women, aged 18 -37 years, who were candidates for ICSI at the Fatemeh Zahra Infertility and Health Reproductive Research Center in 2007 were recruited for this study. We used the standard long protocol for ovarian stimulation. Follicles >11 mm were punctured 36-38 hours after administration of 10000 IU human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). Immature oocytes were cultured for 24-30 hours. Oocytes that liberated polar bodies were injected by sperm prepared within the previous day. IVM fertilized oocytes were cultured an additional 24-30 hours for cleavage. The rates of maturation, fertilization and cleavage in IVM oocytes were recorded and statistically compared to in vivo matured sibling oocytes. RESULTS: There were 279 collected oocytes (mean±SD: 10.73 ± 6.2), of which 4.08±2.79 were subjected to IVM. An average of 2.73 ± 2.15 GV oocytes (70%) developed to metaphase II (MII). Although the maturation rate significantly differed between the IVM and in vivo MII sibling oocyte groups (p=0.027), the numbers of fertilized oocytes (p=0.795) and cleaved embryos (p=0.529) were not significantly high in the in vivo group. Transfer of IVM embryos occurred in only three cases with one pregnancy that resulted in the delivery of a healthy baby. CONCLUSION: This study shows that culturing GV oocytes can produce acceptable numbers of four-cell embryos on the transfer day. The developmental competence of oocytes is not significantly different between early stage IVM and in vivo sibling embryos.