Concerns about fertility, social appearance, and relationships in young adults with polycystic ovary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), affecting 1-11% of reproductive-age women, is characterised by many symptoms that cause important concerns especially in young adults. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the concerns about fertility, social appearance, and relationships in young adults with PCOS. METHODOLOGY: This descriptive study included 140 young female adults aged 18-26, who were diagnosed with PCOS, agreed to participate in the onlineresearch through social media between July and December 2022 in Turkey. Data were collected using the 'Participant Interview Form' and the "Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS). RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 22.1 ± 2.1. As the most common symptoms, 78.6% experienced menstrual irregularities, 16.4% were overweight, 7.1% were obese, 67.1% had hirsutism and 65.7% had acne. Most of the participants expressed concerns about future infertility (72.9%), and worried about being unable to conceive due to PCOS in the future (sometimes = 61.4%). Over eighty percent of the participants expressed some level of dissatisfaction with their physical appearance. They commonly believe that their self-esteem, emotionalstate, social relationships and partner relationships could be negatively affected by PCOS. SAAS scores were significantly increased by low income, high BMI, hirsutism, dissatisfaction with physicalappearance, low self-esteem, emotional problems and concerns related to social and partner relationships (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Young adults have common concerns about the potential negative impacts of PCOS on fertility, social appearance, and relationships. Health professionals should be aware of their counselling needs about the possible physical and psycho-social effects of PCOS and provide continuous care and support.

Fertility Preservation in Patients With Cancer: Nurses' Views, Experiences, and Perceptions of Benefits and Barriers.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate nurses' views, experiences, and perceptions of the benefits and barriers to fertility preservation (FP) care for patients with cancer. SAMPLE & SETTING: The sample consisted of 236 nurses who provided care before gonadotoxic treatment for people with cancer in three university hospitals in Istanbul, Turkey, from January to June 2018. METHODS & VARIABLES: The data were collected using a participant information form and the Oncology FP Survey. The main research variables were nurses' views, experiences, and perceptions of benefits and barriers to FP care. Data were evaluated using means, SDs, frequencies, and the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Patients and their families were informed about FP most of the time. This information was given by physicians about half the time and by nurses less than one-fourth of the time. Mean scores on the Oncology FP Survey were moderate and indicated challenges among nurses in self-confidence, self-awareness of personal limitations, and perceived barriers when providing effective FP care. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Nurses face challenges in providing counseling about FP options for patients with cancer and their families. Increasing self-confidence, reducing personal limitations, and decreasing perceived barriers to FP care through appropriate training may improve nurses' ability to provide FP counseling.

Effect of Foot Massage on Labor Pain in Parturient Women.

Background: Massageis one of the non-pharmacologic methods used to control pain and help pregnant women cope with the pain and positively affect labor. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of foot massage in pregnant women during labor, labor pain, the duration of the delivery, interventions, postpartum bleeding and the emotional state of the mother. Design: This study was designedas a randomized controlled experimental study. Setting: The research was carried out in primipara women who cameto the clinic for childbirth in Karaman State Hospital, Turkey, between December 2016 and May 2017. Patients: Patients comprised 80 primiparous women who were randomly assigned to either the intervention (foot massage) group (n = 40) or the control group (n = 40) in accordance with the study criteria. Intervention: Routine nursing care was provided in both groups during the latent labor phase; all women signed an informed consent form. In the first phase of birth, the intervention group received a classic foot massage for 20 minutes on each foot at 3 different times, for a total of 60 minutes (cervical dilatation was 4-5 cm, 6-7 cm and 8-9 cm during this phase). Outcome Measures: Data were obtained by using an information form to gather demographic and obstetric characteristics, the labor assessment form for labor and birth records, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) to evaluate labor pain severity, an observation-based form for emotional behavior during labor and the Labor Agentry Scale (LAS) to evaluate the emotional state of the mothers. Results: We found that the pain severity in women who received the foot massage decreased after the intervention according to their VAS scores, and they experienced less pain in the postpartum period. In addition, in the intervention group, it was observed that the second and third stages of labor were shorter, the women showed less negative behavioral responses during delivery and were satisfied with their foot massage. Conclusion: In conclusion, it was determined that foot massage could be effective and reliable intervention in the management of labor pain.

The effect of acupressure on lactation in non-breastfeeding mothers after preterm cesarean delivery.

This randomized controlled experimental study was conducted to determine the effect of acupressure on lactation in non-breastfeeding mothers. The sample of the study was comprised of 64 mothers, who were randomly selected among the primipara mothers of premature newborns delivered through cesarean section in a hospital. Before the implementation, the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale and the Richards? Campbell Sleep Questionnaire were applied. In post-operative three days, 15-minute acupressure was implemented in the morning/evening, for acupressure-group mothers and pump milking was applied; control group mothers were only milked in the mornings and evenings. Mothers' perceptions of lactation symptoms were evaluated with Visual Analog Scale. Acupressure satisfaction was evaluated with a Visual Analog Patient Satisfaction Scale, and pumped milk quantities were recorded. Indications of lactation such as tension, heat, and pain in breasts were found to be higher in acupressure group.The amounts of milk in acupressure group were significantly higher compared to control group.

The Effects of Yoga on Pregnancy, Stress, and Anxiety in Infertile Individuals: A Systematic Review.

It is believed that practicing yoga has a healing effect on reproductive organs and increases blood circulation. The aim of the present study was to systematically evaluate the results of previous studies on the effects of practicing yoga on infertility problems, depression caused by infertility, and pregnancy outcomes. This literature review was conducted from July through August 2020 from the following sources: Cochrane, Science Direct, Scopus, Medline, Complementary Index, and Google Scholar for the international data; Turkish Academic Network and Information Center, and the Council of Higher Education Thesis Search Database for the Turkish data. "Infertility" and "yoga" keywords were used, and the related publications were searched without date limitations. Twenty-four research articles that involved the practice of yoga were included in the study. The included studies were conducted in 9 different countries, the majority of which (n = 12) were conducted in India. In 3 of the studies, hatha yoga, and in 1 study, vinyasa yoga were performed; in the other studies, different yoga asanas that activated the pelvic regions were performed. In this systematic review, yoga practice was found to have a positive effect on stress, anxiety, and depression and emphasized that it should be applied as adjunctive therapy, especially during in vitro fertilization treatment. These studies have also shown that practicing yoga has a positive effect on pregnancy outcomes.

The experiences of nurses who studied abroad with The Erasmus program during undergraduate education: A qualitative study.

The globalization of healthcare systems and information has increased the importance of international learning and mobility programs in nursing education. This research aimed to explore and describe the lived experiences of nurses studying abroad with the Erasmus program during their undergraduate education. This is a descriptive phenomenological study. The study sample consisted of 12 nurses who studied abroad during their undergraduate education. The data were collected through semi-structured, face to face in-depth interviews. Colaizzi's seven-step method and NVivo12 software were used to evaluate the data. The study results had five main themes: (1) adaptation process, (2) sources of support, (3) differences, (4) difficulties, and (5) benefits. The nurses considered studying abroad with the Erasmus program as an important opportunity. They reported that this experience made significant positive contributions to them in the personal, professional, cultural, and social aspects.

The Effects of Listening to Music on Breast Milk Production by Mothers of Premature Newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Objective: This study was a randomized controlled experiment to determine the effects of listening to music on breast milk production in Turkish mothers with premature newborns. Methods: The study consisted of two groups of randomly selected mothers (n = 20 each) of newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of two university hospitals in Istanbul between November 2017 and November 2018. On the first day, all mothers were provided with training for milking with pumps. On the second through fourth days, mothers in the music group (MG) underwent two sessions of milking with music and a pump for 15 minutes at 11:00 and 16:00; the mothers in the control group underwent two sessions of milking without music. To evaluate stress levels, Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was administered and salivary cortisol tests were taken on the first and final days of the study. Results: The mean age of participants was 28.5 ± 5.3 years, the mean gestational week was 32.21 ± 2.26, and the mean birth weight of the newborns was 1748 ± 533.4 g. The state and total anxiety scores of the MG were statistically low (p < 0.05). There was no difference between the MG and control group in the amount of breast milk produced; however, the final test cortisol levels of the MG group were significantly lower compared with the pretest measurements (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Listening to music in the NICU while breastfeeding can help reduce stress levels in mothers to premature newborns and support breast milk production.