Quality of Sexuality during Pregnancy, We Must Do Something-Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: The main aim of this study was to describe the changes in sexual desire in pregnant women during the gestation period. We also sought to analyze their sexual habits, how they perceive their partners' attitudes, and determine if they know the importance of sex education during pregnancy. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive observational study was conducted using an existing 32-item questionnaire among pregnant women attending the Fetal Welfare Clinic of a reference hospital. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: One hundred seventeen women participated. 50.4% stated that their sexual interest decreased. Aspects like the number of coitus, feeling orgasm with penetration or with masturbation, or the frequency of oral sex, were significantly reduced during pregnancy. 90.6% of the women stated that they would like to receive more sex education during pregnancy. There were no differences according to their education level, their partners' education level, or whether they believed that sexual intercourse could harm the baby. CONCLUSIONS: Several advances have been achieved in the healthcare that physicians and midwives provide pregnant women. However, the quality of women's sex lives still declines during pregnancy. Healthcare providers should assume a proactive role, essential in helping future parents to enjoy their sexuality and dispel myths about sexuality, regardless of their education level.

Use of Digital Technology as a Collaborative Tool among Nursing Students-Survey Study and Validation.

BACKGROUND: This research aimed to develop a questionnaire to analyze perceived aspects of using digital technology among nursing students as a collaborative tool. We further sought to evaluate the psychometric reliability of the instrument. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was performed using a questionnaire developed from scratch. Psychometric studies and univariate and bivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: 132 nursing students participated. The exploratory and confirmatory analyses of the questionnaire excluded 4 of the initial 18 items and established four domains, and internal consistency was found. The mean global score of the answers to the questionnaire was 4.67 on a scale of 1-5 points, and all the domains obtained high scores. Men scored higher on the usefulness and the global score, while no differences were found regarding age. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing students positively assess the use of digital technology as a collaborative tool, regardless of age. Digital technology as a collaborative tool is perceived as beneficial, improves their involvement, and allows nursing students to obtain a better knowledge of their partners. These findings can help develop group projects and tools based on technology to train future nursing professionals. The questionnaire developed is a valid tool to assess this.

Using QR Codes as a Form of eHealth to Promote Health Among Women in a Pandemic: Cross-sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: QR codes have played an integral role during the pandemic in many sectors, but their use has been limited in the health care sector, especially by patients. Although some authors have stated that developing specific content for women on how to cope with health problems could be an effective way to prevent problems, especially during pandemics, there is little research regarding the use of QR codes to promote health during a pandemic, and even fewer studies are focused on women. Moreover, although the importance of assessing these interventions from the users' perspective has been stated, research carried out from this point of view is still scarce. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the usefulness of using QR codes with information to promote women's health in the context of a pandemic. We also sought to design and validate a questionnaire to assess this. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among women in the gynecology waiting rooms of a reference hospital. Exploratory factorial analysis with the split-half method and Cronbach α values was performed for questionnaire validation. Univariant and bivariant analyses were performed to analyze the data obtained. RESULTS: In total, 186 women took part in the study. Exploratory factor analysis identified 2 domains: usability and applicability in medical practice. The Cronbach α value was .81. Overall, 83.7% of the answers to the first domain and 56.4% of those to the second were favorable. Women with university education or those who had used QR codes before scored better in the usability domain, while no differences were observed in the applicability scores. CONCLUSIONS: Using QR codes in the gynecology clinics' waiting rooms can help promote women's health during a pandemic, regardless of their education level or whether they have used QR codes before. The questionnaire developed herein is a helpful tool to assess this. These findings are important for clinical practice. This research can be performed in other ambits, specialties, or countries.

Maternal serum cytokine levels in pregnancies complicated with threatened preterm labour.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate serum inflammatory markers in singleton gestations complicated with threatened preterm labour (TPL). METHODS: Pregnant women complicated with TPL (n = 61) were recruited to measure maternal serum levels of a panel of cytokines and C-reactive protein and then compared to controls without TPL, matched for gestational age (n = 64) and term pregnancies in the prodromal phase of labour (PPL) (n = 31). In addition, baseline cytokine levels were compared among cases and controls according to the outcome. RESULTS: Women with TPL displayed higher CRP and white blood counts levels together with lower granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GMC-SF) compared to both controls without TPL and to term gestations in the PPL. Also, interleukin 10 (IL-10), IL-6, IL-7, IL-8 and tumour necrosis alpha (TNF-α) levels were found significantly higher in TPL cases as compared to controls without TPL and term women in the PLL. Baseline cytokine levels (except IL-10) were higher among TPL cases who later delivered preterm. TPL cases delivering preterm displayed lower GMC-SF levels as compared to those delivering at term. Multivariate analysis found that gestational age at birth positively correlated with cervical length and inversely with CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α levels (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: TPL and preterm birth were related to inflammatory changes in the maternal side that correlate with cervical shortening and the initiation of uterine contractions.

Maternal serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and C-reactive protein levels in pregnancies complicated with threatened preterm labour.

OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: To measure 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and C-reactive protein (CRP) serum levels in singleton gestations complicated with threatened preterm labour (TPL, n = 59) and compare to normal controls matched for gestational age (n = 64). Cases were treated after blood sample according to institutional protocol. Also, analyte levels were compared among cases according to the outcome. RESULTS: Mean serum 25(OH)D levels were similar between cases and controls, with median white blood cell count and CRP levels found significantly higher in TPL cases. Women with TPL delivering preterm displayed shorter mean cervical lengths along with higher CRP and lower 25(OH)D serum levels when compared to those delivering at term. Two multiple linear regression models were constructed to analyse factors related to gestational age at delivery (pooled analysis and only those with TPL). In both models, gestational age positively correlated to cervical length and inversely to CRP levels; whereas, in the TPL model, only 25(OH)D levels correlated positively. CONCLUSION: Women complicated with TPL showed similar serum 25(OH)D yet higher CRP levels as compared to controls. TPL cases delivering preterm displayed lower 25(OH)D and higher CRP correlated levels.

Atrapamiento de cabeza fetal en útero septo / Trapping of the fetal head in a septate uterus

El útero septo, presente en el 1% de la población en edad fértil, es la malformación uterina más frecuente, pero también la que da lugar a peores resultados reproductivos. La afección obstétrica que con más frecuencia se asocia a esta anomalía mülleriana es aquella relacionada con el mantenimiento de la gestación, como son los abortos tardíos o el parto pretérmino. Presentamos el caso de una paciente en la que la existencia de un septo en la cavidad uterina dio lugar a una microcefalia fetal como consecuencia del atrapamiento de la cabeza fetal entre el septo y una de las paredes uterinas. (AU)

Septate uterus, which occurs in approximately 1% of fertile women, is considered the most common uterine anomaly but is associated with the poorest reproductive results. Uterine anomalies are especially associated with difficulty in maintaining a pregnancy to full term, often leading to late miscarriage or preterm delivery. We present a case of fetal microcephaly in a woman with septate uterus as a consequence of trapping of the fetal head between the septum and one of the uterine walls (AU)

Hidroadenoma papilífero vulvar. Presentación de un caso / Hidroadenoma papilliferum: a case report

El hidroadenoma papilífero (HP) es un tumor benigno de la vulva infrecuente que crece principalmente en la piel de la región anogenital de mujeres adultas. Puede plantear problemas de diagnóstico diferencial con los quistes y abscesos de la glándula de Bartolino, con el lipoma y con lesiones vulvares premalignas/y malignas. Se ha sugerido que pudiera derivar de glándulas análogas a las mamarias dispuestas a lo largo de la región vulvar y perineal femenina. Presentamos un caso de HP que se extirpó en una mujer de 32 años que tenía el antecedente de un parto por cesárea 5 meses atrás (AU)

Hidroadenoma papilliferum (HP) is a rare benign tumor of the vulva that grows mainly in the skin of the anogenital region of adult women. The differential diagnosis between this neoplasm and Bartholin cysts and abscesses, lipoma and some premalignant and malignant vulvar lesions can be difficult. HP may arise from mammary-like glands located in the vulvar and perineal region of women. We report a case of HP that was removed in a 32-year-old woman who had undergone a cesarean delivery 5 months previously (AU)