BACKGROUND:  HIV-positive and pregnancy diagnosis is a traumatic, shocking, and distressing experience for women. Adoption of routine HIV counselling and testing in the antenatal programme aimed to increase the uptake and the early diagnosis of HIV among pregnant women to prevent maternal HIV transmission to unborn babies and neonates.
OBJECTIVE:  The study aimed to explore the psychological reaction of women coincidentally discovering their HIV-positive status and pregnancy while seeking medical care in primary healthcare facilities in the Tshwane district.
METHODS:  Descriptive phenomenology involving a semi-structured in-depth interview was used to collect data. The sample was purposively selected. Twenty-eight women participated in the research project. Face-to-face in-depth audio recorded interviews were used to gain a full understanding of the experiences and feelings of the participants.
RESULTS:  Reason for the uptake of pregnancy and HIV testing, reactions upon discovering HIV and pregnancy-positive status, emotions arising from the pregnancy and HIV-positive diagnosis, understanding HIV infection in pregnancy, and transitions to acceptance and coping with the HIV-positive diagnosis were themes that emerged from this study.
CONCLUSIONS:  It is crucial that responsible healthcare workers consider this psychological imbalance during their offering of antenatal and postnatal care services so that the pregnant women living with HIV can accept and cope with the situation.Contribution: This study accounts to support other studies that offer intense counselling for women coincidentally discovering their positive HIV status and pregnancy. It is important to remedy the acceptance of the situation and to promote HIV prevention and family planning for women of childbearing age.

BACKGROUND:  In South Africa, screening for tuberculosis during pregnancy is a serious challenge. Tuberculosis is one of the leading indirect causes of mortality in pregnant women.
OBJECTIVE:  The objective of the study was to explore the challenges experienced by midwives regarding tuberculosis in pregnant women.
METHODS:  A qualitative exploratory research method was used to conduct the study. The study population comprised midwives who worked at primary healthcare clinics in the selected local area, Capricorn District, Limpopo province. Purposive non-probability sampling was used to select 10 participants. Data from participants were acquired using in-depth individual semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was carried out using manual thematic analysis following Tesch\'s technique.
RESULTS:  The outcomes of this study included midwives knowing their roles regarding tuberculosis screening among pregnant women. They further highlighted their challenges while screening tuberculosis in pregnant women, such as shortage of screening tools, withholding of tuberculosis information, and language barrier.
CONCLUSIONS:  Midwives should have the necessary equipment and be trained in various languages used in the province to improve tuberculosis screening among all pregnant women.Contribution: Infected pregnant women and their unborn children\'s health can be improved by tuberculosis screening.

UNASSIGNED: Comparing the anxiety and depression severity and their impact on subsequent birth outcomes in pregnant women before and during Omicron wave in Shanghai in 2022.
UNASSIGNED: The depression-anxiety symptoms networks were compared between the pregnant women during the outbreak period (outbreak group; n = 783) and a matched control group of pregnant women before the outbreak (pre-outbreak group; n = 783). The impact of baseline mental state on follow-up pregnancy and neonatal outcomes was also explored by logistic regression.
UNASSIGNED: Levels of depression and anxiety between the two groups were not significant different. Network analysis showed that central symptom \"trouble relaxing\" and bridge symptom \"depressed mood\" shared by both groups. Different symptom associations in different periods of the pandemic. Total scores and sub-symptom scores of prenatal depressive and anxious severities increased the odds ratios of maternal and neonatal syndromes. The influence of mental state on gestational and neonatal outcomes differed across different pandemic periods.
UNASSIGNED: The Omicron wave did not have a significant negative impact on the depressive and anxious mood in pregnant women. Targeting central and bridge symptoms intervention may be effective in reducing their adverse effects on co-occurring of anxious and depressive mood and birth outcomes.

UNASSIGNED: Late antenatal care (ANC) has significant implications for maternal and infant morbidity and mortality among Muslim pregnant women in Indonesia. Existing literature has primarily focused on gestational weeks at the first ANC contact, with limited attention to the total number of ANC visits.
UNASSIGNED: This study aimed to explore the factors predicting late antenatal care contact among Muslim pregnant women, including the gestational weeks of the first ANC contact and the total number of ANC visits in Aceh, Indonesia.
UNASSIGNED: A predictive correlational study design was utilized. Eighty postpartum women who received late ANC were purposively sampled and included in the study. Data were collected in May 2023 using ANC knowledge, beliefs, and social support questionnaires. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Spearman\'s rank correlation, Chi-Square tests, and binary logistic regression with the enter method.
UNASSIGNED: Pregnant women residing farther from home to ANC services were more likely to have their first ANC contact after 20 weeks than those with a shorter distance (AOR = 1.06; 95% CI: 1.02-1.10; p = 0.007). Additionally, women with a history of multiple abortions were more inclined to have four or more ANC visits compared to those with fewer abortions (AOR = 6.78; 95% CI: 1.64-28.09; p = 0.008).
UNASSIGNED: Distance from home to healthcare services emerged as a significant barrier to ANC contact, while a history of abortion appeared to motivate pregnant women to seek ANC more frequently. To address these issues effectively, nurses should consider implementing telemedicine services for ANC provision, integrating information on pregnancy complications to better support pregnant women in their care journey.

In Japan, influenza vaccination is offered to children and pregnant women at clinics or hospitals as an elective, self-funded treatment, as the vaccination is not included in the national vaccination subsidy program. However, some Japanese municipalities offer a discretionary subsidy for seasonal influenza vaccination of children and pregnant women as a local policy. We identified these local subsidy programs during 2019/2020 seasonal influenza season by conducting a cross-sectional survey across Japan. Out of a total of 1741 municipalities, responses were received from 1732; therefore, the response rate was 99.5%. The local influenza vaccine subsidy programs for children were offered in 45.7%, and for pregnant women in 10.2%, of Japanese municipalities. This is the first survey of subsidy programs for pregnant women. While policy diffusion of subsidy programs for children was observed during the 9 years since a previous study, such programs for pregnant women remain limited. Despite many municipalities having subsidy programs, we found that their provision still remains limited when viewed as a whole.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine prospective associations of different intensity levels and types of physical activity (PA) in early pregnancy with premature rupture of membranes (PROM) among Chinese pregnant women.
METHODS: A total of 6284 pregnant women were included from the Tongji-Shuangliu Birth Cohort. Household/caregiving, occupational, sports/exercise and transportation activities during early pregnancy were investigated by the pregnancy physical activity questionnaire (PPAQ), and the diagnosis of PROM was ascertained during the whole pregnancy. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the associations between PA and PROM.
RESULTS: Among the 6284 pregnant women, 1246 were identified to have PROM (19.8%). Women undertaking the highest level (3 third tertile) of PA during pregnancy appeared to have a lower risk of PROM [OR = 0.68, 95%CI 0.58-0.80) when compared to those at the lowest tertile of PA. Similarly, women with increased levels of light intensity activity, moderate-vigorous intensive, household/caregiving activity and meeting exercise guidelines during pregnancy were associated with reduced risks of PROM (OR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.59-0.81, OR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.60-0.82, OR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.53-0.73 and OR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.70-0.97, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: High levels of PA of different intensities and PA of household/caregiving activities and meeting exercise guidelines during the first trimester were associated with a lower incidence of PROM.
BACKGROUND: The data of human participants in this study were conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration. This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China ([2017] No. S225). All participants provided written informed consent prior to enrollment. A statement to confirm that all methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is an important period of life for women and their husbands as the couple\'s health is essential. The present study evaluated the impact of some factors (marital adjustment with depressive symptoms) on health-promoting behaviors in pregnant women and their husbands based on the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM).
METHODS: This descriptive study examined 211 couples (pregnant women and their husbands) in pregnancy clinics of Babol University of Medical Sciences using a convenience sampling method. The participants completed Spanier\'s Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) (1979), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) (1987), and Walker\'s Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLPII) questionnaire (1997). The relationships between women and their husbands were also evaluated using structural equation modeling with R software according to the Lavaan (latent variable analysis) package based on APIM-SEM.
RESULTS: The pregnant women\'s marital adjustment positively affected their health-promoting behaviors (β = 0.456, 95% Cl: 0.491-0.998, p < 0.001) and their husbands\' (β = 0.210, 95% Cl: 0.030-0.726, p = 0.048). Pregnant woman\'s depressive symptoms also negatively affected their health-promoting behaviors (β=-0.088, 95% Cl: -0.974-0.074, P = 0.236) and their husbands\' health-promoting behaviors (β=-0.177, 95% Cl: -0.281 - -0.975, P = 0.011). Furthermore, the husband\'s marital adjustment only positively affected his studied behaviors (β = 0.323, 95% Cl: 0.0303-0.895, P < 0.001) but did not affect the pregnant woman\'s health behaviors. The husband\'s depressive symptoms had a negative impact on his studied behaviors (β = 0.219, 95% Cl: -0.122 - -0.917, P = 0.001) and did not affect the pregnant woman\'s depressive symptoms. Our findings confirmed the mediating role of depressive symptoms in pregnant women and their husbands on the association of marital adjustment and health-promoting behaviors. According to the actor-partner study, a pregnant woman\'s marital adjustment scores positively affected her studied behaviors and her husband (β = 0.071, 95% Cl: 0.042-0.278, P = 0.015) by decreasing her depression score. Therefore, the husband\'s marital adjustment score positively affected his studied behaviors by decreasing his depression score (β = 0.084, 95% Cl: -0.053 -0.292, P = 0.005), and it did not affect his wife\'s health-promoting behaviors.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest healthcare providers, obstetricians, and psychologists evaluate the husbands\' symptoms of depression and health-promoting behaviors in the routine pregnancy care of pregnant women. They also pay great attention to marital adjustment as a determinant of reducing depressive symptoms in pregnant women and their husbands.

Studies on the associations of blood pressure (BP) and the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) had been performed neither among pregnant women nor in Chinese population. This study included participants of pregnant women from a retrospective multicenter cohort, between May 2020 and April 2023. Systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) of the participants were measured in the third trimester. The incidences of VTE (including deep venous thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism) at 42 days postpartum were followed. With regards to SBP, pregnant women in the Q1 (≤114 mmHg), Q2 (115-122 mmHg), and Q4 group (≥131 mmHg) had increased risk of VTE than those in Q3 group (123-130 mmHg), with ORs 4.48 [1.69, 11.85], 3.52 [1.30, 9.59], and 3.17 [1.12, 8.99], respectively. Compared with pregnant women with the Q4 of DBP (≥85 mmHg), women of Q1 (≤71 mmHg) were found to have elevated risk of VTE (OR 2.73 [1.25, 5.96]). A one standard deviation decrease of DBP (9 mmHg) was related with 37% elevated risk of VTE (OR 1.37 [1.05, 1.79]). This study demonstrated a U-shaped association of SBP in the third trimester and VTE postpartum and inverse association of DBP in the third trimester and VTE postpartum.

BACKGROUND: The nutritional status of the mothers before pregnancy and the weights gained during pregnancy are very crucial factors affecting the pregnancy outcomes and health of the infants. This study aimed to assess early pregnancy weight, determine the magnitude of gestational weight gain, and investigate the factors affecting gestational weight gain among pregnant women in the Gurage zone, 2022.
METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted among pregnant women who started antenatal care follow-up before the 16th week of gestation in the selected hospitals and health centers of the Gurage zone, Ethiopia. The gestational weight gain was obtained by subtracting the early pregnancy weight from the last pregnancy weight and categorizing based on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendation.
RESULTS: The early pregnancy weight status of the women at enrollment indicates that 10% of them were underweight and 83% of them had normal weight. On average, the study participants gained 13.3 kgs of weight with [95% CI: 13.0, 13.6]. More than half (56%) of them gained adequate weight, a quarter (26%) of them gained inadequate weight, and 18% of them gained excess weight during pregnancy compared to the IOM recommendation. Maternal age, occupational status, and early pregnancy weight status were found to have a statistically significant association with the gestational weight gained.
CONCLUSIONS: Almost half (44%) of the pregnant women gained either inadequate or excess weight during pregnancy. Promoting gestational weight gain within recommended guidelines should be emphasized for younger, employed women and those who are either underweight or overweight.

OBJECTIVE: This scoping review sought to investigate the association between pregnancy-related complications and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among postpartum women, then summarize effective psychological interventions for pregnancy-related PTSD or sub-PTSD.
METHODS: Publications in English and Chinese were searched in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, ISI Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and WanFang databases using the subject headings of \"Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic\", \"Pregnant Women\", and \"psychotherapy\". To ensure that as many relevant studies are incorporated as possible, free terms such as prenatal, postnatal, perinatal and gestation were also used. Intervention studies and related cases published by July 1st, 2023, were also searched.
RESULTS: Twenty-one articles (including 3,901 mothers) were included in this review. Evidence showed that typical psychological interventions exhibited great effect, and family support programs, peer support, online yoga, and music therapy were also effective in reducing risk and improving the psychological well-being of the studied population.
CONCLUSIONS: Fetal abnormalities, miscarriage, premature birth, infants with low birth weights, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and hyperemesis gravidarum are associated with an increased risk of PTSD. Moreover, high-risk pregnant women may benefit from psychological interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It may also be feasible and well-accepted for music therapy and exposure therapy to lessen the intensity of PTSD in mothers.