African Journal of Reproductive Health

Despite global agreements on adolescents' sexual and reproductive health and rights, access to and the utilisation of these services by the adolescents remain underutilised in low and middle-income countries. The aim of the study was to explore challenges and improvement strategies of adolescent-friendly health services in the northwest of Namibia. This study employed a qualitative approach utilising an explorative strategy. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. Fifteen nurses were selected using a convenience sampling technique...

The Talang Mamak tribe is an indigenous tribe that lives in groups (the extended family) in rural locations. All decisions are made after much deliberation. Traditional birth attendants are still used for childbirth. The objective of the study is to analyze the factors that influence reproductive health-needing behavior among Talang Mamak women of reproductive age. With 160 respondents, data was analyzed using logistic regression. The study discovered that education p = 0.001 with PR=4,738, knowledge p = 0...

Unintended pregnancies, a global public health concern with an annual incidence of about 74 million, significantly impact Africa, representing 25% of cases. These pregnancies, linked to health risks and mortalities, underscore the critical need for effective family planning especially the Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs). Long-acting reversible contraceptives offer a significant solution, yet their uptake in Uganda faces challenges due to insufficient male support. This qualitative study in Rubanda and Kiboga revealed negative perceptions and belief systems among rural Indigenous Ugandan men regarding the use of LARCs by their wives, which acted as barriers to utilization...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), as an endocrine and metabolic disorder, affects approximately 6% -20% of women of childbearing age. This study aims to assess the therapeutic effects of Metformin combined with vitamin D in PCOS patients. Eight databases were searched to obtain randomized controlled trials, both domestically and internationally, on the effects of Metformin combined with vitamin D in patients with PCOS. Data analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. Nine studies were ultimately included in this meta-analysis...

Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM) is defined as the rupture of fetal membranes prior to the onset of labor, before 37 weeks gestation and remains a significant obstetric complication of pregnancy with high rates of perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. The aim of our study was to establish the determinants of PPROM <34 weeks at this GJG MRH hospital which has a high incidence of PPROM. It was a descriptive , retrospective chart review of women diagnosed with PPROM over a 1 year period from 1st of January 2018 to 31st of December 2018...

A systematic literature review was conducted to examine all recent academic, peer-reviewed studies of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) across adolescent girls in Anglophone West Africa. The objective was to assess the status of the scholarship surrounding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of MHM across English-speaking West African countries and identify gaps in the literature for further research. The authors searched the epidemiological literatures indexed in PubMed and cross-referenced bibliographies for studies published between 2010-2022...

Female infertility is a health and social problem that traditional health practitioners (THPs) have been managing in African communities. This study explored the experiences of THPs in the management of female infertility, specifically focusing on their understanding, diagnosis, and treatment methods for female infertility. This was a qualitative study targeting six THPs in Harare urban areas registered with the Traditional Medical Practitioners Council (TMPC) in Zimbabwe. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines were followed in the description of the study design, analysis and presentation of findings...

The global disruption created by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in medical education and healthcare institutions is unparalleled. Consequently, it is essential to evaluate the usability of forms of educational technology and to identify their viability and suitability for medical education. The objective of the investigation was to present an assessment of the state of medical education during the COVID-19 epidemic and to identify the obstacles faced by educators while introducing online learning systems for medical students...

This study aims to compare the sexual functions of couples undergoing assisted reproductive techniques (ART) with those conceiving spontaneously during pregnancy. A total of 102 couples participated in this cross-sectional study, with 68 couples in the spontaneous conception group and 34 couples in the ART group. Data collection was conducted face-to-face in the antenatal clinic using separate "Descriptive Information Form" for women and men, "Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI)" for women, and "Libido Scoring System (LSS)" for men...

Young adults in tertiary institutions engage in different sexual behaviours including penetrative and non-penetrative sex. This study explored young adults' perceptions, interpretations and implications for engaging in non-penile-vaginal sex (NPVS) in tertiary institutions of Plateau state, in the north-central Zone. An exploratory qualitative research approach was adopted. Eight (8) focus group discussions (FGDs) of singles and married males and females were conducted with seventy-nine (n=79) participants aged 18 - 30 years)...

Cultural practices are passed from one generation to the other. There has been limited evidence of willingness to use indigenous practices to enhance sexual and reproductive health among the youth in resource-constrained settings. This study aimed to explore the possibilities of reintroducing indigenous practices to enhance sexual and reproductive health education among girls. The study adopted a qualitative approach through participatory action research. Non-probability, purposive sampling was used to recruit girls aged 9-18...

A qualitative, descriptive contextual design study was conducted to explore and describe the experiences of primary health care nurses regarding the promotion of sexual reproductive health communication with grandparents in Tshwane District, Gauteng Province. A non-probability, purposive sampling was used to select 12 Primary Health care nurses based in the Primary health care facilities within Tshwane District. An in-depth interview was used to collect data and Giorgio's five (5) steps were followed during data analysis...

The main objective of this study was to adopt a simulation-based advanced cardiac life support training program to assess nursing students' level of knowledge and practice regarding paediatric advanced cardiac life support and to identify the major knowledge and practice gaps. The methods used in this study were pre-experimental, one group pre and post-test investigation. This study was conducted between September 2022 and November 2022, at the University College of Farasan in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Quantitative data were obtained using the "Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation Knowledge Questionnaire", "Students' Satisfaction and Self-Confidence Scale," and the "CPR Skill Checklist," which were applied to 75 participants in focus groups...

This study investigated the sleep quality and its psychological correlates among hospitalized antepartum women. A cross-sectional correlation study design and convenience sampling were conducted in the gynecological ward of a medical center in northern Taiwan. A total of 101 hospitalized antepartum women were recruited. A self-administered structured questionnaire including demographic profiles, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Antepartum Hospital Stressors Inventory (AHSI), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used for the study...

This study explores dominant themes in global reproductive health discussions on Reddit over a 12-month period (January 2021 to December 2021). We collected and analyzed 50,000 posts and 100,000 comments from key subreddits, including "r/ReproductiveHealth" and "r/Parenting," using Python libraries like PRAW and BeautifulSoup for efficient data collection and preprocessing. Employing tools such as Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) for topic modeling and VADER for sentiment analysis, we identified five major themes: Family Planning and Contraception, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Sexual Education and Awareness, Misinformation and Myths, and Support and Emotional Well-being...

Pregnancy is a state of happiness and hope not only for a woman but for her family as well as near and dear ones. However, this phase of happiness comes shattering down for some couple who are not able to successfully complete pregnancy and end up losing a baby in the early stages of pregnancy. Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is prevalent among Omani women and the psychosocial impact of RPL is heavy upon these young women devastating their overall quality of life. Researchers conducted a cross sectional survey among 184 Omani women who had a history of recurrent pregnancy loss in a pioneering teaching tertiary care hospital...

Climate change has featured repeatedly in the most recent discourses on global development1. Several global conferences have been held in recent times to discuss and reach consensus on ways to ameliorate the causes and address the consequences of climate change worldwide. These conferences, now called "Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework on Climate change" have taken place in many countries over the last couple of years. The most recent conferences included COP26 and COP27 which took place in Glasgow, UK 2021 and Sham El Sheikh, Egypt in 2022 respectively...

Self-sampling represents a high accuracy approach to human papilloma virus DNA (HPV-DNA) testing that allows for privacy and autonomy. As part of a larger study to evaluate cervical cancer screening in Mozambique, we explored user-driven facilitators and barriers to, and provider perspectives on, self-sampling. Our study was conducted in 4 public health facilities in 2 districts in Mozambique. Women aged 30-49 were prospectively enrolled for HPV screening and were offered provider or self-collected sampling...

Preterm birth can be stressful for mothers and have negative consequences for the natural establishment of the mother-infant relationship. A high-impact, economical, and potentially life-saving strategy for the care of preterm and low-birthweight babies is kangaroo mother care (KMC). The literature suggests challenges to and enablers of KMC implementation in low-resource environments. The aim was to explore and describe women's experiences of providing KMC to their preterm babies. A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach was adopted...

The global maternal mortality rate has remained alarmingly high over the years. Meanwhile, socioeconomic factors such out-of-pocket expenditure, in contributing to maternal mortality remains a subject of interest. There is a scarcity of recent empirical studies that delve into the influence of out-of-pocket expenses on maternal mortality in China. Thus, this study examines the nexus between out-of-pocket expenditure and maternal mortality in China from 2000 to 2021. The data for the study was extracted from the World Development Indicators, and a Fully modified ordinary least squares was utilized to estimate the objective of the study with the following submissions; out-of-pocket expenditure and maternal mortality have a significant positive relationship in China...