Background & Aim: The severe pain of labor is the important cause of fear and anxiety in pregnant women. This study has been performed to evaluate effect of education on midwives practice.

Methods & Materials: This is a quasi-experimental study. That was done 59 midwives in the labor wards of non-educational of Guilan University of Medical Sciences Hospital. Data gathered by a questioner, which its validity was done by panel of experts and reliability by test-retest. 59 midwives were chosen by quota sampling and participated in a one-day workshop. Pretest and post-test questioner completed before and after four months of education by all midwives. Data analyzed by descriptive and inferencing statistical methods with SPSS.

Results: The paired t-test results showed that midwives practice about pain relieving methods changed significantly after workshop (p<0.005). Analytical methods demonstrated that there was no significant difference between mean practice scores and demographic characteristics of midwives. Conclusion: This study showed that teaching through workshop can improve the use of pain-relieving methods by midwives in labor wards especially more simple and efficacious methods.

Background & Aim: Socio-economical changes have increased the women&aposs opportunity to take job in recent decades. The increased levels of women in work places, has resulted in a high interest in the potential adverse effects of work on pregnancy outcome. This study was conducted in order to surveying the association between occupational factors and preterm childbirth.

Methods & Materials: It is a cross-sectional study. Samples consisted of nurses and midwives (518 person) who working in Tehran&aposs universities of medical sciences hospitals. Also they delivered newborns in gestational age more than twenty weeks (term or preterm) in years 2001-2006. The subjects were selected using a multi stage sampling method. Data gathered using a self-administered questionnaire. Occupational factors labeled as fatigue score and working hours. The relation between Occupational factors and preterm birth was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-squared, t-test and Mann-Whitney U test) by SPSS software.

Results: Based on the study findings, the prevalence of preterm labor was 17.2% (95%CI=0.14-0.20). Although the proportions of unfavorable working conditions include: working at acute clinical wards, standing up more than 3h per each working shift, physical exercise, working in cold or hot weather, working in busy environment with continuous noise, being checker of visual and aural monitoring signals, working hours equal or more than 40 hours per week, and working fatigue score equal or more than 3 were higher in preterm group but it didn&apost show any significant relation with preterm birth.

Conclusion: According to the research findings, it seems that occupational factors do not have explicit effect on preterm childbirth. Therefore more investigations are recommended.

Key words: Preterm Labor, Occupational Factors, Fatigue

Background & Aim: Postpartum depression is a severe and pervasive sadness with labile mood that affect 8-15% women after delivery. It can negatively impress mother-infant bonding. There are a lot of factors which make women vulnerable to postpartum depression so that controlling them can prevent from the postpartum depression incidence. Several researches have shown an association between serum cholesterol reduction and depression. The aim of present study is to determine relation between postpartum depression with total serum cholesterol changes before and after child birth in Lahijanian women in years 2006-2007.

Methods & Materials: This research sought a descriptive-analytical design. Samples consisted of healthy Primigravidia women (101 persons) with normal labor, normal delivery at term, married, and a medium to high socio-educational level, without history of a depressive disorder, and metabolic disorders or hyperlipidemia. The excluded were the women with maternal or fetal complication before delivery, having problem with accepting infant gender, fetal death and being depressed during pregnancy. All women were visited in two stages: 3 weeks before the expected delivery and also 6 weeks after delivery. On both visits the Beck depression inventory and serum cholesterol registration questionnaire were completed. Data were collected using a questionnaire which had three sections: demographic characteristics, the Beck depression inventory and laboratory tests. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Spearman correlation coefficient and t-test) by SPSS computer software.

Results: Findings indicated that serum cholesterol declined considerably in the postpartum period, also it was shown that there was a significant correlation between reduced serum cholesterol and postpartum depression (r=-0.331, P<0.001).

Conclusion: Serum cholesterol reduction has a relation with postpartum depression.

Background & Aim: Sexual dysfunction is a common complication of diabetes in women. Although sexual function is important, often is neglected as a component of diabetes care. This study aimed to investigate the effect of counseling on sexual function in women with type 2 diabetes.

Methods & Materials: The present study is a clinical trial conducted on 120 married women with type 2 diabetes and sexual dysfunction, referred to diabetes clinic in Gorgan in 2014. Sexual function was assessed using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Samples were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. Sexual counseling sessions were held once a week for three weeks. Sexual function was assessed in two stages (before the intervention as well as two months after the intervention). Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 20.

Results: There was a significant difference in the mean score of sexual function between the control and experimental groups two months after intervention (P<0.001). The comparison of different domains of sexual function (desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain) before and after intervention showed a significant difference in the experimental group compared to the control group.

Conclusion: Sexual counseling has a favorable effect on sexual function in women with diabetes. Sexual function is recommended to be assessed in women with diabetes during routine health care visit.