• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.358-366
• /
• 2020

Purpose: This study investigated levels of childbirth fear and related prenatal factors (self-confidence for childbirth, prenatal depression, knowledge about childbirth, and spousal support) among pregnant women in South Korea. Methods: A correlational study design was used to explore levels of childbirth fear and related prenatal factors in 200 pregnant women over 28 weeks of gestation. A self-administered questionnaire was used to measure fear of childbirth and related factors, such as self-confidence for childbirth, prenatal depression, knowledge about childbirth, and spousal support. Results: One-third of the pregnant women were aged 35 years and older. Sixty-one percent of women were nulliparae, but only 26.0% had experienced prenatal education. The mean score for fear of childbirth was 66.99 out of 165. The prevalence of fear of childbirth was 72.0%, and childbirth fear was severe in 26.5% of the participants and moderate in 45.5%. Fear of childbirth was negatively related to self-confidence (r=-.45, p<.001), but positively related to prenatal depression (r=.21, p=.002). Two significant predictors were found to explain the fear of childbirth. Higher self-confidence for childbirth was associated with less severe fear of childbirth (β=-.44, p<.001), while higher prenatal depression was associated with more severe fear of childbirth (β=.13, p=.038). Conclusion: The level of fear of childbirth was higher among pregnant women with lower self-confidence and higher prenatal depression. Reasonable evidence should be provided for implementing prenatal and childbirth classes to reduce pregnant women's depression and to increase their confidence.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.338-347
• /
• 2022

Purpose: The incidence of high-risk pregnancies is increasing in Korea as the birth age increases due to late marriage. Maternal-fetal attachment is an important factor that affects children even after childbirth, but it is difficult for high-risk pregnant women to form maternal-fetal attachment. The current study aimed to explore whether taegyo practice (i.e., pregnant women's efforts for fetal good growth and development), self-esteem, and social support influenced the degree of maternal-fetal attachment in women with high-risk pregnancies. Methods: The participants included 226 pregnant Korean women at ≥20 gestational weeks, hospitalized with 15 high-risk pregnancy conditions as defined by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Recruitment via convenience sampling was done at four sites in Busan, Korea. Surveys were distributed and collected from February 1 to 28, 2022. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, the t-test, one-factor analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficients, and hierarchical multiple regression. Results: On average, participants were 33.97±4.23 years of age and at 31.65±6.23 gestational weeks. Preterm labor (35.4%) and gestational diabetes (21.0%) were the most common high-risk conditions. Maternal-fetal attachment was positively correlated with taegyo practice (r=.70, p<.001), self-esteem (r=.53, p<.001), and social support (r=.53, p<.001), all with statistical significance. Taegyo practice (β=.50, p<.001) and social support (β=.17, p=.030) explained 53% of variance in maternal-fetal attachment in women with high-risk pregnancies. Conclusion: Nurses caring for women with high-risk pregnancies during hospitalization can use these findings by promoting taegyo practice and enhancing social support to increase maternal-fetal attachment.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.27-37
• /
• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between maternal knowledge and social support on pregnancy stress among pregnant women in Korea. Methods: The participants in this study were 148 pregnant women in Korea, recruited from online communities on pregnancy and/or childbirth, from June 2019 to April 2020. The collected data were analyzed using the independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple regression. Results: Participants were at average 18.25±8.28 weeks gestation, 56% were in the second trimester, 31% had one or more health issues in the current pregnancy (e.g., hyperemesis gravidarum), and 76% were first-time mothers. Participants had moderate levels of pregnancy stress (mean, 23.09±7.11 points out of 48) and maternal knowledge (mean, 14.42±4.67 points out of 21), whereas social support was somewhat high (mean 45.88±7.81 points out of 60). Pregnancy stress was weakly negatively correlated with social support (r=-.37, p<.001). Main source of pregnancy information (β=-.21, p=.011), marital satisfaction (β=-.18, p=.036), and social support (β=-.19, p=.038) were identified as significant factors affecting pregnancy stress, and these variables had an explanatory power of 22.7% for pregnancy stress. Conclusion: Based on these findings, nurses should assess pregnancy-related stress during pregnancy and consider main source of pregnancy information and marital satisfaction when providing education or counseling. Moreover, strategies to reduce pregnancy stress through social support are needed to improve the quality of life for pregnant women.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.73-81
• /
• 2010

Objective: To examine the efficacy of letrozole in infertile women showing a poor endometrial development at previous ovulation induction cycle by using clomiphene citrate. Methods: Eighteen infertile women were selected who showed a poor endometrial development (endometrial thickness$\leq$6.5 mm) after clomiphene treatment (50~100 mg) as ovulation induction for timed coitus. The mean age of the patients was $30.7{\pm}2.8$ years old and the mean duration of infertility was $33.1{\pm}26.6$ months. The infertility factors were identified as corrected endometriosis (n=1), polycystic ovary syndrome (n=5) and unexplained (n=12). Letrozole was given orally in a dose of 2.5 mg for 5 days starting 3~5 of menstrual cycle. Results: The number of follicles was significantly lower in the letrozole cycle when compared with previous clomiphene cycle ($1.1{\pm}0.3$ vs. $2.2{\pm}1.5$, p=0.011). The endometrial thickness (mm) at the time of triggering or LH surge was significantly greater in the letrozole cycle ($8.4{\pm}1.7$ vs. $5.8{\pm}0.5$, p<0.001). The endometrial pattern 'type C' was significantly higher in the letrozole cycle (94.4% vs. 50%, p=0.036). The pregnancy was achieved in 11.1% of the letrozole cycle. Conclusion: Use of letrozole was associated with more thick and improved endometrium than previous clomiphene cycles in which thin endometrium was identified. Use of letrozole appears to be an effective strategy for second-line treatment in women with inadequate endometrial response to clomiphene.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.21 no.12
• /
• pp.440-448
• /
• 2020

This study was conducted to identify the factors affecting breastfeeding in adult women based on socio-demographic and health-related characteristics using the results of KNHANES VII-3. The data was analyzed by applying weights, using the complex sample analysis method of the SPSS Win 22.0 program. Breastfeeding was influenced significantly by age, education level, and the current smoking status. Women in the age group of 30-39 years had a breastfeeding rate that was 3.06 times higher than 19-29 year old women. Also, the breastfeeding rates for women with an education level under elementary school were 4.70 times higher than those with a college degree or higher education level and non-smokers and ex-smokers had levels 2.51 times higher than smokers. Therefore, for mothers under the age of 30, education on breastfeeding should be further strengthened. For mothers over 40 years old, lactation support to increase the milk supply should be provided as well as assistance toward care for other children in the family. Also, better-educated mothers will need to learn effective breastfeeding methods in limited environments such as work-life, and a social atmosphere needs to be established that is considerate to lactating women. Furthermore, education related to pregnancy and lactation should be provided for use in smoking cessation programs for female smokers.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.143-153
• /
• 2008

Objective: To investigate the effects of aromatase inhibitor on reproductive hormone profiles and evaluate it's ovulation inducing capability in anovulatory infertile women. Methods: We quantified the blood levels of reproductive hormones from 30 healthy normal cycling women in natural cycle (control) and letrozole medicated cycle (study). LH, FSH, estradiol, testosterone, DHEA-S were quantified on third, 11th, 21th day in both cycles, and on 21th day, progesterone was added. Sixth anovulatory infertile women received either letrozole or clomiphene citrate for ovulation induction (n=30 in each groups). We compared the clinical parameters such as ovulation rate, pregnancy rate, the day of LH surge, number of follicles and endometrial thickness, cervical mucus amount, spinnbarkeit, mean diameter of follicles on the day of LH surge. Results: Letrozole had no effect on the LH, FSH, estradiol, DHEA-S secretion but there were significant increase in testosterone level on day 11 and progesterone level on day 21 in letrozole medicated cycle compared than control cycle ($0.40{\pm}0.16$ vs $0.28{\pm}0.11\;ng/ml$, p=0.002, $18.18{\pm}13.07$ vs $8.38{\pm}7.64\;ng/ml$, p=0.001, respectively). In comparison between letrozole and clomiphene groups, there were no significant difference in ovulation rate, pregnancy rate, number of mature follicle, mean diameter of follicles, but showed earlier LH surge, thicker endometrium, more cervical mucus, and higher spinnbarkeit in letrozole group ($12.12{\pm}2.46$ vs $14.52{\pm}3.18$ days, p=0.006, $10.48{\pm}1.23$ vs $8.52{\pm}0.93\;mm$, p=0.000, $2.04{\pm}0.61$ vs $1.57{\pm}0.59$, p=0.012, $6.00{\pm}1.12$ vs $4.95{\pm}1.61\;cm$, p=0.003, respectively). Conclusion: Letrozole may augment folliculogenesis and improve the endometrial condition for implantation in normal cycling women. Ovulation efficacy of letrozole in anovulatory women was comparable to clomiphene citrate and letrozole may be more physiological in ovulation induction.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.161-178
• /
• 1998

In spite of the great progress of the theory and skill of the Nursing Care & Medical area in relation to pregnancy, nurses in clinics face up to many challenges in maternity nursing care areas. The reason is that the mobility and mortality of mothers was sharply decreased and the unknown high-risk diseases of pregnancy woman in the past is made public. That's why it is difficult to meet the pregnancy woman in natural process from pregnancy to delivery in recently. Admission rooms are filled with high-risk pregnancy women. As a matter of fact, we have done nursing care into the surface symptoms and diseases of high-risk pregnancy women so far. We have been indifferent to a long period hospitalization, separation from family, and conflict of repeated examination. Therefore, it is widely spread to understand the emotional conflict experienced by high-risk pregnancy women and to need for nursing intervention to bring up about emotional support and the ability of perception in psychological crisis. Although the pregnancy woman judged in high-risk should carry out normal task of pregnancy, she have to be confronted with secondary risk situation. The health of self & fetus threatened by the risk situation could be decreased through care plan, but psychological stress increases. Therefore, the pregnancy brings into non-control state. It is important to ask that what the hospitalized pregnancy women in high-risk think of themselves status. Because misunderstanding or serious anxiety of themselves status put into mother and fetus in danger. And adaptation mode makes all the difference. I would like to consider how nurses could deal with this high-risk circumstances in the position of pregnancy woman on the basis of the above fact. This study uses phenomenological method to suggest the basis material for nurses to do nursing intervention in view of pregnancy woman. Because this method understands the nature of true life of pregnancy woman throughly. The phenomenological method is the sources to describe or explain affluently the process generated in confirmation areas and environment and is the application for readers to understand and recognize clinic reality and then apply this method to reasoning study place or other places. Specifically, the phenomenon study method, one of the phenomenological method, is applied. The use of that method is to describe and generalize the experience in environment exactly. The study of this study is as follows : Among 187 descriptive stamens from 8 study participants are classified into 42 theme cluster at the stage of the first analysis. Those theme is categorized into 8 sub-subjects such as anxiety of uncertainty, foreknowledge about risk circumstance, will power about overcome, unsettled feeling about hospital, relief, optimistic thought, family support, and indifferences. At the last stage of analysis, those things are categorized into 3 subjects. When high-risk pregnancy woman foretell the situation, they feel unsettlement about uncertainty and untrust feeling about hospital. But they are ease with family support and hospital support. On the other hand, they express indifferent 3-way structure response to the situation having will of overcome and exceeding optimistic thought. In those statements, the experience by pregnancy woman shows 3 respect subjects. 1. They are anxious of this situation and are in desperation and don't recognize their role to be carried out 2. They think of this situation as normal process of pregnancy and are not concerned that this can give themselves and fetus fatal damage. 3. The pregnancy women will never confront this situation. This study shows the pregnancy woman has anxiety and optimistic relief about the situation, and ignores and optimistic relief about the situation, and ignores many things. Therefore, nurses in clinic should give pregnancy woman knowledge and information about the high-risk and help them to deal with the situation spontaneously. High-risk pregnancy woman should have the care plan in respect of the right perception. And the nurse know that their support help out pregnancy woman overcome the crisis in this respect of the special nursing intervention.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.233-243
• /
• 1998

Purpose : To evaluate the effects of X-irradiation on prenatal deaths, i.e., preimplantation deaths, embryonic deaths and fetal deaths, and on external malformations in precompacted preimplantation ddy mice Materials and Methods : Pregnant mice (n=85) obtained by limiting the mating time to from 6 to 9 A.M., were segregated into 11 groups. The first five groups (n=26) were irradiated with X-ray doses of 0.1 0.5, 0.75, 1.5, and 3 Gy, respectively, at 24 h post conception (p.c.) of the preimplantation Period. The second five (n=27) groups were irradiated at the same X-ray doses, respectively, but at 48 h p.c. of the preimplantation period. The last group (n=32) was the control group. The uterine contents were examined on the 18th day of gestation for prenatal deaths and external malformations. Results : 1) A statistically significant increase in preimplantation deaths with increasing dose was observed in the experimental groups irradiated at 24 h p.c. and in the groups irradiated at 48 h p.c., as compared to the control group. The threshold dose was close to 0.05 Gy and 0.075 Gy for the irradiations at 24 h p.c. and 48 h p.c. respectively. 2) A statistically significant increase in embryonic deaths with increasing dose was observed in all irradiation groups, except the group irradiated with a dose of 0.1 Gy at 48 h p.c.. 3) No fetal deaths were found in any experimental group. 4) In the experimental groups irradiated at 24 h p.c. anomalies increased with statistical significance, as compared with the control group : 2 exencephalies, 2 open eyelids, 3 anophthalmias, 2 cleft Palates, 2 gastroschisis, 1 abdominal wall defect. 1 leg defect, and 2 short tail anomalies: the threshold dose for external malformations was close to 0.2 Gy at 24 h p.c.. In the groups irradiated at 48 h p.c., 1 open eyelid and 2 short tail anomalies were observed, but there was no statistical significance in those malformations. Conclusion : The results of this study reveal that X-irradiation of precompacted preimplantation ddy mice causes not only preimplantation deaths and embryonic deaths but also external malformations. In addition, external malformations were observed in our experiments at diagnostic doses, including 0.1 and 0.5 Gy. For this reason, we recommend that irradiation should be avoided during the preimplantation period by applying Rugh's 10-day rule.

• The Korean Journal of Coaching Psychology
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.1-50
• /
• 2024

The purpose of this study is to identify career barrier factors experienced by career interruption women, develop a tool to measure career barrier, and verify their validity. To this end, preliminary questions were developed by reviewing literature, conducting one-on-one in-depth interviews with 10 women on career interruption, and conducting an open questionnaire with 100 women on career interruption. The subjects of the study were married women aged 20 to 54 who had past employment experience, wanted to be re-employed, and experienced retirement due to marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and family care, and the period of career interruption was selected for more than one year. After that, 63 questions were selected for 7 factors. A preliminary survey was conducted on 300 women with career interruption in Korea, and as a result, 63 questions of 6 factors were derived through exploratory factor analysis. The main survey was conducted with 44 questions of 6 factors by partially modifying the questions reflecting the important concepts in each factor. In this survey of 600 people, in order to verify the validity of the constituent concept of this test, the entire sample was divided into two groups, and group 1 (G1, N=309) conducted exploratory factor analysis and group 2 (G2, N=291) conducted confirmatory factor analysis. As a result of exploratory factor analysis for Group 1, 34 questions of 6 factors were finally derived, and a confirmatory factor analysis of Group 2(G2) was conducted to confirm the model fit of the derived factors, and it was confirmed that the model fit criteria were met. In order to verify the convergence validity of the developed career barrier scale, a correlation analysis was conducted with the career barrier test for female college students, and as a result of the analysis, the career barrier scale for women with career interruption and the career barrier test for female college students showed statistically significant correlation. In order to verify the validity of the criterion, the results of a correlation analysis with variables of job preparation behavior, job stress, state anxiety, and life satisfaction were all found to be statistically significant. Finally, the academic, practical, and policy significance and limitations of this study and future research directions were presented.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.44-55
• /
• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to explore and understand the experience of decision making among women undergoing or forgoing selective fetal reduction who have higher-order multiple pregnancies through assisted reproductive techniques. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted from August 1, to October 30, 2013. Eight participants were interviewed and the interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Six persons participated in in-depth interviews in person and two participated over the telephone. A thematic analysis was conducted. Results: Four themes were identified and carefully named: Confusion after higher-order multiple pregnancy; Obstacles to choice: Uncertain safety; Weighing between reality and ideality and; Influences of medical professionals. Conclusion: The results demonstrated a wide range of factors considered by women when making decisions about selective fetal reduction, and mothers' feelings of conflict and distress in the decision-making process. The results suggest that it is important for nurses to provide emotional support and consolation, in addition to sufficient information. These findings will help nurses improve their counseling techniques by understanding the situation of infertile couples.