• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.187-204
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• 2008

Objectives : To investigate how Korean Medicine Doctors (KMDs) and pregnant women understand acupuncture treatment during pregnancy with a focus on safety. Methods : A survey was conducted in 163 KMDs and 157 women who were hospitalised in postnatal care clinics after childbirth. KMDs were asked regarding experience in acupuncture treatment for pregnant women and condition/disease for acupuncture treatment, intention to give acupuncture treatment to pregnant women and reason for yes/no, and consideration for acupuncture treatment for pregnant women. Patients were asked regarding their experience in acupuncture treatment before and during pregnancy and willingness to receive acupuncture treatment if necessary during future pregnancy. Results : 78% of KMDs have given acupuncture treatment to pregnant women if necessary, and it was mainly for pain. 63% of KMDs were willing to give acupuncture treatment for pregnant women with consideration of patient’s condition, specific acupuncture points, and stimulation methods. Pregnant women, however, were reluctant to receive acupuncture treatment during pregnancy (58%) in fear of miscarriage or needling itself. KMDs’ clinical experience, patients’ income level and level of education were not associated with greater use of acupuncture treatment during pregnancy (P>0.05). Conclusion : While many KMDs are willing to give acupuncture treatment to pregnant women if necessary, little evidence on its safety and effectiveness prevents patients from seeking acupuncture treatment during pregnancy. Further research on this issue is urgently needed.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.279-289
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the influence in a planned pregnancy of alcohol related family variables, knowledge and recognition of the effects of alcohol use during pregnancy on actual alcohol use during pregnancy. Methods: The participants were 284 women who had experienced a pregnancy at some time in their lives. The data were collected from December 2011 to January 2012 and the method of data collection was self-report questionnaires. The instruments for this study were AUDIT-K, Knowledge of alcohol use during pregnancy, and Recognition of alcohol use during pregnancy. Results: There were higher incidences of alcohol use during pregnancy when alcohol consumption was a problem, when there was a family member with an alcohol problem, or after having had an artificial abortion. There was no correlation in alcohol use during pregnancy with knowledge, but a correlation with recognition was found. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the main factor in alcohol use during pregnancy is recognition of the effects of alcohol use during pregnancy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.983-992
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• 1997

During pregnancy and lactation, folate status is important because folate requirements increase during the periods as well as maternal folate status influences on pregnancy outcome and human milk folate; especially folate deficiency around periconceptional period may induce neural tube defects(NTDs) of fetus. There have been a plenty of evidences that maternal folate status deteriorates during pregnancy of fetus. There have been a plenty of evidences that maternal folate status deteriorates during pregnancy and lactation if folate needed is not sufficiently provided. The Public health Service of the United States recommends all child-bearing is not sufficiently provided. The Public Health Service of the United States recommends all child-bearing women to intake 0.4mg of folate daily, and the Food and Drug Administration the folate status of child-bearing women and to reduce the rate of occurrence of NTDs. Many authors have insisted that the current recommended dietary allowances of folate for Americans are too low to maintain good folate status. There are little data about Korean folate status including pregant and lactating women. A couple of reports indicated that the folate intakes of Korean pregant and lactating women are below the Korean RDAs of folate and serum folate levels of them are subnormal. The authors pregnant and lactating women. Therefore, it is worth to review the assessment methods of folate status of pregnant and lactating women, folate RDAs for them, the relationships between maternal folate status and pregnancy outcome as well as human milk folate, the methods to increase folate intake, and the problems of large dose of folic acid supplementatiion.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.219-229
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify awareness levels in regard to preconception care and gender differences targeting single undergraduate students in their 20s. Methods: The study participants were 867 single undergraduate students aged 20~29 (523 women, 344 men). This was a descriptive research, in which awareness levels of preconception care and pregnancy were identified the through questionnaire surveys. Results: Gender differences in the awareness of reproductive care before conception were found. Generally, women's awareness of issues related to preconception care and pregnancy was higher than that of men. Women recognized risk factors in pregnancy ($x^2$=22.85, p<.001) and positive behaviors ($x^2$=10.91, p=.012) better than men. Women's awareness of preconception care was significantly higher than that of men (t=8.37, p<.001). The awareness levels of the students who completed a reproduction related class (t=3.16, p=.002) and the students who knew about folic acid (t=-10.78, p<.001) in preconception care were statistically significantly higher. Conclusion: The results indicate that the ways to educate and alert students to major risk factors before pregnancy and other reproductive care content before conception is to provide education both single women and single men.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.274-290
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• 2023

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of prenatal education characteristics, pandemic-related pregnancy stress, and health behaviors during pregnancy on prenatal depression in pregnant women during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: The participants were 180 pregnant Korean women, recruited from internet communities for pregnancy preparation, childbirth, and childcare, from July 5 to 15, 2022. The collected data were analyzed using the t-test, analysis of variance, the Mann-Whitney U-test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and multiple regression analysis. Results: The scores for pandemic-related pregnancy stress (24.50±6.37) and health behaviors during pregnancy (67.07±9.20) were high. Nearly half of the participants (n=89, 49.4%) presented with prenatal depression, with scores of 10 or greater. Prenatal depression had a positive correlation with gestational age (r=.18, p=.019) and pandemic-related pregnancy stress (r=.27, p<.001), and a negative correlation with health behaviors during pregnancy (r=-.42, p<.001). The factors associated with prenatal depression were pandemic-related pregnancy stress (t=4.70, p<.001), marital satisfaction (dissatisfied) (t=3.66, p<.001), pregnancy healthcare practice behaviors (t=-3.31, p=.001), family type (weekend couple) (t=2.84, p=.005), and gestational age (t=2.32, p=.022). The explanatory power of these variables was 38.2%. Conclusion: Since participants had a high level of prenatal depression during the pandemic, and infectious diseases such as COVID-19 may recur, strategies should be developed to improve pregnant women's mental health with consideration of the unique variables that are relevant in a pandemic. It is also necessary to develop efficient online prenatal education programs that can be implemented even in special circumstances such as social distancing, and to evaluate their effectiveness.

• Korean Parent-Child Health Journal
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.28-38
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was aimed to identify pregnancy and childbirth experience of Vietnamese marriage migrant women who have pregnancy and childbirth experience during adaptation to Korea. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted, using focus group interview. Data were collected from October 2011 to March 2012 from 10 Vietnamese women of 2 focus groups who have experienced pregnancy or childbirth in Korea. Data were analyzed using content analysis in order to identify significant themes. Results: This study was analyzed into five major themes: 'difficulty of adaptation to other cultures', 'difficulty and joy of pregnancy', 'effort to live as a Korean', 'not-so-difficult childbirth', and 'unbearable postpartum conditions.' Conclusion: It is meaningful of this study to reveal this: for Vietnamese marriage migrant women, the support for adaptation to Korean culture and postpartum care is a priority rather than the necessity of development of the program about pregnancy and childbirth.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.176-190
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• 1999

The purpose of this study is to prepare the basic data for improving anxiety relevant to characteristics of pregnant women. The researcher has examined the degree of anxiety of pregnant women and relationship between the characteristics of Health Locus of Control(HLC) and the anxiety. This research was conducted among 202 pregnant women who visited two obstetric outpatient departments for antenatal care at University hospitals in Seoul and Pusan, from December 1, 1998 to January 10, 1999. The tools used for this study were questionnaire and Wallsston and Wallston's HLC Scale was used for measurement of anxiety. The result of this study was as follows; 1. The mean age was 29 years, proportion of women completed high school was 53.5%, the most and low class was the most, 81.2%, necleas family, the most, 92.1% and the most(70.3%)was the buddist. 2. 70.3% had experience of 1-2 pregnancy and 54.0%, the most had 1-2 child, 7-9 month pregnancy is the highest percentage, 66.3% and the most pregnant women(81.2%) was satisfied with their husbands and highest level of 70.8% revealed no change in sexual life compared to before pregnancy. 3. Expectant women showed HLC-Internal and low level of anxiety. 4. The factors of education and economics related to the intensify of the anxiety significantly. 5. The anxiety was affected by relationship with husband, attitude of pregnancy and minor discomfort during pregnancy. It is conducted that the anxiety of pregnant women may be increased due to education, economics, relationship with husband, attitude of pregnancy and minor discomfort during pregnancy.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.142-150
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• 2004

To increase both iron and enhancers for iron absorption through diets should be a basic strategy to sufficiently provide increased iron for pregnancy. Previous studies reported that iron intakes of Korean pregnant women were short and their iron status deteriorated as pregnancy progressed. However, there is little data about the bioavailability of dietary iron during pregnancy. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the changes of dietary iron intakes, its bioavailability and iron status during pregnancy longitudinally in Korean women. A total of 151 pregnant women in their first trimester of pregnancy voluntarily participated. Among them, 72 women finished the research protocol during the second trimester and 55 did it during the third trimester. Dietary intakes of total iron, both non-heme and heme iron, as well as enhancers, both MPF (meat, poulty, and fish) and vitamin C, increased significantly as pregnancy progressed. As the results, bioavailability of dietary iron and iron absorbed increased significantly as pregnancy progressed. However, the amount of iron absorbed at each trimester did not meet considerably the iron needed during pregnancy. All five indices examined in the study, Hb level, Hct, serum concentrations of ferritin and sTfR (soluble transferrin receptor), and sTfR: ferritin ratio, showed that iron status of the subjects deteriorated as pregnancy progressed. The rate of anemia of the subjects increased as pregnancy progressed although more than 80% of the subjects took iron supplements after the 20th week of pregnancy. These results imply that it is needed to provide more iron especially, heme iron and dietary enhancers to prevent the deterioration of iron status during pregnancy. Future research on bioavailability of supplemental iron should be performed to determine the iron balance precisely.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.107-124
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• 2015

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to identify Yangsaeng level and pattern identification of subfertility in childbearing aged women according to the pregnancy experience. Methods : Data was collected by structured questionnaire distributed to 217 women(125 women experienced pregnancy, 92 subfertile women) in I city from Nov. to Dec. 2014. For data analysis, Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, t-test and Pearson's correlation coefficients were performed using SPSS version 19.0. Results : Drinking rate and stress level of subfertile group were higher than pregnancy experience group. Subfertile women group have more disease related to reproductive system, irregularities of the menstrual cycle and dysmenorrhea than pregnancy experience group. Subfertile women showed lower scores for Yangsaeng level but higher scores for all types of pattern identification of subfertility more than those in the women experiencing pregnancy. Conclusions : The results of this study indicate that reproductive health program for the childbearing aged women is necessary before serviced by western or oriental medical treatment for subinfertile(infertile) women. These results can be used for a program based on oriental medicine in order to improve women's health.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.149-155
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• 2014

We performed this study to evaluate the role of Interleukin-17 (IL-17) and Interleukin-18 (IL-18) in insulin resistance during normal pregnancy. This descriptive cross sectional study was carried out on 97 healthy pregnant women including 32, 25, and 40 individuals in the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively, and on 28 healthy non pregnant women between the autumn of 2012 and the spring of 2013. We analyzed the serum concentrations of IL-17 and IL-18 by using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Insulin resistance was measured by homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance equation. No significant differences between the demographic data of the pregnant and non pregnant groups were observed. Insulin resistant in pregnant women was significantly higher than the controls (p=0.006). Serum IL-17 concentration was significantly different in non pregnant women and pregnant women in all gestational ages (p<0.05). Serum IL-18 level was significantly lower in subjects with first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy in compared to non pregnant women (p<0.05). No significant correlations were found between serum IL-17 and IL-18 levels with insulin resistance (r=0.08, p=0.34 vs. r=0.01, p=0.91, respectively). Our data suggested that IL-17 and IL-18 do not appear to attribute greatly to pregnancy deduced insulin resistance during normal pregnancy.