【Purpose】This study aimed to develop e-learning materials to promote health-related behaviors for managing menstrual pain among female university students who perceived menstrual pain as a disturbance in their daily lives. 【Methods】We developed e-learning materials and conducted a one-group before-and-after trial. In addition, a process evaluation was conducted based on participants’ evaluations. The study included female university students aged ≥18 years who perceived menstrual pain as a disturbance in their daily lives. The six evaluation indices were meaningfulness, agreement with needs, usefulness, satisfaction, appropriateness of the delivery method, and appropriateness of the time required. The outcome measure was awareness of gynecological consultation, which was confirmed during the stages of change. 【Results】 This study included 38 participants. The percentage of positive responses in the participants’ evaluation was 100% for meaningfulness and agreement with needs ; 97.4% for usefulness, satisfaction, and appropriateness of the delivery method ; and 84.2% for appropriateness of the time required. A significant progress was observed regarding the stages of change (<0.001). 【Conclusion】The content validity of e-learning materials was confirmed ; however, the time required for the course should be examined. E-learning materials may advance the stages of changes concerning gynecological consultations.

Numerous women experience sleep disturbances and nightmares during pregnancy. Women who perform “emotional dream work” while dreaming are less vulnerable to postpartum depression. However, earlier procedures seem subjective. Therefore, we aimed to study the relation between nightmares and depression. Eighty-four primiparous women in their third trimester of pregnancy and 84 female college students as a control group answered questions about their personality, nightmares and dream frequencies, and the contents of their dreams. Postpartum women were asked about depression 4 weeks after delivery. We classified the contents of dreams using cluster analysis as reported in response to the Typical Dreams Questionnaire according to the unpleasant dreams criteria. We compared the average NEO Five-Factor Inventory and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores of mothers with vs. without unpleasant dreams. The dream contents that differed significantly between the primiparous women and female students included “eating delicious food”, “unable to find or embarrassed about toilet”, and “fire”. These dream contents were more frequent among primiparous women than among students. Students scored higher for neuroticism, whereas primiparous women scored higher for agreeableness and conscientiousness. Depression scores were significantly higher among female students. Depression were more severe among those who reported relatively frequent nightmares.

Chronic pain emerging during or after pregnancy can impair women’s physical and psychological health, potentially interfering with childcare and household responsibilities. This study examined the association between consultation experiences regarding family and childcare concerns and chronic pain among postpartum women, using data from a nationwide internet-based survey in Japan (JACSIS2021). A total of 4,371 women raising children <2 years old were included in the analysis. Chronic pain was defined as pain newly occurring during or after pregnancy that persisted for at least three months. The prevalence of chronic pain was 9.1%. Women who had consulted public institutions, as well as those who had wished to consult but did not, showed a significantly higher risk of chronic pain. Commonly cited reasons for not consulting included difficulties in bringing children to the facility, uncertainty about where to seek help, and doubts about whether their problems warranted consultation. Notably, individuals who had not considered seeking help were not captured by the survey. These findings suggest a potential link between unresolved family or childcare-related distress and chronic pain. Enhancing access to consultation services and ensuring their visibility, along with promoting early detection of psychosocial difficulties, may help reduce chronic pain risks among postpartum women.

Objective : This study aimed to explore care that supports maternal grief resolution and psychological recovery by (1) clarifying midwives’ current practices in caring for mothers experiencing stillbirth through a quantitative study of item-specific and factor-based implementation rates and (2) identifying the care considered necessary through a qualitative study.

Methods : Applying a mixed-methods approach, a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 67 midwives in perinatal facilities in Prefecture A. The participants rated 20 care items on a four-point scale. The study conducted descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis and inductively analyzed participants’ free-text responses regarding necessary care. Ethical approval was obtained.

Results : The overall response and valid response rates were 54.1% and 45.2%, respectively. Fifteen items (75%) had mean scores ≥3.0. Six factors were extracted ; the highest scores were for “Understanding harms of death avoidance” (M=3.50) and “Providing space to honor the infant as a family member and prepare for farewell” (M=3.47). Necessary care was divided into seven categories, including “Avoiding additional harm to grieving mothers and families” (41.8%).

Conclusion : Though midwives recognize the harm of avoiding death, education for mothers and families is insufficient. Support for family communication barriers and midwives’ dilemmas requires multidisciplinary, longitudinal interventions informed by crisis theory.

This study examined the differences in dysmorphobia tendency, self-acceptance, and the need for approval between women with and without childbirth experience. The results revealed that compared to women who had never given birth, those who had experienced childbirth exhibited lower levels of dysmorphophobia and rejection avoidance, but higher levels of self-acceptance and praise seeking. Additionally, it was found that for women who had given birth, self-acceptance did not influence concerns about appearance, unlike for women who had not given birth. However, the desire to receive positive evaluations from others continued to influence concerns about appearance, similar to women who had not given birth. This suggests that the desire for praise remains post-childbirth, and positive feedback from those around them becomes even more important after childbirth.

Postpartum hair loss is commonly regarded as a physiological condition caused by hormonal fluctuations, particularly the decline in estrogen levels after childbirth. However, few studies have explored its prevalence or its psychological effects. We conducted a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study to investigate the prevalence of postpartum hair loss and its association with psychological symptoms. Of the respondents, 91.8% reported experiencing some degree of hair loss, and 73.1% of them felt anxiety or stress about the condition. The average times for the start, peak, and end of hair loss were 2.9, 5.1, and 8.1 months postpartum, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that a longer duration of breastfeeding was significantly associated with postpartum hair loss, suggesting a possible link to prolonged estrogen deficiency. Furthermore, a greater amount of postpartum hair loss, primiparity, and higher Athens Insomnia Scale scores were predictors of Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item anxiety. Notably, women with very much postpartum hair loss had significantly higher odds of anxiety (OR 4.47, 95% CI : 1.34-14.93) compared to those with no postpartum hair loss. These findings suggest that postpartum hair loss is highly prevalent and may be an important factor contributing to maternal psychological distress.