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Objective: This study aimed to document the prevalence and severity of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) and sexual symptoms among refugee women in Melbourne, Australia. Methods: This cross-sectional study included refugee women, aged 18–63 years, recruited from community centers and social media between February and July 2023. The Menopause-specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) questionnaire measured VMS and sexual symptoms. The scores were compared between different menopausal states. Results: Of 333 participants, 62.8% were premenopausal, 8.0% perimenopausal and 29.2% postmenopausal, with a median age of 40 years (range 18–63 years). Moderate–severe VMS was most prevalent amongst perimenopausal (20.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.9–41.4%) versus postmenopausal (9.5%; 95% CI: 5.0–17.3%) and premenopausal (0%) women. Moderate–severe sexual symptoms affected 15.8% (95% CI: 5.2–39.3%) of perimenopausal and 16.9% (95% CI: 10.4–26.1%) of postmenopausal women versus 1.4% (95% CI: 0.3-5.3%) of premenopausal women. Perimenopausal and postmenopausal women had higher VMS and sexual symptom scores than premenopausal women (both p < 0.0001); the scores were also higher in perimenopausal women than postmenopausal women (p = 0.016 and p = 0.013, respectively). Conclusion: While perimenopausal and postmenopausal VMS and sexual symptoms are not uncommon amongst refugee women, these symptoms were less prevalent in postmenopausal refugees than in the non-refugee population. Further research is warranted to confirm and expand on these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Based on studies on animal models, vitamin D plays an essential role in reproduction by controlling Ca and Mg levels. Despite these findings, the effects of vitamin D deficiency and supplementation on the outcome of assisted reproductive techniques (ART) remain controversial. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between serum and follicular fluid 25-OH vitamin D levels on reproductive outcomes of infertile women. Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study included 150 infertile women who underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The participants were allocated to one of the three groups according to their serum and follicular fluid 25-OH vitamin D concentrations (less than 10 ng/ml, between 10 and 30 ng/ ml and more than 30 ng/ml), and fertilization, cleavage and biochemical and clinical pregnancy rates were compared among the groups. Data was analyzed by SPSS software and using Chi-square and Spearman correlation coefficient. Results: Serum and follicular fluid vitamin D levels significantly correlated with biochemical (P=0.008), (P=0.003) and clinical pregnancy (P=0.017), (P=0.001) rates respectively . However, the quality of embryos (P=0.125), (P=0.106) and fertilization rate (P=0.082), (P=0.059) were not associated with the level of serum and follicular fluid vitamin D. Conclusion: This study found that women with higher levels of vitamin D in their serum and follicular fluid are significantly more likely to achieve pregnancy but without affecting the quality of embryo and fertility rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infertility is one of the most common challenges that women in reproductive age would encounter today. The maternal nutritional status could be a determinant of oocyte quality and embryonic growth. This study was conducted to assess the relationship between dietary patterns and reproductive outcomes in infertile women. Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted on 140 women with primary infertility who had referred to Isfahan Fertility and Infertility center, Isfahan, Iran. The average number of total oocytes and metaphase II oocytes, the fertilization rate, the ratio of good and bad quality embryo and biochemical and clinical pregnancy were considered as the outcomes of assisted reproductive techniques (ART). A 168-item food frequency questionnaire was used for estimating the dietary intakes during the last year. Factor analysis was used for identifying the dietary patterns and analysis of variance (ANOVA), analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), chi-square, and logistic regression analysis were used for assessing the relation between dietary patterns and ART's outcomes. Results: Three major dietary patterns (the healthy, western and unhealthy diet) were identified. Women with high adherence to the "healthy diet" had a higher educational level and were employed. There was a significant increase in the average number of total oocytes (P-trend=0.009) and metaphase II oocytes (P-trend=0.006) in the third tertile of "healthy diet" compared to the first tertile. Also, women with high adherence to the second tertile of "unhealthy" diet compared to the first tertile, had a significantly lower chance of getting pregnant [odds ratio (OR): 0.14, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.3-0.7]. Conclusion: Nutrition status could affect infertility treatment outcomes. Greater adherence to the healthy diet may enhance oocyte quality and quantity. Unhealthy diet could adversely affect the chance of getting pregnant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]