Background: Women during pregnancy and in the first year after childbirth are vulnerable to mental disorders in the outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). There is a relationship between mental health and marital satisfaction. This study aimed to assess mental health, anxiety, depression, and marital satisfaction among pregnant and lactating women and compared the results with non-pregnant/lactating (as control group) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran.Methods: A cross-sectional study among married women in range of 18 to 45 years via online questionnaires was conducted from 20 March to 25 April, 2020. A total of 604 valid questionnaires were analyzed, including 200 pregnant women, 203 lactating women, and 201 non-pregnant/lactating women. Mental health, COVID-19-related anxiety, and marital satisfaction were respectively assessed by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS), and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale (EMS Scale). The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results: The scores of mental health problems in pregnant and lactating women were significantly higher than the control group (18.86±12.56 and 18.83±13.99 vs. 13.01±8.15, P<0.00). The total CDAS score in the control group was significantly less than pregnant women (30.87±10.56 vs. 26.05±6.12, P<0.001) and lactating women (30.80±11.37 vs. 26.05±6.12, P<0.001). The mean of marital satisfaction was significantly lower in the pregnant women (28.06±2.67 vs. 29.64±3.18, P < 0.001) and lactating women (28.74±3.58 vs. 29.64±3.18, p = 0.01) compared with the control group. There was no statistically significant difference in the depression among three groups (P < 0.05).Conclusions: Pregnant and lactating women had more mental health problems, more anxiety and less marital satisfaction in comparison to non-pregnant/lactating women in the course of COVID-19 outbreaks. Further study is needed to investigate the effect of COVID-19 prevalence on mental health and marital satisfaction of pregnant and lactating women, considering the socioeconomic status.

Background: Women' mental health during reproductive age is a major public health concern in both developing and developed countries. There is a relationship between mental health and marital satisfaction. This study aimed to assess mental health, anxiety, depression, and marital satisfaction among pregnant and lactating women and compared the results with non-pregnant/lactating (as control group) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional study among married women in range of 18 to 45 years via online questionnaires was conducted from 20 March to 25 April, 2020. A total of 604 valid questionnaires were analyzed, including 200 pregnant women, 203 lactating women, and 201 non-pregnant/lactating women. Mental health, COVID-19-related anxiety, and marital satisfaction were respectively assessed by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS), and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale (EMS Scale). The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results: The scores of mental health problems in pregnant and lactating women were significantly higher than the control group (18.86±12.56 and 18.83±13.99 vs. 13.01±8.15, P<0.00). The total CDAS score in the control group was significantly less than pregnant women (30.87±10.56 vs. 26.05±6.12, P<0.001) and lactating women (30.80±11.37 vs. 26.05±6.12, P<0.001). The mean of marital satisfaction was significantly lower in the pregnant women (28.06±2.67 vs. 29.64±3.18, P < 0.001) and lactating women (28.74±3.58 vs. 29.64±3.18, p = 0.01) compared with the control group. There was no statistically significant difference in the depression among three groups (P < 0.05).Conclusions: Pregnant and lactating women had more mental health problems, more anxiety and less marital satisfaction in comparison to non-pregnant/lactating women in the course of COVID-19 outbreaks. Further study is needed to investigate the effect of COVID-19 prevalence on mental health and marital satisfaction of pregnant and lactating women, considering the socioeconomic status.

Recent evidence suggests that vitamin D deficiency could play an important role in the development of non-skeletal diseases, including cancer. Vitamin D also affects the function of the reproductive system. In the present study, the relationship between 25(OH)D levels with oocyte quality in Breast Cancer (BC) women and control group have been investigated. After initial evaluations, ovarian stimulation began with the GnRH antagonist protocol in the BC group (N = 16) and control group (N = 16). The serum and follicular fluid (FF) 25(OH)D levels were measured at the time of oocyte retrieval and their relationship to oocyte quality was examined. The mean levels of serum and FF 25(OH)D in BC women were significantly lower than in the control group (22.26 ± 7.98 vs. 29.61 ± 9.12, P = 0.02, 21.65 ± 7.59 vs. 28.00 ± 9.05, P = 0.04, respectively). There was a significant correlation between the levels of 25(OH)D in FF and serum in BC women (r = 0.873, P < 0.001). But there was no correlation between the serum or FF 25(OH)D levels with the parameters related to oocytes (P > 0.05). In the BC women, the number of dysmorph and highly dysmorph oocytes was higher than in the control group (P < 0.001). Women with BC referring to infertility centers for fertility preservation are more likely to be deficient in serum 25(OH)D level; this subsequently affects the FF 25(OH)D level. However, serum and FF 25(OH)D levels may not be suitable indicators for examining maturity and quality of oocytes in terms of morphology in BC women, and the poor morphological quality of oocytes in BC women may be due to other factors.