Midwives play an important role in the implementation of cervical cancer screening. We assessed the knowledge of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and of its relationship with cervical cancer in 107 midwives and 29 graduating midwifery students. The majority of midwives (78.5%) were aware that a viral infection causes cervical cancer, whereas only 48.3% of the students knew this (p = 0.003). Only one midwife (0.9%) was not aware of HPV infection compared with 10.3% of the students (p = 0.029). Midwives were also more knowledgeable of the relationship between HPV infection and cervical cancer and of the availability of a vaccine against HPV infection (p = 0.005 and p < 0.0001, respectively). In conclusion, Greek midwives have a satisfactory level of knowledge about cervical cancer and HPV infection, in contrast to midwifery students. It is important to better educate midwifery students in order to facilitate the incorporation of HPV testing and vaccination in clinical practice.

Mental health during pregnancy is a very important public health issue with negative effects on both maternal and child outcomes. The aim of our study is to examine the possible association between conception via in vitro fertilization (IVF) and anxiety or depression during the third pregnancy trimester in the Greek population during the years of financial crisis. Materials and MethodsThis single-center prospective cohort study was conducted in a tertiary university hospital during the period 2017-2018. Pregnant women attending the Antenatal Care Program between 30th-32nd gestational week were asked to complete Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). A propensity score match for 10 variables was conducted in a 1:3 ratio. ResultsOf the 521 eligible patients, 446 women were included in our study. Four hundred fourteen of them conceived spontaneously, and 32 via IVF. After propensity score matching, 76 remained in the analysis, of whom 57 conceived spontaneously and 19 with IVF. The IVF group had a higher rate of anxiety (18.8%) and a lower rate of depression (9.4%) than the spontaneous conception group (13.5% and 13.5%, respectively), but the differences were not statistically significant before and after propensity score matching. ConclusionOur study showed that pregnancies after IVF had a higher incidence of antenatal anxiety and a lower incidence of antenatal depression in comparison to pregnancies that were conceived naturally, although the differences did not reach statistical significance.

We aimed to evaluate the knowledge about chlamydial infection of Greek midwives and midwifery students. An appropriately designed, self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was distributed to 107 midwives and 29 graduating midwifery students. Perceived awareness of chlamydial infection was similar in midwives and students (p=0.083). However, midwives were more aware than students that Chlamydia are acquired through sexual contact (84.1% vs 58.7%; p=0.004) and that chlamydial infection is frequently asymptomatic (72.9% vs 37.9%; p=0.001). Knowledge of the consequences was poor in both groups, but it was relatively better in midwives; only 7.5% of the midwives did not know any of the potential sequelae of chlamydial infection compared with 24.1% of the students (p=0.006). In contrast, the majority of both midwives and students were aware that when chlamydial infection is diagnosed in a woman, both she and her partner should receive treatment (90.7% vs 93.2%; p = 0.901). In conclusion, an important proportion of midwifery students ignore important aspects of chlamydial infection. Therefore, it is important to improve the educational curriculum in midwifery schools in order to maximize the contribution of midwives to decrease the prevalence of chlamydial infection and of its complications.