Asian Pacific Journal of Reproduction

62-69

Authors: Md. Rahman Mahfuzur, Md. Rashed Alam, Md Arif Billah

Objective: To examine the determinants of emergency contraceptive pill use in Bangladesh. Methods: Data for this cross-sectional study came from 2017-2018 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. Characteristics of 906 reproductive age women who were potential candidates for using emergency contraceptive pill were analysed in this study. Data were analysed using univariate and multivariate analyses. Stepwise binary logistic regression was employed as multivariate analysis. Results: Only 10.9% candidates were found to ever use emergency contraceptive pill. The odds of using emergency contraceptive pill for women visited by family planning field worker was significantly higher than that for those who were not visited by family planning field worker [odds ratio (OR) 1.94; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19–3.17; P=0.008], while the odds of using emergency contraceptive pill for women with high socioeconomic status was higher than that for those with low socioeconomic status (OR 3.10; 95% CI 1.61–5.97; P=0.001). Additionally, having some media access was linked to an increase in the odds of using emergency contraceptive pill (OR 3.01; 95% CI 1.33–6.83; P=0.008). Women empowerment related factors did not show any significant effect on emergency contraceptive pill use. Conclusions: The findings indicate that family planning programme has a great opportunity of playing an important role in increasing emergency contraceptive pill use in Bangladesh by increasing the knowledge and awareness of women about emergency contraceptive pill.

77-83

Authors: Zouhir Djerrou, Houria Benyezzar-Kenana, Zineb Maameri, Louiza Benhamza

Objective: To summarize medicinal plants used in the treatment of couple fertility disorders. Methods: An ethnopharmacological survey was conducted with 30 traditional healers from some localities of Skikda region in eastern Algeria. A standard questionnaire was used in the interview which focused mainly: the treated fertility disorders, the used medicinal plants species, parts used, and preparation methods. The relative frequency of citation and percentages of infertility troubles were calculated and analyzed. Results: The most important treated disorders in men were dysfunction of libido (44.22%), low sperm concentration and motility (25.33%), low semen volume (17.67%) and prostate disorders (5.66%). Women were treated mainly for menstruation disorders (35.32%), breast problems (29.53%) and sexual asthenia (25.82%). The survey identified 28 plant species belonging to 15 families, used by different ethnic groups, particularly women (58.00%), to address different fertility disorders. Three plant families were largely used viz Lamiaceae, Asteraceae, and Apiaceae. In term of relative frequency citation, ten dominated plant species were: Zingiber officinalis L. (0.96), Nigella sativa L. (0.83), Lepidium sativum L. (0.80), Capsicum annuum L. (0.60), Cuminum cyminum L. (0.56), Origanum vulgare L. (0.55), Allium sativum L. (0.50), Petroselinum sativum L. (0.43), Salvia officinalis L. (0.42), and Foeniculum vulgare L. (0.40). A number of investigated plants were scientifically confirmed by phytochemical and pharmacological studies to have one or more significant effects on couple fertility. However, much controversy was found in literature concerning the efficacy of some cited plants. Conclusions: The study highlights the important use of medicinal plants in management of couple infertility in eastern Algeria. More experimental studies are recommended to confirm or to refute these traditional uses and to ascertain the safety of these medicinal plants to consumers.

93-99

Authors: Zeinab Maleki, Abbas Farshad, Jalal Rostamzadeh

Objective: To evaluate antioxidant effects of Scrophularia (S.) striata ethanol extract, trehalose and cysteine added to diluents on cryopreserved goat epididymal sperms. Methods: Motility and standard motion parameters of sperm were assessed by using computer assisted sperm motility analysis system. Sperm viability was evaluated by eosin-nigrosin staining method. Hypo-osmotic swelling test was used to evaluate membrane health. Thiobarbituric acid testing was used to measure malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations. To assess DNA fragmentation, sperm chromatin dispersion test was used. In Experiment 1, treatments consisting of basal Tris diluent supplemented with 25, 50 or 100 µg/mL of S. striata ethanol extract gave the best concentration to the freezing diluents. Experiment 2 was carried out to compare the best concentration of S. striata ethanol extract (50 µg/mL) resulting from the first experiment with 150 mM trehalose and/or 5 mM cysteine alone or in combination. Results: S. striata ethanol extract (50 µg/mL) significantly increased sperm viability, motility and progressive motility and at the same time decreased MDA concentration and DNA fragmentation compared to other treatments (P<0.05). In addition, all treatment groups resulted in viability, membrane health, total motility, progressive motility, curvilinear velocity, straight- line velocity higher and MDA lower compared to the control group (P<0.05). Acrosome integrity was significantly higher in 50 µg/mL of S. striata ethanol extract combined with cysteine, trehalose, or cysteine+trehalose groups than those in the control, trehalose, cysteine, and 50 µg/mL of S. striata ethanol extract groups (P<0.05). Regarding DNA, extenders supplemented with 50 µg/mL of S. striata ethanol extract, 50 µg/mL of S. striata ethanol extract+trehalose, and 50 µg/mL of S. striata ethanol extract+trehalose+cysteine were superior to other treatments. Conclusions: Adding 50 µg/mL of S. striata ethanol extract alone or in combination with trehalose and cysteine can improve the quality of cryopreserved epididymal sperms of goats.