Sensitive Midwifery - Issue 43 - July2019

Dimensions Reflections Partner violence during pregnancy Rates of violence against women are reported to be highest in Africa compared to other continents. A recent study, done among pregnant women in a low-resource setting in Cape Town, focused on determining associations between mental illness, demographic, psychosocial and economic factors with experience of intimate partner violence (IPV), and exploring the contextual elements pertaining to domestic violence. Results show that adversity, including food insecurity and mental ill-health are closely associated with IPV during the antenatal period. The study also points out that advocates against violence against pregnant women should consider that violence in the home may be perpetrated by non-intimate partners too, possibly enabled by a pervasive belief in the acceptability of the violence. Field, S, et al, 2018, ‘Domestic and intimate partner violence among pregnant women in a low resource setting in South Africa: a facility- based, mixed methods study’, BMC Women’s Health , 18:119-132 Antihistamines affecting male fertility While antihistamine use has been on the rise, correlating with the rise of allergies in the industrialised world, scientists warn that histamines (which are released in response to an allergy) also have other important roles to play in the body – from healthy sleep to sexual behaviour and fertility – and the drugs should be taken only when truly necessary. Reviewing several antihistamine drug studies in animals, Argentinian researchers at the Instituto de Biologia y Medicina Experimental in Buenos Aires have noted that the drugs could affect male fertility negatively in the long term by influencing testicular production of male sexual hormones. This, in turn, could cause altered morphology and decreased motility of sperm, as well as a lower sperm count. At this stage, doctors and researchers have cautioned against overuse, but note that it’s still too soon to know to what extent the medication impacts male sexual health. Study author Dr Carolina Mondillo said: ‘More large-scale trials are needed … This can then lead to developing novel treatments to relieve allergy symptoms without compromising fertility.’ Prof Darren Griffin, professor of genetics at the University of Kent, said: ‘Any medicine that has the potential to do good also has the potential to do harm and side effects of over-the-counter drugs constantly warrant further investigation,’ going on to note, tongue-in-cheek, that ‘persistent sneezing is not a particularly good reproductive strategy either …’ Guardian, ‘Antihistamines linked to fertility problems in men’, 9 March 2018. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/mar/09/ antihistamines-linked-to-fertility-problems-in-men SANC Fraud Hotline Did you know that the South African Nursing Council (SANC) has a hotline to report any unethical or fraudulent practices? SANC is asking all midwives and nurses not be silent observers of practices that erode the values SANC wants to uphold. If you come across any fraud, theft, corruption, financial mismanagement, or examination and registration fraud, do not remain silent. Callers to 0800 201216 are guaranteed anonymity and the Call Centre is manned on a 24-hour basis. 31