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Nursing in Women’s Health: Contemporary Approaches to Maternal and Gynecological...
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Nursing in Women’s Health: Contemporary Approaches to Maternal and Gynecological Care

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "Women’s and Children’s Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 2745

Editors

Prof. Dr. Manuela Maria Conceiçao Ferreira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing (UICISA: E), Nursing School of Coimbra (ESEnfC), Health School of the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal
Interests: health education; literacy; sexual and reproductive health; breast feeding; nurse midwives; teaching-learning process
Prof. Dr. Maria Otília Brites Zangão

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Escola Superior de Enfermagem São João de Deus, Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), Universidade de Évora, 7004-516 Évora, Portugal
Interests: obstetric nursing; gynecological nursing; nurse midwives; breast feeding; health management; violence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to bring together innovative contributions from contemporary nursing in the field of women's health, with an emphasis on maternal and gynecological care. We intend to highlight research that explores models of care, clinical practices, education, health policies, and technologies focused on the needs of women throughout their life cycle.

This Special Issue will include original research, systematic reviews, case studies, and reflective articles on topics such as pregnancy, postpartum, reproductive health, the prevention of gynecological diseases, approaches to chronic conditions, and evidence-based community interventions. The goal is to integrate theoretical, methodological, and practical perspectives.

We invite nurses, researchers, and health professionals interested in women's health to submit manuscripts that contribute to a contemporary and multidisciplinary approach. We seek to promote dialogue between theory and clinical practice, encouraging studies that address health promotion, women's experiences, innovative strategies, and equity in access to care.

We invite you to join us in this initiative to strengthen the visibility of nursing in maternal and gynecological health. We welcome articles that can inspire significant changes in health care and policies, with a real impact on women's quality of life.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Prof. Dr. Manuela Maria Conceiçao Ferreira
Guest Editor

Prof. Dr. Maria Otília Brites Zangão
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • obstetric nursing
  • gynecological nursing
  • nurse midwives
  • breast feeding
  • health management
  • violence
  • biomedical technology

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 391 KB  
Article
Anxiety, Social Support, Family Resilience, and Quality of Life Among Women Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization: A Cross-Sectional Mediation Analysis
by Jie Bai, Jinxia Zheng, Ke Wang, Yueyan Dong, Ying Liu and Hui Jiang
Healthcare 2026, 14(12), 1632; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14121632 - 9 Jun 2026
Viewed by 234
Abstract
Background: Women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) often experience poor well-being. Social support and family resilience are considered protective factors, but their combined roles in the anxiety–fertility-related quality of life (FertiQoL) relationship remain unclear. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted with women undergoing [...] Read more.
Background: Women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) often experience poor well-being. Social support and family resilience are considered protective factors, but their combined roles in the anxiety–fertility-related quality of life (FertiQoL) relationship remain unclear. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted with women undergoing IVF at the reproductive medicine department of a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China, between March and December 2024. Methods: Participants completed validated measures of anxiety, social support, family resilience, and QoL. Associations and indirect effects were examined using mediation analysis, and sensitivity analyses were conducted. Results: A total of 419 women participated in the study (response rate = 98.6%; mean age = 33.3 ± 4.7 years). Anxiety was negatively associated with social support, family resilience, and FertiQoL (all p < 0.001). The total indirect association between anxiety and FertiQoL involving social support and family resilience was statistically significant (B = −0.15, p = 0.03). However, the specific indirect effects, including the hypothesized sequential pathway through social support and family resilience, were not statistically significant. The total association between anxiety and FertiQoL was significant (β = −0.32, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Anxiety was associated with poorer FertiQoL among women undergoing IVF. Although the findings suggest an overall indirect association involving social support and family resilience, the hypothesized sequential mediation pathway was not supported. Therefore, the results should be interpreted cautiously, and longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the temporal and causal relationships among these psychosocial factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nursing in Women’s Health: Contemporary Approaches to Maternal and Gynecological Care)
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13 pages, 865 KB  
Article
Midwife-Led Home Births in Japan: A 25-Year Retrospective Analysis of Care in Accordance with WHO Recommendations Before and After COVID-19
by Mari Murakami, Hiromi Kawasaki, Kimiko Tagawa, Eiko Maehara, Mika Tanaka, Maki Takashima, Kaori Fujita, Satoko Yamasaki, Sae Nakaoka, Mikako Yoshihara and Saori Fujimoto
Healthcare 2026, 14(6), 818; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14060818 - 23 Mar 2026
Viewed by 628
Abstract
Background/Objectives: In Japan, hospital births predominate, with home births comprising only 0.1% of deliveries. This study assessed how documented practices for planned home births attended by independent midwives align with national guidelines and WHO intrapartum care recommendations, and assess maternal and neonatal differences [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: In Japan, hospital births predominate, with home births comprising only 0.1% of deliveries. This study assessed how documented practices for planned home births attended by independent midwives align with national guidelines and WHO intrapartum care recommendations, and assess maternal and neonatal differences before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Records of 430 low-risk pregnant women who received continuous care at a private midwifery home over 25 years were reviewed. After excluding 8 maternal and 22 neonatal transfers, 400 records were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were compared with WHO recommendations and between the pre-pandemic (1999–2019) and post-pandemic (2020–2024) periods. Results: All women experienced spontaneous singleton cephalic labors with intermittent fetal heart rate auscultation. The mean gestational age was 277.3 days and the median labor duration was 303.5 min. Labor onset was spontaneous in 83.5% of cases. Nearly half of the women had no perineal lacerations. Postpartum blood loss ≥500 mL occurred in 14.1% of cases. Family presence was nearly universal. Neonates had a mean birth weight of 3129.0 g and high Apgar scores. Skin-to-skin contact occurred in 52.9%; exclusive breastfeeding reached 93.8% at 1 month. Post-pandemic births showed higher maternal age and higher neonatal birth weight, although these differences should be interpreted cautiously due to the small post-pandemic sample. Conclusions: Independent midwives provided evidence-based, physiologically oriented care, partially aligning with selected WHO intrapartum recommendations during planned home births. Midwife-led home births may support positive childbirth experiences and favorable maternal/neonatal outcomes for low-risk women. Post-pandemic shifts underscore the need for continued monitoring and flexible, community-based perinatal support, while recognizing the limitations of retrospective, single-site data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nursing in Women’s Health: Contemporary Approaches to Maternal and Gynecological Care)
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8 pages, 207 KB  
Article
Sociodemographic and Health-Seeking Factors Associated with First-Trimester Prenatal Care: A Cross-Sectional Study of PRAMS Data
by Melissa B. Eggen, Seyed M. Karimi, Liza Creel, Bertis Little and Bridget Basile
Healthcare 2026, 14(2), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14020146 - 7 Jan 2026
Viewed by 982
Abstract
Objective: This study assessed sociodemographic, health-seeking and social services related factors associated with first-trimester prenatal care. Study Design: This cross-sectional study used Phase 8 pooled data from the Kentucky Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) for 2017 to 2020 and 2022. [...] Read more.
Objective: This study assessed sociodemographic, health-seeking and social services related factors associated with first-trimester prenatal care. Study Design: This cross-sectional study used Phase 8 pooled data from the Kentucky Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) for 2017 to 2020 and 2022. A logistic regression model was used to estimate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results: Among the 3502 women in the analytic sample, 89.3% had first-trimester prenatal care. Most respondents were White (weighted percentage, 83.3%), between the ages of 25 and 29 (31.2%), had more than a high school education (59.5%), were married (59.8%), lived in an urban area (59.4%), and had public insurance (53.9%). Maternal education was associated with the highest odds of first-trimester prenatal care, relative to other covariates, and was highest among those who completed more than high school (aOR 4.23, 95% CI 2.72–6.59) and high school (aOR 3.09, 95% CI 2.06–4.64) relative to less than high school. Private insurance, having a healthcare visit one year prior to pregnancy, and WIC receipt during pregnancy were associated with higher odds of first-trimester prenatal care. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that sociodemographic factors and access to healthcare and social services are important factors in first-trimester prenatal care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nursing in Women’s Health: Contemporary Approaches to Maternal and Gynecological Care)

Other

Jump to: Research

17 pages, 720 KB  
Systematic Review
Psychological Interventions Targeting Maternal Role Development and Identity in Perinatal Mental Health: A Systematic Review with Qualitative Synthesis
by Lorena Gutiérrez Hermoso, Cecilia Peñacoba Puente, Carmen Écija Gallardo, Livia Gomes Viana Meireles and Patricia Catalá Mesón
Healthcare 2026, 14(13), 1958; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14131958 - 2 Jul 2026
Viewed by 193
Abstract
Background: Maternal identity is the perception and recognition of a woman as a mother. Within this emerging identity, the maternal role takes on special importance as a manifestation of the set of responsibilities that a woman assumes in the care and upbringing [...] Read more.
Background: Maternal identity is the perception and recognition of a woman as a mother. Within this emerging identity, the maternal role takes on special importance as a manifestation of the set of responsibilities that a woman assumes in the care and upbringing of her baby. Respectful professional accompaniment during the period of maternal role acquisition is key to perinatal mental health and secure bonding with the baby. The main objective of this systematic review with narrative synthesis was to analyze the effects of psychological support programs aimed at maternal role acquisition during the transition to motherhood. Methods: Studies with experimental and quasi-experimental designs addressing maternal role acquisition in pregnant or postpartum women were included. A systematic search was conducted in PsycINFO, MEDLINE, PubMed and SCOPUS from inception to March 2025 following PRISMA recommendations. Due to the heterogeneity in study designs, interventions and outcome measures, a narrative synthesis was performed instead of a meta-analysis. Results: A total of 11 studies were extracted with a total sample of 1244 women, including five randomized controlled trials and six quasi-experimental studies. Psychological support programs focusing on maternal role acquisition generally showed improvements in maternal identity construction, self-efficacy and maternal competence, although not all findings reached statistical significance. In addition, several studies reported reductions in postnatal depressive symptoms, as well as improvements in subjective well-being and maternal role perception. Conclusions: results suggest that psychological support programs targeting maternal role acquisition may represent a promising approach for supporting perinatal mental health. However, the evidence should be interpreted with caution due to methodological limitations and heterogeneity across studies. In fact, most included studies were conducted in Eastern cultural contexts (Iran, China), limiting generalizability to Western populations without further adaptation and validation. Additionally, incomplete reporting of standardized effect sizes and precision measures across studies limits the quantitative interpretation of the findings. This review was not prospectively registered, and title/abstract screening was conducted by a single reviewer, increasing the risk of selection bias. Further research using rigorous and standardized designs is needed to clarify the effectiveness and generalizability of these interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nursing in Women’s Health: Contemporary Approaches to Maternal and Gynecological Care)
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