Journal of Iranian Social Studies

Abstract Women face various challenges in accessing sexual health services during the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. Considering the socio-cultural sensitivities surrounding sexual health, this study focuses on the experiences of Iranian women within the healthcare system, particularly concerning HPV infections.
Employing a qualitative approach, this study includes in-depth, semi-structured interviews with ten sexually active women from various Iranian provinces who were either infected or suspected of having an HPV infection, and had visited gynecologists. Purposive sampling was employed, and content analysis was used to analyze the collected data.
Three main themes and seven sub-themes emerged: (1) Challenges in dealing with the healthcare system, including sub-themes of "financial constraints" and "legal barriers"; (2) Physician-patient interactions, encompassing "patient preconceptions," "physician's approach," physician’s response," "patients expectations" and “secretary role”; (3) Importance of privacy and confidentiality were identified as the last theme.
The findings indicate that social stigma associated with HPV extends beyond individual interactions to healthcare systems. The identified barriers to accessing and utilizing sexual health services emphasize the need for policy reassessment in healthcare provision and a deeper understanding of the complex physician-patient dynamics, particularly in the context of HPV infections.

Abstract Oocyte donation forms a part of so called "Assisted Reproduction Technology" (ART) that assists infertile women with ovarian problems or other medical factors to achieve their dream of having a child. Understanding the experience of infertile women in a difficult decision-making period for oocyte donation and selecting it over other alternatives (adoption or to live without children) is significant. Little is known about the lived experience of recipient women though, especially in Iran, due to the cultural, social, and religious conditions of the society. The present article describes the experience of those infertile women. This study was conducted using qualitative method and phenomenological approach with the aim of recognizing and describing the experiences of the women recipients of donated oocyte. Eleven participants were selected by purposive sampling method from women who had turned to Royan Infertility Institute in Tehran, Iran. The data were generated from transcription of taped Semi-structured in-depth interviews. Data analysis was in accordance with the procedure introduced by Colaizzi. Six main themes emerged from the women’s descriptions of their experiences:(1) the possibility of maintaining the confidentiality in egg donation; (2) the opportunity of having the experience of pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding ;(3) the chance of genetic transition from husband ;(4) the impact of time factor in choosing oocyte donation ;(5) oocyte donation being permissible from a religious point of view; and (6) emotional and social burden of infertility.