Prenatal testosterone supplementation alters puberty onset, aggressive behavior, and partner preference in adult male rats

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Desenvolvimento do inventário da resposta sexual na gestação - PSRI

Pós-graduação em Ginecologia, Obstetrícia e Mastologia - FMB

Repercussões da vulvectomia e linfadenectomia inguinal na qualidade de vida de mulheres com carcinoma de vulva

Pós-graduação em Ginecologia, Obstetrícia e Mastologia - FMB

Educação sexual familiar e religiosidade nas concepções sobre masturbação de jovens evangélicos

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Sexual maturation of the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus): a histological, hormonal and spermatic evaluation

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Um estudo intergeracional sobre autonomia e iniciação sexual de universitárias e suas mães

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Gender-based violence and socioeconomic inequalities: Does living in more deprived neighbourhoods increase women's risk of intimate partner violence?

This study investigates the influence of neighbourhood socioeconomic conditions on women's likelihood of experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Data from 940 women who were interviewed as part of the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence against women, and census data for Sao Paulo City, were analyzed using multilevel regression techniques. A neighbourhood socioeconomic-level scale was created, and proxies for the socioeconomic positions of the couple were included. Other individual level variables included factors related to partner's behaviour and women's experiences and attitudes. Women's risk of IPV did not vary across neighbourhoods in Sao Paulo nor was it influenced by her individual socioeconomic characteristics. However, women in the middle range of the socioeconomic scale were significantly more likely to report having experienced violence by a partner. Partner behaviours such as excessive alcohol use, controlling behaviour and multiple sexual partnerships were important predictors of IPV. A women's likelihood of IPV also increased if either her mother had experienced IPV or if she used alcohol excessively. These findings suggest that although the characteristics of people living in deprived neighbourhoods may influence the probability that a woman will experience IPV, higher-order contextual dynamics do not seem to affect this risk. While poverty reduction will improve the lives of individuals in many ways, strategies to reduce IPV should prioritize shifting norms that reinforce certain negative male behaviours. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Construction and validation of an instrument that breaks the silence: the impact of domestic and/or sexual violence on women's health, as shown during climacterium

Objective: The aim of this study was to construct and to validate a measure of the consequences of domestic violence on women's health during climacterium. Methods: A questionnaire was administered at the Outpatient Climacterium Clinic to 124 women aged 40 to 65 years who were the victims of domestic and/or sexual violence (experimental group). They were divided into three groups: (1) those who were victims of violence exclusively during childhood/adolescence, (2) those who were victims of violence exclusively during adulthood, and (3) those who were victims of violence throughout their lives. The instrument included 34 items evaluating the beginning, frequency, and type of violence; the search for health assistance and reporting of the violence; the violence and the number of comorbidities; and violence and the Kupperman Menopausal Index. We also included a control group composed of perimenopausal and postmenopausal women who did not experience any violence (n = 120). Results: The instrument presented a Cronbach alpha = 0.82, good reliability among the examiners (+0.80), and a good possibility of reproducibility. The mean age of menopause was 45.4 years, and the mean age in the control group was 48.1 years. Group 1 showed a mean of 5.1 comorbidities, Group 2 had 4.6, and Group 3 had 4.4. Sexual violence (43.5%) and other types of violence both presented average comorbidities (4.60) but represented a significant impairment in the victim's sexual life. There were significant associations in group 3 and a high Kupperman Menopausal Index score. In the experimental group, 80.6% did not seek health services for the violence they experienced. Conclusions: The questionnaire presented good internal consistency and a validated construction. It can be easily reproduced and is indicated to evaluate the consequences of domestic and/or sexual violence on women's health during climacterium.

The role of reinfection and partner notification in the efficacy of Chlamydia screening programs

Repeated Chlamydia trachomatis infections after treatment are common. One reason is reinfection from untreated partners in ongoing sexual partnerships. Mathematical models that are used to predict the impact of screening on reducing chlamydia prevalence often do not incorporate reinfection and might overestimate the expected impact. We describe a pair compartmental model that explicitly incorporates sexual partnership duration and reinfection. The pair model predicts a weaker impact of screening when compared directly with a model that does not accommodate partnerships. Effective management of sex partners to prevent reinfection might need to be strengthened in chlamydia control programs.

"Cutting for love": genital incisions to enhance sexual desirability and commitment in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Several studies have documented women's use of vaginal practices in South Africa to enhance their desirability to men. This article describes a little known practice of this kind among women in KwaZulu-Natal. It involves the use of small incisions in the genital area (and often abdomen and breasts) to introduce herbal substances, described as love medicines, into the body through the incisions. In-depth interviews were carried out with 20 key informants and 20 women, and eight focus group discussions with women and men, in a rural and urban site in 2005-06. A province-wide household survey was then conducted using a multi-stage cluster sample design among 867 women aged 18-60. Forty-two per cent of the women in the household survey had heard of genital incisions; only 3% had actually used them. The main motivation was the enhancement of sexual attractiveness and long-term partner commitment. It appears to be a very recent practice, but may be an extension of an older healing practice not involving the genitals. It was most prevalent among rural women aged 24-29 (although not significant), those with less education, and those who suspected their partners of having other partners. It is linked to the modern popularity of love medicines, which in turn illustrates the troubling state of gender relations in KwaZulu-Natal today.

Are There Sex Differences in Reaction to Different Types of Sexual Infidelity?

Evolutionary theory based research shows that women and men can differ in their responses to sexual and emotional infidelity. However, research has not examined the question of whether men and women react similarly or differently to a partner’s engagement in different types of sexual infidelity. The present re-search sought to answer this question. Based on the aforementioned prior research, and short term mating desires, sex differences in reactions to different types of sexual infidelity were not expected. Both women and men were expected to report higher levels of upset when a partner engaged in sexual intercourse rather than when a partner engaged in oral sex, heavy petting, or kissing with another person. The results were consistent with the hypothesis. Both men and women were most upset by a partner’s engagement in sexual intercourse with another person. These findings are discussed in terms of prior research.

Are there sex differences in reaction to different types of sexual infidelity?

Evolutionary theory based research shows that women and men can differ in their responses to sexual and emotional infidelity. However, research has not examined the question of whether men and women react similarly or differently to a partner’s engagement in different types of sexual infidelity. The present research sought to answer this question. Based on the aforementioned prior research, and short term mating desires, sex differences in reactions to different types of sexual infidelity were not expected. Both women and men were expected to report higher levels of upset when a partner engaged in sexual intercourse rather than when a partner engaged in oral sex, heavy petting, or kissing with another person. The results were consistent with the hypothesis. Both men and women were most upset by a partner’s engagement in sexual intercourse with another person. These findings are discussed in terms of prior research.

Painful love-"hispareunia" after sling erosion of the female partner

Sling erosion/extrusion is a complication after suburethral sling insertion for female stress urinary incontinence that occurs in approximately 6% of patients. Symptoms may include vaginal discharge, infections, postcoital bleeding, and alterations of the sexual function. Little is known about the effect of sling erosion on the sexual function of the male partner.

Transmission of Chlamydia trachomatis through sexual partnerships: a comparison between three individual-based models and empirical data

Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) in many developed countries. The highest prevalence rates are found among young adults who have frequent partner change rates. Three published individual-based models have incorporated a detailed description of age-specific sexual behaviour in order to quantify the transmission of C. trachomatis in the population and to assess the impact of screening interventions. Owing to varying assumptions about sexual partnership formation and dissolution and the great uncertainty about critical parameters, such models show conflicting results about the impact of preventive interventions. Here, we perform a detailed evaluation of these models by comparing the partnership formation and dissolution dynamics with data from Natsal 2000, a population-based probability sample survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles in Britain. The data also allow us to describe the dispersion of C. trachomatis infections as a function of sexual behaviour, using the Gini coefficient. We suggest that the Gini coefficient is a useful measure for calibrating infectious disease models that include risk structure and highlight the need to estimate this measure for other STIs.

Individual and population level effects of partner notification for Chlamydia trachomatis

Partner notification (PN or contact tracing) is an important aspect of treating bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as Chlamydia trachomatis. It facilitates the identification of new infected cases that can be treated through individual case management. PN also acts indirectly by limiting onward transmission in the general population. However, the impact of PN, both at the level of individuals and the population, remains unclear. Since it is difficult to study the effects of PN empirically, mathematical and computational models are useful tools for investigating its potential as a public health intervention. To this end, we developed an individual-based modeling framework called Rstisim. It allows the implementation of different models of STI transmission with various levels of complexity and the reconstruction of the complete dynamic sexual partnership network over any time period. A key feature of this framework is that we can trace an individual's partnership history in detail and investigate the outcome of different PN strategies for C. trachomatis. For individual case management, the results suggest that notifying three or more partners from the preceding 18 months yields substantial numbers of new cases. In contrast, the successful treatment of current partners is most important for preventing re-infection of index cases and reducing further transmission of C. trachomatis at the population level. The findings of this study demonstrate the difference between individual and population level outcomes of public health interventions for STIs.