Sexual behaviors and function during menopausal transition-does menopausal hormonal therapy play a role?

Does the COVID-19 pandemic have an impact on fears and concerns among pregnant women?

Zabochnicki M et al., 2024 · Annales Academiae Medicae Silesiensis · Free to read

Wprowadzenie Objawy lękowe i depresyjne są powszechnymi objawami w okresie ciąży. Wystąpienie pandemii wirusa COVID-19 jest wyjątkowym stresorem, który wpłynął na psychologiczny aspekt przebiegu porodu. Celem pracy jest ocena wpływu pandemii COVID-19 na przebieg ciąży i porodu w populacji polskiej. Materiał i metody Grupę badawczą stanowiło 2186 kobiet. Badanie ankietowe zostało przeprowadzone w okresie od listopada 2020 r. do grudnia 2020 r. za pośrednictwem Internetu. Kryterium włączenia do badania były ciąża i poród w okresie pandemii COVID-19. Do oceny stopnia poziomu strachu i obaw wykorzystano pytania stworzone przez autorów z zastosowaniem pięciostopniowej skali Likerta. Wyniki U kobiet hospitalizowanych w czasie ciąży występował większy poziom strachu i obaw związanych z ciążą (średnia 30,9 vs 29,6; p = 0,007). Podobną zależność stwierdzono w przypadku kobiet, u których wykonano cesarskie cięcie (30,6 vs 29,5; p = 0,006) lub które były hospitalizowane > 7 dni (31,8 vs 29,7; p = 0,012). Stwierdzono również istotną statystycznie, choć słabą korelację pomiędzy średnimi wynikami pytań dotyczących obaw a liczbą hospitalizacji w czasie ciąży (współczynnik korelacji Pearsona r = 0,1654; p < 0,000). Wnioski Badanie wykazało alarmująco wysoki poziom lęku u kobiet w ciąży podczas pandemii COVID-19, co może mieć długoterminowe konsekwencje dla ich dzieci.

Diagnostic utility of translabial ultrasound in pelvic organ prolapse: a prospective observational study

Pietrus M et al., 2024 · Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology : the journal of the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology · Free to read

The increasing awareness of women's health issues, specifically pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and urinary incontinence (UI), has spurred a surge in patients seeking specialised advice for these conditions, necessitating modern diagnostic approaches for such issues. This study explored the diagnostic utility of translabial ultrasound for POP, emphasising its correlation with clinical assessments based on International Continence Society (ICS) criteria. Seventy-one patients with POP Quantification System (POP-Q) stage 0-IV with or without UI were prospectively enrolled at Jagiellonian University Medical College between 2014 and 2016. The study objectives included evaluating diagnostic accuracy and concordance across pelvic compartments, correlating the diagnoses with patient-reported symptoms, and identifying variables contributing to diagnostic discrepancies. Translabial ultrasound identified POP in 74.5% of the patients, aligning closely with clinical evaluations. Concordance was the highest in assessments performed in the medial compartment (85.8%), while assessments performed in the anterior (29.6%) and posterior (29.6%) compartments showed higher rates of discrepancies. Correlation analyses showed varying associations, with the posterior compartment exhibiting the least pronounced correlation (R = 0.72, p < 0.0001). Self-perceive POP showed no discernible differences in relation to ultrasonographic and clinical assessments. Among the respondents, 55.9% reported experiencing the sensation of POP. Mean POP levels determined using the two approaches precisely matched in 46.5% of these cases. Discrepancies involved variables such as self-perceived POP, number of deliveries, child weight at birth, UI, and sexual activity. Translabial ultrasound showed robust correlation with clinical assessments for evaluating POP, especially for defining defects and facilitating treatment-related decision-making. Our findings highlight the reliability of this method, particularly for assessments in the medial compartment. The evidence did not indicate the superiority of either method in detecting POP disorders for symptomatic versus asymptomatic patients. Significantly, a higher POP-Q measurement in clinical examination was correlated with greater sexual activity.

Does the COVID-19 Pandemic Affect Labor-Related Anxiety and Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms in Pregnant Women?

Wikarek A et al., 2022 · Journal of clinical medicine · Free full text on PubMed Central

The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly had significant effects on women's health and the course of pregnancy. The aim of this single-center study was to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adult pregnant and postpartum women's mental health, as well as to identify factors associated with depressive symptoms, anxiety and fear of delivery. The 465 women included in this questionnaire-based cohort study were divided into two groups: one (controls) of women who gave birth before (n = 190), and the second who were pregnant and delivered during the pandemic (n = 275). The COVID-19 pandemic affected the severity of self-reported anxiety regarding childbirth (mean scores 2.7 vs. 2.36, p = 0.01). The depression (19.84 ± 13.23) and anxiety (16.71 ± 12.53) scores were higher in pregnant women during the COVID 19 pandemic, compared to women who gave birth before the pandemic (8.21 ± 7.38 and 11.67 ± 9.23, respectively). These findings demonstrate the magnitude of the pandemic's impact on women's mental health, and actions to improve the mental health of pregnant women in Poland may be crucial for maternal and fetal well-being.

A 36-year-old pregnant woman with hyperimmunoglobulinemia E

Matyja MK et al., 2022 · Ginekologia polska · Free to read

Global prevalence of sexual dysfunction among women with metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Salari N et al., 2023 · J Diabetes Metab Disord · Free full text on PubMed Central

Sexual dysfunction is a common disorder among women, especially during menopause. Metabolic syndrome is a multifactorial disease that, according to previous studies, there is a relationship between the metabolic syndrome and sexual dysfunction among women. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to obtain the prevalence of Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD) among women with metabolic syndrome, and to analyze available related evidence. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the keywords of MeSH, female sexual dysfunction, FSD, metabolic syndrome were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct and Google Scholar. The searches were conducted without a lower time limit and until May 2022. The prevalence of FSD among women with metabolic syndrome was found to be 39.3% (95% CI: 28.3-51.5). In the subgroup analysis and in the review of 4 studies, the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome was 49.8% (95% CI: 26.1-73.6). Analyzing the results of the meta-regression test in examining the effect of the three factors of sample size, year of the study, age, and BMI of the patients on the heterogeneity of the meta-analysis, showed that with the increase of the sample size, the prevalence of sexual dysfunction among women with metabolic syndrome decreases (p < 0.05). Moreover, the prevalence of sexual dysfunction among women with metabolic syndrome increases (p < 0.05) with the increase in the years of conducting studies and the mean of age of women with metabolic syndrome. Also, with increasing mean of BMI of female patients with metabolic syndrome, the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in these women also increases (p < 0.05). Female sexual dysfunction is a global health problem that can affect women's life to a great extent. Metabolic syndrome, which is a set of factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes, affects sexual dysfunction in women. From this study, it can be concluded that there is a close relationship between metabolic syndrome and female sexual dysfunction.

Photobiomodulation for hormone therapy-induced sexual dysfunction in women with breast cancer: a prospective quasi-experimental clinical study with a parallel observational group

Vieira LR et al., 2026 · Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer

Breast cancer survivors undergoing hormone therapy frequently experience vaginal pain and sexual dysfunction, which negatively affect quality of life. These symptoms are often undertreated, and new therapeutic approaches are needed. To evaluate the effects of photobiomodulation (PBM) on vaginal pain, sexual function, safety, and tolerability in women with breast cancer undergoing hormone therapy. A prospective, quasi-experimental clinical study was conducted with 24 women presenting hormone therapy-induced sexual dysfunction, who underwent four weekly intra- and extra-cavitary PBM sessions (blue LED-440 nm, 8 min; red LED-660 nm, 20 min). Eight eligible participants who declined the intervention due to embarrassment were followed as an untreated observational group. Assessments were performed before and after the intervention using the Female Sexual Quotient Questionnaire (QS-F) and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for vaginal pain. At baseline, 82.6% of participants reported maximum vaginal pain (VAS = 10), and 78.2% presented absent or severely impaired sexual function. After four PBM sessions, 79.1% of the women reported complete absence of pain, with mean VAS scores decreasing from 9.46 ± 0.98 to 1.04 ± 2.17 (p < 0.0001). Sexual function also improved significantly, with mean QS-F scores increasing from 23.25 ± 23.47 to 87.21 ± 17.93 (p < 0.0001), and 95.8% of participants reporting good to excellent sexual function after treatment. The intervention was well tolerated, with no adverse events reported. The observational group showed no changes in the evaluated outcomes. PBM proved to be safe, well tolerated, and clinically effective in reducing vaginal pain and improving sexual function in women with breast cancer undergoing hormone therapy, representing a promising therapeutic alternative.

Sexual activity, endogenous reproductive hormones and ovulation in premenopausal women

Prasad A et al., 2014 · Horm Behav · Free full text on PubMed Central

We investigated whether sexual activity was associated with reproductive function in the BioCycle Study, a prospective cohort study that followed 259 regularly menstruating women aged 18 to 44years for one (n=9) or two (n=250) menstrual cycles in 2005-2007. Women were not attempting pregnancy nor using hormonal contraceptives. History of ever having been sexually active was assessed at baseline and frequency of sexual activity, defined as vaginal-penile intercourse, was self-reported daily throughout the study. Serum concentrations of estradiol, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), progesterone, and testosterone were measured up to 8times/cycle. Sporadic anovulation was identified using peak progesterone concentration. Linear mixed models were used to estimate associations between sexual activity and reproductive hormone concentrations and generalized linear models were used to estimate associations with sporadic anovulation. Models were adjusted for age, race, body mass index, perceived stress, and alcohol consumption and accounted for repeated measures within women. Elevated concentrations of estrogen (+14.6%, P<.01), luteal progesterone (+41.0%, P<.01) and mid-cycle LH (+23.4%, P<.01), but not FSH (P=.33) or testosterone (P=.37), were observed in sexually active women compared with sexually inactive women (no prior and no study-period sexual activity); sexually active women had lower odds of sporadic anovulation (adjusted odds ratio=0.34, 95% confidence interval: 0.16-0.73). Among sexually active women, frequency of sexual activity was not associated with hormones or sporadic anovulation (all P>.23). Findings from our study suggest that ever having been sexually active is associated with improved reproductive function, even after controlling for factors such as age.

Women's sexual experience during the menstrual cycle: identification of the sexual phase by noninvasive measurement of luteinizing hormone

Bullivant SB et al., 2004 · Journal of sex research

Imprecise measures of ovulation obscure the relationship between women's sexuality and the menstrual cycle, as does studying women with different contraceptive goals in different social contexts. Here we present a novel noninvasive method to precisely pinpoint the preovulatory surge of Luteinizing Hormone (LH), demarcating hormonally distinct cycle phases with greater than 95% reliability. Women were more sexually active on days prior to and including the preovulatory (LH) surge. This pattern was evident only when women initiated sexual activity and not when their partners did, indicating an increase in women's sexual motivation rather than attractiveness. A second study replicated the 6-day increase in sexual activity beginning 3 days before the LH surge, accompanied by stronger sexual desire and more sexual fantasies. We propose the term 'sexual phase' of the cycle, since follicular phase is over inclusive and ovulatory phase is not sufficient. These findings are striking because the women were avoiding pregnancy and were kept blind to the hypotheses, preventing expectation bias. The sexual phase was more robust in women with regular sexual partners, although the increase in sexual desire was just as great in nonpartnered women, who also reported feeling less lonely at this time. We use these results to evaluate potential neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying women's sexual motivation and activity.