Author Interviews, HPV, Sexual Health / 16.11.2014

Eduardo L. Franco DrPH, FRSC, FCAHS James McGill Professor Departments of Oncology and Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Director, Division of Cancer Epidemiology Minda de Gunzburg Chair, Department of Oncology, Division of Cancer Epidemiology Department of Oncology McGill University Montreal, Quebec, CanadaMedicalResearch.com Interview with; Eduardo L. Franco DrPH, FRSC, FCAHS James McGill Professor Departments of Oncology and Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Director, Division of Cancer Epidemiology, Minda de Gunzburg Chair, Department of Oncology, Division of Cancer Epidemiology Department of Oncology McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report? Dr. Franco: Our findings of oral transmission of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in men are part of a larger molecular epidemiologic study called ‘HPV Infection and Transmission among Couples through Heterosexual Activity’ (HITCH) cohort study. The focus of the HITCH study is to understand how HPV is transmitted within couples via sexual contact and other behaviors. We measure the presence of this virus using highly-sensitive molecular assays for HPV DNA in the genital surfaces (vagina and penis), oral cavity, and hands. We also take a blood sample to look for the presence of antibodies against HPV. We take multiple samples over a period of two years at pre-scheduled visits. We have previously published results focused exclusively on genital transmission. The present report is the first in the HITCH study to look at what happens in terms of characteristics that place male participants to be at risk of oral HPV infection. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show a high risk of oral HPV infection among men whose female partners had a genital or oral HPV infection, suggesting that transmission may occur through oral or genital routes. We looked at transmission for 36 individual HPV genotypes, which improved our ability to study risk determinants. Risk was also significantly higher among men who had ever smoked, had a high number of lifetime sex partners, or were in non-monogamous relationships. Our results are largely consistent with previous studies that have found male sex practices and smoking to be the most significant risk factors for oral HPV infection. (more…)
Author Interviews, General Medicine, Pediatrics, Sexual Health / 07.10.2014

Jeff R. Temple, PhD Associate Professor and Psychologist Director, Behavioral Health and Research Department of Ob/Gyn UTMB Health Galveston, TX 77555-0587MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jeff R. Temple, PhD Associate Professor and Psychologist Director, Behavioral Health and Research Department of Ob/Gyn UTMB Health Galveston, TX 77555-0587 Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Temple: Through previous research, we know that teen sexting is related to actual sexual behaviors, but we did not have any information on the temporal link between these two behaviors. In short, we found that teens who sexted had 32% higher odds of being sexually active over the next year relative to youth who did not sext – this was even after controlling for history of prior sexual behavior, ethnicity, gender, and age. We also found that active sexting (actually sending a naked picture to another teen) mediated the relationship between passive sexting (asking for or being asked for a sext) and sexual behaviors. In other words, while sending a sext was predictive of subsequent sexual behavior, asking for/being asked for a sext was only associated with sexual behavior through its relationship with active sexting. (more…)
Alcohol, Author Interviews, BMJ, HPV, Sexual Health / 03.10.2014

Matthew B. Schabath, Ph.D Assistant Member, Department of Cancer Epidemiology Moffitt Cancer Center Tampa, Florida MedicalResearch.com: Interview with: Matthew B. Schabath, Ph.D Assistant Member, Department of Cancer Epidemiology Moffitt Cancer Center Tampa, Florida   Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Schabath: Overall, the results from these analyses demonstrated that men who consumed the highest amounts of alcohol were associated with an increased risk for genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. (more…)
Author Interviews, Pain Research, Sexual Health / 15.09.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Natalie Sidorkewicz, MSc (Kin) PhD (HSG) Student Spine Biomechanics Laboratory School of Public Health and Health Systems, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences University of Waterloo Waterloo, ON Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Answer: First, we successfully documented male spine motion and muscle activity during sex -- this biomechanics study was the first of its kind. Second, we used this data to develop general recommendations for low back pain patients whose pain is worsened by motions and postures. The general recommendations focus on changing how people move, and position themselves during sex, as seen on websites similar to Nu-Bay. To make any sex position more spine-sparing, we recommend that the individual controlling the movement use their hips and knees more than their spine and that the individual not controlling the movement maintain a more neutral-spine position. An excellent working example is one of the sex positions that we studied: the missionary position. The man, who is controlling the movement with pelvic thrusting, is recommended to do so with more hip and knee movement than spine movement. The women, who is lying on her back, is recommended to use a back support placed underneath the natural curve of her spine to maintain a more neutral spine position. The general recommendations can be applied to any sex position for both men and women. Finally, we developed specific guidelines for men whose back pain is worsened by two specific types of motion: flexion and extension. If a man's low back pain is worsened by spine flexion movements, such as touching their toes or sitting for long periods of time, we would consider them to be flexion-motion-intolerant. The ideal sex position for a flexion-motion-intolerant patient would then be one that uses minimal spine flexion, so as not to worsen that patient's pain. When we compared the five sex positions, which you can do yourself by checking out some videos on a website such as sex free hd xxx, we found that men used the least amount of spine flexion in doggy-style as well as the missionary position as long as the male was propped up on his hands (as opposed to his elbows). If a man's low back pain is worsened by spine extension movements, such as arching their back or lying on their stomach, we would consider them to be extension-motion-intolerant. The ideal sex position for an extension-motion-intolerant patient would then be one that uses minimal spine extension, so as not to worsen the patient's pain. When we compared the five sex positions, we found that men used the least amount of spine extension in spooning and the missionary position as long as the male was propped up on his elbows (as opposed to his hands). (more…)
Author Interviews, Sexual Health / 15.08.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. Cicely Marston Senior Lecturer in Social Science Department of Public Health and Policy London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine London WC1H 9SH Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Marston: Young people talked to us about an oppressive environment where some men compete with each other to have anal sex with women, even if they expect women to find it painful. Women also reported they were repeatedly asked for anal sex by their male partners and on some accounts, women enjoy it websites like https://bitchtopia.com/true-sex-stories/ go into detail about how the women asked for anal sex but we have found this is largely the minority among those we spoke too. Their accounts also raise the real possibility of coercion for young women – who were sometimes put in situations where they are penetrated anally without their explicit consent. Young people often suggested that pain for women was inevitable, or that it was the woman’s fault, ideas that may make them less likely to change their practices to reduce pain. Some young people said they thought STIs were less of a problem for anal sex compared with vaginal sex. Some young men put their own desire to have anal sex ahead of the desires and needs of their partners. (more…)
Sexual Health, Statins / 29.03.2014

Dr. John B. Kostis, MD Chief of Medical Service, RWJUH Professor of Medicine & Pharmacology Chair - Department of Medicine Rutgers Robert Wood JohnsonMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr. John B. Kostis, MD Chief of Medical Service, RWJUH Professor of Medicine & Pharmacology Chair - Department of Medicine Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr.Kostis:  In this meta-analysis statins improved erectile function in men with decreased function on the average. (more…)
Accidents & Violence, Lancet, Sexual Health / 14.02.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Professor Naeemah Abrahams Senior Specialist Scientist:  Gender & Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council Extraordinary Professor:  Faculty of Community Health Sciences -School of Public Health: University of the Western Cape Associate Professor: Faculty of Health Sciences - School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: University of Cape Town MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Prof. Abrahams: We found a global estimate of non-partner sexual violence of 7.2%  for women 15 years and older - but this estimate varied across the globe. The regions with the highest prevalence was Sub Sahara Africa Central and Southern with a prevalence was 21% in the central region and  17.4 % in the Southern region. This is nearly 3 times the global estimate . The region with the lowest prevalence was  Asia South at 3.3%. The low level could be due to a number of reasons. Firstly data from this region was very limited – from 2 countries only  and we have found that if sexual violence questions are added to other larger studies the level of disclosure is not very high. It is also  more likely that people from Asia region do not disclose the violence in research studies because of stigma and shame. (more…)
Author Interviews, JAMA, Menopause, Sexual Health, University of Pittsburgh / 11.02.2014

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Holly Thomas, MD General Internal Medicine Fellow, Women's Health and Clinical Research University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA 15213 MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Thomas: We found that, despite popular perception, the majority of women (85%) who are sexually active at midlife will remain sexually active four years later. We also found that the majority of women score low on a measure of sexual function. However, low sexual function scores did not mean women stopped having sex. In fact, the score on the sexual function measure did not predict whether women maintained sexual activity. Finally, we found that importance of sex was a strong predictor of whether women remained sexually active. Women who felt sex was moderately to extremely important in their lives were 3 times more likely to maintain sexual activity. (more…)
Author Interviews, Duke, JAMA, Pediatrics, Sexual Health / 31.12.2013

Stewart C. Alexander, PhD Department of Medicine Duke University Medical Center Durham, North CarolinaMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Stewart C. Alexander, PhD Department of Medicine Duke University Medical Center Durham, North Carolina MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Alexander: Adolescents are reluctant to talk about sex with their doctors and won't raise the topic with their doctors. For physicians, there are common and valid barriers to talking about sexuality with adolescents, including time pressures and discomfort with the topic. Two-thirds of adolescents in our study had some sexuality talk during their annual visit, lasting 36 seconds long. Girls, African Americans, and older teens were more likely to receive sexuality talk. Additionally, longer visits and visits where the physician talked confidentially with their adolescent patient were more likely to have sexuality talk. Our study suggest that sexuality conversations in annual visits can be improved. (more…)
Author Interviews, Lancet, Psychological Science, Sexual Health / 10.12.2013

Catherine H. Mercer Ph.D. Senior Lecturer UCL Centre for Sexual Health & HIV Research Research Department of Infection & Population Health University College London London U.K.MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Catherine H. Mercer Ph.D. Senior Lecturer UCL Centre for Sexual Health & HIV Research Research Department of Infection & Population Health University College London London U.K. MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Mercer: Firstly, the National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, Britain’s nationally-representative surveys of sexual behaviour (or Natsal for short), have captured substantial changes in sexual attitudes and lifestyles over the past 60 years, having collected data from over 45,000 people born between the 1930s and the 1990s – a period spanning much of the 20th Century. Secondly, the recent changes in behaviour that we have observed - so over the past decade - have however been considerably more marked for women than men, with the gender gap in reported behaviour narrowing, and in some cases, disappearing altogether. Thirdly, we’ve seen a greater acceptance of more diverse sexual lifestyles, such as same-sex sexual partnerships, but greater intolerance of what many people might consider as ‘disrespectful’ sexual partnerships, including non-exclusivity in marriage. (more…)
Author Interviews, Lancet, Sexual Health / 06.12.2013

Dr Kirstin R Mitchell PhD Lecturer in Sexual and Reproductive Health Dept of Social and Environmental Health Research Faculty of Public Health & Policy London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 15-17 Tavistock Place London WC1H 9SHMedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Kirstin R Mitchell PhD Lecturer in Sexual and Reproductive Health Dept of Social and Environmental Health Research Faculty of Public Health & Policy London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study? Dr. Mitchell: We explored the distribution of sexual function in the British population using a probability sample survey (the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles [Natsal-3]) of 15 162 individuals aged 16–74 years. We measured sexual function using the Natsal-SF, a novel validated measure, which assessed problems with individual sexual response, sexual function in a relationship context, and self-appraisal of sex life. Men and women in the oldest age groups surveyed (55 – 74) were more likely to have low overall sexual function than those in the youngest age group (16 – 24). After taking account of age differences, low sexual function was associated in both men and women with being unemployed, with current depression, and with poor general health. It was also associated with higher numbers of lifetime partners (women only), paying for sex (men only), and reporting same-sex partners, as well as with other aspects of sexual health, such as being diagnosed with an STI and experiencing sex against their will. Low sexual function was associated with relationship breakdown, and with people not being happy with their relationship. Within relationships, the most common problem was an imbalance in level of interest in sex between partners, which affected around a quarter of both men and women. Just under one in five men and women said their partner had experienced sexual difficulties in the last year, and this proportion increased with age, particularly among women. Lack of interest in sex was one of the most commonly reported problems for both men and women, affecting three in every twenty (15%) men, and with women twice as likely as men to say that this had been an issue in the last year. Difficulty reaching climax (16%) and vaginal dryness (13%) were among common problems for women; and reaching a climax more quickly than desired (15%), and difficulty getting or keeping an erection (13%) among men. (more…)
Author Interviews, Lancet, Sexual Health / 02.12.2013

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Dr Nigel Field MBPhD Research Department of Infection and Population Health University College London, London, UDr Nigel Field MBPhD Research Department of Infection and Population Health University College London, London, UK MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
 Dr. Field: This study, published in The Lancet on Tuesday 26 November, reports data from the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal), interviewing over 15,000 participants aged 16-74 years, to systematically assess the association between people’s health and their sexual lifestyles in Britain. The key findings from the study are that close to one in six (17%) of men and women feel that their health had affected their sex life in the past year. This rises to three fifths (60%) among men and women who say that they are in bad health. However, only a quarter of men (24%) and under a fifth of women (18%) who say that ill-health affects their sex life had sought help from a health profession, usually a family doctor. (more…)