Sexual Health Article Feed

February 9th, 2025

Using Machine Learning to Identify Predictors of Sexually Transmitted Infections Over Time Among Young People Living With or at Risk for HIV Who Participated in ATN Protocols 147, 148, and 149.

Comulada WS; Rotheram-Borus MJ; Arnold EM; Norwood P; Lee SJ; Ocasio MA; Flynn R; Nielsen-Saines K; Bolan R; Klausner JD; Swendeman D pubmed id: 37643402

The number of young people with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has gone up a lot in the past 13 years, and they make up half of all STIs in the country. We need to find out what causes STIs in young people living in cities with a lot of HIV cases.

Same-Sex Kissing and Having a Gay or Lesbian Child: A Bridge Too Far? Parent-Child Similarities in Homophobic Attitudes and Observed Parental Discomfort.

van de Rozenberg TM; Kroes ADA; van der Pol LD; Groeneveld MG; Mesman J pubmed id: 37643385

The study looked at how similar parents and children's attitudes are about being gay. It found that parents and kids have more similar attitudes when they are the same gender. Also, parents felt uncomfortable talking about someone coming out as gay, especially when the parent and child are the same gender.

"If You're Not Yourself, Who are You Going to be?" an Exploration of Gender and Sexuality Diverse Pupils Experiences of Visibility Management in School: A Systematic Literature Review.

Timney C; Wright S; Sargeant C pubmed id: 37643381

The study looked at how young people who are gender and sexuality diverse try to be themselves at school while dealing with how to share their identity. They want to find safe and accepting places at school, and they hope teachers can help make schools more open and welcoming for everyone.

The Connection Between Sex as Self-Injury and Sexual Violence.

Hedén L; Jonsson LS; Fredlund C pubmed id: 37640887

Some people hurt themselves without wanting to die, and others might use sex in a harmful way for similar reasons, like trying to handle emotions. This study looked at how experiences of sexual violence might be connected to using sex in a harmful way. They found that people might use sex in this way because of past abuse, and it could lead to more dangerous situations.

The Sexual Orientation Microaggression Inventory Short Form (SOMI-SF): Validation in Three Samples of Racially/Ethnically Diverse Sexual Minority Youth.

Swann G; Bettin E; Ryan DT; Clifford A; Newcomb ME; Whitton SW; Mustanski B pubmed id: 37637938

The Sexual Orientation Microaggression Inventory (SOMI) is a tool to see how people feel about small, hurtful comments about their sexual orientation. But since it has 19 questions, it might be too long for some surveys or when there isn't much time to ask people questions.

Sexual growth and destiny beliefs: Longitudinal associations with dyadic coping among couples seeking medically assisted reproduction.

Rossi MA; Péloquin K; Allsop DB; El Amiri S; Bouzayen R; Brassard A; Bergeron S; Rosen NO pubmed id: 37632412

Couples going through medical help to have a baby might face problems with their romantic relationship. If they think they can work through these challenges together or believe that problems show they aren't a good match, it can affect how they handle stress together during this time.

Mpox (monkeypox) knowledge, concern, willingness to change behaviour, and seek vaccination: results of a national cross-sectional survey.

MacGibbon J; Cornelisse VJ; Smith AKJ; Broady TR; Hammoud MA; Bavinton BR; Heath-Paynter D; Vaughan M; Wright EJ; Holt M pubmed id: 37611539

In 2022, there was an mpox outbreak mostly affecting gay and bisexual men in countries where the disease wasn't common before. Australia had never had mpox cases before, and there wasn't any research about what gay and bisexual men in Australia knew or thought about mpox.

Understanding experiences of potential harm among MSM (cis and trans) using HIV self-testing in the SELPHI randomised controlled trial in England and Wales: a mixed-methods study.

Witzel TC; Nicholls EJ; McCabe L; Weatherburn P; McCormack S; Bonell C; Gafos M; Lampe FC; Speakman A; Dunn D; Ward D; Phillips AN; Pebody R; Gabriel MM; Collaco-Moraes Y; Rodger AJ; Burns FM pubmed id: 37607814

The paper talks about worries that testing for HIV by yourself might be harmful. It looks at how testing yourself might cause harm in a big study called SELPHI, which is the biggest test of self-testing for HIV in rich countries.

: Familiarity with, perceived accuracy of, and willingness to rely on Undetectable=Untransmittable (U=U) among gay and bisexual men in Australia: results of a national cross-sectional survey.

MacGibbon J; Bavinton BR; Broady TR; Ellard J; Murphy D; Calabrese SK; Kalwicz DA; Heath-Paynter D; Molyneux A; Power C; Heslop A; de Wit J; Holt M pubmed id: 37603535

The study looked at how well gay and bisexual men in Australia know and trust the message "Undetectable=Untransmittable" (U=U), which says that people with HIV can't spread it if their virus is undetectable because of treatment. Researchers wanted to see how many people were familiar with this idea and if they believed and felt safe relying on it.

Improving HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake and initiation: process evaluation and recommendation development from a national PrEP program.

Estcourt CS; MacDonald J; Saunders J; Nandwani R; Young I; Frankis J; Clutterbuck D; Steedman N; McDaid L; Dalrymple J; Flowers P pubmed id: 37603534

The research looked at how well a program to stop HIV with medicine before exposure is working. They found problems and helpful things about the program, and they gave ideas on how to make the program better so more people start using it.

The challenge of providing medical follow-up for sexual assault victims: can we predict who will attend? A retrospective cross-sectional study.

Healey LM; Hutchinson JL; Pfeiffer MN; Garton L; Hatten B; Dobbie M; Simpson L; Templeton DJ pubmed id: 37599505

The study looked at how a new plan helped people return for medical follow-ups after sexual assault. More people came back for check-ups, especially if they knew the person who hurt them or were given certain medicine. People with injuries didn't come back as much, and some still got infections, so other follow-up ways might be needed.

Effects of a clinic-based reproductive empowerment intervention on proximal outcomes of contraceptive use, self-efficacy, attitudes, and awareness and use of survivor services: a cluster-controlled trial in Nairobi, Kenya.

Uysal J; Boyce SC; Undie CC; Liambila W; Wendoh S; Pearson E; Johns NE; Silverman JG pubmed id: 37594312

A study in Nairobi, Kenya tested a special counseling program called ARCHES to help women with birth control and deal with partner violence. Women in the program were more likely to use contraceptives and learn about support services for violence. The study showed that this approach could help in other countries too.

Pre- and post-LEEP: analysis of the female urogenital tract microenvironment and its association with sexual dysfunction.

Giovannetti O; Tomalty D; Velikonja L; Gray G; Boev N; Gilmore S; Oladipo J; Sjaarda C; Sheth PM; Adams MA pubmed id: 37588087

A procedure called LEEP is used to treat problems in the cervix but it can change the types of bacteria that live there, which are important for women's health. Changes to these bacteria in different parts of the female body might be linked to problems with sexual health, but scientists still need to study how LEEP and these changes are related to sexual health issues.

Disclosure, minority stress, and mental health among bisexual, pansexual, and queer (bi+) adults: The roles of primary sexual identity and multiple sexual identity label use.

Feinstein BA; Hurtado M; Dyar C; Davila J pubmed id: 37583367

This study looked at people with different sexual labels like bisexual, pansexual, and queer to see how these labels might affect their mental health. Pansexual and queer people often told more people about their identity and faced more discrimination. Using more than one label also seemed to bring more challenges, like facing discrimination from both straight and gay/lesbian people.

An ecological analysis of hope amongst Asian rainbow young people in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Tan K; Roy R; Ker A; Fenaughty J pubmed id: 37565986

The study looks at the hopes of Asian rainbow young people and how they face different types of unfairness, like racism and unfair treatment due to their gender or who they love. The research found that these young people want changes, such as better schools, fair healthcare, and more supportive families, to feel included and accepted. It shows that communities and governments need to listen to their needs and make things better for them.

Development and validation of a perceived abortion self-efficacy scale: results from Bolivia, Nepal and Nigeria.

Shellenberg KM; Acre VN; Bhattarai N; Adojutelegan YA; Oginni A pubmed id: 37565792

Researchers created a scale to measure how confident women feel about safely ending a pregnancy. They tested their ideas with women from three countries and came up with 15 questions to learn about three important areas: getting help, finding information, and being strong. The new scale can help see how well programs work to support women.

Implementing medical abortion through telemedicine in Colombia: a qualitative study.

Piay-Fernández N; Stenbacka E; Jaramillo MC; Guerrero G; Solano Rodríguez AA; Montenegro P; Moreno DC; Cleeve A pubmed id: 37565788

Profamilia set up a way for people to get medication for abortion using telemedicine, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic in Colombia. The study found that teamwork, training, and strong leadership helped make this service work well, though some doctors were worried about safety. Problems like social opposition and poor internet also made it harder for everyone to access the service.

People's knowledge of and attitudes toward abortion laws before and after the decision.

Jozkowski KN; Bueno X; Turner RC; Crawford BL; Lo WJ pubmed id: 37565622

Researchers looked at how much people knew about a Mississippi law and a big decision about abortion. They found that many people didn't know much about the law or the decision, even though it was a big topic in the news. Most people thought abortion should be legal at 15 weeks, but their opinions changed depending on different situations.

Acceptability of patient-referral partner notification for sexually transmitted infections to young people, a mixed methods study from Zimbabwe.

Lariat J; Chikwari CD; Dauya E; Baumu VT; Kaisi V; Kafata L; Meza E; Simms V; Mackworth-Young C; Rochford H; Machiha A; Bandason T; Francis SC; Ferrand RA; Bernays S pubmed id: 37565610

A study in Zimbabwe looked at how young people deal with telling their partners about sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Many felt unprepared to talk to their partners, and only a few partners went for treatment. The study suggests finding safer ways to help young people with this process.

Binary and Non-binary Gender Identities, Internalizing Problems, and Treatment Wishes Among Adolescents Referred to a Gender Identity Clinic in Germany.

Herrmann L; Barkmann C; Bindt C; Fahrenkrug S; Breu F; Grebe J; Becker-Hebly I pubmed id: 37563319

The study looked at transgender and gender-nonconforming teens in Germany. It found that 10% of them were non-binary and they had more mental health problems and different treatment wishes than binary teens. It's important for doctors to understand and support non-binary teens' unique needs.

Sounds Like There was No Sexual Orientation Discrimination? Attributions to Discrimination on the Basis of Auditory Gaydar.

Hegarty P; Fasoli F pubmed id: 37561414

This research studied how people are judged by their voices and if it leads to unfair treatment when trying to get leadership jobs. People listened to voices that sounded like straight or gay/lesbian speakers and guessed why they didn't get the job. Many thought it was because of gender but few thought it was because of sexual orientation.

Intersexual and Intrasexual Differences in Mate Selection Preferences Among Lesbian Women, Gay Men, and Bisexual Women and Men.

Klümper L; Hassebrauck M; Schwarz S pubmed id: 37558933

This study looked at what lesbian, gay, and bisexual people like in partners and marriage, and how old they prefer partners to be. The results showed that being male or female is the biggest factor in these preferences, more than sexual orientation or whether people want short or long-term relationships. The study compares these findings with information from heterosexual people.

Retrospective cohort study assessing coverage, uptake and associations with hepatitis B vaccination among females who engage in sex work attending sexual health services in England between 2015 and 2019.

Hibbert M; Simmons R; Ratna N; Mandal S; Sabin C; Desai M; Mohammed H pubmed id: 37550014

The study looked at how many female sex workers in England got vaccinated against hepatitis B, a virus they are at high risk for. It also checked what factors helped or stopped them from getting the vaccine.

Longitudinal Examination of Sexual Risk Behavior in College Students With and Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Weyandt L; DuPaul GJ; Shepard E; Labban JD; Francis A; Beatty A; Anastopoulos AD pubmed id: 37548880

The study looked at college students with and without ADHD to see if there were differences in risky sexual behavior. They found that students with ADHD were more likely to take sexual risks, and using medicine for ADHD helped reduce these risks over time. Anxiety and substance use like alcohol and cannabis also affected risky behaviors differently for these students.

Diagnoses and medications associated with delayed ejaculation.

Mulloy E; Zhang A; Balladelli F; Del Giudice F; Glover F; Eisenberg ML pubmed id: 37547871

Delayed ejaculation (DE) can make men feel upset because it takes a long time for them to finish during sex. We don't know much about why DE happens or what other health problems might be related to it.

Women's experiences with hypnobirth - A qualitative study.

Uldal T; Østmoen MS; Dahl B; Røseth I pubmed id: 37541096

Hypnobirth is a method that helps women get ready for having a baby by using ideas from hypnosis. It tries to make birth feel normal and positive by helping women feel less scared and in less pain. This study looked at how women felt about using hypnobirth when they had their babies.

Perspectives of a peer-driven approach to improve pre-exposure prophylaxis and HIV prevention among Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men.

Tao J; Sosnowy C; Arnold T; Kapadia J; Parent H; Rogers BG; Almonte A; Chan PA pubmed id: 37532286

Some groups of men are not starting a medicine called PrEP as much as others, and this study looks at how using friends and community members might help. The goal is to see if this method can help more Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino men take PrEP.