Monogamous Heterosexual Relationship Research Articles

(002) Evaluation of Efficacy of Sexual Novelty as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy to Treat Hypoactive Sexual Desire Dysfunction in Women in Monogamous Heterosexual Relationships Attributing Reduced Sexual Desire to Sexual Boredom: A Prospective Randomized Study

Abstract Introduction Hypoactive Sexual Desire Dysfunction (HSDD) in women is of multifactorial etiology with the best possible response on identifying modifiable factors and addressing them. With sexual boredom being one such factor in women with HSDD in a monogamous heterosexual relationship, the factors that improve boredom are expected to improve sexual desire in these women. Objective To evaluate sexual novelty as a therapeutic strategy to treat HSDD in women in monogamous heterosexual relationships using a prospective randomized study design. Methods The study was initiated following institutional review board approval. The participants, who expressed sexual boredom during our initial survey on sexual boredom in women in monogamous heterosexual relationships, female outpatients (in monogamous heterosexual relationships) with non-sexual complaints, and female partners of male patients with non-sexual complaints who agreed to participate in the study voluntarily were included. The exclusion was based on an evaluation of the participants by qualified medical specialists who diagnosed sexual, psychological, medical as well as gynecological conditions affecting sexual desire. Included participants attributing reduced sexual desire to sexual boredom on initial screening with Decreased Sexual Desire Screener (DSDS) were administered the Sexual Boredom Scale (SBS), to record the degree of sexual boredom in these women at the time of entry into the study. The participants were divided into two groups based on the computer-generated random numbers. The participants in group A received psychotherapy (included behavior therapy and/or cognitive behavior therapy and/or mindfulness) alone and group B received psychotherapy and a sexual novelty package (included any novelty related to sexuality other than trying a new sexual partner) as their planned intervention for a period of 6 months. The participants in both groups were administered the Elements of Desire Questionnaire (EDQ) at the beginning and at the end of the study to assess their sexual desire status. Mean and standard deviation was calculated for categorical variables, namely, age, period of monogamy, SBS score, and EDQ scores. The linear and multiple regression analysis was done to assess the effect of the age of the participant, and period of monogamy on boredom, and to know any influence of age, period of monogamy, and boredom level on the degree of improvement in sexual desire following treatment. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results The study was conducted from January 2019 to May 2023 with a sample size of 398. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups as far as the age (36.5±10.8 years Vs 36.4±10.7 years), period of monogamy (10.9±7.7 years Vs 11.7.9±8.5 years), SBS score (71.8±30.8 Vs 73.1±43.9), and baseline EDQ score (1.5±0.6 Vs 1.4±0.6) were concerned. However, post-intervention, the sexual novelty group showed better improvement in EDQ score, which was statistically significant. The lower age of the participant and a longer period of monogamy were seen to impact sexual desire adversely on the multiple regression model. Conclusions Sexual novelty as a novel therapeutic strategy was successful in treating our study participants attributing reduced sexual desire to sexual boredom while being in a monogamous heterosexual relationship. Disclosure No.

Counselling for connection: making queer relationships during Britain’s sexual revolution

This article examines the creation and mobilisation of counselling services by British LGBTQ+ activist organisations during the 1960s and 1970s, focusing especially on Britain’s first ‘homophile’ organisation, the Albany Trust,...

Circinate erythematous penile plaque

A 63-year-old-male male presented with a 1.5-year asymptomatic recalcitrant penile lesion that was initially diagnosed as candida balanitis and unsuccessfully treated with antifungal creams. He denied any systemic symptoms, and a review of systems was unremarkable. He admitted having a monogamous heterosexual relationship and denied any previous sexually transmitted infections, recent changes in medications, or a history of malignancy. Physical examination demonstrated a well-demarcated circinate erythematous velvety plaque on the penile corona with extension into the ureteral meatus (Fig 1).

Women in Love: Why Women are Expected to Love First and the Exploration of Changing Gender Roles in Heterosexual Romantic Relationships

This paper explores the misconception that women, being perceived in western society as the most emotional gender, is the first to feel love and to say the words “I love you” in a romantic heterosexual relationship. Research has determined that women are expected to say and feel love in a relationship before men, when in reality the opposite is true. I will discuss social expectations of gender norms in heterosexual relationships and the ways in which relationship norms are currently being challenged. I suggest that changes in courtship norms and media influences on youth create inaccurate gender expectations around love and that new technological advances and decrease in the effectiveness of monogamous heterosexual relationships are challenging these gender expectations, therefore the relationship model and the gendered expectations within these relationships, as known by western society, may be obsolete.

Coparenting and Relationship Satisfaction in Mothers: The Moderating Role of Sociosexuality.

This study explored the moderating effect of sociosexual orientation on the association between coparenting alliance/coparenting conflict and relationship satisfaction in mothers in a romantic relationship. Sociosexuality is defined as a personality trait that reflects the individual difference in willingness to engage in uncommitted sexual relations. The study examined a community sample of 635 Portuguese mothers with a monogamous heterosexual relationship. Data on coparenting, relationship satisfaction, and sociosexual orientation were collected. The results revealed the moderating effect of sociosexuality on the significant associations between both coparenting alliance and coparenting conflict predicting relationship satisfaction. For the association between coparenting alliance and relationship satisfaction, mothers with a more restricted sociosexual orientation reported the highest levels of satisfaction when their coparenting alliance was high, but the lowest levels of satisfaction when coparenting alliance was low. For the association between coparenting conflict and relationship satisfaction, mothers with a more restricted sociosexual orientation reported the highest levels of satisfaction when their coparenting conflict was low, but the lowest levels when coparenting conflict was high. Together, the results suggest that especially for women with a more restricted sociosexual orientation, coparenting quality explains significant interindividual variability in relationship satisfaction.

Pornography addiction and the perimeters of acceptable pornography viewing

In this study, we investigate how pornography addiction is constructed by members of the New Zealand public by analysing six 2016 newspaper articles focusing on pornography addiction, and the 1430 Facebook comments posted in response to them. Utilizing a critical discursive approach, we identified five interpretative repertoires employed to construct both the viewing of pornography and pornography itself in multiple ways. Our analysis suggests that although pornography remained poorly defined, it was at turns framed as both unnatural and natural to view. The naturalness of viewing pornography however was complicated by an explicit acceptance of pornography addiction, which was variously proposed as being similar to substance abuse, a threat to intimate relationships, and as a convenient excuse. Moreover, the pornography addict was reliably described as male, and implicitly placed within a monogamous heterosexual relationship, with pornography depicted as most threatening when impinging upon such relationships. As such, we argue that the construction of pornography addiction not only reifies morally conservative historical concerns, but also side-lines the ethical and political ramifications of normalized pornography viewership. The possible replacement of discussions about the content of pornography with debates about user effects indicates a rapid historical shift from concerns for community standards to concerns for personal responsibility.

Annals for Educators - 18 April 2017

Annals for Educators - 18 April 2017

‘try-error-try-it’: Love, Loss, and the Subversion(?) of the Heteronormative Romance Story in Will Grayson, Will Grayson


 
 
 
 “and that’s how you find it . . . you know, it” (268). Romances stories are often about finding happiness and true love, about finding it. In these novels happiness is both privileged and equated with love, and more often than not these love stories are about heterosexual happiness. Sara Ahmed, in The Promise of Happiness, describes the necessity of queer love stories when she explains “there are of course good reasons for telling stories about queer happiness, in response to and as a response to the very presumption that a queer life is necessarily and inevitably an unhappy life” (p. 94). My article explores this presumption by examining John Green and David Levithan’s Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010), specifically the way the novel encourages empathy for the queer characters by playing with the readers’ generic and social expectations of the romance story.
 Will Grayson, Will Grayson follows two teenage boys named Will Grayson, whose paths cross serendipitously. The chapters of this novel present simultaneous love stories by alternating between straight Will (who ends up in stable monogamous heterosexual relationship, and therefore has a normatively happy ending) and gay Will (whose future is not so certain). This paper contrasts the hetero- and homosexual love stories and analyses how the interplay of these stories engenders empathy in the reader. I argue that in this way, Will Grayson, Will Grayson challenges heteronormative expectations of the romance story.
 
 
 

Hepatoxicity Associated with Garcinia Cambogia Used as a Weight Loss Supplement

Introduction: Obesity is a major public health problem affecting 35% of the adult population in the United States. Garcinia cambogia (GC) extract with its active ingredient: hydroxycitric acid is widely used for weight loss. It has been shown to suppress the appetite and decrease de-novo fatty acid synthesis; however, its effects on long-term weight maintenance programs is unknown. It has also been associated with cases of fulminant liver failure requiring liver transplant. We describe a case of acute hepatitis after GC use for weight loss. Case: A 36-year-old female with no significant medical history presented with a 3-day history of lowgrade fever, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. She reported taking GC for four weeks for weight loss. She also complained of anorexia, malaise, fatigue, jaundice and choluria. She denied alcohol consumption and was in a monogamous heterosexual relationship. Physical exam: scleral icterus, cutaneous jaundice, and tender hepatomegaly measuring 2 cm below costal margin. Abnormal laboratory results: white blood cell count 2.73 ×103 cells/μL (4-11), platelet count 78 ×103 cells/μL (150-400), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 5340 U/L (15-41), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 5615 U/L (7-52), alkaline phosphatase 104 U/L (32-91), total bilirubin 7.4 mg/dl (0.3-1.0) and direct bilirubin 4.9 mg/dl (0.0-0.4). Hepatitis A, B and C and all autoimmune markers were negative. Abdominal doppler ultrasound showed, mild echotexture coarsening in the liver and small ascites. GC was discontinued upon admission, and conservative management was initiated. Upon discharge, six days later her liver function was improving with an ALT of 680 U/L, ALT 1894 U/L and total bilirubin 8.1 mg/dL. Conclusion: GC is commonly advertised anti-obesity supplement with unknown effects on long-term weight maintenance. The general public needs to be aware of the potential hepatotoxic effect of GC.Figure 1

083 Partner Prosthesis Panic

Introduction: Approximately 300,000 penile implants are placed annually in the US. Female partners in relationships with men with ED considering implant surgery have expressed concern over re-introduction of an erect penis into their sexual lives. We define “Partner Prosthesis Panic” as the concerns of the female sexual partner who during pre- or post-operative interview openly described issues such as: her low sexual desire, reduced arousal, muted orgasm, and bothersome pain during penetration. These conditions may negatively influence the post-operative outcome and frequency of implant use. We examined prevalence of “Partner Prosthesis Panic” and management strategies of the distressed female partners of men undergoing IPP insertion. In the last fifty consecutive penile implant surgeries in men in monogamous heterosexual relationships, 11 (22%) female sexual partners were identified (mean age 57±11 years) who expressed “Partner Prosthesis Panic” and underwent management in our facility. Contemporary management of women with sexual dysfunction is biopsychosocial including judicious use of FDA-approved and non-approved treatments. 82% were menopausal and 18% were peri-menopausal. All had FSD >5 years prior to implant procedure. FSFI (mean 18±4) and SDS (21±6) scores were abnormal in all. Psychologic interviews revealed findings consistent with a history of sexual trauma/abuse (27%) and mood issues: anxiety, depression, panic, use of mood-related medications (45%). Pelvic floor physical exams were abnormal in 73%. Vulvoscopic assessments revealed abnormalities such as clitoral atrophy, resorption of labia minora, erythema and tenderness of minor vestibular glands, limited robust peri-urethral tissue, urethral prolapse, limited gavial rugae, abnormal vaginal pH in all patients. Hormonal assessments of sex steroids were abnormal in all patients. Following sex therapy, physical therapy and biologic management, 8 of 11 experienced markedly improved sexual function that significantly facilitated couple satisfaction post-penile implantation.

Should men with mild erectile dysfunction be closely evaluated for cardiovascular diseases in the Korean population?

This study compared demographic characteristics and prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities between men with mild erectile dysfunction (ED) and men with more severe ED. Men with 6-month history of ED and in monogamous heterosexual relationships were included. Non-responders to type 5 phosphodiesterase inhibitors or patients receiving regular treatment with nitrate, anticoagulants, androgens, and anti-androgens were excluded. ED was defined according to the International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire score: no ED (≥26), mild ED (22–25), and others (<22). The review identified 70 patients with mild ED (6.0%, group A) and 1098 patients with more severe ED (94.0%, group B) were included. Of the patients in group B, 365 had mild-to-moderate ED (30.5%), 505 had moderate ED (43.2%), and 233 had severe ED (20.0%). Mean ages and body mass indices showed no differences between groups A and B. Group A had shorter mean duration of ED (p = 0.025). Although patients in group A had milder ED with shorter duration than group B patients, cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension and lipid disorder were still common for group A. The most common comorbidity was diabetes, which was twice as likely for patients in group B. Except for diabetes the prevalence of all diseases was comparable between the two groups. In conclusion, patients with mild ED should be closely evaluated for cardiovascular comorbidities.

Ocular Syphilis: Staring Straight at You (P01.122)

Objective: Syphilis is known as the great 9imitator9 of a myriad of presenting symptoms. This case presentation highlights the difficulty of diagnosing syphilis in the setting of unilateral photophobia. A 54 year old heterosexual male presented with a four month history of progressive left eye photophobia. He denied diplopia or visual field defects. Four months prior, he was treated with topical and oral steroids for inflammatory keratitis with relief; however, photophobia was exacerbated with steroid taper. He served in the Korean War during which he had multiple female sexual partners and did not use barrier contraception. Currently, he is in a four-year monogamous heterosexual relationship. Vital signs stable. Patient is alert and oriented with visual acuity of the right eye 20/20 and left eye 20/400. Fundoscopic exam of the left eye showed interior endothelial keratic precipitates. Neurological exam was unremarkable. Rapid plasma reagin was negative; however, fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption and treponema pallidum hemagglutination were both positive. Lumbar puncture revealed positive CSF RPR and FTA-MB, confirming our suspicion for neurosyphilis. Serology for HIV and assays for the detection of fungal antigen gave negative results. Patient was treated with IV penicillin G 24 million units daily for 14 days. At four month follow up his visual acuity improved and the uveoscleritis had resolved. A re-emergence of syphilis has been reported in the United States and Europe. This case demonstrates that the eye may be one of the numerous sites of syphilitic inflammation and damage. Secondary syphilis caused a progressive deterioration of ocular findings in our patient. This condition may result in permanent loss of vision if not adequately treated. In conclusion, ocular involvement should be carefully evaluated in patients with syphilis, and, at the same time, this infection should be considered as a potential cause of ocular inflammation. Disclosure: Dr. Faridani has nothing to disclose. Dr. Moore has nothing to disclose.

On his terms: representations of sexuality in women's magazines and the implications for negotiating safe sex

Research on sexual content in women's magazines has identified dominant ideologies that promote sexual role stereotypes and privilege masculinity. We extend this analysis in a thematic analysis to examine representations of sex in two best selling Australian women's magazines and to examine how such ideologies may reduce women's abilities to negotiate safe sex. One main theme – hetero monogamy – and six subsidiary themes emerged. Being in a monogamous heterosexual relationship was presented as essential for every woman's happiness, with sex as the means for achieving and maintaining this state. Five subsidiary themes, labelled gender differences, great sex, reaching orgasm, appearance and single women, reinforced the message that, for women, sex was work and required instruction. The final theme, sexual health, revealed an alarming absence of information on negotiating safe sex, apart from referring to it as an ‘awkward conversation’, whereas unprotected sex was a sign of trust and commitment. Throughout the themes, there was a lack of recognition of women's sexual desires and sexual agency. We argue that these discourses have serious implications for women's sexual health.

A critical examination of slash fiction theories

This article explores and critically examines the main theories that have previously been proposed to offer understanding into the phenomenon of slash fiction, a genre of fan fiction which concentrates on male/male erotica, written by women for women. While theories such as the idea that slash offers a way for the women who read and write it to transcend the limitations of hegemonic masculinity are both compelling and empowering, this article concludes that one fixed theory cannot satisfactorily encompass the multiplicity of fluctuating meanings that slash holds for its fans. Also, while there is no doubt that the reading and writing of slash holds subversive potential due to the way it questions the constructions of gender and sexuality, it is possible that the over-theorisation of slash fiction can be seen as problematic as it may stem from discomfort over the idea of women seeking sexual gratification that exists outside of monogamous heterosexual relationships, therefore detracting from the fact that women are often drawn to this genre purely because they find it erotic and pleasurable.

Poverty, Payment, Power: Kathleen Thompson Norris and Popular Romance

2006 marked the fortieth anniversary of the death of Kathleen Thompson Norris. Who? I hear my under-fifty colleagues cry. The question is both understandable and remarkable, considering that between 1910 and 1950, was the equivalent of Nora Roberts or Stephen King. The author of eighty-two novels, many of them bestsellers and many more serialized in the period's most popular publications, claimed in Time (in 1955) to have written nine million words--at the rate of about $1 per word. (1) Not bad, even by the inflated standards of 2008. But she has been forgotten, condemned to the critical abysses of and sentimental fiction, despite her often bleak portrayals of married life for women. Her husband is recalled in specialized circles, but the reputation of both has been overshadowed by Charles Norris's more famous brother, Frank. Two critical studies--Anne G. Balay's 'Hands Full of Living': Birth Control, Nostalgia, and Kathleen Norris and Bruce Degi's Fiction and Family: The Early Novels of Charles and Kathleen have recognized the two Norrises' place in literary history, but are less sanguine about their contributions to literature. (2) In particular, the forced happy endings that marked many of Kathleen Norris's novels have not been forgiven by the postmodern academy; nor have the novels that took a different stance been remembered. However, Kathleen Thompson is interesting in her own right, as a real author who calls genre into question and plays radically with both anxiety and expectation. While many of Norris's novels count as romance, focused as they are on monogamous heterosexual relationships, the forced conclusions that end the happier novels, let alone the despair that marks the darker ones, tell a story not conventionally romantic. Despite her faith in the potential of marriage and family to redeem society, educate the young, and provide happiness for women. (3) Norris's essays and novels are also cautionary tales that position the choices to marry and to have sex as the most dangerous and fraught of a woman's life: not just morally or spiritually, but in terms of practical threats (notably poverty) to women's well-being. Even the happiest of Norris's novels show an equal and opposite pull of anxiety concerning women's ability to achieve any kind of security for themselves in a world where the laws of both marriage and economy favor men. The writing of Kathleen Thompson is interesting not only as a recuperative project, but for its illumination of the tension that still characterizes popular romance today: love, sex, and financial and emotional security are profoundly desirable, but the power disparity between men and women means that the relationship that promises security may in fact undermine it. Long before scholars of romance in the 1980s pointed out the deep anxieties underlying that genre, was addressing women's anxiety about the power disparities imbricated in sex and marriage, and attempting to allay it again in very nearly the way Janice Radway's Reading the Romance and Tania Modleski's Loving with a Vengeance would attribute to popular romance. (4) Norris's startling addition, however--one that did not cross into the subsequent generations' popular romances--was thrift. Love was not enough; there must also be money, and (contrary to the theme of the standard 1980s Harlequin) money was not to be had simply by marrying it. Despite her belief in marriage, advocated for women working both before and after it; moreover, she was a strong adherent of the new science of domestic economy or home economics. (5) Norris's works promise women security only as the result of extraordinarily good planning, both in choice of spouse and in terms of actual economy. In both love and domestic finance, solvency and safety are so difficult to achieve, and the perils of failing to achieve them so great, that endlessly careful choice, extreme thrift, and, in the last resort, good luck (good fortune, one might say) are the only hopes of salvation for Norris's women. …

Jealousy in the Cross-Sex Friendship

ABSTRACT This article concerns jealousy in a monogamous heterosexual relationship. Traditional interpersonal research often uses interviews and surveys to understand and interpret how jealousy affects the connections between individuals. I use narrative to help explicate the process of jealousy, responses to jealousy, and how a relationship survives it. Rather than establish delimiting clear-cut terms and definitions, my story shows the adversarial and conflicting interactions between a couple when one is jealous and the other is accused of having a romantic relationship with his opposite-sex friend.

Transmission sexuelle du virus de l’hépatite C

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is usually transmitted parenterally, but sexual transmission is considered likely in the 20% of cases with no other risk factors. Retrospective cohort studies conducted among persons who have never injected drugs show that factors predictive of HCV seropositivity include the number of lifetime sexual partners, high-risk sexual practices, other sexually transmitted infections, and HIV seropositivity. Persons in long-term monogamous heterosexual relationships with a partner seropositive for HCV are at lower risk of HCV acquisition (0 to 0.6% peryear) than persons with multiple partners or those at risk for sexually transmitted diseases (0.4 to 1.8% per year). HCV RNA is detectable in genital fluids, but there is not yet any proof that the HCV RNA in genital secretions represents infectious virus. HCV can be transmitted by sexual intercourse but much less efficiently than other sexually transmitted viruses, such as HBV and HIV. Sexual transmission of HCV may be enhanced by other concomitant sexually transmitted infections with genital erosive lesions or via traumatic sexual intercourse with abrasion of the genital mucosa.

Prevalence and Detection of HIV Risk Behavior in Primary Care: Implications for Clinical Preventive Services

Despite their potential to reduce the incidence of HIV infection through primary prevention, family physicians report low levels of routine identification of patients at risk and counseling. This may reflect perceptions that few of their patients are at risk, that patients at risk will self-disclose during consultations, or that a physician-initiated approach is unacceptable to patients presenting for non-HIV-related problems. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of risk factors for HIV infection and HIV testing among patients in general practice, the acceptability to patients of opportunistic identification of risk during routine consultations and the accuracy of general practitioners' assessment of HIV risk. Our setting included randomly selected general practitioners' surgeries in metropolitan Sydney, Australia. We conducted a self-administered survey about risk factors in a consecutive sample of patients 18-50 years of age and compared it to a checklist about patient's risk factors completed by general practitioners unaware of the patients' answers. Of 1,030 patients, 43 (4%) were at risk of HIV infection having received blood transfusions between 1980 and 1985 and seven (1%) had injected intravenous drugs in the previous 12 months. In the previous 12 months, 133 (21%) female and 110 (28%) male patients had been in nonmutually monogamous heterosexual relationships. Only 26% always used condoms. While the majority of patients indicated they were heterosexual, 42 (4%) were homosexual and 23 (2%) bisexual. Of those men who had had sex with other men, 39% always used condoms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Female Condom Failure Rates Are Moderate, While Incorrect Use Is Common

This paper presents the findings of a 6-month clinical trial of female condom conducted at nine sites: three in Latin America and six in the US concerning its efficacy safety and acceptability. 377 nonpregnant women between the ages of 18 and 40 who were in an ongoing mutually monogamous heterosexual relationship and had been using a female condom for 6 months were enrolled in the trial. Evaluation of the methods safety was based on the experience of 359 participants while the contraceptive efficacy evaluation was based on 328 women. Overall findings revealed that Latin American women who used the method consistently and correctly experienced a 6-month accidental pregnancy rate of about 10 pregnancies per 100 users while US women had a rate of fewer than 3 per 100. Overall failure rates were substantially higher: 22 failures per 100 Latin American women and 12 per 100 US women. There were no reports of sexually transmitted diseases or serious unexpected or life-threatening experiences related to female condom use. Moreover there is no evidence that use of the method increases womens risk of cervical changes. In the context of the methods acceptability more than 80% said that they liked using the method and would recommend it to others. The researchers acknowledged that since their study did not compare the female condom with some other method it was not possible to make absolute statements about the methods efficacy.