sodium-ethylxanthate and Infertility--Female

Breast cancer has the potential to be most devastating to the sexual function and self-esteem of premenopausal women. Nevertheless, not one study has systematically compared the impact of breast cancer treatment on sexual issues across age groups. Research shows that younger women with breast cancer have more severe emotional distress than older cohorts. In a group of patients seeking sexual rehabilitation in a cancer center, younger couples were more distressed, but also had the best prognosis with treatment. In theory, loss of a breast or poor breast appearance would be more distressing to women whose youth gives them high expectations for physical beauty. Seeking new dating relationships after breast cancer treatment is a special stressor for single women. Potential infertility also may impact on a woman's self-concept as a sexual person. Systemic treatment disrupts sexual function by causing premature menopause, with estrogen loss leading to vaginal atrophy and androgen loss perhaps decreasing sexual desire and arousability. Research on mastectomy versus breast conservation across all ages of women has demonstrated that general psychological distress, marital satisfaction, and overall sexual frequency and function do not differ between the two treatment groups. Women with breast conservation do rate their body image more highly and are more comfortable with nudity and breast caressing. There is some evidence that breast conservation offers more psychological "protection" for younger women. Research on the impact of breast reconstruction is sparse, but reveals similar patterns. Future studies should use rigorous methodology and focus on the impact of premature menopause and the effectiveness of sexual rehabilitation for younger women.

Topics: Adult; Age Factors; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Body Image; Breast Neoplasms; Emotions; Female; Humans; Infertility, Female; Mammaplasty; Mastectomy; Mastectomy, Segmental; Menopause, Premature; Middle Aged; Primary Ovarian Insufficiency; Quality of Life; Research Design; Sex; Sexual Behavior; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological; Tamoxifen

After having reviewed briefly the main characteristics of adult thyroid function, as well as the ways in which this is controlled (the first part), the authors reviewed present day methods of investigating thyroid gland function (the second part). In the third part of the work hormonal interrelationships between the thyroid and the ovary are discussed as well as the influence of gonadal hormones on thyroid function and the influence of the latter on ovarian function and on hypothalamic-pituitary interactions. The effects of thyroid diseases on reproductive function are studied in the last part of the work.

Topics: Adult; Contraception; Female; Gonadal Steroid Hormones; Humans; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System; Infertility, Female; Menopause; Menstruation; Ovary; Puberty; Sex; Thyroid Gland; Thyroid Hormones; Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone

We evaluated perceptions and experiences of bearing sons and daughters among 42 women in Punjab, Pakistan, with special emphasis on son preference, changes in women's status within the marital family and resulting health effects. Data were collected through repeated, in-depth interviews in Urdu or Punjabi in an urban area in Lahore and a village 40 km. outside of Lahore. For triangulation purposes, four focus group discussions were performed with additional women, as well as in-depth interviews with eight mothers-in-law, three traditional practitioners and three medical practitioners. In general, these women felt that they had limited control over their lives, and this was exemplified by early marriages, high expectations on newly wed women to conceive and poor access to contraceptives. Women frequently expressed a strong preference for sons, mostly for economic reasons, reflecting women's subordinate position in society and the low economic value placed on women's work. Mothers of sons mainly discussed health problems during pregnancy and health effects of repeated childbearing. Mothers of daughters and women without children spoke of harassment in the family as well as in society. The results should be of importance in the public health planning in Pakistan as well as for those engaged in women's health issues internationally.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Contraception Behavior; Family Characteristics; Family Planning Services; Female; Focus Groups; Humans; Infertility, Female; Male; Marriage; Pakistan; Poverty; Pregnancy; Sex; Social Class; Women

Topics: Animals; Dosage Compensation, Genetic; Drosophila melanogaster; Female; Genotype; Humans; Hybridization, Genetic; Infertility, Female; Infertility, Male; Male; Sex; Sex Determination Processes

Topics: Adolescent; Adolescent Health Services; Communication; Cystic Fibrosis; Female; Humans; Infertility, Female; Infertility, Male; Male; Reproductive Medicine; Sex

Between 1982 and 1985, a case-control study of nulliparous women, aged 25-45, was conducted to analyse the relationships between the risk of breast cancer and causes of nulliparity, including contraceptive methods. Fifty-one cases of breast cancer diagnosed less than 3 months before interview were matched with 95 controls on age at diagnosis, year of interview, and medical center. The causes of nulliparity related to female sterility or subfertility (mechanical or hormonal disorders) were not found to be associated with a significantly higher risk of breast cancer. The causes related to fertilization failure, i.e. no sexual partner, rare sexual intercourse (less than once per month), or partner with abnormal semen, were found to lead to an increased risk. Detailed analysis of contraceptive methods showed that the risk of breast cancer increased (p = 0.02) with a longer duration of use of barrier methods (withdrawal or condom). Conversely, the risk significantly decreased (p = 0.004) with a longer duration of use of non-barrier methods (oral contraceptives, IUD, cap, local spermicides, vaginal douche, safe period, or no method), i.e. methods allowing a direct exposure to human semen.

Topics: Adult; Breast Neoplasms; Case-Control Studies; Contraception Behavior; Epidemiologic Methods; Female; Humans; Infertility, Female; Parity; Risk Factors; Sex

A group of 630 probands was selected by random sampling and exposed to variance analysis to find out the extent to which extraversion and neuroticism as well as attitudes towards sexuality and gravidity depended on several conditions, such as desired pregnancy, undesired pregnancy, and no pregnancy, and on several demographic parameters, such as age, number of children, marital status, and occupational skills. The results were likely to suggest super-accidental correlations between condition and attitude towards pregnancy, age and extraversion (correlated also with condition), scare of childbirth as well as attitude towards pregnancy and sexuality, occupational skills and neuroticism, timidity as well as attitude towards sexuality and gravidity, marital status and neuroticism as well as scare of childbirth, and, finally, between number of children and scare of childbirth as well as attitude towards sexuality. Practice-related consequences are discussed.. A group of 630 probands were selected by random sampling and exposed to variance analysis to determine the extent to which extraversion and neuroticism as well as attitudes towards sexuality and gravidity depended on conditions such as desired pregnancy, undesired pregnancy, and no pregnancy, and on demographic parameters such as age, number of children, marital status, and occupational skills. The results were likely to suggest superaccidental correlations between condition and attitude towards pregnancy, age and extraversion (correlations between condition), scare of childbirth, as well as attitude towards pregnancy and sexuality, occupational skills and neuroticism, timidity, as well as attitude towards sexuality and gravidity, marital status and neuroticism as well as scare of childbirth, and finally, between number of children and scare of childbirth as well as attitude towards sexuality. Practice-related consequences are discussed. (Author's modified)

Topics: Adult; Attitude; Female; Humans; Infertility, Female; Labor, Obstetric; Personality; Pregnancy; Sex