scholarly journals Healthy lifestyles and their beneficial effects on sexual function and dysfunction

Author(s):  
Shashi K Agarwal

Sexual dysfunction is a common malady. It causes immense emotional suffering and interferes with social wellbeing. Many physical and psychological ailments are frequently implicated in its development and progression. There are several therapeutic options available for its attenuation. However, more recently, the focus has shifted significantly to several lifestyle factors that can help in its prevention. A brief review of these influences exerted by the five major lifestyles, namely, smoking, obesity, exercise, alcohol intake, and diet is done in this manuscript.

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3 And 4) ◽  
pp. 99-102
Author(s):  
Fariborz Ghaffarpasand ◽  
◽  
Mousa Taghipour ◽  

Sexual function and orientation is a complex platform of human personality which is being modulated by several brain circuities which is less understood currently. Recently, several studies have demonstrated interesting results regarding the role of several brain locations in sexual behaviors and orientation. Sexual arousal in homosexual men is associated with activation of the left angular gyrus, left caudate nucleus, Ventrolateral Preoptic (VLPO) Nucleus of Hypothalamus and right pallidum; while it is associated with bilateral lingual gyrus, right hippocampus, and right parahippocampal gyrus in heterosexual men. We postulate that sexual-orientation behaviors are being mediated by several circuits in the brain in the center of which the VLPO is playing an indistinguishable role. We hypothesize that the different aspects of the sexual dysfunction could be associated with innate or acquired lesions of VLPO. Accordingly, the electrical stimulation of the nucleus in those with sexual dysfunction would be a treatment option. Thus the VLPO could be considered a target for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in individuals with impaired sexual function.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-13
Author(s):  
Ioannis Mykoniatis ◽  
Koenraad Van Renterghem ◽  
Ioannis Sokolakis

: Our aim is to provide a narrative review regarding the prevalence, the associated pathophysiologic pathways and the potential management methods of sexual dysfunction related to ablative surgical techniques for Benign Prostatic Enlargement (BPE). Men suffering from BPE are at high risk of sexual dysfunction due to the disease itself, comorbidities, and pharmacological/surgical treatments. Transurethral resection of the prostate, as the gold standard treatment option for BPE has historically been associated with relatively high rates of postoperative sexual dysfunction problems, mainly retrograde ejaculation but also erectile dysfunction. Ablative surgical techniques, including photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP), transurethral needle ablation (TUNA), Transurethral Microwave Therapy (TUMT), Convective Water Vapor Energy Ablation (Rezum®) and Aquablation® have been proposed as treatment methods able to reduce treatment-related complications for BPE patients, including adverse effects on erectile and ejaculatory function, without compromising the efficacy rates for BPE. The neurovascular bundles can be damaged during TURP due to posterolateral capsular perforation. Ablative techniques and especially PVP theoretically seems to skip this hazard as the distance created from the necrotic area to the capsule is generally larger compared to the distance induced after TURP . However, indirect thermal injury of erectile nerves, which could be induced also by the majority of available ablative techniques could potentially lead to ED. Two special technical characteristics (physiological saline use for tissue ablation and real time penetration depth control) of Aquablation® could be proved beneficial with regard to the effect of the method on erectile function. In general ablative techniques seems to have minor impact on sexual function. However, low methodological quality characterize the most of the studies included in this review mainly due to the impossibility, in many cases, to perform a blind randomization. Also in many studies did not have erectile and ejaculatory function as primary outcomes limiting that way their statistical power to identify significant variations. Management of sexual dysfunction problems arising from ablative surgeries for BPE treatment could be divided in two levels. Firstly, intraoperatively the avoidance of manipulation of crucial structures regarding ejaculatory (bladder neck or ejaculatory ducts) and erectile function (neurovascular bundles) could possibly decrease the negative effect of these procedures on sexual function. Thus, in this direction, modifications of classic ablative techniques have been proposed resulting in encouraging outcomes regarding postoperative sexual function. Secondly, if EjD and/or ED are established the already known treatment choices should be chosen in order sexual function rehabilitation to be achieved. Thus, regarding ED: PDE5i daily or on demand remain the gold standard first line treatment choice followed by intracaver-nosal alprostadil injections in cases of failure, while penile prosthesis implantation must be kept as final definitive solution when all the other methods have failed. Regarding ejaculation disorders (retrograde ejaculation or anejaculation): medical therapy with a-agonists (pseudoephedrine), sperm retrieval from the urine, bladder neck reconstruction, prostatic massage, electroejaculation, penile vibratory stimulation and surgical sperm retrieval are the available treatment options. Further, high quality studies are required to investigate potential side effects of BPE surgery on sexual function and efficient treatment methods to manage them.


Author(s):  
Tahereh Molkara ◽  
Maliheh Motavasselian ◽  
Farideh Akhlaghi ◽  
Mohammad Arash Ramezani ◽  
Hamideh Naghedi Baghdar ◽  
...  

: Sexual health plays an important role in the women’s health and quality of life. Sexual health management is a prerequisite for physical and psychological health of women. Sexual desire, arousal, and orgasm are three factors of female sexual response. So far many different methods has been known for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction, however none of them are not an efficacious therapy. Generally, use of herbal medicine is a safe and effective therapeutic method in the treatment of women with sexual dysfunction. The role of herbal and nutritional supplementation in female sexual function has attracted researchers’ interest in recent years. This study aimed to the evaluation of the studies focusing on the herbal medicine on women sexual function and the assessment of its effectiveness.


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 929.2-929
Author(s):  
G. V. Espasa ◽  
L. Gonzalez Lucero ◽  
Y. Soria Curi ◽  
A. L. Barbaglia ◽  
S. M. Mazza ◽  
...  

Background:Sexual dysfunction is the alteration in one or several phases of sexual activity (desire, excitement, plateau, orgasm and resolution), which can culminate in frustration, pain and a decrease in the frequency of sexual intercourse. There are few studies that associate sexual dysfunction with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) due to the difficulty in assessing it and its multifactorial cause.Objectives:Determine the frequency of sexual dysfunction and analyze associated factors in patients with SLE.Methods:A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. We included patients who attended the Rheumatology unit between May and July 2019; over 18 years of age, with a diagnosis of SLE according to the ACR 1997 and / or SLICC 2012 criteria, and healthy patients matched by age as control. Demographic and disease-related variables were studied. The DASS-21 (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale) scale that evaluates depression, anxiety and stress, and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) that assesses 6 domains (desire, excitement, lubrication, orgasms, satisfaction and pain) were applied with a cut-off point ≤ 26.5 to define sexual dysfunction. Women over 50 years old, with secondary Sjogren’s syndrome, menopause, severe depression and illiterate patients were excluded.Results:One hundred and twenty three women were included (60 with SLE and 63 controls), with a mean age of 34.3 ± 8.3 and 31.7 ± 4.4 years respectively. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction in the SLE group was 71.7%; 95% CI = [58.5 – 82.5], and 23.8%, 95% CI = [13.9 – 36.2] in healthy patients. There were significant differences in all domains of sexual function between women with SLE and healthy group. In the desire, excitement and pain domains the differences were notable. The total FSFI score in patients with SLE was 18.2 ± 11.2 and in healthy women 28.3 ± 6.9 (p=0.001). Stress, anxiety and depression were observed in 58.4%, 58.3% and 50% of women with SLE and 19%, 20.6% and 28.5% of healthy women respectively (p=0.001). No association was found between sexual dysfunction and age, age at diagnosis, disease activity or treatment (pNS). No association was found in patients with SLE when analyzing the effect of sexual dysfunction in stress, depression and anxiety variables, in opposition to the healthy group (p<0.05).Conclusion:The prevalence of sexual dysfunction in patients with SLE was high (71.7%). Depression, Anxiety, and Stress were not decisive variables in Sexual Dysfunction.Disclosure of Interests:None declared


Author(s):  
Giuseppe Rovere ◽  
Andrea Perna ◽  
Luigi Meccariello ◽  
Domenico De Mauro ◽  
Alessandro Smimmo ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Pelvic ring injuries, frequently caused by high energy trauma, are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality (5–33%), often due to significant blood loss and disruption of the lumbosacral plexus, genitourinary system, and gastrointestinal system. The aim of the present study is to perform a systematic literature review on male and female sexual dysfunctions related to traumatic lesions of the pelvic ring. Methods Scopus, Cochrane Library MEDLINE via PubMed, and Embase were searched using the keywords: “Pelvic fracture,” “Pelvic Ring Fracture,” “Pelvic Ring Trauma,” “Pelvic Ring injury,” “Sexual dysfunction,” “Erectile dysfunction,” “dyspareunia,” and their MeSH terms in any possible combination. The following questions were formulated according to the PICO (population (P), intervention (I), comparison (C), and outcome (O)) scheme: Do patients suffering from pelvic fracture (P) report worse clinical outcomes (C), in terms of sexual function (O), when urological injury occurs (I)? Is the sexual function (O) influenced by the type of fracture (I)? Results After screening 268 articles by title and abstract, 77 were considered eligible for the full-text analysis. Finally 17 studies that met inclusion criteria were included in the review. Overall, 1364 patients (902 males and 462 females, M/F ratio: 1.9) suffering from pelvic fractures were collected. Discussion Pelvic fractures represent challenging entities, often concomitant with systemic injuries and subsequent morbidity. Anatomical consideration, etiology, correlation between sexual dysfunction and genitourinary lesions, or pelvic fracture type were investigated. Conclusion There are evidences in the literature that the gravity and frequency of SD are related with the pelvic ring fracture type. In fact, patients with APC, VS (according Young-Burgess), or C (according Tile) fracture pattern reported higher incidence and gravity of SD. Only a week association could be found between GUI and incidence and gravity of SD, and relationship between surgical treatment and SD. Electrophysiological tests should be routinely used in patient suffering from SD after pelvic ring injuries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (15) ◽  
pp. eabf6780
Author(s):  
Corinde E. Wiers ◽  
Leandro F. Vendruscolo ◽  
Jan-Willem van der Veen ◽  
Peter Manza ◽  
Ehsan Shokri-Kojori ◽  
...  

Individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) show elevated brain metabolism of acetate at the expense of glucose. We hypothesized that a shift in energy substrates during withdrawal may contribute to withdrawal severity and neurotoxicity in AUD and that a ketogenic diet (KD) may mitigate these effects. We found that inpatients with AUD randomized to receive KD (n = 19) required fewer benzodiazepines during the first week of detoxification, in comparison to those receiving a standard American (SA) diet (n = 14). Over a 3-week treatment, KD compared to SA showed lower “wanting” and increased dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) reactivity to alcohol cues and altered dACC bioenergetics (i.e., elevated ketones and glutamate and lower neuroinflammatory markers). In a rat model of alcohol dependence, a history of KD reduced alcohol consumption. We provide clinical and preclinical evidence for beneficial effects of KD on managing alcohol withdrawal and on reducing alcohol drinking.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiuxiang Zhang ◽  
Min Shen ◽  
Yaning Zheng ◽  
Shimei Jiao ◽  
Shangxiao Gao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The aims of our research were as follows: First, to estimate the prevalence of female sexual dysfunction in early, middle, late stages of pregnancy, and postpartum 6 months after delivery. Second, to discuss relevant factors associated with female sexual dysfunction among women in 6 months after delivery in Nanjing, Yangzhou and Huaian Main, China. Methods Our multicenter longitudinal study was carried out from September 2017 to March 2019, with participants recruited from Southeast China: Nanjing, Yangzhou and Huaian. Participants were recruited when they built their Record of Prenatal Care in community hospitals. The online questionnaires included a set of validated tools, sociodemographic information as wells as medical history data. In the meantime, qualitative interviews were conducted during different periods of pregnancy (from the first trimester to the third trimester of pregnancy and following up to six-month postpartum) respectively. All participants have obtained written informed consent. Results By qualitative interview, the vast majority of the participants were inactive in having sex from pregnancy to postpartum. There were negative aspects of sexual experiences, emotional responses closely related to self-attitudes toward sexual behavior during this period. Through quantitative analysis, pre pregnancy BMI (OR = 1.15, P = 0.012), postpartum weight gain (OR = 1.057, P = 0.033) and partnership quality (OR = 1.181, P = 0.04) were associated with postpartum sexual dysfunction 6 months after delivery. Conclusions Women are at the risk of significantly different FSD with regard to pre-pregnancy BMI, postpartum weight gain and partnership quality. The impaired sexual function from pregnancy to postpartum period indicated the requirement for further survey as well as extensive investigation.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document