• Title/Summary/Keyword: Sexual and Reproductive Health

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The impact of COVID-19 on the male genital tract: A qualitative literature review of sexual transmission and fertility implications

  • Verrienti, Pierangelo;Cito, Gianmartin;Maida, Fabrizio Di;Tellini, Riccardo;Cocci, Andrea;Minervini, Andrea;Natali, Alessandro
    • Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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    • v.49 no.1
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    • pp.9-15
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    • 2022
  • The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor (ACE2) appears to be widely expressed in cells in the testes, predominantly in spermatogonia, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells, and its co-expression with transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) is essential for the entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). For this reason, the male reproductive system could be considered a potential target for SARS-CoV-2, as well as a possible reservoir of infection. However, to date, there is very little evidence about the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in semen and testicular samples. The aim of this paper was to review the current evidence regarding the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on male fertility and sexual health, with a particular focus on reproductive hormones, the presence of the virus in seminal fluid and testis, and its impact on fertility parameters. We found very limited evidence reporting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in semen and testicular samples, and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on reproductive hormones and fertility parameters is unclear. The quality of the examined studies was poor due to the small sample size and several selection biases, precluding definitive conclusions. Hence, future well-designed prospective studies are needed to assess the real impact of SARS-CoV-2 on male reproductive function.

The Smoking, Drinking Behavior and Sexual Activity among Korean High School Students

  • Han, Sung-Hyun;Lee, Myung-Sun;Kimchoe, Min-Ja
    • Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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    • v.3 no.1
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    • pp.113-128
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    • 2001
  • The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence and correlates of three types of risk-taking behavior among high school students in Korea in a cross-sectional national sample. A sample of 636 male and 622 female high school students is analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Three types of risk-taking behavior are examined: drinking alcohol, smoking, and premarital sex. The results are as follows: Forty-three percent of students in the sample have ever drunk alcohol, 32% have ever smoked, 11% have experience premarital sex. Risk-taking behavior is more prevalent among boys than among girls. Boys and girls in Seoul are much more likely to have experienced three types of risk-taking behavior. Not having two parents in the family and having lived away from immediate family increase the likelihood of some risk-taking behavior. Students who have a friend with premarital sexual experience are much more likely to have experienced premarital sex themselves. Among sexually active students, having multiple sexual partners is common and prevalence of condom use is low. Reproductive health education at school has no effect on students' sexual behavior. The prevalence of risk-taking behavior among adolescent in Korea is likely to rise in the future. Substantial proportion of adolescents are exposed to the risks of STDs and substantial proportion of adolescent girls risk premarital pregnancy. Current health education programs are inadequate in protecting students from risk-taking behavior. Students whose families do not include both parents and students who live away from their immediate families need special programs to protect them from risk-taking behavior.

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Implication for Korean Adolescent Sexuality (한국청소년의 성실태고찰)

  • 홍문식
    • Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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    • v.6 no.1
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    • pp.22-33
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    • 1989
  • Rapid socio-cultural and economic changes in the country has brought with it changes in the society's value system. For a traditional society that is increasingly being exposed to modernization but where sex norms are still very restrictive, the adolescent sexual mores takes on added significance. Adolescents are caught between two opposing forces, the changing environment that allows for freer and liberal mores and the traditional society that cannot keep pace with the changing environment and therefore demands resistance to changes. This paper focuses on problems of adolescent sexuality in this country and considers the countermeasures for the existing problems. Amongst the problems are: (a) increasingly younger age of the adolescents who start sexual intercourse (b) non-use of contraception, (c) unwanted pregnancies, (d) increase in the number of induced abortion and (e) increase in the number of unwanted children and unmarried mothers. The Korean adolescent's sexual behavior seems to follow that of the developed countries. In other words, many western modes of life and sexual values seem to bave been copied in Korea and yet Korean adolescents lack in their knowledge of sex related matters such as reproductive physiology and contraception. Among middle and high school students, female students are reported to have less knowledge on sex than male students according to a 1988 survey by KIPH. Even among the unmarried famale factory workers, only 42.5 percent replied they know of the condom, and 25.1 percent and 23.1 percent said they had knowledge of spermicide and menstrual regulation respectively. However, 14.9 percent and 13.9 percent reported that they had a knowledge of the loop and female sterilization respectively according to the 1984 study by KIPH. Among the middle school students 0.8 percent said they had experience in sexual intercourse, while 7.3 percent of the high school students reported having had sexual intercourse. The sexual intercourse experience rate among the unmarried female factory workers is 37.8 percent. Among those female factory workers with sexual experience, 46.7 percent had more than one sex partners. Only 39.1 percent of male students and 18.9 percent of female students among those with sexual intercourse experience have used contraceptives. mostly condoms and oral pills 45.1 percent of female factory workers with sexual intercourse experience used contraceptives such as pills, condoms and rhythm methods. The pregnancy experience rate among the female factory workers who had experience in sexual intercourse is 29.5 percent, which is 11.1 percent among the total respondents. Out of the 102 pregnant female workers, 98 workers(96.1 percent) terminated their pregnancy by induced abortion and 2 workders(2 percent) in natural abortion, while 1 worker(1 percent) was in pregnancy and another 1 worker had normal birth that was subsequently sent to orphanage. In order to cope with the problem of adolescent sexuality, a drastic and strong policy measures should be taken by the government. The most effective countermeasure to the adolescent sexual problems appears to the education. The sex and population education in the school is very much in need. In addition, sex education program through mass media and at the job sit-should be promoted for a healthy development of adolescents' sexual behavior. Also, the existing national family planning program, which has focused on the married couples, should be extended to the unmarried people in its scope and contents of the program.

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Differencies in Risk Factors for Cervical Dysplasia with the Applied Diagnostic Method in Serbia

  • Antic, Ljiljana Gojko;Vukovic, Dejana Srboljub;Vasiljevic, Mladenko Drago;Antic, Dragan Zivojin;Aleksopulos, Hristos Georgios
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.15 no.16
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    • pp.6697-6701
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    • 2014
  • Background: In the etiology of cervical cancer not only HPV infection is important, but also other factors such as demographic influences andsexual and reproductive health attitudes, as well as others related to preventive measure usage (or non usage). The aim of this study was to examine factors associated with cervical dysplasia in asymptomatic women who were examined by routine cytology and cervical biopsy for early detection of cervical cancer. Materials and Methods: Socio-demographic and other characteristics were obtained from medical files of 85 examinees with pathologic cytologic findings (Pap test) and histopathologic (HP) findings after biopsy. Results: ccording to the Pap test result, a greater probability for development of cervical dysplasia was noted with examinees having a larger number of sexual partners (OR= 5.01, 95% CI 1.04-24.10), and those who are afraid of the Pap finding. Risk factors for development of cervical dysplasia according to the bioptic finding were early beginning with sexual activities, presence of any STD in personal medical history and fear of the Pap test finding. Conclusions: The only risk factor found to be important for both methods was fear of the Pap testing finding.

Review of Indicators and Tools used to Assess Korean Medicine Infertility Treatment (한의 난임 치료에 활용되는 평가지표와 평가도구 사용 현황 조사 및 고찰)

  • Soo-Jin Lee;Dong-Il Kim;Su-Ji Choi
    • The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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    • v.36 no.3
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    • pp.173-195
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    • 2023
  • Objectives: To investigate and analyze the assessment indicators and tools used in clinical practice to assess Korean medicine (KM) treatment for infertility, and to establish a basis for assessment tools to diagnose and assess infertility. Methods: Relevant studies published until March 2023 were extracted from Pubmed, Research Information Sharing Service, and National Digital Science Library databases. Results: Sixty-four studies comprising 4,105 patients were included. We investigated pregnancy outcomes, and assessed pregnancy- and childbirth-related factors, overall health, reproductive health, and mental health. Pregnancy result was most common primary outcome. Ongoing pregnancy, stillbirth, miscarriage, and ectopic pregnancy rates were suggested as indicators of pregnancy and childbirth-related assessment. Overall health was most commonly assessed with Likert and Visual analogue scale (VAS). Among reproductive health variables, menstrual history was most frequently assessed. Moreover, indicators such as reproductive function, sexual intercourse, and gynecological disease were assessed. The Infertility Stress Scale and the Fertility Quality of Life tool (FertiQoL) were used to assess mental health. Conclusions: Subjective scales and objective assessment tools, such as the Likert scale and blood tests/ultrasonography, respectively, are used to assess KM infertility treatment. Inconsistent assessment tools make quantitative analyses more challenging. The development of a standardized mental and physical function assessment questionnaire with confirmed reliability and validity ensure the effectiveness of KM infertility treatment, and promote future studies on infertility treatment.

Factors Affecting Female College Students' Reproductive Health Information Seeking Behaviors on the Internet (여대생의 인터넷 생식건강정보 탐색에 영향을 미치는 요인 연구)

  • Hyunsoo Yoon;Sanghee Oh;Yeongmi Lee
    • Journal of the Korean Society for information Management
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    • v.41 no.1
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    • pp.389-409
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    • 2024
  • The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting female college students' behaviors in seeking reproductive health information on the Internet and to explore the relationships among these factors. Based on the Health Belief Model(HBM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior(TPB), perceived sensitivity, perceived severity, perceived benefit, perceived barriers, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and affective evaluation were defined as key factors, and the study was designed accordingly. An online survey was distributed to female college students in Seoul through the university student's online community, 'Everytime.' The results showed that the intention of female college students to seek reproductive health information via the Internet was associated with higher perceived sensitivity, perceived benefit, and subjective norms, and lower perceived barriers. There were statistically significant differences between groups in terms of sexual experiences, experience with reproductive system disorders, and the level of health interest. We believe that this research outcome will contribute to assessing the level of awareness regarding reproductive health among female college students, thereby aiding in the development of online health information literacy education or related service programs by university libraries, health institutions, and similar entities targeting female college students.

Risk Factors for Cervical Cancer in Northeastern Thailand: Detailed Analyses of Sexual and Smoking Behavior

  • Natphopsuk, Sitakan;Settheetham-Ishida, Wannapa;Sinawat, Supat;Pientong, Chamsai;Yuenyao, Pissamai;Ishida, Takafumi
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.13 no.11
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    • pp.5489-5495
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    • 2012
  • Cervical cancer is a serious public health problem in Thailand. We investigated possible risk factors for cervical cancer including HPV infection, p53 polymorphism, smoking and reproductive history among women in Northeast Thailand using a case control study with 177 cases and age-matched controls. Among the HPV carriers, a significantly increased risk for cervical cancer with an OR of 36.97(p<0.001) and an adjusted OR of 38.07(p<0.001) were observed. Early age at first sexual exposure, and multiple sexual partners increased the risk of cervical cancer with ORs ranging between 1.73-2.78(p<0.05). The interval between menarche and first sexual intercourse <6 years resulted in a significant increase in the risk for cervical cancer with ORs ranging between 3.32-4.09 and the respective adjusted OR range for the 4-5 and 2-3 year-old groups were 4.09 and 2.92. A higher risk was observed among subjects whose partner had smoking habits, whether currently or formerly; with respective ORs of 3.36(P<0.001) and 2.17(p<0.05); and respective adjusted ORs of 2.90(p<0.05) and 3.55(p<0.05). Other smoking characteristics of the partners including smoking duration ${\geq}20$ years, number of cigarettes smokes ${\geq}20$ pack-years and exposure time of the subject to passive smoking ${\geq}5$ hrs per day were found to be statistically significant risks for cervical cancer with adjusted ORs of 3.75, 4.04 and 11.8, respectively. Our data suggest that the risk of cervical cancer in Thai women is substantially associated with smoking characteristics of the partner(s), the interval between menarche and first sexual intercourse as well as some other aspects of sexual behavior.

An Analysis of Sexual Health Education for Korean Adolescents (청소년대상 영상매체 성교육자료분석 -비디오를 중심으로-)

  • Lee, Koang-Ok;Yang, Soon-Ok;Im, Mi-Lim
    • Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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    • v.9 no.2
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    • pp.441-457
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    • 1998
  • The purpose of this study is to provide fundamental information for the development of new sex education image media through the analysis of those tools produced by Planned Parenthood Federation of Korea. Twenty three video tapes related to the sex education were analysed. The data were sampled on the basis of the sex education instructions for primary and secondary schools published by the Seoul Office of Education in 1996 and the list of sex education information composed by the Planned Parenthood Federation of Korea with the following requirements. 1) The education materials are oriented to the middle and high school students as well a juveniles and are being used in public health centers and schools. 2) The education materials are not confined to the single subject such as AIDS or contraception. Because this study is focused on the analysis of image media, an analysis method widely and effectively used in public media study was chosen. The frequency analysis and percentage treatment were done by an SAS program. The results of the study are as follows : 1. An analysis of the material structure type showed that the frequency of the following subjects in 15 video tapes, composed as drama and cartoon, had this decreasing orde : sex behavior, sex relation ships, sex health, human development, personal technique, and society and culture. 2. The eight tapes of explanation and counseling showed a different sequence from that of the drama and cartoon material, primarily treating human development with 5419 seconds (47.9%) of type. The following were also considered in decreasing order: at 2000seconds (17.6%) sex behavior, at 1366 seconds (12.1%) sex health, at 1240 seconds (11.0%) society and culture, at 667 seconds (6.0%) relation ships, and at 611 seconds (5.4%) personal technique. 3. In a thematic analysis those education materials dealing with human development show this frequency sequence: anatomic physiology, reproduction, and adolescence. In relation, ships the sequence is dates, love, marriage and vows, and family. For personal technique, it is expressed as asking for help, and an empnasis on moral values. For sex behavior, they focus on abstinence, the co-responsibility of sex behavior, the sexual response of the human, and sexual nightmares. For the sex health area, the focus is contraception with abortion and reproductive health following that. In society and culture diversity is considered. 4. An analysis of the differences in production and content between 1980s and 1990s was also done. For materials produced in the 1980s the frequency of the subjects follows this order: sex behavior, human development, relation ships, sex health, personal technique, and society and culture with sub subjects such as abstinence, dating, adolescence, anatomic physiology, reproduction, calls for help, and the sexual response of a human being. For materials produced in the 1990s, highest frequency was sex behavior, the same as the 1980s. The rest of the material follows this decreasing order: relationships, human development, sex health, society and culture, and personal technique with sub subjects such as dating, co-resposibility in sex behavior, abstinence, and love frequently considered.

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Conceptual Model for Women s Health (여성건강을 위한 개념적 모형)

  • 이경혜
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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    • v.27 no.4
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    • pp.933-942
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    • 1997
  • There has recently been an increased interest in women's health from, various disciplines, with different perspectives presented according to each profession's academic background. This has led to many instances of incorrectly defining, or misinterpretation, of the issues even among professionals. Nurse scholars as well as practitioners who work in women's health care need to have a clear conceptual understanding of women's health in order to build a body of knowledge, delineate curricular activities, and set directions for professional nursing interventions. In addition, a conceptual model that may be directly utilized in practice is needed to maintain and promote women's health issues. The purpose of this study was to apply a Hybrid model, analyzing conceptual definitions and discussions related to women's health gathered from review of the literature. Further to compare analyticals the concepts and properties observed from field work, so as to present a final definition of women's health and, build a conceptual framework for a united comprehensive perspective on the concept as well as on nursing practice. Data collection and analysis consisted of a theoretical stage, field work stage, and final analysis. A heterogeneous group of professionals and lay persons, 39 in all, participated in the field work. Study findings Include several subconcepts under the concept of women's health : a woman's whole life, holistic health, quality of life, awareness of being a woman, individual nursing, self care ability, reproductive health, and family health. Thus, a comprehensive definition was built, 1. e., "Women's health care be defined as improvement in the quality of life of women through attainment of holistic health throughout the life span. With reproductive health at the core, the concept is directly related to family and national health, and includes taking care of one's own health based on awareness of being a woman and utilizing self care activities. Women's health care issues are unique and allow various responses, therefore women's health professionals need to apply individual approaches to reach solutions in attaining holistic health and improving quality of life." The constructual factors of women's health were found to be reproductive functions, diseases more common in woman, self actualization, mental health, women's health policies, sexuality, midlife changes, and marital relations, with each factor having more than three properties. Positive factors affecting women's health were found to be a normal childbearing process, a healthy lifestyle, active health management, health information, support, and resources, and interpersonal relationships. Negative factors were found to be overwhelming role stress, cultural oppression, gender inequality, distorted sexual identity, economic difficulties, misuse and/or abuse of substances, and stress. The model of women's health may be visualized as a balance scale set upon a woman's life, supporting 4 concentric circles. The innermost circle and second circle incorporate conceptual definitions of women's health, and the outer two circles represent the constructional factors and properties of women's health. Each circle has its own color that symbolizes the conceptual meaning. Positive and negative factors are represented as weights at either end of the scale, and are affected by nursing intervention, i. e., health and wellness increase when positive factors are stronger, whereas disease and illness increase when negative factors are stronger. This model is only a preliminary effort and requires much discussion and testing to be further developed. Continuous research is also required.

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A study on the meaning of abolition of abortion of abortion for nursing students using media (매체를 이용한 간호대학생의 낙태법폐지 의미고찰)

  • Kim, Mi-Hwa;Park, Sun-Hwa
    • The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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    • v.7 no.4
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    • pp.9-14
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    • 2021
  • The purpose is a qualitative study to explore the self-consciousness of nursing students regarding the abolition of the abortion law using media. The participants of this study were 20 students who were first-year students at a university in M city, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and had strong awareness about the abolition of the abortion law. Data collection was done through self-reports within 72 hours of watching the video on life phenomena. The collected data were analyzed using Krippendorff's phenomenological method. As a result of analyzing the experiences related to the abolition of the abortion of abortion it was derived into 16 meaningful statements in 3 categories and 9 topics. Three categories were derived from 'disregarded dignity', ambiguity of boundaries, and 'reeducation in sex education'. As a result of this study, it was confirmed that the abolition of the abortion law in nursing colleges had opportunities for women's reproductive health promotion and women's human rights, and various social participation attitudes as nursing students. It is expected to be used as a useful basic data for student life counseling in the future, and it is expected to be used as a basic data for the development of reproductive health promotion education.