Sexual Health

BACKGROUND: Black ethnic groups are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This review aimed to identify interventions designed to increase engagement with sexual healthcare among people of Black ethnicity as determined by rates of STI testing, adherence to sexual health treatment, and attendance at sexual healthcare consultations. The behaviour change techniques (BCTs) used within identified interventions were evaluated. METHOD: Four electronic databases (Web of science; ProQuest; Scopus; PubMed) were systematically searched to identify eligible articles published between 2000 and 2022...

BACKGROUND: Transgender women (TGW) are disproportionately affected by HIV, and HIV prevalence among TGW in Thailand has been increasing. Although oral daily pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective for HIV prevention, PrEP uptake and persistence among TGW have been low. This study aimed to provide a deeper understanding of TGW's experiences with PrEP uptake and adherence, and to identify major barriers to PrEP use to inform intervention adaptation. METHODS: We interviewed 20 young TGW (six non-PrEP users, eight adherent, six non-adherent) and 10 health care providers from two HIV clinics in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2022...

BACKGROUND: International travel can increase the risk of exposure to infectious diseases including sexually transmissible infections (STI). Pre-travel medical consultation provides an opportunity for travel-related health risk assessments and advice. This study explored how travel medicine clinicians integrate sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services into clinical practice. METHODS: A convenience sample of travel medicine clinicians completed a cross-sectional survey online or via hard-copy disseminated at an annual national Australian travel medicine conference...

BACKGROUND: Research has shown that clinicians are not comfortable managing sexual dysfunction (SD), and there are gaps in the SD-specific training of medical students in the US and the UK. However, there is little research into the extent of SD-specific training needs and learning experiences of Australian medical students. This study aims to explore the extent of students' learning experiences and training gaps in the postgraduate medical curriculum at one Australian university. METHODS: The study was completed as part of the Doctor of Medicine program requirement, and due ethics approval was obtained...

BACKGROUND: In Australia, 17% of women and 6% of men have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). Although most IPV research has focused on heterosexual partnerships, studies suggest that men who have sex with men (MSM) may experience IPV at similar or higher rates than those documented among women. IPV may also take different forms among MSM and have different health and social impacts. This study aims to assess the utility of a screening tool for identifying and responding to IPV among MSM attending a sexual health clinic in Sydney, Australia...

BACKGROUND: Women living with HIV are a minority population with unique care needs. Rates of unintended pregnancy are higher among women living with HIV versus HIV negative women. However, uptake of contraception among women living with HIV including long-acting-reversible contraceptives (LARCs) remains low. This quality improvement project aimed to identify gaps in reproductive healthcare for women living with HIV attending Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC). METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of women living with HIV attending MSHC for HIV care February 2019-February 2020...

BACKGROUND: Strategies pertaining to HIV and sexual health for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) have shifted focus towards underrepresented subgroups within some developed Western countries. Although emerging research exists on some subgroups, limited attention has been given to the needs of Arab GBMSM in these contexts. Considering they are part of a large diaspora, understanding their access to services is crucial. This paper focuses on Arab GBMSM as a case study within a scoping review, highlighting their hidden status within the broader landscape of HIV and sexual health research for GBMSM in the West...

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the experiences of transgender women who work in the sex industry regarding their access to health care facilities for sexual health. Transgender women sex workers are recognised worldwide as a high-risk group for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). METHODS: In Iran, between January and May 2022, we employed a snowball sampling technique to recruit a diverse group of 22 transgender women sex workers aged 19-42 years...

BACKGROUND: Knowing levels and determinants of partnership acquisition will help inform interventions that try to reduce transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV. METHODS: We used population-based, cross-sectional data from 47 Demographic and Health Surveys to calculate rates of partner acquisition among men and women (15-49years), and identified socio-demographic correlates for partner acquisition. Partner acquisition rates were estimated as the total number of acquisitions divided by the person-time in the period covered by the survey...

BACKGROUND: Sexual health research rarely includes older age groups and the sexual health needs of older Australians are not well understood. Older adults are online in increasing numbers; however, internet surveys involving samples of older adults and sensitive topics remain uncommon. In 2021, we developed an online survey to explore the sexual health needs of Australians aged 60+years. We describe here survey recruitment and sample obtained, comparing it with national population data (Australian Bureau of Statistics) and the sample of the similar 'Sex, Age and Me' study from 2015...

BACKGROUND: The timely provision of test results to facilitate early access to treatment is an essential component of sexually transmissible infection (STI) control and contributes to a significant proportion of the workload at sexual health services. We aimed to estimate the time to deliver client results and treatment as well as the health system costs of the nurse-led urgent results management model at the Sydney Sexual Health Centre (SSHC) compared to an alternative 'ordering clinician' model...

Accessing testing for sexually transmissible infections (STI) in regional and rural areas can be challenging for many people. Innovative solutions are necessary to ensure that barriers are minimised for populations who are often disadvantaged by the health system. STI-X, our STI test vending machine brings testing to local communities in areas where accessing a clinical service can be difficult due to extended wait times or where there is concern about privacy. Providing the option of a free, quick and easy STI test aims to reduce the prevalence of STIs and the burden on the primary care system...

BACKGROUND: International research consistently indicates that women-who-have-sex-with-women (WSW) are less likely to engage in cervical screening than heterosexual women. In the main, studies have explored rates of engagement and highlighted some reasons for non-engagement. This study extends on this work by exploring perceptions among sexual minority women (WSW) for lower rates of engagement among WSW more generally and is the first study on this topic undertaken in Aotearoa New Zealand...

BACKGROUND: Access to syphilis testing and treatment is frequently limited for men who have sex with men (MSM). A two-armed randomised controlled trial compared feasibility and costs of facility-based syphilis testing with self-testing among MSM in Zimbabwe. METHODS: This randomised controlled trial was conducted in Harare, with participants randomised 1:1. Syphilis self-testing was offered in community-based settings. The primary outcome was the relative proportion of individuals taking up testing...

BACKGROUND: In South Africa, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which is the predominant cause of male urethritis, is treated syndromically using dual ceftriaxone and azithromycin therapy. We determined antimicrobial susceptibilities of N. gonorrhoeae isolates from urethral discharge specimens, and genetically characterised those with elevated minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for first-line antimicrobials. METHODS: Routine antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of N...

BACKGROUND: Females with perinatal HIV (PHIV) infection are at elevated risk for anogenital high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection. Limited data are available around the effect of the HPV vaccination after initiation of sexual activity among PHIV youth. This study aims to assess the impact of a bivalent HPV vaccination on the persistence of anogenital HR-HPV among sexually active female PHIV youth and matched HIV-negative controls aged 12-24years in Thailand and Vietnam. METHODS: During a 3-year study, prevalent, incident, and persistent HR-HPV infection were assessed at annual visits...

BACKGROUND: Technologies such as the Internet, smartphones, and sex toys have demonstrated the capacity to facilitate and enhance sexual and intimate practice by offering new ways to meet sexual partners, maintain and establish intimate connections, and providing access to sexual education and exposure to new ways of engaging in sex. They have also afforded novel risks to safety, privacy, and sexual autonomy. Understanding how people perceive and experience both the risks and benefits of using technology to facilitate sex and intimacy is important to understanding contemporary sexual practice, health, and pleasure...

BACKGROUND: Infertility is a common reproductive disease that affects not only individuals and families, but also the growth of the social population. Hence, understanding the burden of female infertility in China and worldwide is of great significance for the development of infertility prevention and treatment strategies. METHODS: The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD 2019) Data Resources were used to collect and collate relevant data on female infertility in China and worldwide from 1990 to 2019...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between lifetime sex work involvement and muscle dysmorphia symptomatology. METHODS: Data from the Canadian Study of Adolescent Health Behaviours (N=912) were analysed. Multiple adjusted linear regression models were estimated with lifetime sex work involvement as the independent variable and muscle dysmorphia symptomatology, measured using the Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory, as the dependent variable...

Women living with HIV in regional Victoria face barriers accessing care. We evaluated the care cascade and outreach nurse support required for women attending our service between 2005 and 2020. A total of 33 women attended; 97% (32/33) were on antiretroviral therapy; 67% (22/33) retained in care, 27% (9/33) transferred and 6% (2/33) lost to follow up. Of women retained in care, 95% (21/22) were on antiretroviral therapy and 91% (20/22) had virological suppression. A total of 91% (30/33) required outreach nurse care (median care episodes 100/woman; IQR 44-179) - most frequently (87%; 26/30) liaising with pharmacies and prescribers...