Sexes, Volume 1, Issue 1 (December 2020) – 7 articles

“Ejaculatory control” and “bother/distress” are key criteria for diagnosing men with premature ejaculation (PE), yet compared with ejaculatory latency (EL), these constructs have received only minimal attention. In addition, they have not been characterized in men having different sexual orientations or subtypes of PE. This study aimed to characterize relationships among ejaculatory control, bother/distress, and EL; to assess differences across men having different sexual orientations, PE status, and PE subtypes (i.e., lifelong vs. acquired); and to determine the importance of ejaculatory control to men’s sexual partners. In total, 1071 men and sexual partners of men rated their ejaculatory control and bother/distress and estimated their EL; these measures were compared across sexual orientation, PE status, PE subtype, and male and female partners of men. Results revealed a monotonic though slightly curvilinear relationship between ejaculatory control and bother/distress. These PE criteria differed significantly between PE and non-PE men, to a lesser extent between gay and straight men, and not at all between men having lifelong vs. acquired PE. Female and male partners of men affirmed the importance of ejaculatory control during partnered sex, indicating lack of control as a potential reason for ending a relationship. Full article

An accurate understanding of reproductive facts is essential for appropriate decision making regarding whether, when, and how to conceive. The objective of this study was to investigate women’s knowledge of how age affects fertility and their knowledge about the effectiveness for assisted reproductive technologies for treating fertility. A cross-sectional study was conducted including women seeking fertility treatment at the University Medical Center, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan in 2018–2019. Patients were interviewed with a structured questionnaire. Socio-demographic, clinical characteristics, and knowledge and awareness about the implications of aging for fertility (advanced maternal age (AMA)) and pregnancy outcomes using fertility treatments (assisted reproductive technologies ((ART)) and the sum of both scores total knowledge score (TKS). TKS mean was 7.7 (SD = 2.1), AMA was 5.0 (SD = 1.5), and ART was 2.7 (SD = 1.5). No socio-demographic factors correlated with lower knowledge. Fertility knowledge was found to be low. No differences were found associated with socio-economic level, although they were identified in women with certain types of infertility and a history of gynecological problems. Delaying childbearing based on incorrect perceptions of female fertility could lead to involuntary childlessness. Health education regarding fertility has to be part of broader health promotion programs to enhance awareness of the effect of age on fertility. Full article

(1) Background: Women using unreliable traditional contraception need to be included in the proportion of women having an ‘unmet need for modern contraception’ instead of the current classification which presumes they have a ‘met need’. (2) Methods: Mix methods research design comprising initial quantitative analyses utilizing data from the nationally representative 2014 Cambodian Demographic and Health Survey (CDHS) for 4823 Cambodian, sexually active females aged 15–29 years. Then a qualitative phase explored knowledge about the menstrual cycle and misconceptions about modern contraception with 30 females aged 15–29 years in urban Cambodia using semi-structured interviews, transcribed verbatim with quality checks. Purposive and snowball sampling strategies were used until data saturation was reached. Inductive thematic data analysis was conducted; (3) Results: Unmet need for modern contraception increased to 25.4% when traditional contraception users were included. The qualitative themes show women have a lack of information about the menstrual cycle and misconceptions about modern contraception which contributed to increased use of traditional contraception; (4) Conclusion: Major drivers of increased unmet need for modern contraception include lack of literacy, misconceptions and low autonomy to choose modern contraception. Cambodia needs to endorse a policy shift to implement targeted, countrywide sexual and reproductive health literacy and family planning services. Full article

It is my pleasure to introduce you to Sexes, a new open access journal dedicated to the publication and worldwide dissemination of inter- and multi-disciplinary research on sexology and to the promotion of greater global understanding of critical issues in sexuality and sexual health [...] Full article

The prevalence of children and adolescents who identify themselves as transgender is significant. Transgender youth are at a high risk for mental health problems, sometimes requiring hospitalization in a psychiatric ward. This situation is specifically complex and should be considered by all mental health professionals. In this case report, we describe the challenges that emerged during hospitalization of a transgender adolescent, followed by descriptions of our attempts to cope with these particular issues. Full article

The study aimed to investigate sex differences in the boosting effects of household income on children’s executive function in the US. This is a cross-sectional study using data from Wave 1 of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Wave 1 ABCD included 8608 American children between ages 9 and 10 years old. The independent variable was household income. The primary outcome was executive function measured by the stop-signal task. Overall, high household income was associated with higher levels of executive function in the children. Sex showed a statistically significant interaction with household income on children’s executive function, indicating a stronger effect of high household income for female compared to male children. Household income is a more salient determinant of executive function for female compared to male American children. Low-income female children remain at the highest risk regarding poor executive function. Full article

Poverty and income inequality can increase a woman’s decision to engage in risky transactional sex, and may lead to unimaginable harms, such as violence, substance use, and human trafficking. This study examines the facilitators and barriers to finding community and voice among women trading sex in Tijuana, Mexico, and what factors, such as socio-structural support, violence, and substance use, may impact their potential to engage with others, including human service providers. Sixty qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with women trading sex in Tijuana, Mexico. Researchers met with participants for in-depth-face-to-face structured interviews. Data were coded using ATLAS.ti. Participants were aged 19–73 (mean: 37), 98% were of Mexican nationality, 90% reported trading sex independent of the control of others, with 58% identified as independent and street-based. Thirty percent of women trading sex reported substance use (excluding marijuana) and 20% reported injection drug use within 30 days. The majority reported no involvement in mobilization activities, but 85% expressed interest. However, barriers included stigma, cultural gender norms, partner violence, and privacy in regards to disclosure of sex trade involvement, moral conflict (revealing one’s involvement in sex trade), involvement in substance use, human trafficking, and feeling powerless. Facilitators were having a safe space to meet, peer support, self-esteem, feeling heard, knowledge of rights, economic need to support families, and staying healthy. Findings imply the potential to go beyond mobilizing limited groups of women in the sex trade and instead involve whole community mobilization; that is, to reach and include the more vulnerable women (substance use, trafficked) in supportive services (social services, exit strategies, better healthcare opportunities, and/or education for healthcare providers to help break societal stigmas regarding women in the sex trade) and to change the status of women in society in general. Full article