Comment: Human infidelity – instinct or opportunity?
Paul Woolley
pp 4-6
Nine out of ten species of birds worldwide are monogamous: they have a single mate, at least in each breeding season. Many of these, nevertheless, are quick to mate with others if they can get away with it. Promiscuity is rife among many common birds such as starlings and swallows. The benefit to a male is obvious; he gets more females to rear his chicks. Benefits to a female are less obvious – she may be more likely to pick up diseases and parasites by mating with more than one male, especially one that will mate with several other females as well.’
|
The premenstrual syndrome
Sue Lee
pp 7-9
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is the umbrella term applied to symptoms that regularly occur between ovulation and the onset of menses, and which are sufficiently troublesome to impact upon the normal activities of the sufferer. The range and severity of symptoms can vary considerably among patients, with some experiencing mainly physical symptoms and others mainly psychological ones.
|
Age of consent, disclosure and confidentiality
Murray Wilson
pp 12-14
There are concerns regarding the sexual health of adolescents in the UK. The legal age of consent for heterosexual or homosexual sex is currently set at 16 years of age in England, Wales and Scotland. In Northern Ireland, the age of consent for sexual intercourse is set at 17 years. However, 26% of girls and 30% of boys recently surveyed in Britain claim to be sexually active before the age of 16 years.
|
Testing for chlamydia – a clinical perspective
Jennifer Hopwood and Harry Mallinson
pp 16-18
Chlamydia is endemic in the UK, and is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI). It is important to identify and treat the infection effectively if the chances of acquiring it in the community, or of complications occurring once infected, are to be reduced. The national strategy for sexual health and HIV sets out three levels of service provision for sexual health services, with all GPs offering level one services, which includes testing women for STIs, and assessment and referral of men with STI symptoms. It is vital, therefore, that healthcare professionals understand the tests available.
|
The cost of HIV treatment are care in England since HAART – part 2
Eduard J Beck and Sundhiya Mandalia
pp 21-23
The introduction of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) into routine clinical practice has profoundly reduced HIV disease progression, and associated morbidity in HIV-infected individuals. However, the rising costs of HIV treatment and care in the UK have become a persistent concern. Part 1 of this article in the last issue of BJSM provided an overview of how the introduction of HAART has affected the use and cost of HIV service provision in England between 1996 and 1999. This second and final part highlights relevant policy implications.
|
Effects of endocrine disrupters on male fertility
Philip Holmes and Catherine Botham
pp 25-27
Since the early 1990s, there has been concern that chemicals in the environment may be adversely affecting wildlife and humans through disruption of their hormone systems. Wildlife effects include: abnormalities of the reproductive system of alligators in a heavily polluted lake in Florida, and of snapping turtles in the Great Lakes, North America; the presence of intersex (ovarian tissues in the testis) of male freshwater fish in many parts of Europe, including the UK; and imposex (development of a penis and secondary sex organs in a female) in dog whelks in many parts of the world.
|
Imaging and intervention in uterine fibroids
Jon L Hughes and John F Reidy
pp 28-30
In the past, radiologists have had little part to play in the management of uterine fibroids as their diagnosis is made clinically, without the need for imaging, and they have been primarily treated by surgery. With the recent advent of more conservative treatments, imaging is increasingly required in the planning and monitoring of therapy, although it is the development of uterine artery embolisation (UAE) that has radically altered the role of the radiologist in the treatment of fibroids.
|
A stiff upper lip
David Hicks
pp 31-31
Researching the material for this article is entirely subjective. The only criteria is that it must have been published (although not necessarily peer-reviewed), it must relate to sex (a wide-ranging definition!) and it must be of interest to me. You might, therefore, question the inclusion of the final piece here about earthquake survivors, which fulfils the first and last criteria but does not seem to be related to the second. But please read on and the reason for its inclusion will become clear.
|