Beliefs About Sexual Activity During Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

The aim of this review is to present the beliefs related to sexual activity during pregnancy. We identified 13 studies (3,122 participants). The main positive beliefs about sex in pregnancy were that it makes labor easier, promotes marital harmony, prevents infidelity, and improves fetal well-being. Negative beliefs were more frequent: that sex could harm the unborn child (cause injuries, miscarriage, or fetal infection) and endanger the pregnancy or maternal health (cause membrane rupture, bleeding, preterm labor, and maternal infection). These findings are useful to clinicians and educational program developers.

Treatments of Female Sexual Dysfunction Symptoms during Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

INTRODUCTION: There is a high prevalence of sexual dysfunction symptoms in pregnancy. These symptoms can have a negative impact on women's quality of life and affect couples' relationship. AIM: To perform a systematic review of the literature to assess the effectiveness and safety of treatments for sexual dysfunction symptoms during pregnancy. METHODS: Six electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, Cochrane CENTRAL, PSYCOINFO, and SCIRUS) were searched from inception to January 2013, without language restrictions. Five trial registers were also assessed for ongoing trials. Trials that reported any type of treatment for female sexual dysfunction symptoms during pregnancy were eligible for inclusion. Screening, data extraction and quality assessment were performed in duplicate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome was the effectiveness of different treatments for female sexual dysfunction symptoms during pregnancy. A secondary outcome was safety of proposed treatments. RESULTS: One thousand one hundred thirty-seven citations were retrieved, four were selected for full-text reading, and two randomized trials (159 participants) were included. One study reported a significant increase in mean total sexual function scores of 44 women in the 1st trimester of pregnancy, 4 weeks after an educative intervention (mean difference 7.0, 95% confidence interval 4.1-9.9). The second study did not detect significant differences in the sexual behavior of 71 women in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy, 12 weeks after an educational session. Results could not be pooled due to heterogeneity between the studies. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings of this review, it is not possible to make any clear and definitive recommendation regarding the effectiveness and safety of interventions used for the treatment of sexual dysfunction symptoms in pregnancy. Ribeiro MC, Nakamura MU, Torloni MR, Scanavino MT, do Amaral MLS, Puga MES, and Mattar R. Treatments of female sexual dysfunction symptoms during pregnancy: A systematic review of the literature. Sex Med Rev 2014;2:1-9.

Compulsive sexual behavior and psychopathology among treatment-seeking men in São Paulo, Brazil.

This study examined compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) and psychopathology in a treatment-seeking sample of men in São Paulo, Brazil. Eighty-six men (26% gay, 17% bisexual, 57% heterosexual) who met diagnostic criteria for excessive sexual drive and sexual addiction completed assessments consisting of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, a structured clinical interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders-Clinical Version (segment for Impulse Control Disorder), Sexual Compulsivity Scale (SCS), and questions about problematic CSB. The average SCS score for our sample was above the cut-off score reported in other studies, and 72% of the sample presented at least one Axis I psychiatric diagnosis. There were no differences among gay, bisexual, and heterosexual men on SCS scores and psychiatric conditions, but gay and bisexual men were more likely than heterosexual men to report casual sex and sex with multiple casual partners as problematic behaviors. SCS scores were associated with psychiatric co-morbidities, mood disorder, and suicide risk, but diagnosis of a mood disorder predicted higher SCS scores in a regression analysis. The study provides important data on the mental health needs of men with CSB in São Paulo, Brazil.