Organsms, sexual satisfaction, and reproductive health are topics featuring in three new studies reported in scientific journals this week.
The first study, about sexual satisfaction is to be published in this week's Journal of Sexual Medicine. Two-hundred and ninety five sexually active Australian women rated their level of sexual satisfaction using questionnaires. Part of the criteria for joining the study was that the women were active in bed at least twice a month and aged between 20 and 65.
Women who rated themselves as being sexually-satisfied had a higher sense of psychological well-being than those women who wanted more sexual satisfaction. The most commonly reported sexual problems were related to sexual desire and interest, and pleasure and satisfaction, all of which are inextricably related.
Source: Davison SL; Bell R; LaChina M; Holden SL; Davis SR; The Relationship between Self-Reported Sexual Satisfaction and General Well-Being in Women; Journal of Sexual Medicine; 2009; DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01406.x
The second study looked at the effects of living conditions on the ability to conceive and maintain pregnancy.
Women in Bolivia, a relatively rural and non-industrialized country, were studied to determine what factors affected pregnancy loss.
The study's findings indicate that intense labor and low food intake led to miscarriages. Previous research has also estimated that as many as 70% of pregnancies in the West, many of them unknown, are naturally aborted. This is most likely because the mother's health is not strong enough to sustain pregnancy due to a combination of several factors, such as: a poor quality diet, alcohol intake, medications, sleep deprivation, tobacco, and mental and emotional stress.
"This finding applies to U.S. moms just as much as Bolivians, and it applies to psychosocial resources just as much as food supply," said Virginia Vitzthum, the study's lead author.
In the West, this finding shows itself as women experiencing prolonged mental and emotional stress in their work, being an overly-busy parent, or performing excessive high-intensity cardiovascular exercise. The nutritional component manifests itself when women eat too little in an attempt to reduce weight, or consistently skip meals, both of which are intrepreted as famine by our physiology. Famine tells the body that insufficient calories are being eaten to sustain the life of a developing baby. When you combine skipping meals or restricting calories with working in a stressful job, coming home to tend to your children, and then doing continual, high-intensity cardio', the chances of conceiving and maintaining pregnancy are drastically reduced.
"Until recently, it was assumed that women everywhere had similar reproductive biology," she said. "We now know that women vary tremendously, and these differences affect women's health. As well as healthy food, pregnant women also need good working conditions and adequate social support from family, friends and workplace to keep their risks of early pregnancy losses low."
Source: "Seasonal Modulation of Reproductive Effort During Early Pregnancy in Humans," American Journal of Human Biology, 2009 Jul-Aug;21(4):548-58
The third study released this week in the International Journal of Sexual Health observed women's and men's responses from questionnaires. It found that women who feel positively about the female genitalia find it easier to orgasm.
"Women are often more critical about their own bodies -- and other women's bodies -- than men are," said Debby Herbenick, the study's author. Herbenick also had some suggestions for how parents can help their daughter have a stronger body image:
Parents might consider how they can help their daughters to feel more positively about their bodies, such as by teaching them accurate names for their body parts, including their genitals (e.g., "vulva" rather than "down there")
Responding in supportive ways to their self-exploration: "Rather than saying, 'don't touch down there - it's dirty,' parents might let their children know that it's OK for them to touch their genitals, but in private spaces such as their own bedroom or the bathroom."
Hernenick added: "...the mind and body are highly connected in regard to sex. When women feel more positively about female genitals, they likely feel more relaxed in their own skin, more able to let go and thus more likely to experience pleasure and orgasm."
Source: The Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Attitudes Toward Women's Genitals," International Journal of Sexual Health, 21:153-166, 2009.
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