Sexual health

Dr Linda Calabresi
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The urgent phone call from a female patient who has just realised she’s missed taking her daily oral contraceptive. What should she do?

Dr Terri Foran
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Differences between combination vs progestogen-only pills, rules on missed and late pills, which pill to start with, what age to start, the risk with a family history of breast cancer, and applying the WHO’s “Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use” in practice

Rochelle Hamilton
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Whether it is possible to rekindle a sexual relationship with low levels of desire

Prof Deborah Bateson
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The pros and cons of the various contraceptive methods at perimenopause

Dr Linda Calabresi
Clinical Articles iconClinical Articles
Dr Linda Calabresi
Clinical Articles iconClinical Articles
Dr Linda Calabresi
Clinical Articles iconClinical Articles

Prospective fathers might consider taking fish-oil supplements to improve their fertility, new research suggests. Danish researchers conducted the study into the reproductive function among over 1500 young men (aged 18-19 years) from the general population. They compared parameters such as total sperm count and motility, as well as serum hormone levels including testosterone and FSH among those men who had reportedly taken fish oil supplements regularly over the past three months with those who didn’t.

Prof Sarah Robertson
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Smoke haze from Australia’s catastrophic bushfires is continuing to affect many parts of the country.

University of Montreal
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Great strides have been made in terms of public health campaigns to reduce the spread of HIV, and the development of antiretrovirals to stop people living with the condition from developing AIDS. However, medical interventions to cure or vaccinate against the condition have so far proved elusive. Researchers from the Montreal Clinical Research Institute may have made a crucial first step in this direction. Their recent research, outlined recently in the journal Cell Reports, focuses on boosting the levels of ‘plasmacytoid dendritic cells’ (PDCs) in the earliest stages of HIV infection.

Jessica Grieger
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In years gone by, women would rely on the calendar on the wall to work out when their next menstrual cycle might occur. They would look to physical signs to tell them when they might be ovulating, and therefore when they’d be most likely to fall pregnant. More recently, we’ve seen the proliferation of mobile phone applications helping women track their current cycle, predict their next cycle, and work out when the best time is to try for a baby. There are more than 400 fertility apps available, and over 100 million women worldwide are using them. The personalisation and convenience of apps makes them empowering and attractive. But they require some caution in their use.

Dr Linda Calabresi
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Here is a useful resource for those GPs who have patients who are struggling with issues related to their sexuality and need more specifically tailored support. Even though there is much more awareness and openness about different sexual orientations, it is likely GPs will appreciate the support of this free counselling and referral service developed for people who are LGBTI.

Dr Linda Calabresi
Clinical Articles iconClinical Articles

Lack of knowledge and lack of opportunity are two key reasons why Australian GPs aren’t counselling men about how to improve their fertility. According to a survey of over 300 practising GPs, the vast majority (90%) did not feel confident in their knowledge about modifiable risk factors that affect male fertility. And when the researchers got specific, it appeared there was greater awareness of the potential of STIs and smoking to cause fertility problems than a number of other factors such as obesity, undernutrition and poor diet, paternal age and diabetes.