PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Romantic partner may play role in reducing vulvovaginal pain

New study from University of Montreal published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine

2010-09-09
(Press-News.org) Montreal, September 9th, 2010 – An investigation published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine has found that male partners who express greater support, attention and sympathy to women's chronic vulvovaginal pain may trigger more pain, but also increase sexual satisfaction in female partners.

Women who took part in the study, conducted by the University of Montreal and University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, suffer from a condition called provoked vestibulodynia (PVD). A condition that affects 12 percent of premenopausal women, PVD can impair sexual functioning as well as diminish sexual desire, arousal, sexual satisfaction, orgasmic capacity and frequency of intercourse.

"An overly concerned partner may lead a woman to avoid sexual intercourse or exacerbate her pain by increasing her anxiety, hyper-vigilance and negative thoughts about the pain, which can in turn increase her pain during intercourse," says lead author, Dr. Natalie O. Rosen, a University of Montreal post-doctoral fellow in psychology. "If a man avoids sexual intercourse with a partner with PVD, then he may also reinforce her negative pain appraisals and that can lead to increased pain during intercourse."

At the same time, the researchers found that a more concerned attitude in partners was linked to greater sexual satisfaction in women with PVD. "It's likely that women interpret the attention from their partner as a greater sensitivity and understanding of her pain during sexual activity and that results in greater sexual satisfaction," says Rosen.

For couples affected by PVD, the key to decreasing pain and bolstering sexual satisfaction may be to shift the focus away from vaginal intercourse without avoiding sexual activity altogether. "Couples can focus on pleasurable sexual activities other than penetration, or on the emotional benefits of sexual activity such as intimacy and closeness," says Rosen.

As part of the study, 191 heterosexual couples affected by PVD completed questionnaires about the condition. Following their participation, couples received a 30-minute telephone psychological consultation about PVD.

"This study furthers our understanding of the importance of how couples communicate about PVD in predicting pain and sexual satisfaction in women," says Sophie Bergeron, a University of Montreal psychology professor. "The more the partner is overly concerned, from the perspective of the woman and her partner, the more her pain intensity may increase during intercourse. Results of our study can help in the development of targeted psychological interventions to assist couples in coping with PVD."

INFORMATION:

About provoked vestibulodynia:

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) results in significant sexual dysfunction, psychological distress and reduced quality of life. PVD, for which there are no relevant visible findings or clinically identifiable neurologic disorder, is characterized by discomfort or a burning pain specific to the vestibule. The chronic and recurrent condition causes vulvovaginal pain that is triggered mainly through sexual contact, but also via tampon insertion and gynecological examination.

Partners in research:

This study was funded by Fonds Québécois de la recherche sur la société et la culture and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

About the study:

The paper, "Woman and Partner-Perceived Partner Responses Predict Pain and Sexual Satisfaction in Provoked Vestibulodynia (PVD) Couples," published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, was authored by Natalie O. Rosen, Sophie Bergeron, Bianca Leclerc, Bernard Lambert and Marc Steben of the University of Montreal and the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre.

On the Web:

Cited article in The Journal of Sexual Medicine: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2010.01957.x/abstract
University of Montreal: www.umontreal.ca/english
University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre: www.chumtl.qc.ca/crchum.en.html

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Random numbers game with quantum dice

Random numbers game with quantum dice
2010-09-09
Behind every coincidence lies a plan - in the world of classical physics, at least. In principle, every event, including the fall of dice or the outcome of a game of roulette, can be explained in mathematical terms. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Light in Erlangen have constructed a device that works on the principle of true randomness. With the help of quantum physics, their machine generates random numbers that cannot be predicted in advance. The researchers exploit the fact that measurements based on quantum physics can only produce a special ...

Gene discovery holds key to growing crops in cold climates

2010-09-09
Fresh insight into how plants slow their growth in cold weather could help scientists develop crops suited to cooler environments. Researchers have shown for the first time that a gene – known as Spatula – limits the growth of plants in cool temperatures, possibly helping them adjust to cool conditions. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, who took part in the study, believe that by manipulating the gene, they could produce the opposite effect – enabling development of crops that grow well in cold climates. Scientists studied the Spatula gene in a weed known ...

New dual recognition mechanism discovered in tuberculosis

2010-09-09
One third of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), which leads to tuberculosis (TB), a leading cause of death world-wide. A new discovery, led by a team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, offers hope for new approaches to the prevention and treatment of TB. The team's discovery of a novel mechanism that may contribute to immune recognition of MTB is published in the September issue of Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. Most individuals with TB recover from the initial infection and become asymptomatic, ...

The Hastings Center Report table of contents for September-October 2010

2010-09-09
Essays Title: The Prospects for Personalized Medicine Author: Shara Yurkiewicz Summary: Ten years after the release of a working draft of the human genome, major changes have made their way into medical practice, the marketplace, research, and policy. Title: Personalized Medicine's Ragged Edge Author: Leonard M. Fleck Summary: The phrase "personalized medicine" has a built-in positive spin. But little attention has been given to some challenging issues of justice it raises. Some people will clearly benefit a lot, some people will clearly not benefit at all, and ...

Improvement in prediction of blood clots in cancer patients

2010-09-09
(WASHINGTON, September 9, 2010) – For cancer patients, who have an increased risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) due to a hyperactive blood coagulation system, there is now an enhanced risk model to predict their chance of developing blood clots, according to a recent study published today in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology. VTE, the formation of blood clots in the veins, develops in up to 20 percent of cancer patients and is one of the leading causes of death among this patient population. Patients with hematologic malignancies (blood ...

Most influential tweeters of all

2010-09-09
EVANSTON, Ill. --- Tweet this, Ashton Kutcher, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. Just because you have a ton of followers on Twitter doesn't necessarily mean you're among the most influential people in the Twitterverse, according to researchers from Northwestern University. If you really want to know the most influential people tweeting on the hot topics of the day, go to pulseofthetweeters.com. The website went online in May and has been tracking the top trending topics from Twitter in real time ever since. The website was created in the laboratory of Alok Choudhary, ...

Texas A&M chemical engineer's work could lead to improved DNA analysis

2010-09-09
COLLEGE STATION, Sept. 9, 2010 – DNA analysis is poised to experience a significant advancement thanks to the work of a Texas A&M University chemical engineer, who has discovered a way to achieve more effective separation of DNA fragments. Working with a widely used gelatin substance known as a hydrogel, Victor M. Ugaz, associate professor in the university's Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, and graduate student Nan Shi have been able to determine the specific type of conditions that result in the optimum gel pore structure for separation of a wide range ...

Bionic speech recognition

2010-09-09
As speech recognition systems become more commonplace - on the computer desktop top, at the call centre and even in the car - it is increasingly important to ensure that the voice signal is as clear as possible before it is processed by a computer and acted upon. It could mean the difference between anything from a profitable financial deal to a safe vehicle or aircraft maneuver. Similarly, mobile phone conversations and even the clandestine recording of speech for security and law enforcement purposes could benefit. Now, researchers at the University Campus in Tunis, ...

How can we use neutrinos to probe dark matter in the sun?

2010-09-09
The existence of Dark Matter particles in the Sun's interior seems inevitable, despite dark matter never having been observed (there or elsewhere), despite intensive ongoing searches. Once gravitationally captured by the Sun, these particles tend to accumulate in its core. In a paper to be published in the scientific journal " Science", Dr. Ilidio Lopes and Professor Joseph Silk propose that the presence of dark matter in the Sun's interior causes a significant drop in its central temperature. Their calculations have shown that, in some dark matter scenarios, an isothermal ...

Study finds most Oregon hospices do not fully participate in the Death with Dignity Act

2010-09-09
A survey in the latest issue of the Hastings Center Report found that most hospices in Oregon, the first state to legalize physician-assistance in dying, either do not participate in or have limited participation in requests for such assistance. Both legal and moral reasons are identified. This finding is significant because hospices are considered important for assuring that physician-assisted death is carried out responsibly, write the authors, Courtney S. Campbell, the Hundere Professor of Religion and Culture at Oregon State University, and Jessica C. Cox, the Hundere ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Reality check: making indoor smartphone-based augmented reality work

Overthinking what you said? It’s your ‘lizard brain’ talking to newer, advanced parts of your brain

Black men — including transit workers — are targets for aggression on public transportation, study shows

Troubling spike in severe pregnancy-related complications for all ages in Illinois

Alcohol use identified by UTHealth Houston researchers as most common predictor of escalated cannabis vaping among youths in Texas

Need a landing pad for helicopter parenting? Frame tasks as learning

New MUSC Hollings Cancer Center research shows how Golgi stress affects T-cells' tumor-fighting ability

#16to365: New resources for year-round activism to end gender-based violence and strengthen bodily autonomy for all

Earliest fish-trapping facility in Central America discovered in Maya lowlands

São Paulo to host School on Disordered Systems

New insights into sleep uncover key mechanisms related to cognitive function

USC announces strategic collaboration with Autobahn Labs to accelerate drug discovery

Detroit health professionals urge the community to act and address the dangers of antimicrobial resistance

3D-printing advance mitigates three defects simultaneously for failure-free metal parts 

Ancient hot water on Mars points to habitable past: Curtin study

In Patagonia, more snow could protect glaciers from melt — but only if we curb greenhouse gas emissions soon

Simplicity is key to understanding and achieving goals

Caste differentiation in ants

Nutrition that aligns with guidelines during pregnancy may be associated with better infant growth outcomes, NIH study finds

New technology points to unexpected uses for snoRNA

Racial and ethnic variation in survival in early-onset colorectal cancer

Disparities by race and urbanicity in online health care facility reviews

Exploring factors affecting workers' acquisition of exercise habits using machine learning approaches

Nano-patterned copper oxide sensor for ultra-low hydrogen detection

Maintaining bridge safer; Digital sensing-based monitoring system

A novel approach for the composition design of high-entropy fluorite oxides with low thermal conductivity

A groundbreaking new approach to treating chronic abdominal pain

ECOG-ACRIN appoints seven researchers to scientific committee leadership positions

New model of neuronal circuit provides insight on eye movement

Cooking up a breakthrough: Penn engineers refine lipid nanoparticles for better mRNA therapies

[Press-News.org] Romantic partner may play role in reducing vulvovaginal pain
New study from University of Montreal published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine