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Background: Alcohol may foster the initiation of sexual activity by removing inhibitions, but it impairs performance in the long run, which leads to marked discomfort and relationship problems. The correlation between alcohol dependence and sexual dysfunction is multifaceted. Chronic alcohol abuse can lead to physiological changes in the body, disrupting hormonal balance, neurochemical pathways, and vascular function, all of which contribute to sexual dysfunction. These problems, in turn, would amplify alcohol misuse. Some studies have looked into sexual dysfunction due to alcohol, but there are only a few case-control studies reported from India. Methods: This is a prospective and case control study was conducted among the patients with the history of alcohol dependence admitted in a tertiary care hospital over a period of 6 months. Patients with 21 years of age and above were included. The nature and the purpose of the study were explained briefly to the study population in the informed consent form and then the study population was recruited according to inclusion-exclusion criteria as mentioned above. During the study period, all the recruits were given standardized self-answering questionnaires as mentioned below in the instruments used. ICD-10 F52 criteria were used to diagnose sexual dysfunction. Results: The current study determined occurrence of at least one sexual dysfunction among case (76.6%) which is higher than that of control (36.6%). Furthermore, occurrence of more than one sexual dysfunction in case (63.3%) came out to be higher than that of control (23.3%). No vast difference between case (54.3%) and control (71.4%) can be found with regards to premature ejaculation. In addition, researcher did not find any significant difference. A negative association between erectile function, sexual desire, overall satisfaction, and intercourse satisfaction domains of IIEF and duration of alcohol consumption was observed [r = -0.015, -0.271, -0.04, and -0.168, respectively]. This means an increase in the scores of sexual desire and intercourse satisfaction can be observed with the duration of alcohol consumption, while scores of overall satisfactions tend to decrease. Conclusion: The study highlights the global nature of sexual dysfunction in men with alcohol dependence. It emphasizes the need for clinicians to routinely assess the sexual problems in their alcohol drinking patients, especially those with liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a vital concern among women with mental illness (WMI) due to the increased risk for unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and poor obstetric outcomes. Objective of the study was to explore the current use of family planning (FP) methods, symptoms of STIs and sexual dysfunction among WMI. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study involved 404 WMI of reproductive age (18-49 years) attending tertiary care psychiatric outpatient clinics in India. During face-to-face interviews, centers for disease control and prevention (CDC)-reproductive health assessment toolkit-FP questionnaire, STI questionnaire and Female sexual function index (FSFI) were used to collect the data. Results: Of 404 WMI, 261(64.6%) were users, and 137 (33.9%) were non-users of FP methods. About 6(1.5%) WMI did not respond FP methods question. Female sterilization was the highest among the users, 244(93%). Among non-users, 100 (73%) were unaware of choosing the effective method of FP. Most of the WMI, 377(93.3%), were unaware of STIs. The symptoms of STI reported include unusual genital discharge 62(15.3%) and genital ulcers/sores 58(14.4 %). Most of them, 76(63.3%), were not on any treatment. The most common reason for not taking treatment was feeling ashamed 70(92.1%). Female sexual dysfunction was reported in 176(43.6%). Most of the WMI had difficulties in the arousal domain 288(71.3%), followed by low desire 233(57.7%) and dissatisfaction 186(46%). Conclusion: Most WMI underwent sterilization. Non-users of FP methods were not aware of choosing the effective method. Awareness about STIs was poor, and feeling ashamed was the primary reason for not availing of medical help. Nearly half of the WMI reported sexual dysfunction, among which arousal difficulties, low desire and dissatisfaction were common. Health professionals need to increase awareness about FP methods and symptoms of STIs among WMIs. Women require appropriate counselling regarding SRH and treatment for sexual dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite scholarship on the history and publication of pornography, on laws surrounding Victorian pornography, and on pornography's mutually informative relationship with nineteenth-century medical texts, actual Victorian pornographic texts remain relatively understudied. Taking up Lisa Sigel's call to action that specific "motifs in nineteenth-century pornography deserve closer study," and responding to previous scholars who have identified setting in Victorian pornography as largely inconsequential, I suggest that certain settings have significant literary impacts in Victorian pornography. Adopting the summer-house as a test case in three Victorian pornographic texts--The Romance of Lust (1873-76), Venus in India (1889), and Lovely Nights of Young Girls (c. 1895)--I investigate specific moments of sex in the summer-house, arguing that the liminality of summer-house settings facilitates character behavior and genre performance being pushed to their own liminal boundaries. Ultimately, I posit that the literary summer-house is a recognizable trope in Victorian pornography, and one that asks us to reexamine the impact of specific settings in the genre. Note: this paper discusses underage sex, incest, and rape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research attempts to address a widely under-explained phenomenon of female rape myth acceptance (RMA) among the female population. A total number of 500 literate women from India with a mean age of 28.89 years were selected to examine the different determinants of their RMA. The research explored the important correlates of RMA among women, where the stepwise regression model revealed the significant impact of sexual desires, rejection sensitivity, loneliness, and neuroticism/emotional stability on their RMA. This further implied that women high on these four constructs run a 17.7% chance of endorsing female rape myths. The model eliminated the construct of online pornography usage, owing to its non-significant impact on RMA. Further, it was revealed that the history of prior victimization had a significant effect on the rape myths endorsed by the women. The study also reflected on the identity of the perpetrators of the women with a prior victimization history, where 55.43% reported it was perpetrated by a "known" person in their last experienced assault (and 44.57% "stranger" perpetrator). Whereas most women were victimized by "known" perpetrators, there was no significant difference in the sample's RMA, between the perpetrator identity groups (known and stranger perpetrators). The research concretely adds novel knowledge on identifying and predicting the female rape supportive attitudes among females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) became available in India, it has received significant attention from several social, religious, and political groups and institutions. The increasing use of the ECP as a hormonal birth control method by women has not only bothered medical institutions due to its short-term and possible long-term side-effects, but some social and religious groups have also demanded an outright ban on its sale. This paper is based first on the limited public discussion on the ECP, which has focused on morality; and second, on my semi-structured interviews with women that illustrate the gendered contexts within which they have exercised choice regarding its use. Feminist scholarship on heterosexuality demonstrates that the social context of gendered power relations affects contraceptive choices and negotiations between partners. Using this as a framework, this article there by highlights young women's negotiation regarding their sexual desires and safe sex within spaces of intimacy and power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In countries such as India, men who have same-sex partnerships may marry women due to cultural pressures regardless of their sexual desires and preferences. The wives of such men may be at risk for HIV but limited existing research addresses this issue. This qualitative study used in-depth interviews to investigate HIV-related risk among married men who have sex with men (n = 34) and women who were aware of their husband's same-sex behaviour (n = 13) from six research sites in five states and a Union Territory in India: Delhi (Delhi), Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Hyderabad (Telangana), Bengaluru (Karnataka), Chennai and Madurai (Tamil Nadu). Thematic analysis revealed that wives of men who have sex with men were at risk for HIV from their husbands' sexual practices, which are often hidden to avoid the potential consequences of stigmatisation, as well as from gender-based inequities that make husbands the primary decision-makers about sex and condom use, even when wives are aware of their husband's same-sex behaviour. Innovative interventions are needed to address HIV-related risk in couples where wives remain unaware of their husband's same-sex behaviour, and for wives who are aware but remain within these marriages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks into the social impacts of a proposal from the National Commission of Women in India in 2015 regarding the legalization of sex work in the country. Topics covered include the law surrounding prostitution under the Suppression of Immoral Traffic Act of 1956, implications of legalizing prostitution and decriminalizing it, and the association of lust with sexual crimes. Psychoanalytic perception regarding male insecurities is also mentioned.

The article presents information on the drafting of the Indian anti-sodomy law under the clauses 361 and 362 of the Draft Penal Code regarding offences of touching any person or animal for pleasing unnatural lust. It discusses the Delhi High Court judgment in the case of Naz Foundation v. NCT of Delhi and Others, regarding equal sexual citizenship that strengthens other human rights problems in the country under the constitutional rights.

• Present study records 78 plant species with aphrodisiac properties. • The baseline information gathered during the present study can prove helpful for the development of new aphrodisiac formulations. • 60 plant species were used to increase sexual desire followed by sexual pleasure with 58 species. Documenting traditional use of biodiversity has assumed priority in conservation and sustainable use of this precious knowledge base. Of the various traditional uses of biodiversity, the utilization of plants to treat sexual disorders has a long history. Thus, the present study was carried out to survey and document the traditional use of plant species as aphrodisiacs in Kashmir Himalaya, India. It was discovered that 78 plant species growing in this Himalayan region have been attributed aphrodisiac properties. For each species, the present study provides the scientific name, voucher number, vernacular name, English name, family, life-form, plant part used, medicinal use, method of preparation and dosage. The paper also highlights the crucial role of baseline information gathered during the present study, which can prove helpful for the development of new aphrodisiac formulations and sustainable use of this plant wealth in this biodiversity-rich Himalayan region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancer survivorship is an unremitting struggle for breast cancer patients, as the consequence of complex treatment processes and its multitude of residual and late emerging side effects, have a significant impact on their quality of life (QOL). Unique issues of survivorship include those related to physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being of women. Amid a growing population of breast cancer survivors (BCs) worldwide, supportive care research is assuming greater importance in breast cancer care. Focus of survivorship research is to identify issues impacting QOL of the cancer survivors so that supportive care services can be tailored to their specific needs. Role of individual survivor's issues have been widely reported but a comprehensive picture is lacking. Aim: This study was conducted with the aim to identify important survivorship issues adversely affecting QOL of women after breast cancer treatment. Main objectives were to (1) estimate prevalence of various survivorship issues (2) assess QOL of survivors by using FACT-B and SF-36 questionnaires (3) study impact of time elapsed since treatment on survivorship issues and QOL scores (4) identify most important issues from the perspective of impact on QOL. Methods: This descriptive, hospital based, cross sectional study was conducted in 230 breast cancer survivors and a group of 112 healthy age-matched-controls, in an academic healthcare setting in northern India. A checklist of 14 commonly reported survivorship issues, and questionnaires for QOL assessment were administered to participants. Main outcome measures were (1) frequencies of survivorship issues and QOL scores among three groups divided on the basis of time elapsed since treatment (< 2 year follow-up, 2-5 year follow-up and > 5 year follow-up) (2) association of survivorship issues with QOL scores (3) stepwise regression analysis to identify issues with most significant impact on QOL of survivors. Results: Breast cancer survivors showed an improvement in their QOL over time which was sustained in long term survivors. However their quality of life remains poorer, compared with healthy women, irrespective of the duration of follow-up. The most prevalent survivorship issues were fatigue (60%), restriction of shoulder movement (59.6%), body and joint pain (63.5%), chemotherapy induced cessation of menstruation (73.3%) and loss of sexual desire (60%). However the issues which had maximum adverse effect on QOL scores were emotional distress, fatigue, postmastectomy chronic pain, cessation of menstruation, body and joint pain, vaginal dryness and sleep disturbances. Conclusion: Thus in this study, emotional distress and cancer related fatigue were found to be the chief determinants of poor QOL. Further premature menopause, with its attendant systemic symptoms, vulvo-vaginal atrophy and sexual dysfunction emerged as a key contributor to poor QOL in BCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]