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The article discusses the findings of a study that examines the different factors that influence human sexual behavior. It references research conducted by the La Sapienza University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Rome, Italy and explains key concepts of human sexuality derived from other scientific and religious literature. The study proposes that humans have attributed a wider meaning to sexuality beyond the norms of tradition, ethics, and religion. This article also highlights the social and ethical determinants of sexuality with discussions on conceptive sexuality, the impact of sexuality on health, and tolerance for variant sexual behavior.

Objective To evaluate the reason for requesting emergency contraception (EC), previous use of contraceptive methods and provision route in a Family Planning Clinic in Italy. Methods Women requesting EC were interviewed, through a questionnaire containing questions on demographic characteristics, about their reasons for requesting EC, their prior contraceptive use, their reasons for not using an effective contraceptive method (or possible reasons for its failure) and specifically about the so-called ‘provision route’ (i.e. whether and where they had previously requested EC receiving a negative response). Results Almost 70% of all women requesting EC were aged between 18 and 25 years. Some 80% of all women were in a stable relationship with their partner, with fewer than 20% having had an occasional intercourse. The vast majority of women (83%) reported prior use of a modern contraceptive method, i.e. 64% with a condom, 27% for combined oral contraceptives and 1.1% for the intrauterine device (IUD). In addition, 15% of the women had used more than one method (oral pills and condoms). Concerning the reasons for requesting EC, condom breakage or slipping was the most frequently cited (64%), followed by totally unprotected intercourse (28%), failed withdrawal (5%) and forgetting one or more pill (only 1.1%). Conclusions More than one-third of the women interviewed had previously used an emergency contraceptive modality; although no one did so more than four times. Therefore, it can be inferred that—at least in the present series—EC had not been used as a routine contraceptive method. Finally, it seems clear that in Italy, even in large cities, information about the availability, proper usage and mechanism of action is lacking. This seems due to information being spread by word of mouth between peers and friends, with more formal communication channels lagging behind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mentions a synthesis meeting on osteoporosis to be held in Milan, Italy in October 2000. How women are affected by osteoporosis; Clinical synthesis meetings being different from consensus meetings; Publication of papers from a joint clinical synthesis meeting on hormone replacement therapy in the `Journal of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.'

Objective: Many women experience negative feelings during menstrual bleeding. Aim of the study was to evaluate the attitudes of Italian women towards menstrual bleeding, their desire to reduce its frequency and knowledge of the existence of methods capable of achieving such an objective., Methods: An internet-based anonymous questionnaire has been sent to women willing to fill it in through different social media (Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter). The survey evaluated, objective parameters such as number of pads, use of painkillers, duration of period and pain intensity. Judgement towards period and knowledge about methods to reduce frequency and amount of menstrual flow were analysed., Result: 1072 Women aged 18 - 40 years, answered the survey. The level of education of responders was high, with 61.7% having a university degree. 27.5% of respondents viewed positively the occurrence of a menstrual period. Ideal frequency of menstrual cycles was considered 3 months and the perfect duration was considered to be 3 days. Half of the respondents ignored the existence of methods to suppress menstruation or reduce its frequency. 52% of participants stated that they would not use a contraceptive method because they considered it not 'natural'., Conclusions: In our sample, in spite of the discomfort reported by half of the women interviewed, menstruation was considered positively by one fourth as because confirm their fertility. The majority of women did consider bleeding every month a healthy, but they preferred a three-monthly frequency. Knowledge of contraceptive methods capable of reducing the frequency of menstrual bleeding was scarce.

In 2004, The Italian Constitutional Court prohibited treatments involving gamate donation, embryo donation, embryo cryopreservation (except under exceptional circumstances), and the transfer of more than three embryos. Basically three statements were made by the Court: the ban violates a couple's fundamental right to health, to self-determination and to have a child. Here, the consequences of such a decision and the legal challenges that ensued are discussed., (Copyright © 2014 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Pregnancy after solid organ transplantation is perfectly possible, but it is associated with an increased risk of major obstetrical complications including pre-eclampsia, foetal growth restriction and preterm birth. Following liver and kidney grafting, the risk of complications is higher especially after kidney transplant, reflecting pre-existing hypertensive and vascular disease. In these patients, prevention should start before the onset of pregnancy through normalisation of hypertensive and vascular conditions. Following heart and lung transplants, the risk of rejection during and after pregnancy remains significant and an adequate immunosuppression is imperative, especially after lung transplants because of their intrinsic high rate of rejection. A likely explanation for the higher risk of pregnancy complication is an alteration of the 'placental bed', the decidua and the inner myometrium underlying the placenta, a zone encompassing the full length of the spiral arteries supplying maternal blood to the placenta. Unfortunately, this zone has not been investigated in pregnancy after solid organ transplantation., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose of Investigation: Clinic visits during pregnancy and puerperium provide a unique opportunity to counsel women on contraception practices. With the aim of evaluating postpartum contraceptive attitudes among urban women attending an antenatal care center and delivering in the same facility, a structured questionnaire was administered to assess desired and received information on contraception in the postpartum period., Results: A total of 436 consecutive interviews were collected during the study period. Pregnancy was unplanned in 39% of the women interviewed. Overall, 269 women (61.7%) had decided to use a method of family planning during postpartum. Among the 112 women who stated they did not want to use a method during postpartum, almost 50% stated that they "did not think they needed it", due to a perceived lack of real risk. Of the 436 women interviewed, only 5.5 % women acknowledged that they had received information on contraceptive use., Conclusion: The present study indicates a need for ante- and postpartum counseling of women even in urban areas of Italy.

Background: The levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) was first marketed in 1990 in Finland. Since then, it has been approved in approximately 120 countries throughout the world, with almost 50 million women-years of cumulative experience to date. Its high contraceptive effectiveness and favorable bleeding profile, leading to significant reduction of menstrual bleeding both in women with idiopathic menorrhagia and in those with normal menstrual bleedings, have been the key to the success of the system. At the same time, women need to be provided adequate preinsertion counseling about changes in menstrual bleeding to be expected. In the Italian context, it is important to highlight during counseling that amenorrhea is not harmful but can lead to health benefits such as an increase in iron blood stores and blood hemoglobin concentration., Study Design: To evaluate contraceptive efficacy, compliance and the effect of changes in menstrual cyclicity on quality of life and sexuality of the LNG-IUS (Mirena®), 156 women attending the Family Planning Clinic to request contraception were enrolled in the study and inserted with the device., Results: Menstrual blood flow decreased in all users, in terms of both quantity and duration; although spotting was present in 93.7% of the women, it disappeared within 6 months in the majority of cases. Amenorrhea occurred in 29.5% of all women, with onset within the first six cycles postinsertion. Data from the EuroQuality of Life-5D and Female Sexual Function Index questionnaires showed improvement in the quality of life, with a decrease in intercourse-related pain and an improvement in sexual desire., Conclusions: Although in Italy intrauterine contraception is poorly accepted, once started on LNG-IUS, women found that the device represents a safe and effective contraceptive modality, with valuable noncontraceptive benefits, especially in the presence of heavy or prolonged bleeding., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

On 8 May 2009, the Italian Constitutional Court declared, at least in part, that the law regulating assisted reproduction technology in Italy (Law 40/04) is unconstitutional. The most important theoretical point made by the Court is that the law does not provide unlimited protection to embryos, since it admits that some of them may not produce a viable fetus. Embryo protection is therefore limited by the imperative to ensure a concrete possibility to achieve a successful pregnancy. The Court also reaffirmed the need to empower the attending physician with the means to carry out a full evaluation. At present, the situation is not clear and, theoretically, requires a new intervention by Parliament. This, however, is unlikely., (Copyright 2009 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Modern contraception was born out of the momentum of the demographic explosion that characterised the 20th century; today the phenomenon has acquired complexity because it is interconnected with population aging which is already very evident in the industrialised West, but is about to explode in the developing world too. Modern contraception played a decisive role in slowing down demographic growth which is now at a point below replacement level in numerous industrialised countries, including Italy. A phenomenon that has, unfortunately, often accompanied family planning education campaigns has been that of coercion: in the most highly populated countries and thus in those countries most exposed to the severe consequences of ultra-rapid increases in the population, governments and particularly zealous public servants have often resorted to more or less forced sterilisation and even abortion in order to achieve their targets. All of this ended in 1994 when the Cairo International Conference for Cooperation and Development recognised and sanctioned the new integrated concept of Reproductive Health. This new concept mandates that family planning and modern contraception must be integrated with all other interventions aimed at creating a state of psychophysical wellbeing in everything that concerns reproduction. Today then it is absolutely impossible to speak of "family planning", "fertility control" or "contraception" in isolated fashion; it is necessary to insert interventions in these fields into the global context of all other interventions in matters of reproduction. Finally, it should be recalled that in the 2nd half of the 20th century, after hundreds of thousands of years, homo sapiens performed at least 2 revolutions: the contraceptive revolution, which permitted sexuality without reproduction, and the reproductive revolution, which permitted reproduction without sexuality. Given the speed of these changes it should not surprise that they were received with suspicion, not to say fear or panic. Progress should, however, be welcomed favourably provided it does not change the essence of the relationship between parents and children and the biological balance that sustains them.

Progestin-only minipills have been available for over three decades, yet their use has been limited, because of a documented lower efficacy when compared to pills that combine estrogen and progestin. The availability of a new low-dose progestin-only minipill containing 75 microg desogestrel (DSG) offers a new perspective, since, in a large multicenter study, this minipill gave a crude Pearl index of 0.41 and an adjusted one of 0.14, which is comparable to indices found in clinical trials of oral contraceptives. This minipill also allows for a 12-hour tolerance time in taking the pill. The high effectiveness of the DSG minipill is attributable to an almost constant inhibition of ovulation, as shown by the absence of elevated progesterone circulating levels and inhibition of follicular growth in the vast majority of cycles studied. Since irregular bleeding patterns are observed with all minipills, patterns experienced with DSG 75 microg have been compared to those obtained with levonogestrel 30 microg. As expected, the more pronounced ovarian inhibition produced wider bleeding variability with DSG, but also less bleeding overall. The DSG minipill is suitable for lactating women and represents a valuable addition to oral contraception.

Over the last twenty years the international community-realizing that the tragedy of women dying during pregnancy and in childbirth could no longer be tolerated-launched a series of initiatives aimed at making safe motherhood a cornerstone of health services in all countries. Making pregnancy and delivery safe events is particularly complex, as it involves infrastructural and logistic, as well as technical, issues. Women die because they have no access to skilled personnel during pregnancy and at the time of delivery and because--if an emergency situation arises--they cannot reach a facility where emergency obstetric services are available. FIGO, the International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology-as the only global organization representing the Obstetricians of the world-decided some time ago that it could not limit its activities to proposing technical guidelines and debating scientific issues. It had to move into the field and, through its affiliated societies, help change the ability of the multitude of women in the developing world to obtain skilled attendance at birth. In 1997, plans were made to launch activities in five areas where maternal mortality was particularly high: Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador), Ethiopia, Mozambique, Pakistan, and Uganda. Five member societies from the developed world (the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, the Italian Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of the United Kingdom; and the Swedish Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology) agreed to provide support to their counterparts in these five selected areas. The project is now in its final stage. Results are, by and large, positive, demonstrating that, by motivating health professionals in the field and for a relatively modest financial outlay, more efficient use of existing services could be made in a sustainable fashion to save lives.