Thursday 13 November 2014

New Study Explores How HPV is Transmitted

HPV, or to give it its scientific name, the human papillomavirus, is one of the world's most common sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) and in some cases, can lead to other health problems such as genital warts and cervical cancer.

Doctors from the Department of Oncology at McGill University in Canada have been exploring exactly how the STI is transmitted from person to person, finding that it can be passed on not just through oral sex, but also via kissing.

To make this discovery, the team analyzed the sexual health of 222 men and their female partners. The male participants were required to complete a questionnaire detailing their sexual history, as well as providing samples from their mouths and genitals for analysis.


Some 7.2 per cent of the men had the oral form of the virus, but just 11.5 per cent of these males had female sexual partners with genital HPV.

Yet 28.6 per cent had partners with the oral-based virus, indicating that it is not just oral sex where HPV can be a risk, but also mouth-to-mouth contact.

Other prevalent factors in the transmission of HPV were found to be smoking (12.2 per cent of cases in men) and non-monogamous relationships (17.9 per cent of males).

Lead author of the study Eduardo Franco commented: 'Understanding how HPV is transmitted is important because it will help us identify who is most at risk for HPV infection and how we can help them protect themselves and their partners.

'Our work provides additional evidence that HPV is sexually transmitted to the oral tract through oral-to-oral and oral-to-gential contact.'

Last month, a study from the University of Texas Health Science Center revealed that a compound found in shiitake mushrooms could help to ward off HPV infections and prevent them from developing into cancer.

In addition, research from the Texas facility on the subject has shown individuals with dental problems may be significantly more likely to be diagnosed with HPV.

Monday 3 November 2014

Top 10 Reasons for Low Libido in Women

A low libido can have a significant impact on your life and may even lead to issues in your marriage. Those with a low libido should know the causes so that they can address them quickly.

Aging
As you age, things like menopause and hormonal imbalances can have a negative effect on your sex drive. Men getting older may also experience impotence which can cause problems. For women, things like vaginal dryness can make sex painful so they avoid it.

Overall Health
Your overall health plays a major role in your sexual health. Those with chronic medical conditions can experience sexual dysfunction, such as vaginal dryness and impotence. Medications can also reduce libido and cause problems with overall sexual function as a side effect.

Excess Weight
Excess weight may make someone feel as though they are less attractive, and this can cause them to avoid intimacy. This is more common in women, but men too can experience lower self-esteem if they start to gain weight. Body acceptance and working toward better health are very helpful.

Exhaustion
It is common for adults to get too little sleep because everyone is so busy with work, school, friends, and family. Over time, mental and physical exhaustion can start to impact different parts of your life, including your libido because you are just too tired to make time for sex.

Stress
Stress can impact all aspects of your life, including your sex drive. When you are experiencing stress, it is common to put so much focus on the stress or that you do not consider your partner. Stress can lead to exhaustion, which can also result in a reduction in libido.

Alcohol
Over time, those who drink excessively can see a reduction in their libido. In some cases, it may even cause men to experience impotence. Men and women need to drink in moderation to prevent this effect. On average, women should have no more than one drink per day and men should limit to two drinks per day.

New Baby
Having a new baby is a joyous time, but it may harm relations in the bedroom. In fact, about 10 percent of women experience post-partum depression and this further causes libido problems. A new baby needs constant attention and his or her needs come before intimacy.


Relationship Problems
If you and your partner are not connecting well, this has a profound impact on libido for both partners. Temporary disinterest happens and this is normal, but when it continues for weeks or months, there is a problem you must address to prevent consequences like low libido.

Depression
Depression is a common illness and one of the symptoms is a reduction in sex drive. When someone is experiencing depression, they often no longer enjoy things that made them happy in the past. Libido is often one of the first things they lose interest in and then things like fatigue further impact this.

Combination of Factors
Two or more libido killers can be at play, such as having relationship problems and depression, and this further lower libido and impacts your sex life. Those with more than one factor should concentrate on one at a time and work to resolve it so that they do not get overwhelmed.