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Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters 2024Studies show that gender socialisation shapes differently the gendered identity, self-esteem, and sexual behaviours of girls and boys. While pre-adolescence is viewed as...
Studies show that gender socialisation shapes differently the gendered identity, self-esteem, and sexual behaviours of girls and boys. While pre-adolescence is viewed as a pivotal period for gendered socialisation, few studies in francophone Africa investigate the role of gender identity effects on aspirations and sexual and reproductive behaviours at this life stage. This article explores how the internalisation of gender stereotypes during socialisation is linked to the aspirations of girls and boys for certain life events, such as having their first child or getting married. A survey was conducted in 10 primary schools in Ouagadougou, among pupils aged between 9 and 16 years, as well as seven focus group discussions with their parents. The findings indicate a gender-based variation in the effects of adherence to unequal gender norms among young adolescents. As a result, girls tend to have earlier aspirations towards marriage and later aspirations for childbearing, while boys show earlier aspirations for childbearing and later ones for marriage. These effects may expose both girls and boys to risks of poor sexual and reproductive health. Interventions promoting egalitarian gender norms could boost girls' self-esteem as well as mutual respect among young adolescents of both genders, aiming to improve their sexual and reproductive health during adolescence and into adulthood.
Topics: Child; Humans; Female; Adolescent; Male; Socialization; Gender Identity; Sexual Behavior; Africa; Focus Groups
PubMed: 38294681
DOI: 10.1080/26410397.2023.2294824 -
Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology Aug 2023The purpose of this narrative review is to use a personal perspective to describe unanticipated and pivotal findings that drew the author into the study oxytocin.... (Review)
Review
The purpose of this narrative review is to use a personal perspective to describe unanticipated and pivotal findings that drew the author into the study oxytocin. Oxytocin was originally described as a "female reproductive hormone." However, supporting reproduction is only one of a myriad of functions now attributed to oxytocin. Oxytocin promotes survival and resilience in both sexes and across the lifespan, especially in the context of stress or trauma and helps to explain the health benefits of relationships. Oxytocin works in the context of individual histories and in conjunction with other molecules, as well as the autonomic nervous system and immune factors. The chemical properties of oxytocin make it biologically active, but difficult to measure. As a deeper understanding of the biology of oxytocin is emerging, we may use knowledge of the properties of oxytocin to uncover adaptive strategies that protect and heal in the face of stress and adversity in both males and females.
PubMed: 37577297
DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2023.100189 -
Annual Review of Neuroscience Jul 2023Rapid advances in the neural control of social behavior highlight the role of interconnected nodes engaged in differential information processing to generate behavior.... (Review)
Review
Rapid advances in the neural control of social behavior highlight the role of interconnected nodes engaged in differential information processing to generate behavior. Many innate social behaviors are essential to reproductive fitness and therefore fundamentally different in males and females. Programming these differences occurs early in development in mammals, following gonadal differentiation and copious androgen production by the fetal testis during a critical period. Early-life programming of social behavior and its adult manifestation are separate but yoked processes, yet how they are linked is unknown. This review seeks to highlight that gap by identifying four core mechanisms (epigenetics, cell death, circuit formation, and adult hormonal modulation) that could connect developmental changes to the adult behaviors of mating and aggression. We further propose that a unique social behavior, adolescent play, bridges the preweaning to the postpubertal brain by engaging the same neural networks underpinning adult reproductive and aggressive behaviors.
Topics: Male; Animals; Female; Social Behavior; Aggression; Brain; Sexual Behavior, Animal; Cognition; Mammals
PubMed: 37001242
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-121522-110856 -
Veterinary Sciences Jul 2023Cocaine is one of the most widely used drugs that, due to its molecular properties, causes various behavioral alterations, including sexual behavior. In vivo and in... (Review)
Review
Cocaine is one of the most widely used drugs that, due to its molecular properties, causes various behavioral alterations, including sexual behavior. In vivo and in vitro studies conducted mainly in mammals have shown various disorders of sexual activity and morpho-functional dysfunctions of the gonads in both sexes. Although the modalities are still unclear, cocaine has been shown to alter the cell cycle, induce apoptosis, and alter sperm motility. In females, this drug alters the formation of the meiotic spindle as well as may obstruct the ovulation mechanism of mature oocytes. The data provided in this review, in addition to reviewing the current literature on the main effects of cocaine on spermatogenesis and oogenesis mainly in mammals, will hopefully provide a basic overview that may help and support further future studies on the molecular interaction of cocaine and its metabolites with germ cells.
PubMed: 37624271
DOI: 10.3390/vetsci10080484 -
International Journal of Molecular... Nov 2023This overview discusses the role of imprinting in the development of an organism, and how exposure to environmental chemicals during fetal development leads to the... (Review)
Review
This overview discusses the role of imprinting in the development of an organism, and how exposure to environmental chemicals during fetal development leads to the physiological and biochemical changes that can have adverse lifelong effects on the health of the offspring. There has been a recent upsurge in the use of chemical products in everyday life. These chemicals include industrial byproducts, pesticides, dietary supplements, and pharmaceutical products. They mimic the natural estrogens and bind to estradiol receptors. Consequently, they reduce the number of receptors available for ligand binding. This leads to a faulty signaling in the neuroendocrine system during the critical developmental process of 'imprinting'. Imprinting causes structural and organizational differentiation in male and female reproductive organs, sexual behavior, bone mineral density, and the metabolism of exogenous and endogenous chemical substances. Several studies conducted on animal models and epidemiological studies provide profound evidence that altered imprinting causes various developmental and reproductive abnormalities and other diseases in humans. Altered metabolism can be measured by various endpoints such as the profile of cytochrome P-450 enzymes (CYP450's), xenobiotic metabolite levels, and DNA adducts. The importance of imprinting in the potentiation or attenuation of toxic chemicals is discussed.
Topics: Animals; Male; Humans; Female; Reproductive Health; Estrogens; Reproduction; Neurosecretory Systems; Sexual Behavior; Endocrine Disruptors
PubMed: 38068882
DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316559 -
International Journal For Equity in... Jan 2024
Topics: Humans; Reproductive Health; Sexual Behavior; Social Responsibility
PubMed: 38191465
DOI: 10.1186/s12939-023-02081-4 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2023
Topics: Humans; Adolescent; Reproductive Health; Sexual Behavior; Poverty
PubMed: 37809005
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1287625 -
Health Expectations : An International... Aug 2023Person-centred sexual and reproductive health (PCSRH) care refers to care that is respectful of and responsive to people's preferences, needs, and values, and which... (Review)
Review
Person-centred sexual and reproductive health (PCSRH) care refers to care that is respectful of and responsive to people's preferences, needs, and values, and which empowers them to take charge of their own sexual and reproductive health (SRH). It is an important indicator of SRH rights and quality of care. Despite the recognition of the importance of PCSRH, there is a gap in standardized measurement in some SRH services, as well as a lack of guidance on how similar person-centred care measures could be applied across the SRH continuum. Drawing on validated scales for measuring person-centred family planning, abortion, prenatal and intrapartum care, we propose a set of items that could be validated in future studies to measure PCSRH in a standardized way. A standardized approach to measurement will help highlight gaps across services and facilitate efforts to improve person-centred care across the SRH continuum. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This viewpoint is based on a review of validated scales that were developed through expert reviews and cognitive interviews with services users and providers across the different SRH services. They provided feedback on the relevance, clarity, and comprehensiveness of the items in each scale.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Reproductive Health; Sexual Behavior; Sexual Health; Reproductive Health Services; Sex Education
PubMed: 37232021
DOI: 10.1111/hex.13781 -
Physiological Research Dec 2023Drug addiction and its effect on the behavior and development of children has become a serious problem in our society. Methamphetamine (MA) is one of the most abused... (Review)
Review
Drug addiction and its effect on the behavior and development of children has become a serious problem in our society. Methamphetamine (MA) is one of the most abused psychostimulants in the Czech Republic, and its abuse is rising worldwide. Previous studies have demonstrated the adverse long-term effects of maternal drug abuse on rat offspring. However, the father's contribution as a parent and donor of half of the genetic information is unclear. Previous studies of other psychostimulant drugs indicate that long-term application of MA to adult male rats may induce changes in their reproductive system and lead to changes in rat pup functional and behavioral development. Therefore, the present review aimed to investigate the effect of MA administration on reproductive toxicity and sexual behavior of adult male rats, as well as the impact of paternal MA exposure on behavioral development and locomotor activity in rat offspring.
Topics: Humans; Female; Adult; Child; Male; Rats; Animals; Methamphetamine; Rats, Wistar; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Central Nervous System Stimulants; Sexual Behavior; Genitalia; Behavior, Animal
PubMed: 38165750
DOI: 10.33549/physiolres.935266