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Sexual Health Sexual Health Society
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Sexual Health

Sexual Health

Volume 21 Number 3 2024

SH23206Pre-exposure prophylaxis and telemedicine during coronavirus (COVID-19): a qualitative study of the experiences of health care professionals in Mexico

A. Cruz-Bañares 0009-0002-0974-8640, A. Rojas-Carmona 0000-0002-3780-709X, S. Aguilera-Mijares 0000-0002-7354-1698, A. Martínez-Dávalos, S. Bautista-Arredondo 0000-0001-8910-3011 and H. Vermandere 0000-0003-1274-8537

Telemedicine, involving the use of technologies for remote healthcare services, was used by health care providers in Mexico to facilitate access to HIV prevention services, including pre-exposure prophylaxis. From their experiences, it became evident that telemedicine improved access to HIV-prevention counselling and enhanced time management for providers; at the same time, they struggled with inadequate infrastructure and concerns about privacy. They advocated for clear guidelines to establish procedures and provide support when delivering pre-exposure prophylaxis services remotely.

Prior to the global Monkeypox (Mpox) outbreak, we developed a smartphone app (HeHealth) where users can take pictures of their penises with a smartphone to screen for symptomatic sexually transmitted diseases. We further developed the Mpox tool that involved formative research, stakeholder engagement, rapid consolidation of Mpox images, a validation study, and implementation. Artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches can be initiated by smaller datasets and refined along the way, which is important in the event of global pandemics or outbreaks.

SH24026Analysis of pelvic floor muscle electromyography parameters in women with or without sexual dysfunction

Chunyan Wang 0009-0004-9725-8928, Yan Che, Yumei Zhang, Tingfeng Guan, Jie Wang and Xinying Du 0009-0000-2194-2409

Female sexual dysfunction brings great trouble to women. Evidence suggests that women with greater pelvic floor muscle (PFM) strength have better sexual function. Sexually active women have better PFM endurance than inactive women. However, it has also been reported that PFM strength is not correlated with sexual function. Here, we assessed female PFM function with electromyography, and explored the relationships between electromyography parameters and sexual dysfunction, in an attempt to provide an objective basis for sexual dysfunction diagnosis and treatment.

SH23194Client and staff perceptions of acceptability of MyCheck: a direct-to-pathology telehealth and e-testing service for comprehensive bloodborne virus and sexually transmissible infection screening

Lise Lafferty 0000-0002-8533-2957, Clinton Rautenbach, Anna McNulty 0000-0003-3174-1242, Nathan Ryder 0000-0002-2050-0155, Carolyn Slattery, Rebecca Houghton, Aurelie Kenigsberg, Carolyn Murray, Nigel Carrington and Prital Patel

Sydney Sexual Health Centre (SSHC) piloted MyCheck, a direct-to-pathology pathway that facilitated bloodborne virus/sexually transmissible infection testing at participating pathology collection centres located across New South Wales. This qualitative study sought to understand perspectives of acceptability of the MyCheck intervention among SSHC clients and providers’. The MyCheck intervention was perceived by both SSHC clients and staff as an acceptable bloodborne virus/sexually transmissible infection testing pathway. However, further work is required to address stigma experienced by some clients when attending pathology collection centres.

SH23210The influence of home versus clinic anal human papillomavirus sampling on high-resolution anoscopy uptake in the Prevent Anal Cancer Self-Swab Study

Jenna Nitkowski 0000-0001-5651-8501, Timothy J. Ridolfi, Sarah J. Lundeen, Anna R. Giuliano, Elizabeth Y. Chiao, Maria E. Fernandez, Vanessa Schick, Jennifer S. Smith, Bridgett Brzezinski and Alan G. Nyitray

Anal cancer disproportionately affects men who have sex with men living with HIV. We examined whether anal HPV sampling at home versus in a clinic impacts uptake of high-resolution anoscopy (HRA), an in-clinic procedure. Anal cytology history and insertive anal sex position were associated with higher HRA uptake, and attendance differed by race and HIV status in the clinic arm. Given that people living with HIV and Black men who have sex with men are disproportionately affected by anal cancer, interventions are needed to support their clinic attendance.

SH24028The use of suboptimal antiretroviral therapy when applying for migration to Australia: a case series

Daniel Tran 0009-0002-3525-3211, Brent Allan, Alexandra Stratigos, Darryl O’Donnell, Dash Heath-Paynter, Aaron Cogle and Jason J. Ong 0000-0001-5784-7403

Even in the modern day, people living with HIV (PLHIV) are often subjected to poorer physical and mental health outcomes. Such health outcomes were identified in this case series, whereby six patients were noted to be experiencing significant stress, anxiety and medication side effects from electing to receive cheap, suboptimal HIV treatments to remain below Australian visa medical cost thresholds. These findings reinforce the need to review Australian migration laws which currently discriminate against PLHIV.

SH23094Bacterial vaginosis after menopause: factors associated and women’s experiences: a cross-sectional study of Australian postmenopausal women

Linde L. Stewart 0000-0003-0642-2610, Lenka A. Vodstrcil 0000-0003-3679-9195, Jacqueline Coombe 0000-0002-9520-5724, Catriona S. Bradshaw and Jane S. Hocking 0000-0001-9329-8501

Bacterial vaginosis is the most common cause of vaginal discharge in reproductive age women, yet little is known about it in postmenopausal women. This survey of Australian postmenopausal women found that women continue to report bacterial vaginosis after menopause, it affects their quality of life, and it is associated with sexual activity. Women of all ages are susceptible to bacterial vaginosis, research should not be limited to younger women, and developing an appropriate testing method should be a research priority.

SH23202Associations between receiving non-consensual image and video sexts and average sleep duration among adolescents and young adults

Kyle T. Ganson 0000-0003-3889-3716, Carolyn O’Connor, Jason M. Nagata, Alexander Testa, Dylan B. Jackson, Nelson Pang and Faye Mishna

Sexting is common among adolescents and is largely considered a part of contemporary adolescent and young adult relationships. However, receiving non-consensual sexts can have adverse mental health effects, despite little known about the effects on sleep. This study found that receiving non-consensual sexts was associated with lower sleep duration among girls and young women, underscoring the needs for greater awareness of this behaviour among health and mental health professionals.

Our research indicates that women’s sexual desire is frequently ignored and suppressed, which can have negative consequences when not expressed within socially acceptable contexts. The causes and solutions for decreased desire in women extend beyond individual factors, and encompass relational and social influences. Sexual desire plays a crucial role in motivating sexual behaviour, and as such, it should be incorporated into health education, health promotion and public health policies.

SH23175Management of acute sexual assault presenting to a large Australian sexual health clinic in 2012–2021: a retrospective clinical audit

Aleah Kink 0000-0002-6034-2833, Janet M. Towns 0000-0003-2714-4680, Christopher K. Fairley 0000-0001-9081-1664, Tiffany R. Phillips 0000-0001-6920-7710, Catriona S. Bradshaw 0000-0002-6643-5678 and Eric P. F. Chow 0000-0003-1766-0657

The incidence of sexual assault continues to rise in Australia. However, there is a paucity of literature examining the nature of assault and subsequent management for victims of all genders. The findings of this large, retrospective clinical audit determined that the nature of assault differs between male and female victims, with varying detail of clinical documentation. There is need for a standard primary care protocol for clients presenting with acute sexual assault.

Bacterial STIs are on the rise in the US. Although people assigned male at birth can benefit from taking an antibiotic soon after sex (doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis) to prevent STIs, we found that only one-quarter of participants surveyed were aware of doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis; those living in places with LGBTQ inequality were less likely to be aware. Increased awareness of new prevention approaches among those most at risk is crucial to increased uptake.

Committee on Publication Ethics