For people living with HIV (PLHIV), sexual satisfaction can be challenging because of stigma, discrimination, or fears surrounding onward transmission. This article investigates sexual satisfaction among PLHIV, demonstrating high levels of sexual dissatisfaction associated with avoiding sex due to HIV status, concerns about drug use, older age, and poor self-reported health. These findings highlight that supporting PLHIV extends beyond biomedical considerations (e.g. HIV treatment), demanding a holistic approach that tackles stigma and other health concerns.

More than one in five Chinese adults aged 50 years or older might face sexual dissatisfaction, and compared with men, women are more likely to experience sexual dissatisfaction. Sexual dissatisfaction was linked to poor health status, such as depressive symptoms and comorbidities of common chronic diseases. Sexual satisfaction, a corner stone of sexual health, warrants scholarly and medical attention, especially for older adults and women, to ensure health longevity.

This article belongs to the collection: Sexual health among older adults: A multi-disciplinary collection.

This study examined how drug use during sex affects sexual behaviours among men who have sex with men in China. Through a nationwide survey of 796 participants, we found that men who used specific psychoactive drugs during sex (chemsex) showed different patterns compared to other groups. They reported more sexual partners, engaged in a wider variety of sexual activities, and showed distinct patterns of sequential sexual behaviours. These findings help identify risks and inform targeted health interventions.

There is limited understanding of the preferences of the general public for the provision of early abortion services, including surgical and early medical abortion. Discrete choice experiments are an ideal means to investigate the preferences for abortion services in Australia. There is a pressing need for increased education and awareness regarding the types of abortion services available and the range of healthcare providers capable of delivering safe and effective abortion services.

Co-creation is a community engagement methodology that aims to create a shared leadership role of program beneficiaries in the development and implementation of programs. We conducted a co-creation process to develop a community-engaged implementation strategy to enhance service uptake among a sexual minority sub-population in China. This paper describes the co-creation process and may help inform future co-creation practices in generating contextually appropriate public health solutions.

Sexual health research and community engagement projects often focus on youth and neglect middle-aged and older adults. This research demonstrates that crowdsourcing open calls and co-creation activities focused on sexual health are feasible among middle-aged and older adults, including those with disabilities. Key findings from this study suggest that improving sexual health services for middle-aged and older adults must be addressed at various levels of healthcare service delivery.

This article belongs to the collection: Sexual health among older adults: A multi-disciplinary collection.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication used to stop people from acquiring the HIV virus and is a key part of reducing HIV rates worldwide. We investigated the Australian GP perspective on PrEP, and found half of our participants lacked knowledge on PrEP, half were not confident prescribing it, and key barriers were difficulty identifying suitable patients and lack of time. GPs need support to provide PrEP, with paid training and Medicare item numbers that encourage PrEP prescribing.

PrEP has been attributed to increased rates of STIs due to condomless anal sex, but little is known about how gay, bisexual and queer men (GBQM) perceive PrEP and STIs and how these perceptions influence sexual behaviours. This study is the first longitudinal qualitative research that explores the experiences and attitudes of GBQM using PrEP in Canada. Understanding GBQM’s perspectives can inform the development of more effective strategies to promote safer sexual practices and mitigate the spread of STIs within and beyond GBQM communities.

Many sexual health services neglect older adults, defined here as people 60 years and older. Physicians sometimes assume that older adults do not have sex. This editorial describes why we should focus more on the sexual health of older adults. More research, programs, and policies are needed to support sexual health among older people.

This article belongs to the Collection Sexual health among older adults: A multi-disciplinary collection.

As a consequence of COVID-19, sexual health clinics in Australia adopted the use of telehealth for the routine care of people living with HIV. Telehealth has been positively evaluated among this population. Hybrid models between in-person and telehealth conjunction were suggested for the future care model.

In the past 10 years, the prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus infection has shown a decreasing trend, whereas the detection prevalence of cervical lesions has shown an upward trend among women in Karamay City, China. Importantly, particular emphasis should be placed on cervical cancer screening in women aged >55 years.

Despite improvements in treatment, there remain important gaps in quality of life for people recently diagnosed with HIV. Through interviews with people diagnosed with HIV between 2016 and 2021 at a sexual health clinic in Sydney, Australia, this study aimed to understand experiences of recent diagnosis and care. Findings suggest that more opportunities for discussions about sex and dating in early years of diagnosis and checking understandings of key health messages may promote improved care and quality of life.