Clinical Evidence Regarding Spermidine-Hyaluronate Gel as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy in Vestibulodynia Management.

Vestibulodynia (VBD) represents a summation and overlapping of trigger factors (infections, hormonal disturbances, allergies, genetic aspects, psychological vulnerability, and others) with broad individual variability. As there are no standard treatment options for VBD, the disease is still in need of appropriate therapeutic tools. : A prospective observational trial was performed to confirm the efficacy of a topical gel containing a spermidine-hyaluronate complex (UBIGEL donna™) as either a stand-alone or companion treatment through a multicenter study on a large sample population.

Postpartum care: Clinical considerations for improving genital and sexual health.

The postpartum period encompasses the biological and psychoaffective transition to motherhood. However, it remains a most neglected phase in a woman's life. Furthermore, the transition to parenthood is a critical and potentially disrupting factor in a couple's relationship, which can be complicated by undiagnosed biological and psychosexual difficulties.

Maintaining vulvar, vaginal and perineal health: Clinical considerations.

Knowledge of female genital anatomy and physiology is often inadequate or incorrect among women. Precise patient-physician conversations can be inhibited by a reluctance or inability to speak accurately about the vulva and vagina, with the terms often being used interchangeably. There is a paucity of scientific evidence and clinical guidelines to support women and physicians in ensuring best practices in feminine hygiene.

The impact of combined contraceptive vaginal ring on vaginal environment: an observational, longitudinal study.

Purpose: To assess the relationship between combined contraceptive vaginal ring (CVR) and vaginal microbiome using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Materials And Methods: We enrolled 20 women for 8 weeks in an open-label study using CVR (NuvaRing) that delivered 15 mcg ethinylestradiol and 120 mcg etonogestrel daily. The vaginal microbiome was assessed at baseline and after 2 months by sequencing the 16S rRNA genes amplified from the total genomic DNA isolated from the sample.

The love-shaper: role of the foetus in modulating mother-child attachment through stem cell migration to the maternal brain.

Background: Foetal PAPCs (pregnancy-associated progenitor cells) begin to cross the placenta in a scheduled manner from early pregnancy and colonise many maternal organs, both in mammals and humans, during each pregnancy. The maternal limbic system appears to be colonised with a 100% frequency when compared with other maternal organs. Once they arrive in the limbic system, foetal PAPCs differentiate into neurons and glial cells, resulting in the formation of new synapses with and among maternal neurons.

Real-World Practices and Attitudes Towards Intimate Self- Care: Results From An International Women's Survey.

Objective: Vulvovaginal health is important to women's overall health, fertility, sexuality, self-perception, self-confidence and intimacy. It is important to identify the existing perceptions and levels of knowledge about intimate care practices from women in different countries, and with different cultures, religions, and perspectives to help women overcome barriers to optimal intimate care.

Methods: An anonymous online survey about general and intimate hygiene routines/habits was distributed across 10 countries (England, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Russia, China, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand).

The Gynogram: A Multicentric Validation of a New Psychometric Tool to Assess Coital Pain Associated With VVA and Its Impact on Sexual Quality of Life in Menopausal Women.

Background: Vulvo-Vaginal Atrophy (VVA) affects about fifty percent of postmenopausal women, contributing more vulnerable sexual and psycho-relational equilibrium. To date, no psychometric instruments have been designed to assess the impact of coital pain associated with VVA on sexual quality of life.

Aim: To validate a new psychometric tool, the Gynogram, able to investigate coital pain and to quantify its impact on sexual well-being in menopause.

Vulvar pain: The revealing scenario of leading comorbidities in 1183 cases.

Objectives: This study set out to investigate the epidemiological characteristics and comorbidities of chronic vulvar pain. Secondary goals were to identify the preferred approaches for managing vulvodynia in Italy.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study (the VuNet -Vulvodynia Network project) was performed in consecutive female patients with chronic vulvar pain attending 21 Italian medical centers (public hospitals, university clinics and private outpatient services) in the period December 2016 to November 2018.

Laser-Evoked Potentials to Pudendal Stimulation in Healthy Subjects: A Pilot Study.

Purpose: Laser-evoked potentials (LEPs) are useful neurophysiological tools for investigating the A-delta sensory peripheral fibers and the central nociceptive pathway. The current investigation aims to obtain normative values of LEPs via pudendal nerve stimulation in healthy adult volunteers.

Methods: Laser-evoked potentials were recorded in 16 men and 22 women, 22 to 75 years of age, using neodymium and yttrium and aluminum and perovskite laser bilateral stimulation to the pudendal nerve-supplied skin and the dorsal surface of the hands and feet.

Hormone therapy for first-line management of menopausal symptoms: Practical recommendations.

Hormone therapy use has undergone dramatic changes over the past 20 years. Widespread use of hormone therapy in the 1980s and 1990s came to an abrupt halt in the early 2000s after initial findings of the Women's Health Initiative trial were published and the study was terminated. Since then, much has been learned about the characteristics of women most likely to benefit from hormone therapy.

Vasomotor symptoms and neurovegetative comorbidities on the menopause: insights from an Italian quantitative research.

Vasomotor symptoms (VMSs) are the most common symptoms affecting women during the menopause. Besides, affective symptoms may share with VMS a common biological pathophysiology. The current multicenter quantitative research was based on an online survey aimed to evaluate the impact of VMS in peri- and post-menopausal Italian women and to identify the main barriers to seeking help.

The GENDER ATTENTION Observational Study: Gender and Hormonal Status Differences in the Incidence of Adverse Events During Cyclosporine Treatment in Psoriatic Patients.

Introduction: Female sex has been shown to be a risk factor for the development of adverse drug reactions; however, this has not been studied for cyclosporine (CsA). The aim of this study was to investigate, in Italian dermatological practice, the influence of gender and menopause and related hormones on the incidence of adverse events (AEs) during CsA treatment in psoriatic patients.

Methods: Multicenter, prospective, observational study conducted from May 2011 to June 2013.

Alpha Lipoic Acid Plus Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Vestibulodynia Associated With Painful Bladder Syndrome.

Objective: This study assessed the effectiveness of alpha lipoic acid (ALA) plus omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) in combination with amitriptyline therapy in patients with vestibulodynia/painful bladder syndrome (VBD/PBS).

Methods: Women with VBD/PBS were randomly assigned to receive amitriptyline or amitriptyline plus a commercially available preparation (ALAnerv Age; Alfa Wassermann, Bologna, Italy) containing, in 2 capsules, ALA 600 mg plus docosahexaenoic acid 250 mg and eicosapentaenoic acid 16.67 mg.

Six Out of Ten Women with Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Complain of Distressful Sexual Dysfunction - A Case-Control Study.

Uncomplicated recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTIs) are common among reproductive-aged women. We aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of sexual dysfunction (FSD) in a cohort of women with rUTIs and compare their psychometric scores to those of matched controls. Data from 147 rUTIs women and 150 healthy controls were analysed.

Coital pain in the elderly: could a low dose estriol gel thrill the vulvar vestibule?

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the application of 0.005% estriol gel to the vulvar vestibule in the management of postmenopausal dyspareunia.

Study Design: Postmenopausal women with dyspareunia were enrolled in this study.

Perimenstrual asthma: from pathophysiology to treatment strategies.

The prevalence of asthma is about 9,7 % in women and 5,5 % in men. Asthma can deteriorate during the perimenstrual period, a phenomenon known as perimenstrual asthma (PMA), which represents a unique, highly symptomatic asthma phenotype. It is distinguished from traditional allergic asthma by aspirin sensitivity, less atopy, and lower lung capacity.

Coronary Heart Disease, Diabetes, and Sexuality in Men.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) has been well recognized as a marker of increased cardiovascular risk for more than 15 years, especially in younger men. Early detection of ED represents an opportunity to intervene to decrease the risk of future cardiovascular events and limit the progression of ED severity. Evidence suggests there is a window of opportunity of 3 to 5 years from the onset of ED to subsequent cardiovascular events.

Cancer, Benign Gynecology, and Sexual Function--Issues and Answers.

Introduction: The diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship of cancer have a profound effect on the quality of life and psychological well-being of men and women. Indeed, the perturbation of sexual function because of neoplasm has far-reaching implications.

Aims: To explore the prevalence, pathophysiology, and treatment of sexual issues in persons with cancer and offer evidence-based recommendations regarding optimal prevention and treatment strategies.

The shorter, the better: A review of the evidence for a shorter contraceptive hormone-free interval.

Objectives: The menstrual cycle is characterised by cyclical fluctuations in oestrogens, progesterone and androgens. Changes in hormone levels in the premenstrual phase with the decline in progesterone trigger a physiological reaction which culminates in menstruation. This process is accompanied in many women by various symptoms such as pelvic pain, headache, mood disorders and gastrointestinal discomfort.

Genital and sexual pain in women.

This chapter discusses the all too common problem of sex-related pain in women. Pain is a complex perceptive experience, involving biologic as well as psychologic and relational meanings. They become increasingly important with the chronicity of pain.

Cross-cultural differences in women's sexuality and their perception and impact of premature ejaculation.

Objective: To assess the cross-cultural differences in women's perception of premature ejaculation (PE).

Methods: A total of 1463 sexually active women from 3 different countries—Mexico, South Korea, and Italy—reporting being or having been in a relationship with a man who suffers from PE were included in the study. A mix of self-constructed questions and questions taken from validated instruments were used, including the Female Sexual Function Index, the Female Sexual Distress Scale, and the Relationship Assessment Scale.

Can Lactobacillus fermentum LF10 and Lactobacillus acidophilus LA02 in a slow-release vaginal product be useful for prevention of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis?: A clinical study.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of the association of 2 specific strains, Lactobacillus fermentum LF10 (DSM 19187) and Lactobacillus acidophilus LA02 (DSM 21717), specifically formulated in slow-release effervescent tablets, in patients with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Study Design: The study was a clinical trial of 58 women diagnosed with recurrent VVC (≥4 culture-confirmed episodes in a 12-mo period). All patients were given 200 mg of fluconazole orally as an induction dose for 3 alternate days during the first treatment week.

Mast cells in chronic inflammation, pelvic pain and depression in women.

Inflammatory and neuroinflammatory processes are increasingly recognized as critical pathophysiologic steps in the development of multiple chronic diseases and in the etiology of persistent pain and depression. Mast cells are immune cells now viewed as cellular sensors in inflammation and immunity. When stimulated, mast cells release an array of mediators to orchestrate an inflammatory response.

Secondary provoked vestibulodynia in sexually active women with uncomplicated recurrent urinary tract infections.

Introduction: Uncomplicated recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTIs) associated with uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are common among healthy, reproductive-aged women. Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a major reason of sexual pain in premenopausal women.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to assess prevalence and predictors of secondary PVD in a cohort of Caucasian-European, heterosexual, sexually active, reproductive-aged women seeking medical help for rUTIs as their primary complaint.