Being Ex-PLISSIT: addressing visible differences and intimacy with patients

Coupledom and notions of intimacy and family formation with one committed partner are hallmarks of family and relationship science. Recent national surveys in the United States and Canada have found that consensually non-monogamous relationships are common, though prevalence of specific types of consensual non-monogamy are unknown. The present research draws on a United States Census based quota sample of single adults (N = 3,438) to estimate the prevalence of desire for, familiarity with, and engagement in polyamory—a distinct type of consensually non-monogamous relationship where people typically engage in romantic love and sexual intimacy with multiple partners. Results show that 1 out of 6 people (16.8%) desire to engage in polyamory, and 1 out of 9 people (10.7%) have engaged in polyamory at some point during their life. Approximately 1 out of 15 people (6.5%) reported that they knew someone who has been or is currently engaged in polyamory. Among participants who were not personally interested in polyamory, 1 out of 7 (14.2%) indicated that they respect people who engage in polyamory. Few sociodemographic correlates emerged; no differences in prevalence were found based on political affiliation, income, religion, geographic region, or race/ethnicity. Sexual minorities, men, and younger adults reported greater desire to engage in polyamory (compared to heterosexuals, women, and older adults, respectively). Men and people with lower education backgrounds were more likely to have previously engaged in polyamory (compared to women and people with higher education backgrounds, respectively). Given that emotional and sexual intimacy is an important part of most people’s lives, understanding the varied ways in which people navigate their intimate lives is critical for the fields of relationship, sexuality, and family science.

Recreational sex is a popular form of leisure that has been redefined by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. “Social distancing” rules have imposed limits on sex for leisure while also creating new opportunities. We discuss results from an online survey of 1,559 adults who were asked about the pandemic’s impact on their intimate lives. While nearly half of the sample reported a decline in their sex life, one in five participants reported expanding their sexual repertoire by incorporating new activities. Common additions included sexting, trying new sexual positions, and sharing sexual fantasies. Being younger, living alone, and feeling stressed and lonely were linked to trying new things. Participants making new additions were three times more likely to report improvements in their sex life. Even in the face of drastic changes to daily life, many adults are adapting their sexual lives in creative ways.

Resexualising older disabled people’s sexual and intimate lives: an outline, framework and research agenda

This chapter focuses on the rights of people living with dementia to sexual and intimate lives from a psychiatric perspective. Older people, including people living with dementia, continue to enjoy active sex lives, but the legal position is for individuals engaging in sexual activity to give 'here and now' consent to such activities, creating legal uncertainty where there is doubt about an individual's ability to consent. As a result, the current legal position can dissuade professionals and carers from allowing sexual relations to take place, resulting in discrimination reflecting ageism and ableism, and a violation of an individual's rights to privacy and private life. We argue that more can and should be done to promote sexual intimacy among people living with dementia, requiring a shift from a medical view of the condition, to one which situates it within its social context.

This book contributes to the anthropology of globalization by probing how people on the ground are negotiating global inequalities in their sexual practices and intimate lives. It has shown that, while top-down globalization in the form of the tourism industry still promises to spread the wealth to reach more Brazilian citizens, Bahian sex workers, tour guides, tourism industry workers, and cultural producers are enacting “insurgent cosmopolitanism” in the form of “counter-hegemonic solidarity, bottom-up globalization.” While the government, nongovernmental organizations, journalists, and abolitionist feminists focus on sex tourism as the problem of white Western elite men exploiting poor, marginalized, Third World women, sex workers in Salvador saw opportunities for cosmopolitanism, advancement, romance, intimacy, and potential transnational mobility through their ambiguous entanglements with foreigners. The book concludes by raising questions and implications for future research on issues of race, sexuality, and globalization within cultural anthropology.

Resexualising older disabled people’s sexual and intimate lives: an outline, framework and research agenda

Impacting on Intimacy: Negotiating the Marriage Equality Debate

Sexual Disorders, including Klaibya (erectile dysfunction), Shukra Kshaya (oligospermia), Vandhyatva (infertility), and low libido, are among the most distressing health concerns that affect both physical and psychological well-being of humans. Ayurveda treats these ailments holistically with Rasayana Chikitsa (Rejuvenation Therapy) and Vajikarana Chikitsa (Aphrodisiac Therapy). By renewing Shukra Dhatu (reproductive tissue), strengthening Ojas (the body‘s vital energy), and maintaining mental balance, these therapies work together to support overall reproductive health and well-being. Vajikarana Chikitsa mainly focuses on improving fertility, sexual strength, and performance by nourishing the reproductive organs and supporting healthy hormonal activity. It helps maintain balance among the Tridoshas, boosts both physical energy and mental confidence, and strengthens Agni (digestive fire) so that nutrients are better absorbed by the body. Ashwagandha, Kapikacchu, Shilajit, Gokshura, and Safed Musli are some of the most commonly used Vajikarana medicines in traditional practice. Meanwhile, they also have the skill to raise testosterone levels, extend stamina, raise sexual desire, and keep the semen healthy. Besides these advantages, their antioxidant and stress-relieving properties also assist in fertility becoming better and in sexual problems co-facing with stress and exhaustion. Whereas, Rasayana Chikitsa, on the other hand, penetrates at a much deeper level and by it nourishes all the body tissues and revives the lost vigor thus making the whole body feel like getting rejuvenated again. Rasayana herbs such as Amalaki, Guduchi, Shatavari, and Brahmi not only energize the immune system but also slow down the aging process at the cellular level and promote the maintenance of a Authors Prashanth Ramesh Gadgade Assistant Professor Department of Kayachikitsa, Shri Dhanvantari Ayurvedic Medical College and Research Centre, Mathura Dr. Karishma Rabha Assistant Professor Department of Kayachikitsa, Shri Dhanvantari Ayurvedic Medical College and Research Centre, Mathura Male Sexual Disorders - An Ayurvedic Perspective E-ISBN: 978-93-7020-833-9 IIP Series, Volume 6, 2026, Part 2, Chapter 6 ROLE OF RASAYANA AND VAJIKARANA IN SEXUAL DISORDER 178 healthy hormonal balance. The combination of Rasayana and Vajikarana therapies is a great support for continuous sexual health, vigor, and general well-being. Through working on the body, mind, and emotions on one hand and on the other hand wakening and revitalizing the reproductive system, the two medicines Vajikarana and Rasayana, when used together, form a complete healing system.Rasayana provides enduring rejuvenation and vitality, and Vajikaranamakes the reproductive system robust. As a matter of fact, they are a perfect example of the Ayurvedic paradigm of holistic healing that not only promotes the duration of life and general health but also sexual ability.

A longitudinal study of the effects of free testosterone and other psychosocial variables on sexual function during the natural traverse of menopause

Background: Abnormal vaginal discharge is one of the commonest gynaecological problems reported among women, specifically in the reproductive and post-menopausal age groups. Most of the time abnormal vaginal discharge is associated with multiple infectious and non-infectious aetiologies, and it significantly contributes to morbidity and impairs their quality of life. Objectives: To evaluate women presenting with abnormal vaginal discharge using clinical and microbiological methods and to identify the underlying etiological profile. Methods: This study was a hospital-based cross-sectional study that was conducted among women attending the gynaecology clinic as out-patients at Sri Muthukumaran Medical College and Research Institute between January–December 2023. A semi-structured questionnaire is used to collect necessary data, followed by clinical examination, and laboratory investigations such as vaginal pH, wet mount, KOH test, Gram stain, NAAT for gonorrhoea/chlamydia, Pap smear, and culture when indicated. Collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Results: A total of 160 women were evaluated and their mean age was observed as 41.87 ± 9.5 years, with most of them 73.2% belonging to the 30–49-year age group. Among 50% of the study participants white discharge was the most common presentation, followed by profuse discharge was observed among 41.3%. Diagnosis in our study showed that bacterial vaginosis, vulvovaginal candidiasis, trichomoniasis, and other mixed infections as commonest causes. Sociodemographic and reproductive factors such as SES, education, marital status, sexual activity, and contraception practices were presented with distinguished patterns which helps us in arriving appropriate diagnosis. Conclusion: Abnormal vaginal discharge, a common conditions diagnostic accuracy can be improved with appropriate clinical evaluation with targeted microbiological assessment. Bacterial vaginosis and candidiasis remain the predominant causes.

The paper explores the transformation of forms of interaction between science and industry in the field of research and development of polymer and composite compounds. In the pre-revolutionary period, pioneering firms in this field began to open the first laboratories at their base. During the Soviet period, the active development of civil and military industries required the mass production of polymer products in the shortest possible time. To solve this problem, research institutes began to be created, which in Soviet realities demonstrated their high efficiency. At the present stage, one of the ways to provide the polymer industry with the necessary know-how has become the creation of R&D departments based on commercial firms, as well as advanced state universities. Using the example of the R&D department of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, the specifics of the functioning of such research centers are analyzed. The research methodology is based on the retrospective method. Comparative analysis is widely used. In addition, the microanalysis method is also involved, which allows, using the example of a single R&D department of the University, to assess the future prospects of the emerging model of science-industry interaction in the development of new polymer materials and composites. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that this article for the first time examines in detail the work in the field of development of new polymer and composite compounds of the R&D department of one of the leading universities in the country – the Competence Center of the National Technological Initiative "New Production Technologies", created on the basis of the Institute of Advanced Production Technologies of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. It is concluded that the R&D departments of universities, when they are provided with highly competent scientific personnel and modern equipment, can demonstrate high performance indicators. At the same time, their activities ensure the formation of a pool of technologies in the domestic market that are available to all its participants, and not only to individual firms. This, in turn, creates the necessary prerequisites for the further development of the polymer industry in our country.

In reply—Contra Contraception

: Hunting in tropical forests is typically most intense near human settlements, and this creates gradients of decreasing animal densities toward those settlements. Within the context of this spatial pattern, we evaluated the status of game in the hunting grounds of an indigenous community in eastern Ecuador. We constructed a spatially explicit model of hunter‐prey interactions that mimicked the hunting in the village and included realistic animal‐dispersal rules. We compared predictions from the model with distributions of animal harvest rates and catch per unit effort of 12 game species. Six species were overharvested in part or all of the area, and two other species were probably being overharvested, although high dispersal rates complicated the interpretation. We then compared our method with methods that have been used previously. We argue that because our method provides information about the spatial extent of overharvesting, it could be particularly useful in informing decision makers about where to establish no‐take areas and could therefore aid in improving the sustainability of hunting in tropical forests.

Objective: This study investigates the effect of intellectual, social, and natural capital on governance performance in middle income countries, addressing how non-financial resources shape institutional quality. The research is empirical and contributes to development economics by linking capital endowments with governance outcomes, which are central to sustainable development and institutional resilience. Methods: The study uses panel data from the Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index (GSCI) for 20 middle income countries during 2020–2024. Governance scores serve as the dependent variable, while intellectual, social, and natural capital are the main explanatory variables, analyzed through a fixed effects regression with robust standard errors. Findings: The results indicate that natural capital has a statistically significant and positive impact on governance performance, with a coefficient value of approximately 0.51, significant at the five percent level. This suggests that countries with stronger capacities to manage environmental resources tend to develop more accountable and resilient institutions. In contrast, intellectual and social capital do not show significant effects within the observed period, which may imply that their influence on governance is more indirect, requires longer time horizons to materialize, or depends on the presence of supportive institutional frameworks. Originality/Value: The novelty of this study lies in testing the reverse relationship between non-financial capital and governance and incorporating interaction models that reveal how these resources jointly shape institutional outcomes. Unlike most prior studies that focus on how governance drives capital formation, this research centers on middle-income countries and employs recent data from 2020–2024 to offer fresh empirical evidence on institutional determinants of governance. Practical/Policy implication: The findings suggest that governance reforms should integrate natural capital management within Sustainable Development Goal frameworks while enhancing institutional capacity in education and social cohesion to enable intellectual and social capital to more effectively strengthen governance in the long term.

Post menopausal women's sexual satisfaction: Effect of oral capsule of mixed Tribulus Terrestris, Zingiber Officinale, Crocus Sativus and Cinnamomum Verum: A randomized controlled clinical trial