A Young Woman Asking for Labia Reduction Surgery: A Plea for “Vulvar Literacy”.

In the last decades, the demand for genital cosmetic surgery and, more specifically, labia reduction surgery has increased. Labia reduction surgery means that parts of the labia minora are surgically removed. Several reasons for this increased demand for labia reduction surgery have been suggested, such as the trend to shave pubic hair resulting in more visible genitals, an increased exposure in public media of digitally altered images of the female genital suggesting an “ideal female genital,” and the advertising of labia reduction surgery by aesthetic surgeons and clinics as a way to rejuvenate and to regain (sexual) attractivity [1, 2]. An explanation we would like to add here is that there is a growing intolerance toward any kind of (physical) imperfection—for instance, like children’s teeth—which could be seen as a side effect of medical technological progress. Interestingly, in several African countries, it is common to elongate the labia minora by teaching adolescent girls to stretch them manually, suggesting that this would increase male and female sexual pleasure [3, 4]

Does haptotherapy benefit mother-child bonding in women with high fear of childbirth?

Objective: To evaluate the effect of haptotherapy during pregnancy on mother-child bonding (MCB). Population or sample: Primigravida and multigravida (N = 73). Methods: Data were obtained from a randomized controlled trial study on treatment for severe fear of childbirth with haptotherapy. Fear of Childbirth (FOC) was evaluated using the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ) and mother-child bonding (MCB) by an online version of the Pictorial Representation of Attachment Measure (PRAM). Screen-positive women for severe FOC were randomly assigned either to a haptotherapy (HT) arm or a no-haptotherapy (No-HT) arm (psycho-education via internet or care as usual). In this group, a median split was carried out on the PRAM to allow focusing on the women with the 50% poorest MCB levels. Measurements were on four occasions: (T1) 20-24 weeks of gestation, (T2) 36 weeks of gestation, (T3) 6 weeks postpartum, and (T4) 6 months postpartum. Repeated measurements ANOVA was carried out on the basis of the as-treated principle. Main outcome measures: MCB measured with the PRAM across two measurement occasions T1 and T4. Results: In the group of women with high MCB, we found no statistically significant difference in the mean PRAM change scores between the HT arm and the no HT-arm, F(3, 69) = 2.009, p = .121. However, in the group of women with low MCB, women in the HT arm showed a statistically significant greater improvement of mother-child bonding than in the no-HT, F(3, 69) = 2.877, p = .042. Conclusion: Haptotherapy during pregnancy can statistically significantly increase mother-child bonding in women with a high fear of childbirth and a poor MCB as compared with psycho-education via internet or care as usual

A Young Woman Asking for Labia Reduction Surgery: A Plea for “Vulvar Literacy”.

In the last decades, the demand for genital cosmetic surgery and, more specifically, labia reduction surgery has increased. Labia reduction surgery means that parts of the labia minora are surgically removed. Several reasons for this increased demand for labia reduction surgery have been suggested, such as the trend to shave pubic hair resulting in more visible genitals, an increased exposure in public media of digitally altered images of the female genital suggesting an “ideal female genital,” and the advertising of labia reduction surgery by aesthetic surgeons and clinics as a way to rejuvenate and to regain (sexual) attractivity [1, 2]. An explanation we would like to add here is that there is a growing intolerance toward any kind of (physical) imperfection—for instance, like children’s teeth—which could be seen as a side effect of medical technological progress. Interestingly, in several African countries, it is common to elongate the labia minora by teaching adolescent girls to stretch them manually, suggesting that this would increase male and female sexual pleasure [3, 4]

A Scholar Who Cannot See the Woods for the Trees: The Biopsychosocial Model as the Scientific Basis for the Psychosomatic Approach

The International Society for Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISPOG) advocates a broad approach to O&G as a discipline. In this context breadth means paying attention to the role played by biological, psychological, and social factors in the illness and health of gynecological patients. This broad perspective is in contrast with the biomedical model, which is common in Western medicine; the biomedical model is first and foremost a depth perspective, which reduces illness to a problem in underlying biological processes. George L. Engel coined the term “biopsychosocial model” (BPS model) in 1977 to refer to a combination of zooming both in and out in relation to health issues. The BPS model is a way of thinking that helps to understand complex health problems and complaints without ignoring the influence and importance of biomedical, personal, and social factors. In principle, in this book we use the BPS model as a point of departure. The advantage of working with the BPS model is that you not only find out how things work—the depth perspective—but also gain an understanding of the meaning of a certain complaint or symptom, why a certain phenomenon exists. In this chapter we will take a closer look at the incongruence between the breadth perspective and the depth perspective

A Scholar Who Cannot See the Woods for the Trees:The Biopsychosocial Model as the Scientific Basis for the Psychosomatic Approach

The International Society for Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISPOG) advocates a broad approach to O&G as a discipline. In this context breadth means paying attention to the role played by biological, psychological, and social factors in the illness and health of gynecological patients. This broad perspective is in contrast with the biomedical model, which is common in Western medicine; the biomedical model is first and foremost a depth perspective, which reduces illness to a problem in underlying biological processes. George L. Engel coined the term “biopsychosocial model” (BPS model) in 1977 to refer to a combination of zooming both in and out in relation to health issues. The BPS model is a way of thinking that helps to understand complex health problems and complaints without ignoring the influence and importance of biomedical, personal, and social factors. In principle, in this book we use the BPS model as a point of departure. The advantage of working with the BPS model is that you not only find out how things work—the depth perspective—but also gain an understanding of the meaning of a certain complaint or symptom, why a certain phenomenon exists. In this chapter we will take a closer look at the incongruence between the breadth perspective and the depth perspective