Sexuality throughout all the stages of pregnancy: experiences of expectant mothers

Objective: To explore and understand the sexual experiences of expectant mothers during their pregnancy. Methods: The study was carried out in two healthcare centers in the Almería Health District, in southern Spain. The participants included pregnant women who received prenatal care and/or maternity education. The inclusion criteria were being pregnant, maintaining sexual activity and agreeing to participate in the study. The exclusion criteria were having limitations on sexual activity by medical prescription. The sample consisted of 15 expectant women selected using a convenience sample, of which 5 took part in a focus group (FG) and 10 in in-depth interviews (IDI). Data was collected between the months of June and December 2016. Participants were contacted by the main researcher and an appointment was made to carry out the FGs or the IDIs. Results: Three main categories emerged: False beliefs and a holistic approach to sexuality during pregnancy, which is related to the concept of sexuality, false beliefs, and limited sexual counseling during pregnancy. Limitations: From fear at the beginning to physical diffi culty at the end, referring to the fluctuations in sexual desire as well as the physical changes that limit sexual activity. Adapting to changes: safe practices and satisfaction with one’s body image, which encompasses concerns about the risks and the relationship between body image and self-esteem. Conclusion: A lack of sexual counseling during pregnancy leads to the creation of false beliefs, which, together with physical changes, concerns about the risk, and fl uctuations in sexual desire and interest, bring about a decrease in sexual activity. But sexuality remains an important aspect of pregnancy, toward which the participants must adopt a broader approach, not limited to intercourse, and adopt sexual practices that are adapted to the physical and emotional changes that happen during this time

Time projection chambers for the T2K near detectors

The T2K experiment is designed to study neutrino oscillation properties by directing a high intensity neutrino beam produced at J-PARC in Tokai, Japan, towards the large Super-Kamiokande detector located 295 km away, in Kamioka, Japan. The experiment includes a sophisticated near detector complex, 280 m downstream of the neutrino production target in order to measure the properties of the neutrino beam and to better understand neutrino interactions at the energy scale below a few GeV. A key element of the near detectors is the ND280 tracker, consisting of two active scintillator-bar target systems surrounded by three large time projection chambers (TPCs) for charged particle tracking. The data collected with the tracker is used to study charged current neutrino interaction rates and kinematics prior to oscillation, in order to reduce uncertainties in the oscillation measurements by the far detector. The tracker is surrounded by the former UA1/Nomad dipole magnet and the TPCs measure the charges, momenta, and particle types of charged particles passing through them. Novel features of the TPC design include its rectangular box layout constructed from composite panels, the use of bulk micromegas detectors for gas amplification, electronics readout based on a new ASIC, and a photoelectron calibration system. This paper describes the design and construction of the TPCs, the micromegas modules, the readout electronics, the gas handling system, and shows the performance of the TPCs as deduced from measurements with particle beams, cosmic rays, and the calibration system

L’infécondité volontaire : Motivations et enjeux de transmission dans un forum de discussion

Le choix d’une infécondité volontaire, qui s’inscrit dans le mouvement du Childfree by Choice (l’un des éléments de la Seconde transition démographique), fait aujourd’hui l’objet de discussions sur les forums en ligne. Consécutivement à une analyse de contenu exploratoire et descriptive d’un forum de discussion international dédié aux non parents par choix, quatre catégories de motivations ont pu être dégagées : une simple absence de désir d’enfant, une remise en question des rôles et des contraintes qu’impose un enfant, une perception négative des enfants, et des raisons « altruistes » liées à la détérioration de l’environnement et à la surpopulation. Les enjeux associés à la transmission (maladies héréditaires, qualités de la progéniture, transmission des gènes, nom de famille, héritage, etc.) sont aussi soulevés, montrant l’importance de certaines de ces préoccupations chez les tenants de l’infécondité volontaire. Cette étude permet de valider les conclusions des recherches menées sur cette population et d’élargir les analyses en tenant compte des débats entourant la transmission, une problématique qui reste encore peu explorée dans le contexte de l’infécondité volontaire.The choice of voluntary childlessness, which is part of the Childfree by Choice movement, one of the elements of the Second Demographic Transition, is today being discussed in online forums. Following an exploratory and descriptive content analysis of an international discussion forum dedicated to non-parents by choice, four categories of motivations could be identified : a simple lack of desire for children, a questioning of the roles and constraints imposed by a child, a negative perception of children and « altruistic reasons », linked to environmental deterioration and overpopulation. Issues associated with transmission (hereditary diseases, offspring qualities, gene transmission, family name, inheritance, etc.) are also raised, demonstrating the importance of some of these concerns among the advocates of voluntary childlessness. This study validates the conclusions of the sociopsychological research carried out on this population and broadens the analysis by taking into account the debates surrounding the transmission issues, a topic under-explored in the context of voluntary childlessness.La elección de la infecundidad voluntaria, que se inscribe en el movimiento del Childfree by Choice, uno de los elementos de la Segunda transición demográfica, actualmente es objeto de discusiones en los foros en línea. A partir de un análisis de contenido exploratorio y descriptivo de un foro de discusión internacional dedicado a los no-padres por elección, se identificaron cuatro tipos de motivaciones : la simple ausencia del deseo de tener hijos, un cuestionamiento de los roles y las limitaciones que impone un hijo, la percepción negativa de los niños y las razones « altruistas » relacionadas con la deterioración del ambiente y con el exceso de población. Los retos asociados a la transmisión (enfermedades hereditarias, calidad de la progenitura, transmisión de genes, apellido, herencia, etc.) también fueron subrayados, lo que muestra la importancia de algunas de estas preocupaciones entre quienes adhieren a la infecundidad voluntaria. Este estudio permite validar las conclusiones de investigaciones realizadas sobre este tipo de población y acrecentar los análisis teniendo en cuenta los debates en torno a la transmisión, una problemática que ha sido poco explorada en el contexto de la infecundidad voluntaria

Increased Cup Anteversion May Not Prevent Posterior Dislocation in Patients With Abnormal Spinopelvic Characteristics in Total Hip Arthroplasty

Background: The aims of this study were to (1) assess the degree of variation in acetabular component placement and combined anteversion in a large cohort of dislocating total hip arthroplasties; (2) assess the spinopelvic characteristics of the cohort; and (3) examine the association between cup anteversion and reported direction of instability. Methods: A commercial database of 245 dislocating total hip arthroplasties referred for postoperative computed tomography and functional radiographic imaging and analysis were reviewed. Spinopelvic parameters and cup and stem positions were measured in the supine, standing, flex-seated, and anterior pelvic plane (APP) positions. Spinopelvic characteristics were stratified by high, neutral, and low cup anteversion using thresholds of >35° and <15° anteversion in standing, respectively. Results: In the dislocation cohort, 62%, 45%, and 42% of cups were within the safe zone in supine, standing, and the APP, respectively (P < .001). Patients with high vs neutral or low cup anteversion had significantly stiffer spines, more posterior pelvic tilt in standing, greater changes in pelvic tilt, and higher sagittal imbalance. Of the 45 patients with high cup anteversion and reported instability direction, 60% and 40% were reported to have posterior and anterior instability, respectively, with no differences in spinopelvic characteristics. Conclusions: In this dislocating cohort, there is a decreased percentage of cups within the safe zone in the APP and standing position compared to the supine reference. In addition, we found that patients having poor spinopelvic characteristics and high cup anteversion can still dislocate, suggesting that adjusting cup anteversion alone may not be sufficient for preventing instability