liveonearth: (Default)
liveonearth ([personal profile] liveonearth) wrote2010-06-18 08:12 pm

Obesity-->fewer partners, 4.3x more unplanned pregnancies

UPSHOT
(comparisons to normal-weight people of same gender)
obese women more likely to be celibate
obese men less likely to have more than one partner
obese men more likely to have erectile dysfunction
obese woman had no impairment of sexual function
obese women under 30 less likely to use contraceptives or to go see medical practitioner for them
obese women have 4.3x more unintended pregnancies

Obesity Linked to Lower Number of Sexual Partners and Increased Unwanted Pregnancies
study author: Bajos, N, PhD
medscape reporter: Emma Hitt, PhD

June 17, 2010

new study in British Medical Journal, BMJ. 2010;340:c2573.
study based in France, survey in 2006

Nathalie Bajos, PhD, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, in Kremlin Bicêtre, France
hypothesis: obese at greater risk of neg "sexual outcomes" dt soc stigma and lack of medical followup

men and women
5535 women and 4635 men randomly included
1010 women and 1488 men were overweight (body mass index [BMI], 25 to < 30 kg/m2)
411 women and 350 men were obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2).

FINDINGS
obese women less likely to report having any sex partners in last year (relative to normal wt women)
(odds ratio [OR], 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51 - 0.97)
obese men less likely (than norm wt men) to report having more than 1 sexual partner in a year
(OR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.17 - 0.57; P < .001)
obese men were also more than twice as likely as normal-weight men to report having erectile dysfunction
(OR, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.09 - 6.11; P < .05).

in women higher BMI not related to sexual dysfunction (incl desire, arousal, dyspareunia)
obese women younger than 30 years less likely to use oral contraceptives
(OR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.15 - 0.78)
or to seek healthcare services to attain contraceptives (OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.18 - 0.76)

obese women have 4x more unintended pregnancy
(OR, 4.26; 95% CI, 2.21 - 8.23).

marked sex effect:
partners of obese men and women were more tb obese
association stronger for women than for men

prevention of unintended preg = "major reproductive health challenge" --researchers

contraceptive data of study focus purely on oral contraception and condoms
long-acting reversible contraceptives not considered
"Dr. Goldbeck-Wood states that long-acting reversible contraceptives are suitable for obese women"
recommendations from the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
lower risk for venous thromboembolism and problems with weight-related dosage
require fewer visits to physician
Dr G-W says we need more research to know why obese woman have less sex, not using pills, getting more preg
mention of difficulty for docs to broach the subject

survey supported by the French National Agency of Aids Research and more

editorial: obese and lesbian = not pregnant

SOURCE

Bajos, N et al., Obesity Linked to Lower Number of Sexual Partners and Increased Unwanted Pregnancies, BMJ. 2010;340:c2573.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/723783?src=mpnews&spon=16&uac=89474MT

[identity profile] liveonearth.livejournal.com 2010-06-19 05:57 am (UTC)(link)
I think what Dr GW may be pushing is hormone-impregnated IUDs or hormone depots that don't even require a woman to take a pill every day. It seems logical to me that if you're not having sex, taking a daily birth control pill is probably not high on your agenda--possibly explaining why these mostly celibate obese women are getting pregnant when they do get laid. So it's up to healthcare providers to be sensitive and educated enough to address the subject in a useful way. Which doesn't always happen...

As for using a Diva cup, I wouldn't know but I will take into account your notion that body size & shape could affect one's ability to effectively insert such devices.