Hester Pastoor

Erasmus University Rotterdam | EUR · Erasmus Medical Center (MC)

Objectives Inflammatory arthritis (IA) has been associated with various problems related to male sexual and reproductive health (SRH). However, addressing these issues in the clinic remains a challenge. In this study, we aimed to describe the viewpoints of rheumatologists and male patients with IA regarding the aspects that influence their communic...

Background Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people embody social and health inequalities that disproportionately affect this community more than the cisgender population. Endometriosis is a chronic condition of the reproductive tract that affects 5–10% of cisgender women. A recent systematic review with meta-analysis uncovered a pooled prevalen...

Study question What is the impact of idiopathic premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) on sexual function in women? Summary answer Women with POI exhibit significant reduced sexual function and a higher risk of sexual dysfunction than healthy control women. What is known already POI is a life-changing diagnosis with profound physical and psycholog...

Study question Are genital response and subjective sexual response different between women with and without PCOS and what is the relationship with sex steroid levels? Summary answer No difference in genital sexual response was found, but women with PCOS report lower subjective sexual response. The relationship with androgens is limited. What is k...

Unfortunately, sexual violence and sexual abuse are common in our societies. It presents itself in different forms and affects children, women and men of all ages, ethnicities and gender expressions. This chapter will give an overview of the definition of sexual violence and sexual abuse, its effect on sexual function, possible relationship with di...

BACKGROUND Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common and distressing endocrine disorder associated with lower quality of life, subfertility, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. PCOS characteristics, its comorbidities, and its treatment can potentially influence sexual function. However, studies on sexual...

STUDY QUESTION What is the relationship of sex steroid levels with sexual function in women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)? SUMMARY ANSWER Women with PCOS reported more sexual dysfunction and more sexual distress compared to those without PCOS, but only few and weak associations between androgen levels and sexual function were o...

Study question: What is the recommended assessment and management of those with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), based on the best available evidence, clinical expertise, and consumer preference? Summary answer: International evidence-based guidelines address prioritized questions and outcomes and include 254 recommendations and practice points...

Objectives To investigate sexual function in women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and the relationship with androgen levels. Methods Heterosexual women with clinically diagnosed PCOS (n=68), aged 18-40 years, in a committed relationship and healthy controls (n=67) were included. All women went through a medical and endocrine scr...

Objectives To present a comprehensive review of the evidence on sexual function in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) compared to women without PCOS. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis of the published literature was conducted. Eight databases were searched from inception to August 24th 2022. Two authors independently screened...

Study question To present a comprehensive review of the evidence on sexual function in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) compared to women without PCOS. Summary answer Women with PCOS report lower sexual function and sexual satisfaction compared to women without PCOS. What is known already Research focusing on the psychosocial aspects o...

Purpose Sexual health is an important contributing factor for health-related quality of life, but research in this domain is scarce. Moreover, normative data are needed to interpret patient-reported outcome measures on sexual health. The aim of this study was to collect and describe normative scores of the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS) and th...

Background Sexual health related quality of life (SHRQoL) is an important pillar of health related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study was to investigate sexual functioning in men and women with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Methods and results In this cross-sectional study, a total of 78 patients were included, 49 were diagnosed with pu...

This chapter will address the various mental health disturbances that can happen in the period between aiming at conception, pregnancy, childbirth, and the first postpartum year. Whereas some women with a psychiatric disease would like to become mothers, other women develop mental health disturbances as a direct result of reproductive changes. The...

Background: Sexual well-being (SWB) is an important aspect of overall quality of life and should therefore be considered when measuring the effect of breast cancer on daily life. Aim: To identify positive and negative predictive factors associated with change in SWB 1 year after diagnosis (T12; hereafter, ∆SWB) and whether SWB changes the year a...

Objectives Sexual health is defined as a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality. The impact of inflammatory arthritis (IA) on male sexual health has been mainly studied focusing on erectile function, one of the physical components of sexual health. Our objective was to describe the viewpoints among men w...

Background Sexual health (SH) can be impaired in men with inflammatory arthritis (IA) (1). In addition to biological factors, such as inflammation, subjective factors such as personal beliefs can also impair SH. The Q methodology combines aspects of qualitative and quantitative approaches to systematically study subjectivity, and has been applied s...

Introduction The prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is 10–15% in women of reproductive age. Its characteristics are (i) clinical or biochemical hyperandrogenism, (ii) oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea, and (iii) polycystic ovaries on ultrasound. PCOS is associated with lower quality of life, depression, anxiety, diabetes, and cardiovascular...

Background Men concerned about their penis size often consult professionals working in urology, andrology, surgery, and sexual medicine. Aim To inform professionals in the sexual medicine field about small penis syndrome as a clinical syndrome and to provide recommendations for treatment. Methods This was an overview of the existing literature co...

Objective: As part of the value-based health care program in our hospital a set of patient reported outcome measures was developed together with patients and implemented in the dedicated Turner Syndrome (TS) outpatient clinic. This study aims to investigate different aspects of health related quality of life (HR-QoL) and psychosocial functioning i...

We present the first systematic review and meta-analysis of sexual function in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) compared with women without PCOS. Data on this topic are limited and often contradicting. Sexual function is influenced by endocrine, mental and social factors, which are often compromised in women with PCOS. The main outcome m...

Aims: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in one of the leading MS centers in the Netherlands. Furthermore, we evaluated the practice patterns of members of the Dutch Urological Association (DUA) with respect to FSD. Methods: A self-administered W...

Erectile dysfunction (ED), affecting men worldwide, is associated with worse mental health. The severity of ED as well as the effect of its treatment can be assessed using valid self-reported outcome measures. A widely used measure is the International Index of Erectile Function short form (IIEF-5) which is not yet validated in Dutch. The objective...

IntroductieEen aanzienlijk deel van de vrouwelijke patiënten in de urologische praktijk heeft problemen met het seksueel functioneren. Het vragen naar vrouwelijke seksuele disfunctie (SD) in de anamnese is onderbelicht door verschillende oorzaken. Een belemmering is het niet bespreekbaar maken van de kwestie. De weerstand om over het onderwerp te s...

In deze uitgave in de reeks ZorgBasics staat seksualiteit centraal. Seksualiteit is een belangrijk onderwerp dat ons allen aangaat. Binnen de hulpverlening is het een onderwerp dat vaak speelt bij patiënten, maar niet altijd wordt besproken. Niet door de patiënt en ook niet door de hulpverlener. Een gemiste kans die de kwaliteit van leven van de pa...

The characteristics of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) such as hyperandrogenism and anovulation can be highly stressful and might negatively affect psychological well-being and sexuality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between PCOS characteristics and psychological well-being as well as sexarche. Patients (n = 1148) un...