‘You have all those emotions inside that you cannot show because of what they will cause’: Disclosing the absence of one's uterus and vagina

Self-Testing for Dementia: A Phenomenological Analysis of Fear

Following the growing economic relevance of mobile health (mHealth) and the increasing global prevalence of dementia, self-testing apps for dementia and mild neurocognitive disorder (MCD) have been developed and advertised. The apps' promise of a quick and easy tool has been criticized in the literature from a variety of angles, but as we argue in this article, the celebratory characterization of self-testing also stands in disbalance to the various kinds of fears that may be connected to taking the test. By drawing on Sara Ahmed's phenomenological theory on emotions and by referring to illustrative experiences from two users with a particular dementia self-testing app, we explore four dimensions of fear derived from phenomenology: performative, ontological, embodied, and temporal dimensions. We argue that fear (1) motivates one to take the self-test and to try to take control over one's health; (2) is shaped by and shapes the ways in which we make sense of ourselves and others as cognitively deficient; (3) constructs and is constructed by our differently embodied presence in the world; and that (4) testing makes a fearful future self as cognitively deficient more tangible. In outlining these different dimensions of fear, this article expands the understanding of the meaning of experiencing self-testing in comparison to the mostly quantitative literature on this topic.

Redefining masculinity - Men's repair work in the aftermath of prostate cancer treatment

Treatments for prostate cancer have many potential side effects such as a loss of erection, weaker orgasms, and incontinence. These are all bodily changes that may challenge dominant masculine ideals. In this article, I use Persson's repair work to describe how men tackle these side effects, and I describe the trouble their repair work elicits in terms of masculinity. I analyse interviews with eleven Swedish men, all treated for prostate cancer, and show that such work is done in three ways. Bodily repair work elicits the work men do to restore bodily functions, often through medical technologies. Relational repair work describes how relations with (potential) others shape men's bodily and sexual concerns, and the ways relations redefine such concerns. Age marking as repair emphasises how age is used in the redefinitions of norms about masculinities and aging bodies, both in relation to oneself and others. The analysis highlights how men's repair work is multifaceted, and is performed against the backdrop of dominant discourses on masculinity, medicine and old age. The analysis of such repair work is valuable to research on how masculinity is constructed in the light of treatment side effects and older age.

'Does anyone else have this?' The role of emotion in forum discussions about medical conditions affecting sex characteristics

When people experience rare medical conditions or variations, searching online may be the only way to find others with similar experiences. This study examines what happens when people do just that. The dataset for the research has been generated from online posts by people living with variations of sex characteristics, which some call intersex variations. Our analysis focuses on how emotion appears in online posts, how affect becomes embodied in digital contexts, and how norms are negotiated as people relate to one another about the variations that some of them experience. We offer an analysis grounded in digital affect theory to contribute to health research literature. We suggest how health researchers and healthcare providers might develop more nuanced understandings of the emotional realities of people living with variations of sex characteristics.

From Engulfment to Enrichment: Associations Between Illness Representations, Self-Concept, and Psychological Adjustment in Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH) is a female reproductive disorder characterized by the absence or underdevelopment of the uterus, cervix and vagina. Limited research has examined factors related to psychological adjustment in MRKH. This study aimed to explore associations among illness representations, self-concept, psychological distress, and self-esteem in MRKH.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SETTING

Participants were recruited globally online and from patient meetings.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 263 patients with MRKH (age 16.1-74.4 years; mean = 31.7 years) completed questionnaires.

INTERVENTION

None.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Validated self-reported measures of psychological distress and self-esteem (outcomes) and illness representations, self-concept, social support-seeking, and positive affect (hypothesized correlates) were explored in correlation and hierarchical regression analyses, alongside demographic and clinical variables.

RESULTS

Younger age and shorter time since diagnosis was associated with higher distress and lower self-esteem. Patients with MRKH reported significantly higher distress and lower self-esteem than the general population. Higher distress and lower self-esteem were associated with higher reported engulfment (defining one's identity or feeling consumed by MRKH) and beliefs about the serious consequences of MRKH, and lower reported MRKH coherence, enrichment (positive changes to self-identity because of MRKH) and positive affect.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that the impact of MRKH on identity plays an important role in adjustment. High perceived coherence and maintenance of positive affect may play a protective role in psychological adjustment. A 12-month follow-up study is planned to examine associations among these variables longitudinally. Baseline data suggest that early availability of psychological support would be beneficial, and interventions focused on identity and psychoeducation about MRKH would be valuable.

Why feminist technoscience and feminist phenomenology should engage with each other: on subjectification/subjectivity

Feminist technoscience and feminist phenomenology have seldom been brought into dialogue with each other, despite them sharing concerns with subjectivity and normativity, and despite both of them moving away from sharp subject-object distinctions. This is unfortunate. This article argues that, while differences between these strands need to be acknowledged, such differences should be put to productive use. The article discusses a case of school bullying, and suggests that bringing these analytic perspectives together enables and sharpens examinations of the role of subjectification and subject positions for subjectivity in the phenomenological sense; affectivity within material-discursive entanglements and constellations of humans and things, and as connecting the body, things and the world in specific ways; and normativity as enacted, lived and embedded in perception.

Hooked on a feeling? Exploring desires and 'solutions' in infertility accounts given by women with 'atypical' sex development

Sociocultural meanings accorded to infertility, and rapid developments in assisted reproductive technologies, have long been central concerns in feminist and social scientific research. However, knowledge is scarce concerning how individuals make sense of infertility when it is disclosed in adolescence, for example as the result of an 'atypical' sex development, rather than as a result of failed conception. This article examines how understandings of desires, kinship and 'solutions' take shape and are negotiated in the accounts women give of infertility resulting from 'atypical' sex development. Through a thematic analysis it demonstrates how the interviewees described their desire for relationships and connectedness, which they considered to be made possible through pregnant embodiment, and details how these desires connected to a preference for medical 'solutions'. Specifically, the article discusses how the interviewees' accounts exemplifies how biological kinship can be 'done' without giving precedence to genetics. By addressing the specificities of finding out about infertility as a result of 'atypical' sex development, it furthermore highlights gaps in the common medical definition of infertility. These findings underscore the urgency of examining how definitions of infertility obscure certain experiences and consequently limit affected individuals' access to support and treatment. In conclusion, it is suggested that the article contributes to a more positive discourse on infertility in feminist scholarship by teasing out the temporal dimensions of how affected individuals 'make active use' of assisted reproductive technologies to mitigate uncertainty and maintain hope, while at the same time renegotiating dominant norms of kinship.