Charlene Kaye G.

Lim Care of Mother & Child, Adolescent (Well Clients)

BSN-2C July 1,2019

Sexual Health

 Problems of sexual or reproductive health may be evident on first meeting with the patient.
They may feel discomfort to bring up issues until they feel more secure with the relationship.

 Change in physical appearance such as with puberty or pregnancy can intensify or create a
sexual or reproductive concern. The person with STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) indicates
symptoms of; excessive weight loss or gain; disfiguring scar from surgery or an intentional
injury; hair loss such as occurs in chemotherapy; surgery, inflammation, or infection of
reproductive organs; chronic fatigue or pain; spinal cord injury; or the presence of retention
catheter needs to be assessed for problems regarding sexual role as well as other important
areas of reproductive functioning.

 Common relevant to sexual health may include:

o Sexual dysfunction related to as yet unknown cause
o Altered sexuality patterns related to chronic illness
o Self-esteem disturbance related to recent reproductive tract surgery
o Altered sexuality patterns related to fear of harming a fetus
o Anxiety related to fear of contracting an STI
o Health-seeking behavior related to learning responsible sexual practices

 Nurses should empower patients to feel control over their body. Plan health teaching to provide
patients with the knowledge about their reproductive system and specific information about
ways to alleviate discomfort or prevent reproductive disease. It is also essential to design care
that demonstrates acceptance of all sexual orientation and gender identities equally.it is also
important to address potential concerns of patients of all sexual orientations and gender
identities when providing reproductive and sexual health education.

 Assessment in the area of reproductive health begins with the interviewing to determine a
patient’s knowledge level of the reproductive process. Providing information while interviewing
may encourage an adolescent to discuss not only his/her possible concern. Nursing
intervention in this area may include much more than just distributing educational materials.
Follow-up is important to be certain the content was understood.

Nursing Role in Genetic Assessment and counseling

 Assessment measures for genetic disorders begin with a detailed family history, preferably of
three generations; a physical examination of both the parents and any affected children; and
an ever growing series of laboratory assays of blood, amniotic fluid, and maternal and fetal
cells.

 Genetic counseling is a service that provide information and advice about genetic condition.
These are condition caused by changes known as mutation in certain genes and are usually
passed down through a family.
o Genetic counseling is conducted by health care professionals who have been specially
trained in the science of human genetic (a genetic counselor or a clinical geneticist)

 Mendelian laws can predict the likely incidence of recessive or dominant diseases in children.
Division disorders, including nondisjunction abnormalities, deletion, translocation, and
mosaicism, also create genetic disorders.

 Genetic counseling can be a role for nurses with advanced preparation and education.
Assessment of genetic disorders consists of a health history, physical examination, and
diagnostic studies such as chorionic villi sampling, amniocentesis, and maternal serum levels of
alpha-fetoprotein analysis.
Charlene Kaye G. Lim Care of Mother & Child, Adolescent (Well Clients)
BSN-2C July 1,2019

 Some karyotyping tests, such as chorionic villi sampling and amniocentesis, introduce a risk of
spontaneous or threatened miscarriage. Be certain that women undergoing these tests remain
in the health care facility for at least 30 minutes after the procedure to be sure that a
complication such as vaginal bleeding, uterine cramping, or abnormal fetal heart rate is not
present. Women with an Rh-negative blood type need Rh immune globulin administration after
these procedures.

 An important aspect of genetic counseling is respecting a couple’s right to privacy. Be certain

that information gained from testing remains confidential and is not given indiscriminately to
others, including other family members.

 People who are told that a genetic abnormality does exist in their family may suffer a loss of
self-esteem. Offering support to help them deal with the feelings they experience is an
important nursing intervention.

 Common nondisjunction genetic disorders include Down syndrome (trisomy 21), trisomy 13,
trisomy 18, Turner syndrome, and Klinefelter syndrome. Most of these syndromes include
some degree of cognitive challenge.

TERMS TO REMEMBER:
- Genetics is the study of the way such disorder occurs.
- Chromosomes are threadlike structures of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most
living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes.
- Karyotype is a graphic representation of the chromosomes present
- Cytogenetics is the study of chromosomes by light microscopy and the method by which
chromosomal aberrations are identified.
- Genes are the basic unit s of heredity that determine both the physical and cognitive
characteristics of people.
- Phenotype refers to his or her outward appearance or the expression of genes.
- Genotype refers to his or her actual gene composition.
- Genome is the set of genes present (about 50,000 to 100,000).
- Genetic counseling is a communication process which deals with the human problems
associated with the occurrence or the risk of occurrence of the genetic disorders in a family.
- Genetic disorders are disorders resulting from a defect in the structure or number of genes or
chromosomes.
- A person is homozygous if he or she has two like genes for a trait and heterozygous if he or
she has two unlike genes for a trait.