Boundaries to citing sexual issues with sufferers. Credit score: Menopause (2025). DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000002551. https://menopause.org/wp-content/uploads/press-release/MENO-D-25-00021.pdf
Though most girls and their well being care professionals regard sexual well being as important to a girl’s total high quality of life, the subject seldom comes up, particularly throughout routine examinations. A brand new examine signifies normal practitioners are much less prone to inquire about sexual issues than obstetricians/gynecologists due to a number of boundaries and relying on intercourse and age.
Given at present’s fast-paced, fee-for-service well being care fashions, sufferers incessantly complain that they really feel rushed within the physician’s workplace and do not imagine that their clinician takes adequate time to get to know them.
It seems that this may be greater than a sense, as a brand new examine involving greater than 700 normal practitioners (GPs) and obstetrician/gynecologists (OB/GYNs) documented that “shortness of appointment time” was probably the most incessantly cited barrier to well being care professionals mentioning sexual issues with sufferers. This was though the examine additionally confirmed that GPs and OB/GYNs thought-about treating sexual issues to be an necessary well being care apply.
Different incessantly talked about boundaries included: “sexual problem not being a priority in the appointment,” “personal attitudes and beliefs,” “personal discomfort when addressing sexual problems,” “lack of knowledge about sexual medicine,” “lack of experience with sexual medicine,” and “disability of the patient.”
In each case, GPs had been extra prone to report having boundaries than their OB/GYN counterparts, main the researchers of this examine to conclude that GPs are much less prone to inquire about sexual issues throughout normal medical history-taking and extra prone to think about diagnosing feminine sexual issues as being tough.
One other discovering popping out of this newest analysis is that research evaluating engagement with sexual issues with regard to doctor specialty are restricted. Nonetheless, earlier research did present intercourse and age variations in attitudes and apply patterns in sexual medication. Some research, however not all, discovered feminine physicians to be extra energetic in assessing sexual points.
Likewise, youthful OB/GYNs have been proven to be extra energetic in sexual history-taking than their extra senior colleagues. That discovering was supported within the present examine that discovered that GPs within the oldest age teams had been extra prone to report problem in diagnosing feminine sexual issues and indicated frequent boundaries to citing sexual issues.
Whatever the age of the well being care professionals, the researchers on this examine concluded that persevering with training is warranted to reinforce physicians’ confidence in managing sexual issues.
These survey outcomes are detailed within the article “Engagement with patients’ sexual problems: a comparative study among general practitioners and obstetrician-gynecologists” printed within the journal Menopause.
“This examine highlights the recognized boundaries that exist to asking ladies about sexual well being. It additionally exhibits that primary-care practitioners could battle a bit greater than our OB/GYN colleagues in doing so, possible for numerous causes, together with time constraints, lack of training on sexual well being, and competing priorities in the course of the go to.
“The fact that younger physicians were more likely to address sexual health concerns is encouraging, but there remain significant gaps that need to be addressed,” says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society.
Extra data:
Anna Aromaa et al, Engagement with sufferers’ sexual issues: a comparative examine amongst normal practitioners and obstetricians-gynecologists, Menopause (2025). DOI: 10.1097/GME.0000000000000002551. menopause.org/wp-content/uploa … /MENO-D-25-00021.pdf
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The North American Menopause Society
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Analysis highlights want for higher communication relating to sexual well being, particularly throughout routine examinations (2025, Might 9)
retrieved 9 Might 2025
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