Jordan E. Rullo

The association between recent abuse and menopausal symptom bother: results from the Data Registry on Experiences of Aging, Menopause, and Sexuality (DREAMS).

Objective:The aim of the study was to determine whether there is an association between current menopausal symptom bother and a history of abuse (physical, sexual, or emotional/verbal) in the last year. Methods:A cross-sectional survey was completed using the Data Registry on Experiences of Aging, Menopause, and Sexuality and the Menopause Health Questionnaire. Data from the Menopause Health Questionnaire were collected from 4,956 women seen consecutively for menopause consultation in the Womens Health Clinic at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) from January 1, 2006 through October 7, 2014. Data from 3,740 women were included in the analysis. Menopausal symptom ratings were compared between women reporting a history of abuse (physical, sexual, or emotional/verbal) in the last year and those not using a two-sample t test. Analysis of covariance was used to assess whether abuse was associated with menopausal symptom bother after adjusting for baseline participant characteristics. Results:Of the 3,740 women, 253 (6.8%) reported experiencing one or more forms of abuse in the last year, the majority (96%) of which was verbal/emotional abuse. Those reporting abuse in the last year had higher (P < 0.001) mean total menopausal symptom bother scores. Consistent findings were obtained from multivariable analyses adjusting for all demographic and substance use characteristics. Conclusions:In the present study from the Data Registry on Experiences of Aging, Menopause, and Sexuality, menopausal symptom bother scores were directly associated with recent self-reported abuse.

Antidepressant-Induced Female Sexual Dysfunction

Because 1 in 6 women in the United States takes antidepressants and a substantial proportion of patients report some disturbance of sexual function while taking these medications, it is a near certainty that the practicing clinician will need to know how to assess and manage antidepressant-related female sexual dysfunction. Adverse sexual effects can be complex because there are several potentially overlapping etiologies, including sexual dysfunction associated with the underlying mood disorder. As such, careful assessment of sexual function at the premedication visit followed by monitoring at subsequent visits is critical. Treatment of adverse sexual effects can be pharmacological (dose reduction, drug discontinuation or switching, augmentation, or using medications with lower adverse effect profiles), behavioral (exercising before sexual activity, scheduling sexual activity, vibratory stimulation, psychotherapy), complementary and integrative (acupuncture, nutraceuticals), or some combination of these modalities.

Student-Initiated Sexual Health Selective as a Curricular Tool.

Introduction Patients’ sexual health functioning is important for physicians in all fields of medicine to consider; however, this topic is lacking from almost half of U.S. medical school curricula. Aims This study aims to develop, implement, and assess the feasibility of a preliminary sexual health curriculum for medical students. Methods This Sexual Health Selective (SHS) was developed and implemented by a student and faculty champion for first year medical students. Its design incorporated a number of the guiding principles and recommendations from the 2012 Summit on Medical School Education in Sexual Health. Main Outcome Measures Feasibility was measured by limited-efficacy testing and participant acceptability of the SHS. Limited-efficacy testing was accomplished by conducting descriptive comparisons of responses to a sexual health attitudes and knowledge survey. These responses were compared between (i) participants vs. nonparticipants prior to the SHS, (ii) participants immediately after vs. participants prior to the SHS, (iii) participants 3 months after vs. participants prior to the SHS, and (iv) participants 3 months after vs. participants immediately after the SHS. Participant acceptability was assessed by asking qualitatively and quantitatively whether students enjoyed the SHS, found it beneficial to their learning, and would recommend it to their classmates. Results Immediately after the SHS and 3 months later, participants reported increased comfort and open-mindedness in their attitudes toward sexual health and demonstrated an increase in accurate knowledge about sexual health issues compared with baseline. Objective follow-up also revealed that most participants enjoyed the SHS, found it beneficial to their learning, and would recommend it to their classmates. Conclusions The 1-week SHS was successfully implemented through the teamwork of a medical student and faculty champion. It resulted in more accurate knowledge and more open attitudes toward sexual health among participating medical students. Potential benefits to undergraduate medical educators are reviewed.

A negative view of menopause: does the type of symptom matter?

Abstract Objectives: To assess the association between the type of symptom and women’s self-reported view of menopause. Methods: The study was conducted at Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN, between January 2006 and October 2014. Women aged 40–64 were included. Data from 1420 women were analyzed in a cross-sectional design. The Menopause Health Questionnaire was used for symptom assessment. Odds ratios (ORs) and population attributable risk (PAR) (OR × percent frequency) were calculated for each symptom. Logistic regression analyses were performed with the view of menopause as the dependent variable. Results: Anxiety (2.34), depressed mood (2.24), irritability (2.22), vaginal itching (2.27), crying spells (2.1) and breast tenderness (2.08) were associated with highest odds of having a negative view of menopause. Highest PAR (population impact) symptoms were anxiety (22.27), weight gain (20.66), fatigue (20.28) and irritability (19.41). Hot flushes and night sweats, although common, were not associated with a negative view of menopause (OR 1.3 and 1.16; PAR 3.85 and 4.42, respectively). Conclusion: Mood symptoms, vaginal itching, weight gain, breast tenderness and fatigue, although less common than hot flushes, were noted to have greater association with a negative view of menopause. Specifically addressing these symptoms during menopausal consultation may improve patient satisfaction and outcomes.

Caring for the lesbian patient at midlife and beyond

Clinicians who have an understanding of lesbian women and their unique stressors, who provide a welcoming and inclusive environment, and who provide cross-cultural care are well positioned to reduce healthcare stigma and improve clinical outcomes. This Practice Pearl addresses these issues, focusing on the lesbian patient at midlife and beyond.

Genital vibration for sexual function and enhancement: best practice recommendations for choosing and safely using a vibrator

ABSTRACT Vibrators are an evidence-based treatment for a variety of sexual dysfunctions and sexual enhancement; however, the use of a genital vibrator lacks best practice recommendations. This aim of this article is to provide current, best practice recommendations regarding the use of vibratory stimulation for the treatment of sexual dysfunction and/or sexual or relationship enhancement. A multidisciplinary team of sexual health specialists collaborated to develop best practice recommendations based on a narrative literature review. Recommendations for the use of vibratory stimulation for the treatment of sexual dysfunction are provided, with special attention to counseling patients on choosing and safely using a vibrator. Further study is needed to determine the most effective methods to counsel patients on vibrator use and to provide evidence-based cleaning recommendations.

Genital vibration for sexual function and enhancement: a review of evidence

ABSTRACT Vibration, as provided by a genital vibrator, is commonly regarded as a tool to enhance sexual pleasure and in modern day society falls under the category of a sex toy. However, the vibrator was not originally intended to be a toy, and its benefits reach far beyond that of a plaything. This article is a narrative review of the current evidence regarding the use of vibratory stimulation for the treatment of sexual dysfunction and/or sexual and relationship enhancement. The literature indicates that vibratory stimulation has evidence-based support for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory dysfunction and anorgasmia. Vibratory stimulation is positively correlated with increased sexual desire and overall sexual function. It has also shown benefit for sexual arousal difficulties and pelvic floor dysfunction. Though definitive evidence is lacking, genital vibration is a potential treatment for sexual dysfunction related to a wide variety of sexual health concerns in men and women.

Biopsychosocial Management of Female Sexual Dysfunction: A Pilot Study of Patient Perceptions From 2 Multi-Disciplinary Clinics

Background Sexual dysfunction is often complex and biopsychosocial. Traditional sexual health care management involves individual providers not in a multi-disciplinary setting. A multi-disciplinary team may consist of a medical provider, pelvic floor physical therapist, and sex therapist. Aim The aim was to explore the patient perceptions of benefit from management of their sexual dysfunction by a biopsychosocial multi-disciplinary team. Methods A survey was e-mailed to women patients seen by multi-disciplinary teams at 2 different settings: San Diego Sexual Medicine or Mayo Clinic Womens Health Clinic during a 27-month period. Data are reported using summary statistics for age and count for remaining survey responses. Cochran-Armitage tests for trend were used to compare pre- and post-comfort levels. Outcomes Main outcome measures included perceived benefit of being managed in a team-based model of care, level of benefit and satisfaction from each provider, and difference from pre-conceived level of comfort to actual comfort after each provider visit. Results 89 of 270 e-mailed surveys were analyzed. Patient populations (mean age 47.6, range 23–77 years) were similar between sites. Overall, 82% of respondents reported moderate/great benefit from the team-based model; 72.1% reported management by all 3 providers valuable/extremely valuable; and 84.3% were somewhat/very satisfied with the model. Women endorsed specific ways in which they benefitted from the team-based model including: improved sexual function (58.1%), feeling validated (72.1%) and listened to (62.8%), that they better understood their health concerns (65.1%), that their partner better understood their health concerns (46.5%), and feeling normal (46.5%). There were no significant differences between the 2 clinics in terms of patient-perceived benefit, value, or satisfaction. Conclusions The team-based model of care for management of sexual dysfunction in women including a medical provider, physical therapist, and sex therapist is associated with patient-perceived benefit, satisfaction, and value. Rullo J, Faubion S, Hartzell R, et al. Biopsychosocial Management of Female Sexual Dysfunction: A Pilot Study of Patient Perceptions From 2 Multi-Disciplinary Clinics. Sex Med 2018;6:217–223.

Data Registry on Experiences of Aging, Menopause, and Sexuality (DREAMS): A cohort profile

The Womens Health Clinic (WHC) at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, has provided consultative care to women with menopausal and sexual health concerns since 2005. Clinical information on the 8688 women seen in the WHC through May 2017 who gave consent for the use of their medical records in research is contained in the Data Registry on Experiences of Aging, Menopause, and Sexuality (DREAMS). Initially, DREAMS was created to improve the clinical care of women, but it has become a valuable research tool. About 25% of the DREAMS women have been seen in the WHC 2 or more times, allowing for passive longitudinal follow-up. Additionally, about 25% of the DREAMS women live in the 27-county region included in the expanded Rochester Epidemiology Project medical records linkage system, providing additional information on those women. The cohort has been used to investigate associations between: caffeine intake and vasomotor symptom bother; recent abuse (physical, sexual, verbal, and emotional) and menopausal symptoms; specific menopausal symptoms and self-reported view of menopause; and obstructive sleep apnea risk and vasomotor symptom severity and the experience of vasomotor symptoms in women older than 60 years. A study nearing completion describes a clinical series of over 3500 women presenting for sexual health consultation by sexual function domain and by decade of life. Other studies under way are determining correlates with sexual health and dysfunction. Planned studies will investigate associations between the experience with menopause and the risk of disease.

Effect of In-Class vs Online Education on Sexual Health Communication Skills in First-Year Medical Students: a Pilot Study.

ObjectiveOnline education is effective for knowledge acquisition, but its effect on clinical skill development is not well characterized. We aimed to compare communication skills of 50 first-year medical students who learned to assess and treat patients through an online learning module vs an in-class lecture.MethodsTwenty-six students were randomized to learn about antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction in class and 24 learned the same content through an online module. Students were individually observed conducting an interview with a standardized patient with antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction. Students were assessed by faculty raters blinded to the student’s learning mode. Standardized patients were asked about their willingness to have the student as their physician.ResultsMore students who learned in class vs online demonstrated appropriate verbal empathy (18 [69%] vs 8 [33%]; P = 0.01), defined as completing each task in the “verbal empathy” assessment domain, as measured by a faculty rater. Other assessed variables were not significantly different. Standardized patients’ willingness (vs unwillingness; P = 0.01) to have the student as their physician was associated with the demonstration (by faculty appraisal) of a number of basic skills: using open-ended questions, asking one question at a time, using gender-neutral terminology when asking about the patient’s relationship, and using appropriate sexual-health terminology.ConclusionsThis study, although limited by a single-site design and the small number of participants, offers preliminary evidence that, if confirmed, may suggest that in-class learning from a psychiatrist (vs from an online module) is associated with greater verbal empathy in the assessment of SSRI-related sexual dysfunction.