madman
Super Moderator
Sexual medicine is underfunded, misunderstood, and often dismissed. But it's also one of the most collaborative fields in healthcare. Dr. Tami Rowen and I recap this year's ISSWSH conference and what it revealed about where the field is heading.
Dr. Tami Rowen is an associate professor of OBGYN at UCSF and the current president-elect of ISSWSH (International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health). She's been prescribing testosterone therapy for over a dozen years and has been instrumental in shaping sexual medicine education and research.
We discuss:
Why the top research at ISSWSH focused on sexual pleasure, not just prevention. What the testosterone data actually shows vs. what social media claims. Why treating hormone levels isn't evidence-based. How body image and sexual function differ after mastectomy vs. lumpectomy. Why sexual medicine has almost no federal research funding. What technoference is and how it's affecting intimacy.Chapters
00:00 Intro
04:12 ISSWSH 2026 Conference Highlights
10:45 Award-Winning Research on Gender-Affirming Hysterectomy
15:20 Why Top Abstracts Focused on Sexual Pleasure
22:30 Research Funding Crisis in Sexual Medicine
28:15 Why Vulvodynia Has Zero Treatments
33:40 Industry Funding and Conflicts of Interest
38:25 Testosterone Therapy: The Controversy
44:50 What the Data Actually Shows vs. Social Media Claims
50:15 Why We Don't Treat Hormone Levels
55:30 Body Image After Breast Cancer Surgery
01:01:20 Lumpectomy vs. Mastectomy Outcomes
01:06:45 Lymphedema and Sexual Function
01:11:30 Technoference and Declining Sexual Activity
01:15:50 The Multidisciplinary Nature of ISSWSH
If you're a clinician interested in sexual medicine, consider attending the ISSWSH Fall Course for foundational education and the annual meeting for cutting-edge research. If you're a patient navigating any issues and not currently getting help, know that there are practitioners out there who want to help you.
