Sexual functioning is a private and sensitive area that few of us are comfortable discussing openly.

Sexual functioning is a private and sensitive area that few of us are comfortable discussing openly. Although close friends can listen, it’s unlikely they will know enough about the problem to help. In other areas of health care our first thought is to turn to our personal physician. Much too often, however, when a person brings his or her concerns about a sexual problem to their physician, disappointment is the result.

Surprisingly, many patients say that their physicians were not very helpful with these problems unless the problem involves some form of infection, allergic reaction, or traumatic injury. Their doctors seemed as uncomfortable as they did in discussing the problem.How can this be? Are doctors sleeping through lectures on sexual medicine in medical school? What about gynecologists and urologists? Aren’t sexual problems right down their alley? The answers to these questions are complicated.
by Leonard DeRogatis, Ph.D.