Sexual health is an important part of one’s overall health. A comprehensive sexual history can help a provider screen for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other sexual health conditions and share information about risk reduction and family planning when appropriate. However, it may be more difficult to broach a conversation with a patient regarding sexual health than it is to discuss other health topics. Though each patient’s situation is unique, the following guide provides an example of approaching and obtaining a patient’s sexual health history.

Call all student and resident members!

Recently the SMSNA leadership has made the decision to form a Medical Student & Resident Committee to help with serving the best interests of our student and resident members, including initiatives to improve education and networking opportunities, and guidance on pursuing a career path in sexual medicine. This committee will be comprised of student/resident members, under the advisement of Drs Amy Pearlman (Young Clinicians Committee Chair) & Hossein Sadeghi-Nejad (Immediate Past-President).

Elsevier, the publisher of ISSM’s journals, has announced the latest impact factors for 3 of the publications. Impact factor is a ratio of the citations to a journal in the most recent year to a count of articles and reviews published in the journal in the prior two years.

It is with our deepest sorrow that we inform you of the death of Dr. William P. Conners III (43). Dr. Conners passed away unexpectedly on July 5, 2021.

Testosterone is the main male hormone and plays a significant role in a man’s health and wellbeing. Sometimes, men develop testosterone deficiency (TD) (or male hypogonadism), which can be caused by advancing age, medications (opioids), genetic disorders, obesity, and comorbid conditions like metabolic syndrome which can affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis resulting in decreased testosterone production. TD often results in reduced libido, fatigue, depression, sexual dysfunction, body composition changes like increased body fat and/or muscle mass loss, and bone density changes, but symptomology varies from person to person.

Current non-invasive treatments for erectile dysfunction (ED) include oral medications, intracavernosal injections, and vacuum-assisted devices. Though these therapies work well for many, a subset of patients have contraindications or are unsatisfied with these options. Restorative therapies for ED are a new frontier of treatments focused on regenerating diseased tissue and providing a potential “cure” for ED.

The SMSNA is proud to announce and congratulate Scott Lundy, MD, PhD, for receiving the Urology Care Foundation's Research Scholars Award for 2021. Dr. Lundy's study, titled “The Role of the Seminal Microbiome in Men with Symptomatic Varicocele,” will be conducted at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation under the mentorship of Charis Eng, MD, PhD and Sarah Vij, MD. He will perform comprehensive seminal microbiome analysis in men with varicocele and compare them to paternity-proven pain-free controls to better demonstrate the association between dysbiosis and varicocele. Using machine learning, he will next identify specific microbiome characteristics which may predispose men with varicocele to developing pain, subfertility, or hypogonadism. Finally, he will assess the seminal microbiome before and after varicocelectomy and identify which preoperative microbiome features correspond to treatment success or failure. If successful, this study may identify a new paradigm underlying the pathophysiology of varicocele and explain why only a subset of men develop symptoms.

Ariel Gustavo Scafuri, MD, PhD, FACS, FECSM, IF, board-certified urologist and obstetrician-gynecologist and a full Professor of Anatomy at Federal University of Ceará, Medical School, Ceará, Brazil passed away due to complications from COVID-19. He was an SMSNA member, served on both the Membership and Social Media Committees, as well as a member of ISSM and ISSWSH, and was passionate about sexual health and medicine. Our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.

The SMSNA Board of Directors is shocked and dismayed by the recent shootings and senseless loss of life at massage parlors in the Atlanta Area on March 16, 2021. We express our solidarity and support for the Asian-American community and our sympathy for the victims, their friends, and their families. We furthermore express our conviction that individuals who work in massage parlors are entitled to dignity, respect, and safe working conditions. Reports have indicated that the alleged shooter suffers from fixations pertaining to sexual expression which may have contributed to the tragic events of that day. As clinicians and researchers concerned with sexual wellness, we work with individuals who are affected with sexual fixations to help overcome them. The SMSNA rejects any notion that such fixations justify or excuse any form of violence.

SMSNA through its support of the SSMR 2021 Men's Health Travelling Fellowship Program, taking place during the AUA Annual Meeting September 10-13, 2021 in Las Vegas, encourages Residents in training in the field of sexual medicine and male fertility medicine to apply for a Fellowship by May 1, 2021.

We are pleased to announce that the 2021 SMSNA Young Clinicians Research Grant has been awarded to Dr. Nannan Thirumavalavan for his project titled, "Interplay Between Hypogonadism and Solid Organ Transplant Outcomes."

The SMSNA will be hosting its first virtual Journal Club on Tuesday, February 23 at 8:00 pm EST. Organized by the Educational Projects committee, this webinar will cover the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on men's sexual health through the discussion and review of 2 journal articles. Visit our webinar page to learn more and register online for free.  Read more.