The ISSWSH Scholars in Women’s Sexual Health Research Grant Program offers young investigators interested in research in women's sexual health the opportunity to obtain funding from ISSWSH to support their research. Please join us in recognizing the 2020 recipients.
ISSWSH has decided to cancel the ISSWSH Sexual Pain Course scheduled for April 17-18, 2020 in Washington D.C. in direct response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak which is now identified as a pandemic. ISSWSH is concerned for the health and safety of our faculty and attendees and recognizes that there are an increasing number of academic institutions restricting travel which affects people’s ability to attend. For more information on this cancellation and any questions you may have, please visit: https://www.isswshcourse.org/spring2020/covid-19/cancellation
At the 2020 Annual Business Meeting, ISSWSH welcomed Dr. Noel N. Kim, PhD, IF, Senior Investigator at the Institute for Sexual Medicine in San Diego and associate editor of Sexual Medicine Reviews (SMR), as its new president for a two-year term 2020-2022. He previously served as the Assistant Director of the Laboratory for Sexual Medicine Research at the Boston University School of Medicine and was a member of the editorial board of The Journal of Sexual Medicine for the first decade of the journal through 2014. From 2007, Dr. Kim served for 5 years as Chief Scientific Officer of Alagin Research, a biotechnology company devoted to developing therapeutics and diagnostics in sexual medicine. Dr. Kim continues to serve as a consultant to other companies developing therapies for sexual dysfunction. Dr. Kim most recently served as the society’s President-Elect, and Treasurer before that.
ISSWSH is pleased to provide the following updates related to therapies for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder or HSDD. The FDA has updated prescribing information for flibanserin, removed the REMS certification requirement for prescribers and pharmacists, and updated safety information related to the alcohol contraindication. In addition, bremelanotide has now been approved for treatment of HSDD. Please see the attached news release related to these two therapies for more specific information and references.
A recently published health report on HSDD treatments was poorly researched, contained elements of bias, and perpetuated inaccuracies about the condition.
We, the Executive Committee of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (www.isswsh.org) write this response to an article published on May 8, 2019 on CNN Health entitled “Drug Campaign Touts 'Female Viagra' in the Name of Equality” by Rachel Bluth of Kaiser Health News (https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/08/health/women-libido-addyi-partner/index.html). As a scientific and medical society dedicated to supporting research, education, and clinical care for women’s sexual health, ISSWSH encourages informed discussion on disease states impacting sexual health. We also understand that there may be valid critiques of how some pharmaceutical companies conduct their marketing campaigns. Nevertheless, we found the article in question to be poorly researched and especially biased.
It is with great sadness we announce the loss of one of our sexual medicine colleagues, Marcel Waldinger, on May 1. Dr. Waldinger was a long time member of ISSWSH, most recently serving on the consensus panel for Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD). His landmark work in this area, caring for patients and examining the retaionship between PGAD and Restless Leg Syndrome will be included in the consensus document from this panel. Thus his work will continue posthumously. Dr. Waldinger will also be remembered for his work in the area of premature ejaculation, helping to develop the content of measuring intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT) used in premature ejaculation clinical trials. He was passionate about his work and about helping his patients, working cooperatively to further knowledge in the field.
Sexual problems are common in women of all ages. Despite their frequency and impact, female sexual dysfunctions (FSDs) are often unrecognized and untreated in clinical settings. This POC describes core and advanced competencies in FSD for clinicians who are not sexual medicine specialists and serve as caregivers of women and, therefore, is useful for clinicians with any level of competence in sexual medicine. The goal of the POC is to provide guidance to clinicians regarding screening, education, management, and referral for women with sexual problems.