fostering professional collaboration

Pelvic floor disorders are very common and are thought to affect at least one third of all men and women in developing countries. In the aging population this proportion is much higher, affecting half of all men and women aged 55 years and older. Pelvic floor disorders are not life threatening but cause a considerable burden on quality of life.

Pelvic floor functioning is tightly linked to one’s sexual health. It is estimated that approximately 25-60% of men and women in developed countries suffer from sexual health issues. Sexual health issues have a profound effect on a patient’s quality of life, including decreases in physical satisfaction, emotional satisfaction, and general happiness. Sexual dysfunction can affect the quality of life and, even more importantly, can be the first symptom of another medical or psychological problem.

Despite significant progress in basic sexual and pelvic health research and clinical therapies in recent years, sexual problems and pelvic floor dysfunction remain among the most frequently overlooked and mismanaged patient complaints. Few healthcare professionals have the opportunity to be trained in the diagnosis and treatment of sexual dysfunction and / or pelvic floor dysfunction.

Pelvic Floor and Sexual Medicine (PFSM) is a multidisciplinary group of healthcare professionals working in the pelvic floor and sexual medicine health care arenas. The goal of PFSM is to share experiences and education with providers and ultimately improve the health care of patients with pelvic floor dysfunction and sexual health concerns.