General Practitioners Face Barriers to Treating Patients” Sexual Problems

MONDAY, May 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — While treating sexual problems is considered an important health care practice, general practitioners (GPs) report more barriers to caring for patients” sexual problems than obstetrician-gynecologists (OB/GYNs), according to a study published online May 6 in Menopause.

Anna Aromaa, M.D., from the University of Turku in Finland, and colleagues compared survey responses regarding engagement (attitudes, barriers to bringing up, and practice patterns) with patients” sexual problems among 402 GPs and 299 OB/GYNs.

The researchers found that both GPs and OB/GYNs considered treating sexual problems to be an important health care practice. However, GPs were less likely to inquire about sexual problems during general medical history taking compared with OB/GYNs (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.23). Further, GPs were more likely to consider diagnosing female sexual problems difficult (aOR, 2.44) and were more likely to report barriers such as “shortness of the appointment time” (aOR, 2.36), “personal attitudes and beliefs” (aOR, 2.07), and “lack of knowledge about sexual medicine” (aOR, 2.05).

“This study highlights the known barriers that exist to asking women about sexual health. It also shows that primary care practitioners may struggle a bit more than our OB/GYN colleagues in doing so, likely for a number of reasons, including time constraints, lack of education on sexual health, and competing priorities during the visit,” Stephanie Faubion, M.D., medical director of The Menopause Society, said in a statement. “The fact that younger physicians were more likely to address sexual health concerns is encouraging, but there remain significant gaps that need to be addressed.” 

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