In light of recent the controversy on testosterone therapy and cardiovascular risks, the ISSM has adopted a position statement.

The controversy stems from two recent articles on the subject: a November 2013 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association and a January 2014 article in Plos One. Each of these studies suggested elevated cardiovascular risks for men on testosterone therapy.

In the statement, the ISSM makes the following recommendations: 

There is no reason to change the current management of men with testosterone deficiency on the basis of these recent articles. Men currently being treated for testosterone deficiency with testosterone therapy and experiencing benefits may continue treatment. Men diagnosed with testosterone deficiency should consider treatment with testosterone therapy after full discussion with their healthcare provider. Testosterone therapy provides significant benefits for men with sexual symptoms, and also for a variety of non-sexual symptoms. Like all medical treatments, testosterone therapy is associated with risks, and these should be discussed with one’s healthcare provider. Weighing the entirety of available medical research, there is no compelling evidence that testosterone therapy increases cardiovascular risks.

Please click here to read the entire statement, which includes background on the controversy and the rationale behind these recommendations.

Many middle to late adolescents face sexual problems, such as erectile dysfunction, low desire, and difficulty reaching orgasm, according to Canadian researchers.

Their study, first published online in January in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, involved 258 participants between the ages of 16 and 21. Their mean age was 19.2 years. All had had oral, vaginal, or anal sex within the past four weeks.  

Each participant provided a sexual history, which included information on the number of sexual partners, ages of first sexual experiences, and the types and frequency of sexual activities engaged in over the previous four weeks.

The participants also completed several questionnaires including the International Index of Erectile Function and the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool for men and the Female Sexual Function Index for women. 

Sexual problems were found in 51% of the study population. Half of those with sexual problems experienced clinical levels of distress.

While the researchers could not pinpoint why these rates were so high, they suggested that adolescent socialization in regard to sexuality could be a contributing factor. 

The study results "suggest a need for prevention efforts, through sex education and through the Internet, aimed at providing youth with age-appropriate information that they need to prevent the development of these problems,” the authors wrote.

For more details on the study, please click here.

The Editorial Board of Sexual Medicine Open Access invites researchers to submit manuscripts on sexual medicine for publication.

Sexual Medicine Open Access is a quarterly peer-reviewed journal and a member of the ISSM family of journals. As an open access journal, its content can be published rapidly and reach a wide audience.

Please note that currently, Sexual Medicine Open Access does not (yet) have an impact factor (an index developed by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) that is used to measure the importance of an academic journal). A journal's impact factor increases as more articles in the journal receive citations. Once Sexual Medicine Open Access has published the required number of papers needed to submit an application to the ISI, an application will be sent and, it is hoped, approved quickly. The impact factor will then be applied retrospectively so that authors who publish now can note that their article appeared in a journal with an impact factor.

For more detailed information on Sexual Medicine Open Access, including its aims and scope, please click here.