Center for Sexual Medicine

It is important to understand the history of the Center since there are few facilities in the United States or anywhere in the world that exclusively focus on the study, diagnosis and treatment of the sexual health concerns of men and women. Thirty years ago, when sexual dysfunction was exclusively the domain of the mental health professional, a Texas urologist (Dr. Brantley Scott) reported that erectile dysfunction could be successfully managed surgically. The former chairman of the Department of Urology at Boston University School of Medicine, Dr. Robert J. Krane, learned the technique and initiated the treatment here. Dr. Krane, a pioneer in the field, was the only physician surgically managing erectile dysfunction problems in men in the Northeast corridor. As more and more men with erectile dysfunction and other sexual health problems traveled to B.U., we initiated, in 1978, one of the first multi-disciplinary clinics in sexual medicine in the U.S. combining multiple medical and mental health professionals dedicated to managing sexual dysfunction.

The Center for Sexual Medicine is one of the oldest such clinics in the world. Over the years, we have performed initial evaluations in over 16,000 men and over 3,800 women. Our physicians see approximately 80 men and 40 women each week for treatment of sexual medicine issues. In 1998, buoyed by the introduction of sildenafil (Viagra) for men, we became one of the few sites in the world to diagnose and treat women with sexual health concerns in a multidisciplinary fashion. Our faculty treat ALL aspects of sexual health, including ED and FSD, sexual dysfunction following breast and prostate cancer treatment, bicycle riding and pelvic trauma, ejaculatory and orgasmic disorders, low interest in men and women, including following childbirth and birth control use, menopausal sexual dysfunction issues as well as dyspareunia or pain from vulvar disorders.

The current staff of the Center for Sexual Medicine includes physicians dedicated exclusively to sexual medicine (ED, FSD) trained in urology, psychologists with special expertise in sexual medicine, a dedicated nurse, and an ultrasound technologist. Other specialists, including physicians practicing gynecology, neurology, vascular radiology, internal medicine and family medicine, are used on a consultant basis. If you are interested in making an appointment as a patient, please call 617 638-1005.

The second arm of the Center for Sexual Medicine includes institutional review board approved human clinical research in sexual medicine. This human research is performed under the supervision of a coordinator of clinical research, responsible for the administration of clinical trials and ethics review. Our nursing staff works in conjunction with our research coordinator to facilitate our clinical trials. At present we have no ongoing trials, nor are we accepting any new clinical trials.

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Primary teaching affiliate
of BU School of Medicine