(062) Identifying the Comfort Level and Understanding of Female Anorgasmia in Medical Students Following an Interactive Online Medical Educational Module in Female Anorgasmia
Authors: Mendes A , Lenga M , Lynn M , Adams B 
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Sexuality is an important aspect of a woman's health; however, in the United States, it is estimated that 10 to 42% of women suffer from female anorgasmia [1]. Despite the high prevalence of female orgasmic disorders, many women are reluctant to discuss it with their providers due to anxiety or embarrassment. They will only voice this issue after direct clinical inquiry. Healthcare professionals frequently under screen for anorgasmia in patients [2]. There is good evidence that sexual health education increases providers’ confidence in screening for sexual dysfunction and ultimately improves the quality of life for their patients. Yet, historically, there has been a lack of medical student education and training on female sexual dysfunction [3]. To address this gap, we created a medical student online training module focused on female anorgasmia.

Objective

Our primary goals are to obtain preliminary data on: the baseline medical student knowledge of female anorgasmia, the effectiveness of our female anorgasmia module, and the feasibility of assessing the module in an academic setting. We hypothesize that our female anorgasmia module will increase students' knowledge and comfort in addressing and screening for anorgasmia in a clinical setting.

Methods

We obtained IRB approval. A REDcap database was created to collect and record results. Students were recruited through email and class-based group messaging services. Through pre and post-surveys, we assessed participants’ baseline comfort in screening for anorgasmia and evaluated changes in their comfort after completion of the module.

Results

Of 24 participants in the study, 11 completed all components and were used to assess the pre and post-responses. Our baseline responses showed 54% of medical students were slightly or not comfortable screening for anorgasmia. 27% were slightly comfortable screening for decreased desire. Our post module responses showed statical improvement in both comfort in screening for desire (p = .03) and orgasm (p = .01). An increase in medical knowledge surrounding anorgasmia was seen but not statically significant.

Conclusions

Our pilot study revealed over half of medical student participants at baseline had no or little comfort in screening for anorgasmia. Our module improved participants’ comfort in screening for anorgasmia. It also showed an increase in medical knowledge surrounding anorgasmia. Additionally, participants gained statically significant comfort in screening for desire. While our initial results are promising, we cannot attribute them to our entire population due to the small sample size. Of the 24, 11 participants completed all components needed to assess the module (demographics, the pre-module survey, the module, and the post-module survey. We plan to reevaluate our REDcap survey, assessment instructions and hope to provide incentives to our participants to maximize our completion rate. An additional study with a larger sample size is necessary to better assess the effectiveness of the module.

Disclosure

No