Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 33:433–437, 2007
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 0092-623X print / 1521-0715 online
DOI: 10.1080/00926230701477154
Medical Solutions Have Improved the
Treatment of Sexological Problems and Created
More Demand for Sexological Care
ANNAMARIA GIRALDI and ELLIDS KRISTENSEN
Sexological Clinic, Copenhagen, Denmark
Dr. Rowland put forward the question ‘Will medical solutions to sexual prob-
lems make sexological care and science obsolete’ (2007)? The immediate an-
swer to Dr. Rowlands question is “no.” We do agree when Dr. Rowland states
that “sexual and relationship satisfaction are multi-dimensional constructs,
that sexual/genital performance accounts for only a portion of the variation
in these endpoints, and that attainment of true sexual health and satisfaction
will require an integrated approach that includes psychological-relationship
factors.” Still we find it important to state that “Medical solutions have im-
proved the treatment of sexological problems and created more demand for
sexological care.”
The present article may though run the risk of creating a gap between the
different disciplines within the field of sexual health/medicine/sexology. We
politely disagree when Dr. Rowland creates a gap between “sexual medicine”
and what he calls sexological science and sex therapy. This may imply it is an
either/or situation. It is correct that sexual medicine has become the term that
is often used now and this gives a more disease-oriented model. But how
is “sexual medicine” defined? Dr. Rowland defines it as medical solutions
focusing on physical or biomedical solutions. Medicine comes from the latin
word mederi which means to cure, so basically sexual medicine must mean
to cure sexual problems. In other medical areas this will imply the under-
standing of the aetiology of a condition, how to prevent it, how to relieve or
cure it if possible. In our opinion it has never been implicated that this is only
a biological matter. Journal of Sexual Medicine defines sexual medicine as:
“a discipline of medicine that deals with sexual problems—physical as well
as psychological.” The European Academy for Sexual Medicine has this year
introduced a residential summer school aiming at educating physicians in
sexual medicine and the program focuses equally on biological and nonbio-
logical topics (summerschool2007@sexualmedicine.org) (Pryor, 2007). These
Address correspondence to Annamaria Giraldi, Sexological Clinic, Rigshospitalet 7411,
Copenhagen, Denmark 2100. E-mail: annamaria@giraldi.dk
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