Grant: National Women's Health Res. Init.:Pan-Can. Women's Health Coa. - Hubs

Sexual dysfunction impacts a third of women and gender diverse individuals across ages, and can be a significant source of distress. Pain with vaginal or vulvar penetration or sexual activity is also very common and negatively impacts many aspects of a person's quality of life. For both sexual dysfunction and genito-pelvic pain, many women and gender diverse people report delays in receiving a diagnosis and effective treatment, and unfortunately facing dismissal by health care providers, which further negatively impacts their symptoms. In Canada, there are several research teams leading new innovations in these areas, and the goal of this hub is to share this information with the public in a culturally sensitive and trauma informed way. We have partnered with the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada to share knowledge about these conditions on their website, and with the Society for Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada to share information with healthcare providers. We will develop 4 guidelines on management to be disseminated by SOGC, and we will train volunteers on the Sex Sense Line to share information about sexual dysfunction. We will listen to the stories of Indigenous and Two-Spirit peoples and understand their research priorities using story-telling. Key informant interviews will allow us to understand these priorities in Black women, and in those who suffer from post-SSRI sexual dysfunction. We will also offer training in knowledge mobilization to graduate and medical students who are involved in sexual health research. Throughout, our partners who will share the perspective of transwomen and gender diverse individuals will guide us in ensuring that the research shared is gender inclusive. Overall, we hope to close the significant gap women and gender diverse people face when experiencing sexual and genito-pelvic pain symptoms and accessing treatment, and identify several new research topics that serve the Indigenous and Black communities.