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Sexuality is a natural function, part of global health and has to be evaluated in every patient. When difficulties or dyfunctions happen in this domain, a specific mangement should be proposed. Sexual medicine is a « young » transversal discipline developping these last years in the french-speaking area of Switzerland. We present in this article a short history of sexual medicine in Lausanne and the recent activity in the Sexual Medicine Consultation of the Maternity in the CHUV., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

Based on Bourdieu's field theory, this article analyzes the emergence and institutionalization of sexology as a science and profession in Portugal, identifying relevant institutions, actors, and professional practices and discussing its relations and specificities. The analysis begins by contextualizing the emergence of modern Western sexology in order to comprehend the Portuguese case in the international sexology context. The second section describes the social, cultural, and institutional factors that have driven the professionalization of sexology. The third section describes the emergence of Portuguese sexology and its principal historical milestones, institutions, and actors. Finally, the article discusses some implications of this process for the role of sexology as a science and profession. The study reveals the dynamics of national and international processes in the field, in the transition from a holistic perspective of sexology to the hegemony of sexual medicine, and sheds light on its mechanisms of legitimation as a transdisciplinary science of sexuality, suggesting future perspectives.

There is a growing interest in the field of neurobiology of sexual function. With the advent of advanced technologies such as fMRI or EEG, it was possible to investigate the neuronal and psychobiological bases of the various phases of sexual response and sexual desire. Recently, a new technique debuted in sexual medicine, eye tracking. Thus through this article, we will leave the definition of sexual desire, through various neuropsychological studies in this field to finish on the unique and very recent eye tracking study that highlighted the visual patterns of desire sexual.

Obstetrics and gynecology specialists should be women's favoured interlocutors when talking about their sexuality. Indeed every day they assess their patient's intimacy, they manage pathologies that have a potential but well-known impact on sexuality, and they are very early aware of a more global approach like psycho-somatic. Furthermore, women are going to meet their obstetrician and gynecologist through all ages, from adolescence to post-menopause. At every step sexual problems can occur that can be searched, investigated and mostly managed by this specialist. The relationship between female sexual medicine and obstetrics and gynecology is undeniable and deserve to be favoured and consolidated.

Sexual medicine experts and sexologists must spread certainties on the biological basis of the female orgasm to all women, not hypotheses or personal opinions. Therefore, they must use scientific anatomical terminology. The anatomy of the clitoris and the female orgasm are described in textbooks, but some researchers have proposed a new anatomical terminology for the sexual response in women. The internal/inner clitoris does not exist: the entire clitoris is an external organ. The clitoris is not composed of two arcs but of the glans, body, and crura or roots. "Clitoral bulbs" is an incorrect term from an embryological and anatomical viewpoint: the correct term is "vestibular bulbs." The bulbocavernosus muscles are implicated in inferior vaginismus, while the pubovaginal muscle is responsible for superior vaginismus. The clitoral or clitoris-urethro-vaginal complex has no embryological, anatomical and physiological support: the vagina has no anatomical relationship with the clitoris, and the clitoris is a perineal organ while the supposed G-spot is in the pelvic urethra. G-spot/vaginal/clitoral orgasm, vaginally activated orgasm, and clitorally activated orgasm, are incorrect terms: like "male orgasm," "female orgasm" is the correct term. The "vaginal" orgasm that some women report is always caused by the surrounding erectile organs (triggers of female orgasm). The male penis cannot come in contact with the venous plexus of Kobelt or with the clitoris during vaginal intercourse. Also, female ejaculation, premature ejaculation, persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD), periurethral glans, vaginal-cervical genitosensory component of the vagus nerve, and G-spot amplification, are terms without scientific basis. Female sexual satisfaction is based on orgasm and resolution: in all women, orgasm is always possible if the female erectile organs, i.e. the female penis, are effectively stimulated during masturbation, cunnilingus, partner masturbation, or during vaginal/anal intercourse if the clitoris is simply stimulated with a finger. Clin. Anat. 28:293-304, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Salutogenesis means a paradigmatic change in medicine. While pathogenesis restricts itself to finding out what makes a man ill, salutogenesis tries to find out what keeps him or her healthy. The human being is seen as a biological, psychological, and social creature. There are many studies which show the importance of social relationships and the satisfaction of basic psychosocial needs as protection against psychological or psychosomatic disorders. The psychosocial basic needs for acceptance, intimacy, and security can be best fulfilled by sexual communication with the partner. Therefore a salutogenic approach to sexual medicine focuses mainly on the fulfillment of these needs and not only on the treatment of a sexual dysfunction. Unnecessarily frustrating experiences can thus be avoided, especially when the sexual possibilities of one or both partners are restricted by an illness or its medical treatment. A case report shows how sexual communication and sex therapy can help to cope with a tumor disease.

Sexual medicine is a subdiscipline of clinical medicine that deals with human sexuality and disorders. Sexuality eludes a unilateral definition. As a biologically, psychologically, and socially determined experience dimension of the human being, its individual form depends on biological factors and developments in the person's life. Moreover, sexuality exhibits different dimensions--lust, reproduction, and relationship--that are indeed closely interrelated. For this reason, directing therapy at only one of these dimensions is not adequate. All human beings are programmed toward fulfillment of elementary biopsychosocial needs such as acceptance, closeness, warmth, and security. If these basic needs are shortchanged in terms of fulfillment, all sorts of restrictions in the quality of life ensue, even to the point of resultant disorders of sexual function. Treatment then approaches the roots when it does not center on the sexual dysfunction but rather on the underlying frustrated relationship of the partners. Syndyastic sexual therapy is an important treatment method in sexual medicine.

Homosexology is that branch of the science of sexology that deals with same sex relationships. It is subdivided into ideation, imagery, and praxis. Praxeology is the science of praxis. There are two doctrines by which homosexuality is defined: elective and developmental. Elective is like joining a political party and is more likely bisexual than exclusively homosexual. Complete developmental homosexuality is a state of being and is characteristically immutable. Both types of homosexuality are determined multivariately and sequentially, not univariately. Male and female mammals are phylogenically programmed to be reciprocal, not identical, in the praxeology of their courtship and mating. In primate, notably human, evolution, the eyes have taken over from the nose as organs of erotic arousal, but the molecular biology of how this happens in individual development, gay, straight or ambivalent, remains to be ascertained. The different personal histories of homosexual development also remain to be ascertained and cataloged.

Some considerations of the recent interest into the area of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) and the Author's critical assessment of the concept of FSD. References cover essential recent publications.