Providers navigating sexual wellness concerns are often addressing more than a single symptom. Patients experiencing erectile dysfunction or other sexual wellness concerns may be navigating a complex mix of physical,psychological, emotional, hormonal, lifestyle, medication-related, and relationship-related factors.
For healthcare providers, these conversations require more than a one-size-fits-all approach. They require a thoughtful understanding of the many factors that may shape each patient's experience and influence individualized care planning.
In this Strive Sessions webinar, Strive pharmacist Jarrod Hise explores how patient counseling, lifestyle factors, medication categories, route-of-administration considerations, monitoring, and compounding considerations may influence sexual wellness care.
Watch the Webinar: Sexual Wellness & Erectile Function
In this provider-focused session, Jarrod Hise examines the many factors that may contribute to sexual function and sexual wellness concerns. He also discusses patient education, shared decision-making, and individualized care planning.
In This Session, We’ll Explore:
- Common misconceptions surrounding sexual function concerns
- Physical, emotional, and psychological factors that may influence sexual wellness
- Lifestyle considerations that may be part of sexual health conversations
- Clinical considerations surrounding phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors and other medication categories
- Hormonal factors that may influence libido and sexual wellness
- Patient counseling and monitoring considerations
- Shared decision-making strategies for personalized care plans
- The role of individualized medicine in sexual wellness conversations
Why Sexual Wellness Care Requires an Individualized Approach
Sexual wellness concerns rarely stem from a single cause.
Sexual function concerns are often discussed through a purely physical lens. However, many patients may be experiencing a combination of physiological, emotional, relational, and lifestyle-related factors.
Stress, anxiety, relationship challenges, sleep quality, cardiovascular health, metabolic health, medication use, and hormonal changes can all shape the clinical picture.
This complexity is exactly why individualized assessment is so important. Two patients may present with similar symptoms while experiencing very different underlying contributors. It also helps explain why personalized approaches, including compounding considerations, may become part of the conversation for some patients.
Throughout the session, Jarrod emphasizes the importance of understanding the individual behind the concern, not just the symptom.
The Role of Compounding in Personalized Sexual Wellness Care
Every patient brings a unique health history, lifestyle, set of goals, and level of comfort when discussing sexual health concerns. What may be appropriate for one patient may not align with another patient’s preferences, needs, or circumstances.
This is where compounding may enter the picture. For some patients, considerations such as dosage form, route of administration, ingredient selection, tolerability, and patient-specific needs may influence how providers think through an individualized plan.
Shared decision-making plays an important role in how these conversations unfold. Clinical guidance emphasizes informed discussions between providers and patients regarding available care pathways. Jarrod explores how these conversations can help patients better understand relevant considerations while allowing providers to approach care through the lens of the individual.
Compounding Considerations Across Sexual Wellness Medication Categories
Sexual wellness care can involve several medication categories, each with different counseling, monitoring, and administration considerations.
During the session, Jarrod reviews how providers may think through patient history, current medications, route of administration, baseline labs, possible adverse effects, and follow-up when discussing sexual wellness care.
PDE-5 Inhibitors
For PDE-5 inhibitors, the clinical conversation may include medication history, cardiovascular considerations, contraindications, timing of use, patient expectations, and possible adverse effects. Jarrod also discusses why these medications are not simply “libido medications,” a common misconception worth addressing with patients.
Hormonal Considerations
Hormonal health may be part of the sexual wellness discussion for some patients. The session touches on testosterone-related considerations, including baseline labs, follow-up labs, route of administration, and the importance of monitoring for patient-specific response and tolerability.
Central Nervous System Pathways
Sexual wellness is not limited to vascular function. Jarrod also discusses medication categories that interact with pathways involved in arousal, motivation, and sexual response, including how route of administration and counseling may shape the provider-patient conversation.
Intracavernosal Injection Options
Some approaches require more detailed patient education before use. Jarrod reviews why administration technique, injection location, dosing conversations, possible adverse effects, and follow-up guidance matter when providers discuss intracavernosal injection options.
Across these categories, the point is not to memorize a menu of medications. It is to understand how each option brings different counseling responsibilities, monitoring needs, and patient-selection considerations.
Prescription required. Compounded medications are not approved by the FDA for safety or effectiveness. Statements not evaluated by the FDA. For informational use; not medical advice.
Patient Education Considerations for Sexual Wellness Compounding
Sexual wellness care extends beyond selecting a medication.
Patient education, expectation setting, monitoring, follow-up conversations, and proper administration counseling can all influence the overall care experience.
Providers often serve as guides through highly personal and vulnerable conversations. Helping patients understand relevant considerations, ask questions, and participate in care decisions can be just as important as the medications themselves.
Jarrod examines several practical counseling considerations that providers may encounter when discussing personalized sexual wellness care with patients.
Lifestyle Factors That May Influence Sexual Wellness
Medication discussions are only one part of the broader picture.
The session also explores lifestyle factors that may influence sexual wellness, including:
- Physical activity
- Nutritional habits
- Sleep quality
- Stress management
- Tobacco use
- Alcohol consumption
- Recreational drug use
- Overall cardiovascular and metabolic health
Rather than viewing these factors in isolation, Jarrod discusses how they may contribute to a broader understanding of a patient's experience.
These topics are not presented as replacements for clinical decision-making. Instead, they provide additional context that may help providers better understand a patient's goals, health history, and overall health picture.
Continue the Conversation with Strive Sessions
Healthcare is constantly evolving, and so are the conversations surrounding sexual wellness, personalized medicine, and compounding.
Explore upcoming Strive Sessions and access previous replays to continue learning from Strive pharmacists and clinical experts.
