Quynh Tran explains the state of sexual medicine education in the Midwest

Sexual medicine education across Midwestern medical schools in the United States is inconsistently integrated and often lacks depth in clinically nuanced, patient-facing scenarios, according to a poster presented at the 2026 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting. The findings, drawn from the poster "The State of Sexual Medicine Education in the Midwest: Are Future Physicians Prepared?" suggest future physicians may be underprepared to recognize, evaluate, and manage common sexual health concerns.

Quynh Tran, a 4th-year medical student at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, East Lansing, Michigan, and lead author of the poster, framed the study's central question.

"Our study evaluates sexual health curriculum across medical schools in the Midwest with the goal of seeing what future physicians are learning about sexual health and whether or not they're prepared to really take that into the real world, into clinical practice," she said.

Clinical nuance education is lacking

The study conducted a content review of curricular materials from 12 medical schools, 9 allopathic and 3 osteopathic (n = 39), using a standardized rubric reviewed by 2 independent researchers, with a third resolving discrepancies. While foundational subjects were generally present, several clinically significant topics were sparsely represented.

"While schools did include foundational topics like anatomy, embryology, STIs, and birth control, there were significant gaps in other, more clinically nuanced and patient board scenarios," Tran said. "While vulvar anatomical abnormalities are present in less than 10% of the curriculum, things like female sexual pain, like dyspareunia and vulvodynia, were present in less than 25% of the curriculum, and those are real things that patients experience."

Per the poster data, female sexual pain disorders were inconsistently taught:

• 1 in 3 schools discussed dyspareunia
• 1 in 3 discussed vaginismus
• 1 in 4 discussed vulvodynia or vestibulodynia

Orgasmic disorders were similarly underrepresented, as approximately one-third of curricula acknowledged female orgasmic disorders, and fewer than 10% distinguished primary from secondary orgasmic disorders. Postpartum sexual health was similar, as pain with intercourse was taught 16.7% of the time, and recommendations for resuming intercourse appeared in only 8.3% of curricula.

"Our study really shows that sexual health education, while it's present in curricula, is often incomplete, inconsistent, and lacking that patient-forward approach," said Tran.

Do sexual health education gaps go beyond the region?

Although the study was limited to the Midwest, Tran cautioned against interpreting the findings as regionally specific.

"Our findings suggest that Midwest medical graduates are underprepared to address sexual health concerns in clinical practice, and I know our study is just in the Midwest, but prior literature and prior studies have shown similar gaps in other regions of the United States," she said. She noted that the region's mix of private, public, urban, and rural institutions makes it "a microcosm of the broader US medical education system," suggesting the gaps "likely reflect broader systemic gaps in how sexual health is prioritized and taught across the country."

Tran emphasized that curricular gaps carry tangible consequences for patient care. Insufficient training on normal vulvar anatomy and its variations, she said, can lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment, as well as erode patient trust.

"In the exam room, patients may feel shame or distrust in the system because they are feeling like their anatomy is abnormal, but there are so many different types of variations," she said.

Reference:

Tran Q, Omole I, Ragos J, et al. The State of Sexual Medicine Education in the Midwest: Are Future Physicians Prepared? Poster. Presented at: American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists Annual Clinical & Scientific Meeting. May 1-3, 2026. Washington, D.C.