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FOCUSING ON WHAT MATTERS MOST.

The Patty Brisben Foundation serves to enhance women’s sexual health and well-being through research and education. By focusing on six key areas that have a dramatic impact on women’s sexual health, we’re able to provide support and fund research where it is needed most, to help improve the lives of the highest number of women.

  • Vulvovaginal Pain Disorders

    Chronic vaginal pain with no identifiable cause impacts an estimated six million women. Known as vulvodynia, this condition often goes undiagnosed despite the level of pain that not only makes intimacy difficult, but makes daily life a struggle of pain management.

    The average women suffering from vulvovaginal pain disorders will see seven doctors before receiving a diagnosis. This delays the start of treatment and care, while putting undue stress on women dealing with an already difficult issue.

  • The Impact of Perimenopause and Menopause on Sexual Health

    As Americans in the Baby Boomer generation grow older, the number of women entering menopause will reach nearly two million each year … more than at any other time in history.

    Menopause and the transitional time leading up to it (perimenopause) affects every woman. While it can cause different symptoms in every woman, the time where estrogen levels drop can cause everything from mood swings, to short-term memory loss, lowered libido, and difficulty thinking clearly.

    Despite being a normal part of life, more research is needed on how to lessen the effects of menopause and in educating health professionals on how to help women continue to lead fulfilling, sexual lives after menopause.

  • Female Genital Mutilation

    UNICEF estimates that more than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation. It is essential to understand that FGM is an issue domestically, as well. According to a 2016 CDC report, an estimated 513,000 girls and women in the United States were either victims of FGM or at risk of FGM, with ⅓ under the age of 18.

    FGM involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. FGM can cause life-long physical and psychological trauma, including severe bleeding, problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, as well as childbirth complications and risk of newborn deaths.

  • Endometriosis

    1 in 10 women suffer from endometriosis, according to the Endometriosis Foundation Association. It can affect women from their first menstrual period through menopause and is most often diagnosed when a woman is in her thirties or forties.

    Endometriosis can cause a wide range of symptoms including pelvic pain, painful intercourse, infertility, bloating, and irregular periods. These symptoms can be caused by many similar conditions, which is why endometriosis is so difficult to diagnose. There is still so much about the condition that we don’t understand, which is why the Patty Brisben Foundation is committed to investing in research in this underfunded area of medical science.

  • LGBTQIA Health

    According to the latest Gallup poll, approximately 7.1% of Americans identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or another gender identity. LGBTQIA individuals are more likely to experience suicidal thoughts, mood disorders and anxiety, eating disorders, alcohol and substance abuse, and tobacco use. They are at greater risk for contracting STIs and have higher rates of breast cancer, cervical cancer, and anal cancer.

    Unfortunately, too frequently LGBTQIA people delay getting the care they need, or they experience poor quality care or unfair treatment from healthcare providers. This is largely due to a lack of research and education for healthcare professionals on health-related issues for the LGBTQIA population.

  • Intimacy-Related Sexual Dysfunction After Cancer Treatments

    Cancer treatments, while helping to cure women of various forms of life-threatening cancer, can leave women with devastating side-effects impacting sexual health.

    The Patty Brisben Foundation funded the largest study to date on young survivors of breast cancer. Of those surveyed, 95% indicated that their cancer and its treatment had adversely affected their sexuality.

  • Libido and Desire

    Attraction and sexual desire is one of the spices of life; a joy that we all deserve to experience. Yet the science behind libido in women is lacking, and more research needs to be done to understand issues that lower libido in women.

    Currently, the Patty Brisben Foundation is funding an ongoing study at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine to determine if birth control pills and other hormonal contraceptives negatively impact a woman’s sexual desire and whether any effects increase with higher level dosages.

  • Physical and Sexual Abuse

    UN Women reports that 1 in 3 women and girls experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, and half of the women killed worldwide were killed by their partners or family. Violence perpetrated against women is as common a cause of death and incapacity for those of reproductive age, as deaths related to cancer.

    Sexual abuse, in particular, can have a long-lasting impact on a woman’s feelings about sex, including a general aversion to intercourse that can last many years. Sexual abuse can also result in physical effects, such as chronic pelvic pain or vaginismus, the often painful involuntary contraction of vaginal muscles.

  • Pelvic Pain

    Chronic pelvic pain refers to pain affecting the area below the belly button and between the hips that lasts 6 months or longer. It can be constant or come and go. It is estimated that approximately 1 in 7 women experience chronic pelvic pain.

    Pelvic pain can be caused by a number of underlying conditions, including pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, urinary tract infections, digestive system issues, or even muscular and skeletal problems. Unfortunately, many women experience chronic pain without having any underlying medical condition. There is still so much we need to learn about the causes of and treatments for pelvic pain to bring relief to the thousands of women suffering.

FROM HELPING WOMEN IMPACTED BY CANCER RECLAIM THEIR SEXUALITY, TO ADDRESSING WOMEN’S SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION IN BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS, WE’RE COMMITTED TO USING A SCIENCE-BASED APPROACH TO FURTHER THE CAUSE.

SEE OUR WORK BELOW AND HOW WE’RE MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR WOMEN EVERYWHERE
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NEWS AND MEDIA

  • New Podcast: Cosmetic GynecologyDecember 1, 2023 - 7:33 pm
  • Welcome, new Medical Advisory Board Members!October 24, 2023 - 3:02 pm
  • New Podcast: Sex on the Big ScreenSeptember 29, 2023 - 3:42 pm
  • A Special Thank You: Liza BrackmanSeptember 22, 2023 - 8:18 pm
  • New Podcast: Advocating for Affordable TreatmentSeptember 1, 2023 - 3:17 pm
  • New Podcast: The Penis is Not a MachineAugust 4, 2023 - 1:13 pm
  • Grantee Spotlight – Center for Sexual Health Promotion, Indiana UniversityJuly 25, 2023 - 6:22 pm
  • July Newsletter | 2023July 18, 2023 - 8:32 pm
The Patty Brisben Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
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