Just like your mental and physical health, sexual well-being is an important part of your overall health. When something doesn’t feel quite right, you might be hesitant to talk about a sensitive topic. But it’s important to keep in mind that sexual health conditions are common in both men and women.

HealthPartners and Park Nicollet has one of the most comprehensive sexual medicine clinics in the United States. Our diverse team of specialists provides a full spectrum of sexual health services and includes urologists, primary care doctors, psychologists, physical therapists and sexual medicine experts. We’ll answer all your questions with sensitivity and find individualized treatment that fits your lifestyle and health needs. And with many locations throughout the Twin Cities, you can always find a convenient appointment location.

During your visit, we’ll usually start by asking you questions about your symptoms, medical history and lifestyle, and we’ll perform a physical exam. Sometimes, more tests and procedures are needed to diagnose your health concern. Common tests and procedures used include:

Many female sexual health concerns, including vaginismus and vaginal atrophy, can be diagnosed with a pelvic exam. During a pelvic exam, we’ll perform a visual exam of your vulva. In some cases, we may need to use specially designed microscopes and cameras in order to get a better look at the affected area and diagnose your condition.

During a biopsy, some tissue is removed so that it can be examined in a lab. Biopsies are used to test for a variety of sexual health conditions, including testicular biopsies for causes of infertility and vulvar biopsies to check for causes of pain and sexual dysfunction. We’ll help keep you comfortable during a biopsy by using local anesthetic or pain medicine when needed.

A low sperm count is the most common cause of male infertility, affecting about 35% of couples struggling to conceive. One of the common tests used to check a man’s fertility is a semen analysis. During a semen analysis, a semen sample is examined for number of sperm, sperm morphology (shape of the sperm), sperm motility (sperm movement), volume of semen and other factors. If a semen analysis is needed, we’ll refer you to a lab where they perform the test. While we don’t store sperm, we can refer you to a lab that does.

The amount of hormones in the blood stream can cause sexual health symptoms like low libido and erectile dysfunction. Hormone tests can be used to measure testosterone, estrogen and other hormones related to sexual health. In a hormone test, blood is drawn and examined in a lab. If low or heightened levels of hormones are found in your blood, this might mean there’s an issue with the pituitary gland or sex organs.

After we determine the cause of your symptoms, we’ll work together to create a personalized treatment plan. Common treatments used to treat sexual health conditions include:

Many sexual health conditions, like erectile dysfunction and hormone imbalances, can be treated with medications. We’ll work with you to determine the best medicine for your condition. Medicines might be prescribed in pill, cream or injection form.

Some medicines are most effective if administered with an injection. Testosterone injections, including Aveed injections (long-acting testosterone) and intramuscular testosterone injections, can help treat low libido, hormone imbalances and other conditions. We also offer corpora cavernosa injections for erectile dysfunction and Xiaflex for Peyronie’s disease. Currently, Xiaflex is the only FDA approved medical treatment for Peyronie’s disease.

Psychological factors, like depression or anxiety, can impact sexual health and function. Our sexual psychologists will work with you to achieve optimal sexual well-being through cognitive, behavioral and psychotherapy methods. Sexual psychology can help manage low sexual desire, erectile dysfunction, sexual pain, arousal programs and many other concerns.

During your first visit with a sexual psychologist, we’ll perform an assessment where we talk about your concerns, medical history, sexual history and symptoms. After the assessment, we’ll make initial recommendations and create a treatment plan tailored to your goals.

Sometimes, a surgery or medical procedure is needed to help you recover from your condition. Our team of highly-trained surgeons is experienced in common to complex surgeries, including vasectomy reversals, penile prosthetic surgery (penile implants) and Peyronie’s repair. We also perform MonaLisa Touch laser treatment, a procedure for vaginal rejuvenation that’s performed in the clinic, and penile Doppler ultrasound to help diagnose erectile dysfunction. Our specialists will answer your questions and help you decide if surgery is the best treatment option for you.

Wanting to start a family is one of the most important and exciting decisions you can make. If you struggle to conceive, know that medical help is available so you can grow your family. We’ll talk to you about which procedure will work best for you, answer your questions and help you prepare. Common procedures we perform include:

• Surgical sperm extraction – Surgical sperm extraction is used to collect sperm for fertility treatments. We perform many common procedures like testicular sperm extraction (TESE) and percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA). We’ll use local anesthetic or general anesthesia as needed to keep you comfortable.
• Electroejaculation (EEJ) – This procedure is used to retrieve sperm from men who have a neurological impairment, often caused by a spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis (MS), that makes normal ejaculation difficult. During this procedure, an electric current is used to stimulate the reproductive system. We’ll use general anesthesia during the procedure to keep you comfortable.
• Vasectomy reversal – This procedure undoes a previous vasectomy so you might be able to get your partner pregnant. During this procedure, the tubes that carry sperm are reconnected so sperm can leave the testicles.

Our sexual medicine experts treat male infertility. When treatment or evaluation is needed for female fertility concerns, we work closely with our OB-GYN doctors.