Doctors are not routinely trained in sexual health, so many women suffer in silence, with no one to talk to about their problems.

Dr. Becky Kaufman Lynn is working to change that, in her office and her classrooms, at public speaking engagements, and through breast cancer and ovarian cancer support and education programs offered at the Jewish Community Center. 

“This is a growing field, and the science around it has grown tremendously in the last 10 to 15 years,” Lynn said. “A lot of illnesses and medications affect sexual health, but not everybody is comfortable talking about it. I am.”

Lynn, 45, who grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles, credits her Jewish upbringing with indirectly influencing her career choice.  

“My dad is a physician, and he set an example for me,” she said.

Lynn made time recently to talk about her work.

What illnesses might affect a woman’s sexual function?

Depression can cause low libido, and people with depression often are treated with medications that have side effects that lower sex drive. Diabetes affects the nerves, and neuropathy can block sensation. People with heart disease often don’t know that blocked arteries or poor blood flow can affect sexual function. 

What about cancer treatments?

A lot of breast and uterine cancers are hormone-sensitive, and estrogen-suppressant treatments can cause low libido and vaginal dryness. Also, I see women with the BRCA [breast cancer susceptibility] gene who had their ovaries removed, and they had no idea that ovaries make testosterone. The loss of all these hormones can affect sexual health. 

Oncologists aren’t always forthcoming about sexual changes after cancer. Why is that? 

I’ve had breast cancer, and my oncologist told me she does not ask patients about sexual function because she can’t answer their questions. Also, when someone is diagnosed with cancer, all the attention is turned to getting rid of the cancer, having surgery, radiation and chemo — and nobody thinks about sex. But there are many ways to improve the sex life of cancer survivors. 

What sparked your interest in this field?

After my residency, I worked for a group practice in a community hospital in Jefferson City. Several times a day, women would tell me they had no sex drive. I didn’t know what to say, so I took a course in Chicago about female sexual dysfunction, where I learned how to talk about managing libido, painful intercourse and problems with orgasm.

After six years, you joined the faculty at the University of Missouri School of Medicine in Columbia, where you volunteered to help female patients with sexual health issues. What happened next?

Suddenly, everyone sent me patients, and I knew I needed to learn more. I became an active member of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health, and I took another specialized course in Baltimore. There I met Dr. Michael Krychman, who runs a center for sexual health in Laguna Beach [California] and, in 2013, I shadowed him to learn how he helps patients. 

After you completed the preceptorship with Dr. Krychman, you enrolled in a yearlong training program to become a certified sex therapist. Why is that? 

In order to help someone with sexual health problems, you need to look at the big picture, talk about relationships and communication within those relationships. You have to treat the whole person. All this extra training is great and makes me very well-rounded. 

What has been the response from your patients who come to you for sexual health issues? 

Just the other day, a woman said to me, “I didn’t know there was anybody I could talk to about this.” She was thrilled.