Fibromyalgia and Sexual Well-Being 

I am collaborating with my former postdoctoral student, Pablo Santos-Iglesias, and Dr. Diane LaChapellen, and her doctoral student Lyndsay Crump on a program of research investigating the sexual well-being of individuals with fibromyalgia (FM) and their partner. FM is a chronic musculoskeletal pain condition associated with fatigue, sleep and mood disturbances, cognitive changes, and other somatic symptoms. It affects 2-3% of Canadians and 6 to 9 times more women than men. Research has shown that 76-91% of FM patients report an adverse effect of FM on their sexual functioning. However, researchers have not investigated the impact of FM on sexual well- being more broadly. Therefore, the overarching goal of our reserach is to understand the effects of FM on a wide range of aspects of men's and women's sexual well-being including their sexual behaviour, motivation, thoughts, feelings, and dysfunction. 

We have completed a qualitative study and are in the data analysis phase. We will be launching a quantitative study in the Fall of 2015.