Sexual Health Clinic Opens at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

West Bloomfield, Mich. – Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital has opened a Sexual Health Clinic as part of its comprehensive Women’s Health Services.

“Sexual health issues are very common, yet people are understandably shy about discussing this personal topic, even with a physician,” says Phillis Mims-Gillum, M.D., an OB/GYN with Henry Ford Health System, who is also a sexuality and intimacy counselor. “And these issues can occur at any age.”

The Journal of Sex Research published a large study on sexual satisfaction in 2016, surveying 39,000 people who were married or in committed relationships. The average age of the group was 40 years old for women and 46 years old for men. Forty one percent of men and 27 percent of women were dissatisfied with their sex life.

And a 2010 survey by AARP on “Sex, Romance, and Relationships” showed that 85 percent of men and 61 percent of women said sex was important to their quality of life. Yet only 38 percent of men and 22 percent of women reported having discussed sex with a physician since they were 50 years old.

In a 2009 online survey of 1,200 American women (18 – 50 years old) for the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, women ranked having a healthy sex life higher than career satisfaction, home ownership, traveling, and a social life. Seventy percent of the women said they’ve had a sexual health issue. But only 18 percent of them sought help from a health care provider.

Couples are welcome to come to the clinic together

“I try to have a conversation with my patients as if I was their sister or friend,” says Dr. Mims-Gillum.

Conditions that are treated in the new clinic include: decreased libido, painful sex, problems with sexual function, and postpartum sexuality, as well as ways that sex changes with aging, chronic health conditions, cancer, and post-surgery.

Dr. Mims-Gillum currently sees patients one day a month in West Bloomfield. Clinic hours will expand as demand increases.

Appointments allow time for discussion of the patient’s concerns in a relaxed, unrushed, supportive environment.

To make an appointment in the Sexual Health Clinic, call (248) 661-6425.

Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital is located at 6777 W. Maple Rd. in West Bloomfield.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Sally Ann Brown
(248) 325-3081
sbrown2@hfhs.org