Collaborative health research to help aid men’s sexual health

Posted on 24 May 2024

Professor to lead team of researchers that will lead to better sexual health support for men who live with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Left-right: Cate Laven, Lead Research Nurse at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Sara Ma, Lecturer in Nursing at York St John University; Paul Galdas, Professor of Nursing and Men's Health

Professor Paul Galdas, one of the world’s leading experts in the field of men’s health, from the Department of Health Sciences is leading a team of researchers who will be undertaking research that will lead to better sexual health support for men who live with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

IBD is a long-term digestive condition that is often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 30 years. One in 123 people in the UK have the condition, which causes painful ulcers in the bowels that can lead to symptoms such as bloody diarrhoea, abdominal pain, incontinence, and fatigue.

IBD can negatively affect sexual health and impact on patients’ relationships and quality of life but there is little information or support currently available for men, especially those who identify as bisexual or gay.

Paul will be co-leading the study with Sara Ma, a nursing lecturer at York St John University, who were successful in securing the grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to undertake this research.

The project involves various stakeholders from across the city of York. Paul will work with nurses from Yorkshire and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and York St John University.

Professor Galdas said: “We know that many men who live with a long-term condition have specific needs and preferences when it comes to the delivery of healthcare and support services. Our study will provide nurses with an improved understanding of the sexual health needs of men with IBD that has great potential for improving the quality of life of men and their partners.”