Researchers surveyed 19 pediatric urology centers across Italy, studying 725 teenagers and young adults with congenital urinary and genital conditions. The question was straightforward: are healthcare teams addressing sexual health with these young people, and if so, how thoroughly?
Most Italian centers (93%) do discuss sexual function topics like erectile dysfunction, and about three-quarters address sexually transmitted diseases and contraception. On the surface, this sounds positive. But the study uncovered a troubling gap beneath these conversations.
Conversations happening, but without proper frameworks
While doctors are clearly talking to teens about sexual health, they're often doing so without validated assessment tools—the structured questionnaires and clinical methods that help identify real problems. Only 19% of centers use proper assessment tools for male patients, and just 7% do so for females. This means doctors may be asking general questions without systematically identifying what's actually affecting each teenager's sexual wellbeing.
Even more concerning: only 31% of centers included parents in these conversations. This leaves most teens navigating sensitive topics alone, without family support that could be valuable as they develop.
LGBTQ+ teens at particular risk of falling through cracks
The study found that while 69% of clinics felt confident discussing gender identity, fewer were formally trained in structured approaches. About half the centers reported following up with patients who identified as homosexual or bisexual, and only 12.5% had experience with transgender patients. For a group already facing additional barriers to healthcare, this inconsistency matters.
In Singapore's context, where discussing sexuality remains culturally sensitive and where LGBTQ+ teens face particular challenges, this research highlights that silence isn't the same as appropriate care. Your teenager deserves comprehensive, systematic support.
What you can do at your teen's next urology appointment
- Ask whether the healthcare team has assessed your child's sexual health using validated assessment tools and what follow-up conversations are planned as they move toward adulthood.
- Request clarity on how sexual wellbeing will be monitored over time—vague reassurances are not the same as structured care.
- If your teen is comfortable, ask whether you can be included in at least some conversations about sexual health as part of their overall medical management.