dr. lori brotto

Vancouver General Hospital

6th Floor - 2775 Laurel Street

Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9

Women's Sexuality

Gynecologic Cancer Survivorship

Culture/Acculturation and Reproductive Health

Vestibulodynia

“Cervical or endometrial Cancer and Sexual Health (CEC)”.  CIHR funded 3-yr study exploring the efficacy of a psychoeducational intervention for women with sexual dysfunction following hysterectomy for cervical or endometrial cancer.

“Cervical Cancer, Acculturation and Sexuality in a Community Sample (CASE-com)”.  Hampton Research funded 2-year study exploring reproductive health behaviours and attitudes and their relationship with acculturation and attitudes towards sexuality.  This is a community-based study that involves trilingual interviewers conducting in-person interviews with Chinese and Caucasian women and is a follow up study to a university student-based study of 500 multiethnic women exploring the mediating effect of sexuality between acculturation and barriers to cancer screening.

“Advanced Ovarian Cancer Study- Phase 1 (ANOVA)”.  This is the first phase of three in a 4-year CIHR funded study exploring sexual health and quality life in women with advanced ovarian cancer.  Women will be prospectively followed before and after treatment and the data will be used to inform subsequent phases in which a psychoeducational intervention to improve the quality of life in ovarian cancer patients will be designed and tested.

“Vulvar Vestibulitis Educational Seminar Trial (VEST)”.  This unfunded study aims to track the efficacy of educational seminars, led by a departmental gynecologist, for women with vestibulodynia. We are interested in the self-reported improvements of genital pain, sexual function, mood and affect, relationship satisfaction, and quality of life.

“Exploring the Relationship between Androgens, Interpersonal Factors, and Sexual Health in women with and without sexual dysfunction (Labrie Study)”.  This 3-year CIHR funded study is in collaboration with Professor Fernand Labrie, an endocrinologist at the University of Laval.  We are interested in the relative predictive ability of androgens and non-hormonal factors in predicting sexual dysfunction.  Based on advances in intracrinology, we are indexing androgen activity via glucuronides and androgen metabolites, reflecting the intracellular production of testosterone and thus providing a more accurate picture of overall androgen activity.

• Brotto, L. A., Chou, A. Y., Singh, T., & Woo, J. S. T. (in press).  Reproductive Health Practices among Indian, Indo-Canadian, Canadian East Asian, and Euro-Canadian Women: The Role of Acculturation.  Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada.

• Woo, J. S. T., & Brotto, L. A. (in press).  Age of first sexual intercourse, ethnicity, and adult sexual functioning.  Journal of Sexual Medicine.

• Brotto, L. A., Klein, C., & Gorzalka, B. B.  (in press).  Female Sexual Arousal Disorder Subtypes: Differentiation via Laboratory-Induced Hyperventilation.  Archives of Sexual Behavior.

• Brotto, L.A., Heiman, J.R., Goff, B., Greer, B., Lentz, G., Swisher, E., Tamimi, H., & Van Blaricom, A. (in press) A psychoeducational intervention for sexual dysfunction in women with gynecological cancer.  Archives of Sexual Behavior.

• Brotto, L.A., & Heiman, J.R. (2007).  Mindfulness in sex therapy:  Applications for women with sexual difficulties following gynaecologic cancer.  Leading Comment.  Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 22(1), 3-11. 

• Brotto, L.A., Woo, J. S. T., & Ryder, A. G. (2007).  Acculturation and Sexual Function in Canadian East Asian Men.  Journal of Sexual Medicine, 4(1), 72-82.

• Brotto, L. A., Gehring, D., Klein, C., Gorzalka, B.B., Thomson, S, & Knudson, G.  (2005).  Psychophysiological and Subjective Sexual Arousal to Visual Sexual Stimuli in New Women.  Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 26(4), 237-244.

• Brotto, L.A., Chik, H.M., Ryder, A.G., Gorzalka, B.B. & Seal, B.N. (2005).  Acculturation and sexual function in Asian women.  Archives of Sexual Behavior, 34, 613-626.

• Seal, B.N., Brotto, L.A., & Gorzalka, B.B. (2005).  Oral contraceptive use and female sexual arousal:  Methodological considerations.  Journal of Sex Research, 42, 249-258 .

• Brotto, L.A., Basson, R., & Gorzalka, B.B. (2004)  Psychophysiological Assessment in Premenopausal Sexual Arousal Disorder.  Journal of Sexual Medicine, 1(3), 266-277.

CIHR New Investigator, 2005-2010

Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award, 2005-2010