Rosemary Basson’s Fundamental Contribution to Female Sexuality (Part 1 & 2)

Content:

Professor Rosemary Basson is undoubtedly a legend in our field. Her alternative proposal on a circular model of sexual response has conditioned our vision of female sexuality and the classification and diagnosis of female sexual dysfunction.

Francesca Tripodi and Evie Kirana go through the various stages of Basson’s career: how she has flowered as a sympathetic listener to her patients and what an incredibly clever overview she has advanced. Basson recalls the clinical skill that enabled her to develop a new concept of women’s sexual response, much more in tune with what women were actually feeling. Her findings normalised the experience of many women who have been previously labelled as suffering from a sexual disorder and have had a significant impact on how clinicians treat women in terms of reassuring, educating, and intervening to help them understand their desire pathways. During the interview, she walks us through the circular response model, making this a precious piece of this talk.

Professor Basson is a skilled medical sex therapist and a sceptical scientist who does rigorous research that also applies to men’s sexuality. The interview touches on the implications of the concept of responsive desire, the misinterpretation of the model and the critical points in giving testosterone as a quick fix for sexual difficulties.

Produced in 2022