Pearls & Perspectives: The Power of Advocacy in Sexual Medicine, With Rachel Rubin, MD

Welcome back to Pearls and Perspectives!

In this episode of Pearls & Perspectives, host Amy Pearlman, MD, is joined by Larry Lipshultz, MD, and Rachel Rubin, MD, on the sidelines of the 2026 American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, for a wide-ranging conversation on advocacy, sexual medicine, and the evolving role of urologists in women’s health.

Rubin reflects on leading 2 instructional courses at this year’s meeting, including sessions focused on the AUA guideline on genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM)¹ and female sexual medicine. She discusses the growing recognition of GSM as a core component of urologic care and shares how her own career was shaped by early exposure to the field and mentorship from Irwin Goldstein, MD. Rubin also highlights the increasing interest among urologists in addressing women’s sexual health and explains why advancing understanding in female sexual medicine has implications that extend beyond women’s health alone.

The conversation then turns to one of Rubin’s major advocacy efforts: the removal of boxed warning labels from local estrogen products. Rubin recounts how misconceptions stemming from the Women’s Health Initiative study led to decades of fear surrounding hormone therapy and describes the collaborative efforts that ultimately resulted in regulatory change. Drawing parallels to ongoing debates surrounding testosterone therapy, Pearlman, Lipshultz, and Rubin discuss the importance of physician advocacy, interdisciplinary collaboration, and amplifying conversations that bridge men’s and women’s health. Throughout the episode, the trio emphasizes that many of the challenges facing sexual medicine are shared across sexes and that continued progress depends on bringing diverse voices into the conversation and building coalitions that can drive meaningful change.

REFERENCE

1. Kaufman MR, Ackerman LA, Amin KA, et al. The AUA/SUFU/AUGS Guideline on Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause. J Urol. 0(0). doi:10.1097/JU.0000000000004589. https://www.auajournals.org/doi/10.1097/JU.0000000000004589