Research Grant Awarded--The Effects of Hysterectomy on the Subjective and Physiological Sexual Function of Women with Benign Uterine Fibroids

Athena Institute requested applications in 1999 for its research grant of $175,000 over three years to investigate the incidence and physiologic nature of complaints of sexual deficits in women following hysterectomy. The request called for study proposals from qualified candidates in academic positions with accredited medical institutions, with MD, DO and or Ph.D. degrees with C.V.'s demonstrating interest and experience in female behavioral endocrinology and sexual response measures. The research study excluded medical treatment and pharmaceuticals or other medicinal agents. Twenty qualified applicants requested Proposal applications.

The application period closed on January 17, 2000, with 11 application submissions. The Athena Institute Research Advisory Group carefully evaluated all applications and accompanying scientific papers, as well as cited references, before selecting the award recipient, Dr. Cindy Meston.

While all eleven study proposals were strong in their commitment to improving women’s health care, Dr. Meston emerged as the winner because:

* Her project adhered closely to the proposed agenda and budget, suggesting it would most rapidly yield data. The economy of her study was well supported by her requisite skills, existing sexual psycho physiologic laboratory, and staff.

* The Research Advisory Group recognized the focus of her study to examine "the physiological basis of (sexual arousal and orgasm) complaints to provide the first data that might address the subject" as right on target.

* Through her publication history and background, Dr. Meston demonstrated an expertise in the assessment of sexual arousal and a track record of important studies using quantifiable and validated methods of physiologic measurement.

The three Phases of the study, funded subsequently over three to four years, will be controlled and implemented by Dr. Meston and her institution, the University of Texas at Austin. Athena Institute and Dr. Cutler do not claim any authorship or intellectual property rights to the research or resulting publications.

The unprecedented goal of Athena Institute and Dr. Cutler, in sponsoring this research grant, is to promote the collection of physiological data for women’s sex research among well women and those after hysterectomy who experience new deficits in sexual functioning. This goal was inspired by many emotional personal letters from men and women surprised by sexual deficits after post hysterectomy healing was complete.

Dr. Cutler believes that established medical advice to women facing elective hysterectomy - that they will suffer no sexual deficits in capacity for arousal and response following the surgery -- may not withstand these empirical data that Dr. Meston’s study will pursue.

Dr. Meston earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology, her MA and her Ph.D. In Clinical Psychology, all from the University of British Columbia. Her Postgraduate training included a clinical internship at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a Research Fellow at the Social Science Research Council Ford Foundation in New York.

Presently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas At Austin, Dr. Meston is also a member of the American Psychological Association the Canadian Psychological Association, the International Academy of Sex Research, and The Society for the Scientific Study of Sex. Throughout her academic career she has received many honors such as the Stanley Coren Prize for best Masters’ thesis from University of British Columbia, the Teaching Assistant award for outstanding Teaching Assistants from UBC, and the Izaak Walton Killam Pre doctoral Fellowships awarded to outstanding doctoral candidates.

Dr. Meston has been on the review board of many professional journals including Archives of General Psychiatry, Archives of Sexual Behavior, Journal of Sex Research, and Behavior Research and Therapy. She has been the lead author of many scientific papers published in the 1990’s on the subject including:

Meston, C. M. & Gorzalka, B. B. (1995). The effects of sympathetic activation following acute exercise on physiological and subjective sexual arousal in women. Behavior Research and Therapy, 33, 651-664.

Meston, C. M., & Gorzalka, B. B. (1996a). The effects of immediate, delayed, and residual sympathetic activation on physiological and subjective sexual arousal in women. Behavior Research and Therapy, 34, 143-148.

Meston, C. M., & Gorzalka, B. B. (1996b). The differential effects of sympathetic activation on sexual arousal in sexually functional and dysfunctional women. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 105, 582-591.

Meston, C. M., Gorzalka, B. B., & Wright, J. M. (1997). Inhibition of subjective and physiological sexual arousal in women by clonidine. Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine, 59, 399-407.

Meston, C. M., & Heiman, J. R. (1998). Ephedrine-activated sexual arousal in women Archives of General Psychiatry, 55, 652-656.

After a lengthy review process of substantial and impressive applications, Dr. Cutler is extremely pleased with Dr. Meston as the Athena Institute Research Grant recipient:

"Because more than 500,000 women in the US per year undergo ‘elective’ hysterectomy for benign conditions, and expert scholars are now available to examine the anecdotal claims of women after hysterectomy who claim sexual deficits, the Research Advisory Group of the Athena Institute and I are delighted to offer our grant to such an exceptional scholar. Among a field of truly competent grant applicants, Drs. Meston and Carson have extraordinary skills.

It is our great hope that they will succeed in demonstrating that the often suppressed complaints from women about diminution in their sexual responses after their hysterectomies is real, has a physical basis, and cannot be cured simply through referral to a psychiatrist.

We further hope to awaken the grant funding community to this new opportunity to sponsor several other outstanding grant applications which our Request for Proposal has generated."

Dr. Cindy Meston shares Dr. Cutler’s enthusiasm:

"Once again, I’m very excited about the possibility of conducting this study. With the amount of information I plan on collecting, I truly believe it would shed some important insight into the processes by which hysterectomies impair female sexual responding."

The Athena Institute Research Advisory Group is listed below. These research advisors serve without compensation and evaluated all of the grant proposals with extensive consideration for ethical, scientific, and medical criteria.

Norma L. McCoy, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA.

Erika Friedmann, Ph.D., Chair, Dept. Of Health & Nutrition Sciences, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY.

Susan F. Silverton, M.D., Ph.D., Enid Neidle Scholar & ACE Fellow, University of Pennsylvania, Phila., PA.

Millicent G. Zacher, D.O., F.A.C.O.G., Surgeon, Director, Div. Of Reproductive Endocrinology, Dept. OB/GYN, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Phila., PA.

Martha Drake, Artist, Mother and Homemaker, Chadds Ford, PA.

William F. Drake Jr. Esq. Corporate Attorney, Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, Phila., PA

Elizabeth Genovese MD, Medical Director, IMX, Bala Cynwyd, PA.


	UPDATE .. JUNE 2000 Athena Institute Awards its Research Grant of $175,000 to: Cindy Meston, Ph.D. Of the University of Texas at Austin For Her Study: The Effects of Hysterectomy on the Subjective and Physiological Sexual Function of Women with Benign Uterine Fibroids Dr. Meston will work with: Sandra Carson, MD, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston Athena Institute requested applications in 1999 for its research grant of $175,000 over three years to investigate the incidence and physiologic nature of complaints of sexual deficits in women following hysterectomy. The request called for study proposals from qualified candidates in academic positions with accredited medical institutions, with MD, DO and or Ph.D. degrees with C.V.'s demonstrating interest and experience in female behavioral endocrinology and sexual response measures. The research study excluded medical treatment and pharmaceuticals or other medicinal agents. Twenty qualified applicants requested Proposal applications. The application period closed on January 17, 2000, with 11 application submissions. The Athena Institute Research Advisory Group carefully evaluated all applications and accompanying scientific papers, as well as cited references, before selecting the award recipient, Dr. Cindy Meston. While all eleven study proposals were strong in their commitment to improving women’s health care, Dr. Meston emerged as the winner because: * Her project adhered closely to the proposed agenda and budget, suggesting it would most rapidly yield data. The economy of her study was well supported by her requisite skills, existing sexual psycho physiologic laboratory, and staff. * The Research Advisory Group recognized the focus of her study to examine "the physiological basis of (sexual arousal and orgasm) complaints to provide the first data that might address the subject" as right on target. * Through her publication history and background, Dr. Meston demonstrated an expertise in the assessment of sexual arousal and a track record of important studies using quantifiable and validated methods of physiologic measurement. The three Phases of the study, funded subsequently over three to four years, will be controlled and implemented by Dr. Meston and her institution, the University of Texas at Austin. Athena Institute and Dr. Cutler do not claim any authorship or intellectual property rights to the research or resulting publications. The unprecedented goal of Athena Institute and Dr. Cutler, in sponsoring this research grant, is to promote the collection of physiological data for women’s sex research among well women and those after hysterectomy who experience new deficits in sexual functioning. This goal was inspired by many emotional personal letters from men and women surprised by sexual deficits after post hysterectomy healing was complete. Dr. Cutler believes that established medical advice to women facing elective hysterectomy - that they will suffer no sexual deficits in capacity for arousal and response following the surgery -- may not withstand these empirical data that Dr. Meston’s study will pursue. Dr. Meston earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology, her MA and her Ph.D. In Clinical Psychology, all from the University of British Columbia. Her Postgraduate training included a clinical internship at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a Research Fellow at the Social Science Research Council Ford Foundation in New York. Presently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Texas At Austin, Dr. Meston is also a member of the American Psychological Association the Canadian Psychological Association, the International Academy of Sex Research, and The Society for the Scientific Study of Sex. Throughout her academic career she has received many honors such as the Stanley Coren Prize for best Masters’ thesis from University of British Columbia, the Teaching Assistant award for outstanding Teaching Assistants from UBC, and the Izaak Walton Killam Pre doctoral Fellowships awarded to outstanding doctoral candidates. Dr. Meston has been on the review board of many professional journals including Archives of General Psychiatry, Archives of Sexual Behavior, Journal of Sex Research, and Behavior Research and Therapy. She has been the lead author of many scientific papers published in the 1990’s on the subject including: Meston, C. M. & Gorzalka, B. B. (1995). The effects of sympathetic activation following acute exercise on physiological and subjective sexual arousal in women. Behavior Research and Therapy, 33, 651-664. Meston, C. M., & Gorzalka, B. B. (1996a). The effects of immediate, delayed, and residual sympathetic activation on physiological and subjective sexual arousal in women. Behavior Research and Therapy, 34, 143-148. Meston, C. M., & Gorzalka, B. B. (1996b). The differential effects of sympathetic activation on sexual arousal in sexually functional and dysfunctional women. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 105, 582-591. Meston, C. M., Gorzalka, B. B., & Wright, J. M. (1997). Inhibition of subjective and physiological sexual arousal in women by clonidine. Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine, 59, 399-407. Meston, C. M., & Heiman, J. R. (1998). Ephedrine-activated sexual arousal in women Archives of General Psychiatry, 55, 652-656. After a lengthy review process of substantial and impressive applications, Dr. Cutler is extremely pleased with Dr. Meston as the Athena Institute Research Grant recipient: "Because more than 500,000 women in the US per year undergo ‘elective’ hysterectomy for benign conditions, and expert scholars are now available to examine the anecdotal claims of women after hysterectomy who claim sexual deficits, the Research Advisory Group of the Athena Institute and I are delighted to offer our grant to such an exceptional scholar. Among a field of truly competent grant applicants, Drs. Meston and Carson have extraordinary skills. It is our great hope that they will succeed in demonstrating that the often suppressed complaints from women about diminution in their sexual responses after their hysterectomies is real, has a physical basis, and cannot be cured simply through referral to a psychiatrist. We further hope to awaken the grant funding community to this new opportunity to sponsor several other outstanding grant applications which our Request for Proposal has generated." Dr. Cindy Meston shares Dr. Cutler’s enthusiasm: "Once again, I’m very excited about the possibility of conducting this study. With the amount of information I plan on collecting, I truly believe it would shed some important insight into the processes by which hysterectomies impair female sexual responding." The Athena Institute Research Advisory Group is listed below. These research advisors serve without compensation and evaluated all of the grant proposals with extensive consideration for ethical, scientific, and medical criteria. Norma L. McCoy, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA. Erika Friedmann, Ph.D., Chair, Dept. Of Health & Nutrition Sciences, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY. Susan F. Silverton, M.D., Ph.D., Enid Neidle Scholar & ACE Fellow, University of Pennsylvania, Phila., PA. Millicent G. Zacher, D.O., F.A.C.O.G., Surgeon, Director, Div. Of Reproductive Endocrinology, Dept. OB/GYN, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Phila., PA. Martha Drake, Artist, Mother and Homemaker, Chadds Ford, PA. William F. Drake Jr. Esq. Corporate Attorney, Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, Phila., PA Elizabeth Genovese MD, Medical Director, IMX, Bala Cynwyd, PA.

Athena Institute Awards its Research Grant of $175,000