This study aims to better understand the pain associated with chronic prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome in men. While the cause of pain in a small portion of men is due to infection, for over 90% of cases, the source is unknown. This study investigates the pattern, intensity, location, quality and their association with the activities that may cause pain. In addition, this study examines differences between the pain symptoms in men with bacterial infections as compared to the pain in men without. The rationale for this study is that better understanding of pain will help guide assessment and treatment in the future.

This study seeks to examine how our mental or subjective experiences of sexual desire and arousal impact physical sexual arousal, and how this relationship is affected by mood, emotional coping styles, sexual attitudes/ beliefs, body image, and other personal and relationship history variables. It also aims to better describe the variety of ways that men and women express sexual desire and arousal, and the distinction between these sexual responses.

The present experimental study aims to examine the role of fear and anxiety in women with vaginismus. Still another goal is to evaluate whether vaginismus can be distinguished from other sexual pain disorders such as vulvar vestibulitis syndrome by the following variables: behavioral, affective and physiological responses to vaginal penetration, presence of vaginal muscle spasm, pain experience, and sensitivity of the vestibular area.

The study systematically examines the clinical attributes of pain experienced by women with postmenopausal dyspareunia. It also investigates the possible existence of different subtypes of dyspareunic pain disorders in postmenopausal women, and into whether or not biological, endocrinological, psychological, and interpersonal variables are predictive or subtype.

In order to evaluate vulvovaginal candidiasis as a potential etiological path way in some cases of vulvar vestibulitis, an animal model using chronic Candida albicans infections is in development. This animal VVS model tests mechanical sensitivity following chronic vaginal infections and correlated these shifts with reduced sexual receptivity.

This study investigates the utility of thermopgraphy as a reliable and valid measure of sexual arousal. This technology is unique in that it is equally applicable to men and women.