Salty & Sexy: CF Reproductive & Sexual Health (Part 2)

With Raksha Jain, MD and Traci Kazmerski, MD, MS

In Part 2 of Salty and Sexy, we go further into what it means to age with cystic fibrosis—and how that intersects with reproductive and sexual health. Dr. Raksha Jain and Dr. Traci Kazmerski are back to talk about the realities of perimenopause and menopause in CF—including hormone therapy, bone density, and the growing need for cancer screenings. They also discuss recent research initiatives—including the PROTECT Workshop and the Mayflowers study—which are exploring the effects of prenatal exposure to CF modulators.

We talk honestly about the unspoken intimacy challenges of CF and offer practical advice for navigating them. The conversation also addresses the emotional and clinical gaps in care for CF patients as they age, and the importance of making space for sexual and reproductive health in clinic conversations.

CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains candid discussions of sexual and reproductive health in CF, including references to anatomy, intimacy, and fertility.

Dr. Traci Kazmerski is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Chair, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Transition Task Force. She is also the Vice Chair of the CFF sponsored Sexual Health, Reproduction and Gender Research Working Group (SHARING). Her research involvement includes the HOPeCF to study the interplay of having CF and becoming a parent on long-term health outcomes, as well as PRIDE CF to understand the intersection of identifying as LGBTQIA+ and having a chronic illness like CF.

She is also interested in Male Sexual and Reproductive Health concerns to define the experiences of males with CF related to sexual and reproductive health. In the coming year Dr. Kazmerski plans to conduct interviews with males with CF, their partners, and parents of boys with CF to study their experiences related to fertility concerns in CF, family-building (including assisted reproductive technology), and identifying useful tools. Her overarching focus is community-engaged research so all these studies are built around people with CF and the CF community. 

Dr. Raksha Jain is a Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and the Adult CF and Bronchiectasis Program Director, as well as the Director of CF Therapeutics Trials at UT Southwestern. She is also the Chair of the CFF sponsored Sexual Health, Reproduction and Gender Research Working Group (SHARING).

Her research interests and involvement includes sex disparities and the impact of sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone on lung health and immunity. She is also studying the impact of pregnancy, including the MAYFLOWERS study to prospectively and observationally understand pregnancy in females with CF. She is also involved in PRIDE CF to understand the intersection of identifying as LGBTQIA+ and having a chronic illness like CF.