Delegates were treated to a fantastic menu of both science and gastronomy as the European Society for Sexual Medicine (ESSM) Congress met in Bari, southern Italy, 9–11 February 2024.

Organized by local chair and past president of the society Carlo Betocchi, current ESSM President Giovanni Corona and Scientific Chair Mikkel Fode, the meeting provided its usual high-quality mix of basic science, clinical research and biopsychosocial topics, as well as an excellent social programme including its traditional display of local music at the event’s opening ceremony.

Credit: Annette Fenner

Unsurprisingly, Italy topped the list of attendees at this cosmopolitan meeting, which saw 650 delegates converge from across the world to discuss the latest research and topics in sexual medicine. A total of 72 scientific sessions, 12 master lectures, 24 round table discussions and 11 satellite symposia, as well as poster and industry sessions, offered a wide choice of content for attendees.

Day 1 began with a number of satellite meetings, including the European Federation of Sexology session, which included an excellent talk from Charmaine Borg of the University of Groningen, Netherlands, on debunking sexual myths and a discussion of artificial intelligence (AI) in sexual therapy. AI was a theme seen across the meeting, with a round table session dedicated to a discussion of the use of AI for managing male sexual dysfunction as well as a master lecture on AI in scientific writing and publishing.

A round table session on broadening our understanding of orgasm in men and women was a highlight of day 1, including excellent lectures from Jim Pfaus, from the National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia, who detailed the neuroscience of orgasm, pleasure and reward mechanisms, and Emmanuele Jannini from Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy, who gave an interesting lecture on masturbation and solitary sexual desire.

A high point of the day 2 programme came from Maastricht University’s Marieke Dewitte, who gave an impassioned and fascinating master lecture on the orgasm gap, clitoral knowledge and sexual pleasure.

The meeting saw an increase in emphasis on transgender medicine, with a number of sessions dedicated to this underserved patient population. The meeting also included a more balanced focus on female sexual dysfunction and function than has been the case in the past, with a podium session dedicated to sexual function in women on day 1 of the meeting, a poster session on female sexology on day 2 and various master lectures, as well as the satellite session of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH), which was chaired by ISSWSH President Sue Goldstein.

The ESSM President’s mantle was also passed, with Mikkel Fode from Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, taking up the reins as President Elect in line after current President Giovanni Corona finishes his term in 2025.

The 2025 ESSM Congress will be held next February in Vienna.