World Sexual Health Day
For World Sexual Health Day, which was celebrated on Sept. 4, Dr. Lori Buckley, author of 21 Decisions for Great Sex and a Happy Relationship, and Dr. Diana looked at how sexual pleasure can be profoundly healing and very good for our overall health. Sex drive decreases gradually with age in most men and women, but women are two to three times more likely to be affected by a decline in sex drive as they age. Many women just don’t have the energy to rekindle the flame of passion. An estimated 40 million American women struggle with diminished libido, and additional data suggests that up to 63% of women experience some degree of sexual dysfunction during their lives. Low sexual desire is their most frequent concern.
The two sex therapists had a lively and often personal discussion of what to do. Hormones were the centerpiece of their discussion. It’s essential that you do thorough research to find the right, experienced doctor for such an individual decision. For many women, including the host and her guest, Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy – BHRT – is the answer. Estrogen, progesterone and testosterone especially affect our sexuality, intimately shaping our experiences of love, attraction, and arousal. Dr. Lori’s phrase: “Stay juicy and jazzed”!
Testosterone is Dr. Diana’s favorite hormone because it’s so vital to inspiring and maintaining those two states! Testosterone, with the assistance of estrogen, stimulates nerve receptors in your brain, igniting your pleasure circuitry and setting sexual feelings and arousal in motion. More good news: testosterone can give an added jolt to your sexuality by increasing your clitoris’s sensitivity to touch. Testosterone can also increase your sense of wellbeing. Research has shown that “t” plays a role in modulating the actions of dopamine, a brain chemical that allows you to feel joy and pleasure. When women have deficient dopamine, they often experience a low sex drive as well as feelings of hopelessness and decreased ability to handle stress.
The information in this show can dramatically improve your quality of life. And you can benefit from dozens of suggestions and exercises in Dr. Diana’s book, Love in the Time of Corona: Advice from a Sex Therapist for Couples in Quarantine. It’s true … sex can definitely improve your appearance and your relationship!
Click below to listen to the interview (approx. one hour):
