At Maze Women’s Health, we treat women with the following sexual wellness concerns: low desire, low arousal, difficulty with orgasm, and pain. Often, there is some overlap and these conditions are nuanced and multi-factorial. I want to focus on “low desire” which affects one out of three women ( I’m not talking about HSDD- hypo …
Continue ReadingWhere Did It Go? 5 Reasons Couples Lose Their Spark
Stress: Stress and sex are like oil and water. I’m not talking about sexual tension; I mean the daily grind, the worry about health and finances and work demands and familial responsibilities. All the stuff that doesn’t leave much bandwidth for romance, especially under current circumstances. Lack of Acknowledgement: Remember when you first met your …
Continue ReadingDo I need an annual Pelvic Exam?
What if I’m not due for my pap, do I still need an annual exam? While you may not need a pap test done every year, it’s still recommended to visit your gynecologic provider yearly for an annual ‘well woman exam.’ At this visit, your clinician will check your blood pressure and weight, screen you …
Continue ReadingLybrido — Are we making up the problem?
The New York Times recently ran an article about female libido and the race to develop a drug (Lybrido) that would help women want sex. There are so many arguments these days about women’s libidos. There are angry therapists, frustrated drug companies, sad women and lots and lots of confusion. Some therapists argue that drug …
Continue ReadingLack of a message IS a message.
In our work treating female sexual dysfunction, we often see the same phenomenon take place: A woman will come to us for treatment after years of suffering from an issue that prevents her from having an enjoyable sex life. The issue could be anything from low desire, poor arousal, inability to orgasm or painful intercourse. …
Continue ReadingHave the sex life you desire.
Daniel Bergner, is a contributor for the New York Times Magazine and author of several books including, The Other Side of Desire, which I loved. He just wrote a new book which was released last week, What do Women Want? Adventures in the Science of Female Desire. An excerpt from the book just appeared in …
Continue ReadingMonogamy and desire.
Author Esther Perel wrote the book, Mating in Captivity, in 2006. This is a great book for looking at the complicated relationship between long term monogamy and ongoing desire. Perel articulately explores how often our longing for stability and comfort can annihilate passion and desire. Perel furthered her research by traveling the world and asking …
Continue ReadingThe Coolidge Effect.
“The Coolidge Effect” is a term coined by Ethologist Frank A. Beach, a researcher, known for his studies in psychobiological brain functions and sexual behavior in mammals. In 1955, Beach was at a psychology conference where he was presenting his recent findings on a study on the reproductive behaviors of rats. One of his students …
Continue ReadingMemo: Menopause does NOT have a monopoly on hormonal imbalance.
A few months ago, I met a nice woman who was coming to us for treatment for low desire. She had been feeling a decrease in her sexual interest over several years and brought it up at her yearly physical more than once. But when she asked her doctor if it could be hormone-related, she …
Continue ReadingThe difference between desire and arousal.
It happens every few days. A woman comes in and says that she has a problem with “my desire.” Then she goes on to say that she really wants to have sex, but she just doesn’t get turned on or it takes forever to get turned on, “so you see…” she sighs. “I have a …
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