Testosterone Testosterone, the hormone of desire, has mistakenly been called “the male hormone”. Women’s ovaries and adrenal glands make lots of testosterone, we just have a lot less of it than men. Testosterone is the fuel that gets “the brain’s sexual engine” revving. When there’s a sufficient amount of testosterone, it accelerates the hypothalamus, activating …
Continue ReadingThe Secret Female Hormone — Part 1
For anyone interested in the hormonal treatment of low desire I highly recommend the book, “The Secret Female Hormone: How testosterone Can Change Your Life”, By Kathy Maupin. At the Center we have been treating low desire with hormones for nearly 15 years. We have seen how effective it can be to replace testosterone, when …
Continue ReadingLibrido: Can drugs help a woman’s desire?
There has been a lot of media attention recently on the advent of 2 new drugs being tested for female sexual dysfunction: Lybrido and Lybridos. But those aren’t the only two drugs currently being tested. A drug called Flibanserin had been tested and went to the FDA a few years ago, testosterone supplements including Libigel …
Continue ReadingTopical hormones — keep away from children and pets!
Pediatricians and veterinarians around the country are reporting a strange phenomenon: children are showing signs of premature puberty and spayed dogs and cats (even puppies and kittens) are suddenly becoming hormonal. Although there can be a myriad of factors contributing to this trend, one culprit has concretely been identified- topical hormone transference. Estrogen and testosterone …
Continue ReadingHow your birth control pills could be preventing pregnancy and your interest in sex!
I am seeing an increase of younger patients coming to our office complaining of low desire or having no interest in sex. Some of these patients are in their early 20’s. Yup…20’s. Hormone levels naturally begin to decline in your 30’s, so what is going on? Although it is difficult to isolate one major cause …
Continue ReadingHope springs — from a sex therapist’s perspective.
I saw the movie Hope Springs this weekend, and I mostly loved it. It’s hard to see a movie which describes what you do every day without wanting to yell directions…I probably felt how baseball coaches must feel when they watch Angels in the Outfield or Field of Dreams. You sit there wanting to yell …
Continue ReadingIs hormone therapy for you?
Have you noticed a decrease in your libido? Are you experiencing hot flashes, insomnia, or anxiety? Are your periods changing: cycles becoming irregular or have they stopped altogether? The symptoms I’m describing are very common complaints during the peri-menopause transition to menopause- a time when your hormone levels are fluctuating or as a patient of …
Continue ReadingIs thinner really hotter?
I love dispelling sexual myths. One that seems to creep up from time to time is that thin women have better sex. Women say, “oh if only I were thinner, I would be having more sex”, or “I would be more comfortable doing this or that..” In fact, thin women generally have higher amounts of …
Continue ReadingDebunking the myth — Do women peak sexually at an older age than men?
Do women peak sexually at an older age than men? I have discovered that it depends what one means by peak. Generally speaking, sexually peaking for women is defined by satisfaction as opposed to libido. For men, sexually peaking is defined by libido as opposed to satisfaction. If one defined sexually peaking purely by libido, …
Continue ReadingNatural family planning.
We have long known that hormonal birth control (pill, ring, or patch) can have an adverse effect on sexual functioning for some women. Hormonal birth control can decrease testosterone levels and increase a protein (SHBG) that binds to testosterone, inhibiting its function. Having sub-optimal testosterone levels can negatively affect sexual functioning. Therefore, we often recommend …
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