Notes from Practice

Sexual functioning during perimenopause and menopause is rarely one simple problem with one simple answer. This guide is written from a psychiatric perspective to help you identify which part of the system is changing, and why. Many women come in saying, “My libido is gone.” But libido is not one single switch. Sexual functioning is a system made up of several parts, and different factors affect each one. When something changes, especially during perimenopause or menopause, i

By twenty-one, most women have sat through countless health classes. Nutrition, exercise, and sleep- all covered. But when it came to sexual health, the real kind involving desire, arousal, and pleasure, there was mostly silence. What they did hear revolved around avoiding pregnancy or infection. No one talked about what actually makes sex feel good or why so many women feel disconnected from their own desire. The truth is, female sexual health is not a mystery. It is a livin

Menopause is often talked about in terms of hot flashes and night sweats. But for many women, the biggest changes show up in mood,...