Show Notes
If sex has slowly disappeared from your life - or started to feel like something you dread rather than look forward to - and you're not sure whether to blame your hormones, your relationship, your exhaustion, or just yourself, this episode is going to help.
My guest is Dr Maria Sophocles, a board-certified OB/GYN and Menopause Society Certified Practitioner who has spent 30 years working with women on the clinical frontline of this exact problem. She's the author of the brand new book The Bedroom Gap, and the creator of a TED Talk on midlife sex that has now been watched over a million times.
Maria coined the term "the bedroom gap" to describe the very real and very unspoken difference in sexual expectations and abilities between men and women in midlife. It's not just about low libido, but the physical changes happening in your body that nobody explains to you, the cultural messaging that tells women their discomfort doesn't matter, a medical system that created Viagra in 1998 but left women largely without equivalent solutions, and the shame that keeps so many of us from even raising the subject with our doctors.
In this conversation, Maria breaks down the physiology of what oestrogen loss actually does to your vagina, your bladder, and your capacity for arousal . We talk about vaginal oestrogen, why it's safe for virtually every woman on the planet, and why so many women never get offered it; and what to say to your doctor when sexual symptoms aren't being addressed.
In this episode, you'll learn: What "the bedroom gap" actually is and why it tends to widen so dramatically during perimenopause and menopause What oestrogen loss is really doing to your body - and why pain and dryness during sex are physiological, not a personal failing Why vaginal oestrogen is considered safe for virtually every woman but is still widely under-prescribed Why your HRT patch or gel alone is often not enough for sexual and bladder symptoms, and what to ask for instead How Viagra, despite being a genuine breakthrough for some couples, also made the bedroom gap worse for a great many women What the new FDA approval for female sexual desire actually means - and why it matters that it took this long The real story on testosterone for women, why it's approved in Australia but not the US or UK, and what it can do How porn has become the default sex educator for an entire generation, and the resources Maria actually recommends instead What to say when you want to start a conversation about sex with a long-term partner, a doctor, or your adult daughter Resources mentioned: The Bedroom Gap by Dr Maria Sophocles - mariasophoclesmd.com/book/ Dr Maria Sophocles' TED Talk: "What happens to sex in midlife? A look at the bedroom gap" - ted.com/speakers/maria_sophocles OMGYES (sex education resource) - omgyes.com Erica Lust TED Talk on female-forward adult content - search "Erica Lust TED Athens" Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski Dr Maria Sophocles on Instagram: @MariaSophoclesMD Dr Maria Sophocles on LinkedIn
Beyond Confident 2.0 for Solopreneurs & Service Providers Open for enrolment NOW.
Transform self-doubt & self-sabotage, rewire your nervous system for success, and do the inner healing work, while being supported to create a streamlined, profitable business that supports your lifestyle.
www.cassdunn.com/bc2
Connect with Cass: www.cassdunn.com www.instagram.com/cassdunn_xo
Contact Crappy to Happy:
Email: [email protected] www.crappytohappypod.com www.instagram.com/crappytohappypod Connect with Cass: www.cassdunn.com www.instagram.com/cassdunn_xo
Contact Crappy to Happy:
Email: [email protected] www.crappytohappypod.com www.instagram.com/crappytohappypod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Crappy to Happy
Why do some people go through trauma and come out the other side better for it?
When a crisis turns your world upside down, what do you do? Last week we talked about how to make a big decision. This week I'm talking about when the decision gets made for you. You lose the job or the relationship or the house, or you get a diagnosis you didn't see coming, and suddenly the change you never asked for is here and completely out of your control.
Stuck on a big life decision? Let’s talk about the psychology of decision making. Whether you're weighing up a job, relationship, starting a business or buying a house, big decisions have a way of keeping you stuck on the fence. In this episode I'm explaining why your pros and cons list is no help, and how your predictions of how happy you'll be depending on what you decide are wildly unreliable, and why we usually default to the status quo even if it makes us miserable rather than take a risk on the unknown.
It's nice to feel content, peaceful and satisfied with life. But how long do you let yourself feel any of those things before you get twitchy?
If you’re feeling a little bored and uninspired, I get it. I noticed recently that after 9 years of podcasting, ideas were not flowing and creativity felt like a chore. (This is normal of course.) But after spending two days out of the office at The Podcast Show last week, I’ve discovered renewed enthusiasm.