Why Your Libido Disappears in Menopause with Dr. Somi Javaid
The Luminescence Podcast with Schuyler GrantShow Notes
In this episode, board-certified gynecologist and sexual health expert Dr. Somi Javaid — founder of HerMD, who raised $40 million after being told she had "less than a half percent chance" — breaks down exactly what's been missing from women's health care, and what's finally starting to change. She walks through the real gender gap in FDA drug approval (six months for Viagra, six years for the first female libido drug), the black box warning that scared a generation of women off hormone therapy, and why testosterone — not just estrogen — matters for female sexual function and almost nobody gets properly tested for it.
Her work is featured throughout Sex in Menopause, a free masterclass with Naomi Watts featuring Dr. Somi, psychologist Dr. Cindy Meston, and real women navigating changing bodies, mismatched desire, and identity shifts most of us were never prepared for. Right now there is only one trained menopause provider for every 32,000 women who need care. If sex has disappeared or changed in ways you can't explain, that's not a personal failure. That's a gap in the medical system.
In this episode:
The phone call that became her calling — her mother's dismissed heart symptoms
The patient who couldn't get help — and why she left traditional OB-GYN care
Building HerMD from scratch, and raising $40 million against the odds
The real gender gap: Viagra vs. the first female libido drug
The black box warning and the hormone therapy scare that set women back decades
What HSDD actually is (and what it isn't)
Spontaneous vs. responsive desire — why "wanting sex out of nowhere" isn't the only normal
Testosterone's role in female libido, mood, and energy — and why almost no one gets tested
The surprising reason birth control clears skin (and quietly lowers libido)
Your brain as your biggest sex organ
Thyroid, medications, and other overlooked causes of low desire
When low libido gets mistaken for a lack of love
The truth about orgasm and anatomy
Femtech tools and innovations — vibrators, erotica apps, and evidence-based supplements
The real barriers to care, and her message to women who feel dismissed
Topics covered: menopause, perimenopause, women's sexual health, testosterone therapy, HSDD (hypoactive sexual desire disorder), low libido, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), medical dismissal, gender gap in medicine, sexual desire, orgasm, femtech, Dr. Somi Javaid, HerMD, Viagra, Addyi, birth control, brain health, thyroid, biopsychosocial approach, sexual wellness.
If this episode landed for you: watch Sex in Menopause, the free documentary with Naomi Watts, at sexinmenopause.com. For more conversations like this — plus live events, retreats, and past seasons — head to Luminescence.health.
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