Happy Pride! While I’m a firm believer in celebrating the LGBTQ2IA+ community each and every day of the year, I’ll gladly take a month of publicly acknowledging the contributions of queer individuals, of uplifting those who call for equality and kindness and love and for speaking out on behalf of those who can’t because their…
Tag Archive for tantric sex tips
The New Menopause Movement
“Why is it so hard to find information about this?” my clients in peri/menopause ask me with earnest desperation. My usual retort? “Well, consider the fact 100 years ago, the average life expectancy for women was 60. So, the minute someone started to complain of hot flashes or night sweats, funerals were planned”. It’s not…
Finally, an OTC Birth Control Pill
Something happened in March of this year that should have happened a long time ago. The very first over-the-counter birth control pill approved by the FDA was made available without a prescription in pharmacies all across America. “Opill ”, a progestin-only tablet, has been around for decades, but it’s manufacturer, Perrigo, says it took 9…
How Does Toxic Masculinity Harm Men?
What is toxic masculinity? Before we even define the term, we need to know more about the second word than the first, more incendiary one. Masculinity can have lots of different meanings across individuals, families, cultures and societies. Merriam Webster says that masculinity is “the quality or nature of the male sex : the quality, state, or…
Mindfulness Really Can Improve Your Sex Life
Many people are under the impression that mindfulness exercises should be practiced in total silence. And while, sure, that’s ideal in some instances, the beauty of mindfulness is that you can depend on it no matter your environmental circumstances. Any mindfulness instructor will tell you that sometimes it’s more important to be present and grounded…
Is HRT the End-All-Be-All?
Just a few short years ago, anyone with a uterus was hard-pressed to find accurate and evidence-based information on peri/menopause. And then, like pennies from heaven, it was all around us. Social media, talk shows, blogs, newspaper and magazine articles were finally giving us and our lived experiences the respect we deserved. While those of…
Spice It Up: It’s All About the Novelty
It’s inevitable – long-term partners are gonna get bored. Maybe it’s the conversation, your daily routine or the same old weekend plans. At some point, sex might also morph into a yawn-apalooza. Being with a long-term partner can mean a lifetime of love, connectedness, commitment and care. And contrary to popular belief, it can also…
Does Stress Affect Fertility?
It’s generally accepted by the medical community that chronic stress can lead to wide-ranging physical and behavioral health issues. When we experience any kind of upset, our nervous systems trigger the “fight-flight-freeze” response. That’s a protective function. But when it happens too frequently, and if we aren’t able to manage symptoms, we’re at increased risk…
Erectile Dysfunction in Younger Men Is Common. But Why?
Years ago, I was interviewed for an article on Erectile Dysfunction in young men. It was interesting to talk to a young female reporter who knew absolutely nothing about the subject. She sent me a long list of questions and we had several long discussions on the phone. I thought that this was a great…
How Open Should I Be with my Doctor?
It’s generally accepted among medical providers that the more information a patient shares, the better the care they can provide. There are very strong arguments for accurately answering everything a doctor asks you about your medical history and your current health and well-being. But what if there are details you don’t want to share because…
Should You Stalk Your Ex and Why is it So Addictive?
(Trigger Warning: while the word “stalk” appears in the blog below, please note that it’s being used in the non-menacing vernacular (as a synonym for “search”). The origin of the word means something entirely different – “stalking” in its original form is of serious nature and potentially dangerous. If you believe you are the victim…
So, When Do I Get My Pap Now?
It used to be so simple. You went to see your gynecologist once per year. Your breasts would be checked, you’d have the dreaded pelvic exam that included STI testing and the pap, and then you’d be on your merry way. Phew, check that off the list until next year! But in recent years, things…
What Does Cholesterol Have to do with Sexual Health?
You probably think that hamburgers and ice cream are only bad for your waistline, right? But what if they could actually put your sexual health in jeopardy? Read on to discover the important links between cholesterol and sexual health that all men should know. High Cholesterol Can Cause Erectile Dysfunction Many people see erectile dysfunction…
Authentic- The Word of the Year
Bet you couldn’t avoid “Best Of” lists last month as the year came to a close. Professional critics, influencers, and amateur bloggers alike love to get in on it, giving their seals of approval to a wide swath of items such as books, movies, sports highlights, gifts for hard-to-please Aunt Edna, sex toys (maybe Aunt…
How Trauma Can Affect Your Relationship
If you’ve experienced trauma – whether as a child or an adult – and if you haven’t received the support you need in order to process it thoroughly, relationships can be tricky. Before we jump into the interpersonal, let’s get a sense of what trauma is. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA)…
Sex in the Media: Explore or Ignore – “Naked Attraction”
You might think this British series is a spoof on other titles with similar names, but you would be wrong. “Naked Attraction ” is actually as literal as literal gets. Here’s the premise: a person looking for love (dressed – at least at first) gives the once-over to six fully nude people, each of whom…
Top 5 Foods for Men’s Peak Sexual Health
If your sexual health isn’t what you’d like it to be, your daily habits could be to blame. Things like tobacco, alcohol, and obesity will all decrease your fertility and negatively affect your sexual functioning. Fortunately, there are many simple things you can add to your lifestyle that will get you back on track toward…
Reduce Stress and Have Sex This Holiday Season
Let’s get right down to what you already know: the holiday season is upon us and that usually means a lot of added stress. The big headline? Stress and sex rarely mix. So, with all the travel and traffic and meal prep and gift lists and décor pressure and family pressure, etc., who can possibly…
Male Anatomy Explained
It’s a common myth that men think about sex every seven seconds. However, a study conducted at Ohio State University suggests the real number is likely closer to 19 times a day. Regardless of the figure, you can guarantee most of those thoughts concern getting busy between the sheets, and not what happens in the body. A…
I Love to Laugh: A Meditation Guide
There are a lot of different types of meditations to choose from and one of them is Laughter Meditation. Laughing comes from deep inside us and there’s always a healthy supply. You may be self-conscious at first but laughing out loud, not texting it (lol), breaks up tension in the body as it relaxes the…
Why Children Need Sex Ed
Parenting would be a lot easier if it were like baking – exact ingredients, precise directions, specific chocolate-to-dough ratio, and voila! The perfect chocolate chip cookie! (Um, I mean, kid). While there’s literally no one specific recipe for raising children, a lot of parents incorporate informed decision-making in their approach. Choosing if, how, and when…
How is Andropause Diagnosed?
Andropause is similar to its female counterpart, menopause , and refers to declining levels of testosterone in aging men. Often referred to as Low T, this condition isn’t as widely understood as menopause, making it difficult for both patients and physicians to recognize. Fortunately, diagnostic tools for measuring testosterone levels are improving, making it easier…
Get That Laptop Off Your Uterus! …Right?
Last night, as I said goodnight to my almost-grown daughters, I noticed that each of their respective laptops rested directly on their respective laps. Hystero-Mamma kicked into high gear. “Girls – why aren’t you using pillows as a barrier between your computers and your ovaries? How many times do we have to review this? Don’t…
Psycho-Emotional Symptoms of Menopause
Search for a numbered list of menopause symptoms on the web and you’ll find that there’s no one definitive inventory. One site says there are 34, another one says 66 – the cataloging varies widely. Since menopause research is relatively new and medical training for treatment is practically non-existent – and because each woman’s experience…
Let’s Get To Know Clomid
The use of Clomid to increase testosterone levels has been in practice for many years. Clomid is the preferred treatment to increase testosterone levels in men who want to maintain fertility options because testosterone replacement products (Testim, Androgel, etc) can decrease sperm production. Over time, the use of testosterone can shut down sperm production by…
Is Porn Cheating?
How do you feel about porn? Now, how do you feel about someone consuming porn while in a committed relationship? Porn is one of those things that can be quite variable depending on the individuals involved, communication between those individuals, past behavior, and current relationship conditions – even the type of porn can be a…
It’s Time to Masturbate More (and Better)
Whether it’s exercising more, eating more sustainably, or saving money, we all want to improve our lives, but it can be a daunting task. Here is the perfect advice if you’re looking to get your life back into gear. Masturbate more. Yup, you heard me. You should be masturbating more! Masturbation, and orgasms, have a…
What Are You Feeling? Name it to Tame it.
In the novel “The Language of Flowers,” by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (2011), the main character’s only connection to herself and the world is through flowers and their meaning. She communicates her thoughts and feelings using flowers, as they give her the distance she needs to feel safe. Each type of flower represents a different emotional state;…
The More You Know: Erection Edition
To say that erections are mysterious is a bit of an understatement. When we were younger, erections seemed to happen at the most random and embarrassing moments! As we got older, an erection became a symbol of virility and deeply connected to our personal identity. For most men, erections are summoned and seem to arise…
Sex in the Media: Are You There, God? I Just Found the Holy Grail!
When I was growing up – before the internet got its greedy little hands on us – we had books and tv and movies and music. If we were lucky, we had parents who had healthy views on sex and welcomed the inevitable questions of burgeoning adolescents. While I was one such fortunate kid (and…
Why Aren’t You Taking Your Medications?
I went to a very progressive medical school, and one of the principles I learned was that it is not good enough to make the diagnosis and prescribe the right medications. You have to remove as many obstacles as possible that may be interfering with your patients taking the drug. The most prevalent obstacles tend…
Your Sex Life After Menopause (Part 1!)
Make no mistake: menopause can impact your sex life. Arousal and orgasm are like a delicate dance between your mind and body. And anything that messes with your libido can also mess with your ability to get in the mood and experience that mind-blowing climax. Understanding the ChangesWhen menopause hits, it can bring along some…
Self-Insemination – A Natural Pregnancy Hack
Have you heard of Self-Insemination? Self-Insemination is a process where a man will ejaculate at home into a cup and use that sample to draw it up with a syringe to insert into his partner. Whenever it comes out, it’s clumpy and goopy. And then basically there are enzymes that break it up. So, he…
Breaking News on TRT
Ever since a small study from 2009 implied testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) increased the incidence of cardiovascular events in patients who received TRT, many men have suffered through their symptoms out of fear of this unfounded side-effect. However, a new study has revealed that those findings are unsubstantiated and in fact, our experience is that…
How To Have The Best O
We realize that it’s one thing to know all about the orgasm, and quite another to experience one. Whether you’ve never had one, or want to improve the ones you already enjoy, we’ve got you covered. Here are some simple steps to start exploration: 1. Above all else, fly solo and explore. Whether you’re looking…
Pride…All Year Long.
If you’re a member or an ally of the queer community, you know that Pride isn’t just one month of celebration. Being proud of who you are as an individual and as a sexual being (or not – that’s the “A” for asexual in LBGTQIA+) is something we strive to experience every day. But since…
Intimacy Shouldn’t Hurt
Intercourse should not hurt. I’m always surprised at how many of my patients have been suffering with painful intercourse of some kind for years. But I’m also so glad they have finally decided to seek treatment. There are many reasons why a woman might be suffering from painful intercourse. For example, lack of lubrication, vaginal…
Infertility Is More Common Than You Think
Once considered a taboo topic, infertility is now a mainstream discussion. This is a good thing, because promoting infertility awareness can help those who are struggling with it in several ways. First, people don’t have to suffer in isolation, and there is great hope in regard to the latest treatment options. And when personal stories…
Benefits of Hormone Therapy for Women
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I would marry HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) if I could. I was in my late 40s and experiencing hot flashes – nay – nuclear flashes, several times an hour, round the clock. As a result, I was absolutely miserable and irritable and I was losing hope…
So You’re Thinking About Getting a Vasectomy
Considering this procedure? Then you’re in very good company. In fact, it’s becoming more and more commonplace, particularly here in the United States. While it can bring to mind words such as impossibly painful and very permanent, these are old school characterizations. Urologist Justin K. Houman of Cedar-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles gets it. “Because…
It’s Time to Love Yourself This Valentine’s Day
Learning to love yourself may be harder than learning to love someone else. And having a great sex life when you don’t love yourself – well that can be tricky. So here are some things to think about as we approach Valentine’s Day: Be your own best friend: When you start putting yourself down for…
Attachment Theory in Love & Relationships
Attachment theory is the best way to understand love and romantic relationships. “Pioneered by psychologist John Bowlby in the 1950′s, the field of attachment posits that each of us behaves in relationships in one of three distinct ways: Anxious — people are often preoccupied with their relationships and tend to worry about their partners ability to…
Resolve Nothing
As a new year begins, we often here people speak about their “New Year’s Resolutions.” More often than not these resolutions are about changing something about yourself. Popular ones include: losing weight, getting to the gym more often, eating healthy, etc. But what if we stopped and thought for a moment about what we like…
Sex in the Media: Explore or Ignore – “Fleischman is in Trouble”
If you haven’t caught this delightful FX-Hulu series yet, I highly recommend you do so. I’ve only seen the first episode, but I can’t wait to devour the rest of the season. “Fleischman is in Trouble” is based on the much-heralded 2019 book by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, and while I expected terrific performances by the likes…
The Vaginismus Diaries
We’ve seen the power of TikTok to influence the fashion, fitness, and beauty industries but recently it’s also proven to be a powerful force for initiating long overdue conversations about women’s sexual health. In the last year or two, slowly but surely sexual health influencers are popping up and making waves. A platform that…
The Power of Social Media and Our Sexual Health
Social Media… Some of us grew up with it, some of us had to learn how to use it, and some of us couldn’t live without it. Whatever your opinion is, you cannot deny the impact social media has had on our daily lives, especially in the world of sexual health at Maze Health. We…
You’re Hot and…You’re Not.
Why do we find particular people attractive? Is it merely pheromones? Is it about what’s normalized for us culturally? And what does science say about all of this? A 2019 study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America revealed that yes, we actually do have types.…
The Many Benefits of Kegels
It’s almost Springtime, and that means later sunsets, al fresco dining, and hammocks gentlyrocking in the breeze. And that got me thinking – as a women’s health specialist – about thehammocks that aren’t suspended by trees but the ones that naturally hang from our pelvicbones! Yes, indeed, Friends, our pelvic bones have muscles within the…
Suddenly, the World of Open Relationships is Much More… Open!
In the last few years, conversations around non-monogamy have become much more mainstream. From the Netflix series You, Me, Her to TikTok accounts like @OpenlyCommited – society is slowly becoming more open to the idea of being open. If you haven’t seen it, @Openlycommited is a TikTok account with upwards of 120K followers and nearly…