Optimizing Women’s Sexual Health

Sex is very beneficial to our health. It activates various neurotransmitters that impact not only our brains but several other organs in our bodies. Everyday women wake up and hop on an emotional, hormonal, physical and mental rollercoaster ride that they did not volunteer for. Sex should be a place where women experience pure pleasure, fun, closeness, creativity, intimacy and fantasy. But for many women, that is not the case and there are a host of reasons why. Outside of the many cases of sexual and emotional abuse, which is not the basis for this piece, there are various modalities available to women to optimize their overall health and wellness that will have a positive impact on their sexuality.

Benefits of sex for women include: 

3 Ways to enhance & optimize women’s sexual health

Bio-Identical hormone replacement therapy:
While some women opt out of taking hormones, for many, it can be quite beneficial. When talking about women’s hormone replacement therapy, there are two paths- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) using synthetic hormones or Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy, using natural compounds made from plant estrogens that mimic the body’s own chemical hormones. Health insurance companies only cover the cost of HRT, not the more natural route. They are available in a variety of delivery options, such as pills, patches, creams, gels, and injections. Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are all available to help women balance and optimize their hormone levels. For some women, bio-identical hormone replacement has been a safe and effective way to balance their hormones, leading to improved reduction of symptoms of peri-menopause, menopause, and post-menopause, such as better weight loss outcomes, improved energy, and cognition, deeper sleep, lean muscle mass gains through weight training exercises and increased libido.

Top 5 benefits of using Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy:
Reduce hot flashes
Reduce night sweats
Elevate mood
Reduce or alleviate pain during sex
Help with weight loss

Vaginal rejuvenation, PRP (The “O” shot), and vaginal reconstructive plastic surgery: 

These women’s sexual therapies are gaining more attention from women looking to enhance their sexual experience by augmenting their vaginas appearance, and internal and external feeling, increasing orgasms, and for some women, helping them to reach an orgasm. There are many reasons why a woman would choose to have reconstructive surgery on her vagina. Childbirth often stretches out the vaginal canal (imagine a few bowling balls traveling out of your vagina), and the shape, size, and appearance of a woman’s labia minora or labia majora are not what she desires, often causing her low self-esteem and pain during intercourse caused by loose labia. The surgery, called labiaplasty, is done by a plastic surgeon and there is some downtime to heal.

More popular than reconstructive vaginal surgery is vaginal rejuvenation. This is administered using a small probe into the vagina by a device that delivers radio frequency in order to rebuild collagen. There is no pain or discomfort during this procedure, no downtime, and you can return to your normal daily life right afterward. Many women choose this option to help rebuild inner, thinning vaginal tissue that often leads to painful intercourse, to help minimize urinary incontinence and as part of a women’s annual maintenance plan to continue to rebuild collagen. 

The “O” shot refers to a procedure that uses PRP (platelet-rich plasma from your blood) to be re-injected into your vaginal tissue to be regenerated. Sometimes referred to as the “orgasm” shot, this modality also helps with increasing a woman’s arousal, vaginal dryness, and pain during intercourse. The plasma is delivered through tiny needles in the clitoris and surrounding outside tissue (yes, topical numbing cream is applied first), and while you can have sex that night, many women wait a day or two. Some women may require 1-3 shots the first time around and then annually after that. 

Peptide therapy:
Using peptide therapy helps direct specific cells to perform specific functions to the peptide being used. Our bodies naturally produce peptides of all types. Peptide 141 is an example that may work for women who suffer from female sexual arousal disorder. Peptides are administered subcutaneously through an injection, by nasal spray, capsules, or topical creams that can be used multiple times per week, and have shown improvement in helping women have increased sexual arousal. In order to learn about peptides and use them properly, I highly recommend consulting with a licensed medical provider who specializes in peptides. To learn more, check out my podcast on peptide therapy.

3 nutrients to support sexual health in women:

Zinc is a very important mineral for both men and women regarding sexual health. Most women are estrogen dominant and low in testosterone, especially as we age. Testosterone is what gives us our zest for life, libido, and energy among many other things. Zinc helps us boost our testosterone production by preventing testosterone from being converted into estrogen by blocking the enzyme responsible for this to occur. Zinc also helps us maintain blood sugar levels and keeps our immune system strong.

Best foods to eat for more zinc:
Oysters
Red Meat
Poultry

L-arginine is an essential amino acid found in high-protein foods. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are needed to help the body produce energy “essential” means that our body cannot produce this and that we must get it from exogenous sources, such as food or supplements. L-arginine works in the body to produce more nitric oxide, which is responsible for creating more blood flow. The more blood flow to a woman’s genitals, the more she will feel aroused. 

Best foods to eat for more L-arginine:
Meat (such as my Umami Burger recipe)
Poultry (such as my Thai Chicken Almond Butter recipe)
Seafood
Dairy
Pork (such as my Roasted Pork Belly recipe)
 

Magnesium is a mineral that decreases inflammation in blood vessels, increasing blood flow in our bodies. It also helps our testosterone to stay “free” instead of binding to proteins and not being available for us to use. We want “free” testosterone so that we have enough to help us feel desire. Magnesium also relaxes our muscles and when taken at night, promotes better sleep so that you have more energy during the day.

Best foods to eat for more magnesium:
Dark leafy greens
Dark chocolate
Avocado
Pumpkin seeds

Managing Stress is absolutely necessary for women in regard to their sexual health. Whether you're single, single with children, married or married with children, women tend to overload their plates more than men. Women have a harder time shutting off their brains to grab a moment for themselves, often taking care of others’ needs before their own. Eating right for your body, fueling with plenty of protein and healthy fats, to stave off sugar cravings, is a fantastic way to maintain a better mood, stabilize blood sugar levels and get sound sleep.

3 Stress reduction hacks:
Journal upon waking or just before going to bed.
Take a fresh air walk daily, or when possible.
Practice mindful exercisings, such as yoga, pilates, or meditation. 

Exercise is crucial to maintaining a healthy sex drive. Cardio exercise is great for our heart health, however, it’s the building of lean muscle mass through weight training that hacks into our testosterone production and releases neurotransmitters that help us feel good about ourselves. Weight training, especially for women as they age, is the most important form of exercise. Building lean muscle mass will also support the mobilization of fat stores in the body promoting body fat loss. When we exercise, we have the opportunity to change our body composition. Optimizing our body composition (think body fat loss, gaining lean muscle mass, reducing waist circumference), equates to increasing our fat-burning capabilities, activation of healthy brown fat, stabilization of blood sugar levels, increasing free testosterone, feeling better about ourselves, looking better in clothing, releasing a host of feel-good neurotransmitters and increases our sexual desire. It’s a win-win.

A healthy lifestyle supports a healthy sex life. 

Here are two favorite meals that provide many of the top foods needed to fuel our desire:

Pan-seared grass-fed ribeye over a bed of sautéed dark leafy greens with a drizzle of organic olive oil, sliced avocado, and mineral salt.

Wild-caught salmon tacos in a low to zero-carb wrap, mashed avocado, fresh chopped cilantro, a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of mineral salt, and a splash of toasted pumpkin seeds. 

This blog is not to be used as medical advice or for making any lifestyle changes to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others. Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.

For more information on women’s sexual health, check out two of my podcasts here and here.

Disclaimer: All information here is for educational purposes only. Please consult your primary physician for all medical advice.