I was recently interviewed by Whitney Port, an American television personality, fashion designer, and author, who first gained fame on MTV’s The Hills. On her podcast “With Whit,” we discussed personal topics, relationship topics, and societal topics. This is from her podcast description:

“In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Jenn Gunsaullus for an honest, enlightening, and fun conversation about the deeper layers of intimacy. We explore some tricky but important territory: the impact of antidepressants on libido, how and when to talk to your kids about sex, and how to get more comfortable with your own discomfort. We dive into what it really means to communicate about sex (without shutting down)…”

Where has my desire gone and how can I get it back? I hear this question a lot, and so do Laura Byrne and Britt Hockley, the hosts of the Life Uncut podcast, who both rose to fame as contestants on The Bachelor Australia. They recently interviewed me on their podcast, and this is their description of our conversation:

“Where has my desire gone and how do I get it back? It seems to be something every one of us experiences at different stages of our lives and we still don’t seem to be talking about it all that much. Speaking of things we don’t talk about, when was the last time you self-pleasured? How about your partner? Do you ask them when they masturbate? Don’t worry, we don’t either. But maybe we should! Dr Jenn is here to break down how we all feel about desire and pleasure for ourselves and within our relationships…”

As a 52-year-old woman in the midst of perimenopause (the transitional years leading to menopause, when a woman’s hormones are fluctuating), the topics of sex, intimacy, and desire during perimenopause and menopause are not just professional topics for me, but also deeply personal ones.

Along these lines, I was recently interviewed by Oprah Dailyas the Resident Sex Educator for pjur lubricants, in a powerful article about how sexual desire shifts during perimenopause and menopause—and what we can do to reclaim and redefine our sex lives at this stage. (Spoiler: There is much we can do.)

Here are a few key ideas I shared in the article…