Sexology

EP501 - Why You Lost Your Sex Drive During Perimenopause (And How to Get It Back)

2026-07-28

Welcome to Episode 501 of the Sexology Podcast! Today I am excited to be joined by Heather Florio and Dr. Fenwa Milhouse who speak to me about sexual health, desire, and pleasure during perimenopause and menopause.In this episode, we discuss how changes in levels of oestrogen and testosterone can affect the brain, genitals, arousal and sex drive. We examine why hormones alone are rarely the cause of low libido, and how relationship dynamics, painful sex, body image, stress, shame, and the natural shift from spontaneous to responsive desire can all impact someone’s sexual e...

In this episode, we discuss how changes in levels of oestrogen and testosterone can affect the brain, genitals, arousal and sex drive. We examine why hormones alone are rarely the cause of low libido, and how relationship dynamics, painful sex, body image, stress, shame, and the natural shift from spontaneous to responsive desire can all impact someone’s sexual experience.

Heather Florio is the second-generation CEO of Desert Harvest, a women's-health company her family founded in 1993. She writes the monthly Dear Sexpert column for BELLA Magazine, sits on BELLA's Medical Advisory Board, and is a Forbes Leading Woman in Business (2022). Late-diagnosed autistic.

Dr. Fenwa Milhouse—widely known as “Your Favorite Urologist”- is a board-certified urologist and fellowship-trained sub-specialist in Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery.

She is the current President of the Chicago Urological Society—making history as the first Black woman to hold this position.

In this episode, you will hear: