Q: If I can't take estrogen, what do you suggest to "jump start" my sex life?

Great question--without a simple, single great answer!

Women who have lost their ovaries have lost not only their source of estrogen, but also a significant source of testosterone. I find many, but certainly not all, women benefit from adding back testosterone. That requires a conversation with your provider to determine if that is an option for you. We don't yet have an FDA-approved product for women for that indication. It requires an ‘off-label’ prescription of a male testosterone product (used at significantly lower doses) or a compounded testosterone. Another medication option may be wellbutrin (buproprion), an antidepressant that can have favorable sexual side effects. This, too, is considered ‘off label,’ or not FDA-approved for this indication. Again, it requires a conversation with your provider as to whether that could be an option for you.

For women, a ‘jump start’ usually starts with intimacy. Our website has a section dedicated to that (the recipe element of ‘Emotional Intimacy’), and it is why we offer candles and massage oils, for instance. Sometimes that can be a small but strong message. A great resource to consider is the book Cupid’s Poisoned Arrow: from Habit to Harmony in Sexual Relationships, by Marnia Robinson.

The message here really is that there is no single spark to jump start the process. It is a complicated interaction that needs to be re-invented with new approaches and discoveries, not an easy thing to accomplish in what is often a long-established routine. I hope you agree it's worth the investment of time and trials!