What happens to your sex life when you enter perimenopause and menopause, and why aren’t more women talking about it? In this candid and informative conversation, renowned women’s sexual health expert Dr. James Simon tackles the changes that can affect desire, arousal, comfort, and intimacy as hormone levels shift. From declining libido and changes in sexual response to vaginal symptoms that can make sex uncomfortable, Dr. Simon explains what’s happening in the body and, most importantly, what women can do about it. Menopause doesn’t have to mean the end of a satisfying sex life. Understanding the changes and knowing your treatment options can make all the difference.

Most women go through decades of marriage, menopause and midlife without ever having an honest conversation with a doctor about their sex life. Not because they don't want one, but because most physicians were never trained to have it. In this episode of unPaused, Dr. Mary Claire Haver sits down with Dr. James Simon, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at George Washington University, board-certified OB-GYN, reproductive endocrinologist, and certified sexual counselor with more than 800 published papers in menopause and sexual medicine. Dr. Simon is a past president of the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH) and one of the most published clinicians in modern menopause care.

Is everything you believe about women’s sexual satisfaction after 50 wrong? In this candid conversation, renowned women’s sexual health expert Dr. James Simon sets the record straight on the myths and misconceptions that both men AND women carry into midlife intimacy. From the belief that low desire means a woman isn’t attracted to her partner, to the misconception that pain during sex is just “something you have to live with,” Dr. Simon reveals the truth that most people never hear. Sex after 50 is not about “losing it.” It’s about adapting! With the right approach, intimacy can actually become more satisfying in midlife, for both partners.