We Finally Got You a SEX Therapist with Dr. Elisabeth Gordon Artwork

Circling the Drain

A podcast about the period BEFORE you stop getting your period. The concept of a woman "circling the drain" conjures up negative imagery for some, but the origin of this as the name of the podcast has a story. A friend, in her 30's at the time, was listing her ailments to a male physician who clearly had a terrible bedside manner, because he responded to her complaints by shrugging his shoulders in a dismissive fashion and saying something like, "I don't know what to tell you. From now on, you're basically just circling the drain!" Co-hosts Ellie and Julia have been laughing at the audacity of this tone-deaf interaction ever since, and when they decided to start this podcast about the plight of the aging woman, they chose to reclaim and repurpose the phrase in the spirit of humor. Every human on the planet is circling the drain from the moment we are born. The question is, how slowly and gracefully can we spiral? And can we minimize the discomfort while we whirl? Perimenopausal co-hosts Ellie and Julia take a deep dive into the sometimes embarrassing, often hilarious, and always bewildering issues of the hormonal changes that take place in midlife. Through honest accounts, thoughtful interviews, and group panel discussions, their mission is to make you chuckle, make you nod your head in recognition, and hopefully make some scientific progress.

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Circling the Drain

We Finally Got You a SEX Therapist with Dr. Elisabeth Gordon

May 10, 2023 • Ellie Dvorkin Dunn & Julia Granacki with Dr. Elisabeth Gordon • Season 3 • Episode 49

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Our loyal listeners know that Ellie has been fretting about her low libido ever since the first episode of this show. She continues to search for answers because she knows she's not alone, and that many of YOU are also grappling with this issue for various reasons. Well... we finally got you a SEX therapist! This episode features Dr. Elisabeth Gordon, an Integrative Sexual Health Psychiatrist and Sex Therapist who talks to us about the different kinds of desire, how to tackle low libido that is a side effect of prescription medication, strategies for getting out of our busy brains so we can get busy with our bodies, and so much more. Want to learn about clitoral pumps? Sensate focus? What kind of lube is the safest for your delicate V? This is the episode for you.

Topics and timestamps
10:58 - The difference between spontaneous desire and responsive desire
17:47 - Strategies for overcoming low libido that is a side effect of medication
29:43 - What is a clitoral pump?
35:02 - What you can do to get out of your head and into your body
43:07 - How to communicate with a partner about symptoms that affect sex
51:00 - Everything you need to know about lube

Handles and sites
Dr. Gordon's Website
Dr. Gordon's Insta
Dr. Gordon's Twitter

List of Resources Mentioned
Is Cannabis Good or Bad for Sleep?
EROS Device - The FDA-approved clitoral pump
Dr. Gordon's Instagram post about lube - check the comments, too!
NAMS (North American Menopause Society)
ISSWSH (International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health)
SSTAR (Society for Sex Therapists and Researchers)
AASECT (American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists)

Other Links
Erin's Faces Affiliate Link
Julia G Wellness

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People on this episode

Ellie Dvorkin Dunn

Co-host

Julia Granacki

Co-host