Sex, Intimacy, and Desire in Midlife

There are certain conversations that become easier to have once we reach midlife, and then there are the ones we still blush and whisper about. Sexuality, intimacy, and libido often fall into that second category.

I hear women ask, "Why don't I want sex anymore?" or "What's wrong with me?" Sometimes the question is about physical desire. Sometimes it is about feeling disconnected from a partner. Sometimes it is about not recognizing their own body. And sometimes it is much bigger than sex.

Midlife can invite us into a surprisingly deep (and sometimes unfamiliar) examination of what we have been taught about our bodies, our relationships, pleasure, desire, femininity, aging, and what it means to be a sexual person.

And perhaps one of the most important things to understand is this: sexuality, intimacy, and libido are not the same thing.