Tricks of the trade: how eSense can treat her low desire!

Today I was lucky to have Dr. Lori Brotto join me. I met her at ISSWSH and was so impressed by the work she does to help women with their sexual health. In my menopause work and especially in my cancer survivorship work, I see how important it is not to limit women to just one tool for treating low desire. It is paramount that we do not just suggest some lube and moisturizers and tell women to relax. Evidence-based treatment includes all of the following :

1. Treat physical symptoms and pain ( i.e., treat the genitourinary syndrome of menopause, treat other menopause symptoms, refer to physical therapy)

2. Manage and consider use of hormones including testosterone for low desire and/ or non-hormonal options.

3. Lubricants and moisturizers always

4. Arousal support, including vibration, toys and education on pleasure.

5. AND we have strong evidence for the use of CBT and mindfulness-based approaches for low desire. We cannot ignore the bio-psycho-social model of sexual function! And guess what? It does not need to be hard or complicated!

   Dr. Lori Brotto is a licensed psychologist and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Her academic research, clinical service, and teaching focus on sexual health in women, working from a biopsychosocial perspective.

After a decade of research evaluating online digital psychological treatments for sexual difficulties in women, she co-founded a company, eSense Health (www.esensehealth.com), that delivers evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based therapy to women struggling with low desire. Published clinical trials find both arms of eSense (CBT and mindfulness) to be very effective for improving sexual desire, reducing distress, and improving many facets of quality of life in women. The team is now evaluating eSense as part of a commercial pilot! I just started using this in my practice, and I love giving women all their options! I hope you found this recording helpful! Please comment below with questions and share with fellow clinicians and women!