Hi, I am Dr. Somi Javaid. I'm a board certified OBGYN, a specialist of both menopause and sexual health. And, I am a member of the plusOne Collective, and I'm here to answer questions from our community.

Bottom line, sexual healthcare is healthcare. So, how can I talk to my partner about intimacy issues without it being awkward?

Now with all of this innovation in the space, there are so many ways that couples can talk to each other about their sexual desires, or issues that they may have. So they may want to bring a vibrator or a tool into the bedroom. They may want to talk about lubricant. Oftentimes, people will share when they have a product, it will take the pressure off of having the discussion.

There are great apps that support sexual health. I love Rosie and Dipsy, which are written erotica and audio erotica. And there's a great app meant for couples. It's called Aria. And you fill out a questionnaire and then they send you products.

I always recommend the bio-psychosocial approach to sexual healthcare. What is that? That means you take into account someone's biology, their hormones, their medicines, their medical history, their psychology - which is their way of thinking - their emotions, their belief, and the social - their relationship, the economics of what's going on with them right now, their job status. And you have to take all of those factors into account.

I'll give you an example as to why. If someone is struggling at work and really stressed out sexual activities, maybe won't be top of mind. So a lot of times, when we are addressing sexual healthcare issues and we're looking at the bio-psychosocial approach, a really easy way to start improving intimacy or sexual health is getting in with a sexual health therapist.