Winnifred (Winnie) Hunter, PhD, knows how menopause can trigger troubles in the bedroom. A psychologist and sex therapist, Hunter has counseled middle-aged women through countless issues that were taking tolls on their sex lives during this final reproductive stage – from depression and vaginal pain to boredom and body shame.
Women in or near menopause make up a big part of the patient population at the Women’s Sexual Health Consultation Service that Hunter co-directs with Lauren Harrington, MD, FACOG. The service was established at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus to help fill a gap in this still sometimes stigmatized facet of behavioral healthcare.
“Sexual health is a fundamental aspect of overall well-being that is deeply connected to one’s emotional, physical, relational and social dimensions of life,” Hunter said. Yet, for multiple reasons – including a persistent stigma around sex talk, a lack of training among healthcare providers and no clear pathway on where to seek care – few women receive help, she said.
As part of their service, a rare, multidisciplinary collaboration of psychiatry, OB/GYN and other CU Anschutz departments, Hunter and Harrington conduct lectures for students across campus about the importance of evidence-based sexual healthcare.
“In a study of middle-aged women, 70% to 76% considered their sexual life to be really important and really wanted to be having and enjoying sex,” said Hunter, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the CU School of Medicine.
“So, I think people really want to be able to do that without pain and with a sense of interest. Everyone has the right to experience sexual autonomy, to experience pleasure in their bodies and a sense of fulfillment in a way that aligns with their personal values and identity.” Hunter expands on menopause and sexual health in the following Q&A.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.