Member-only story
The Biochemistry of Lust: How Hormones Impact Women’s Sexuality
With Some Tips on Hormone Replacement
“Harry was taking the boat out alone, moving slowly but deliberately through the San Diego channel just as dawn was breaking… As he passed the landmark high-rise hotel, he was riveted by the sight of a tall woman standing stark naked in her room, just barely in view, in the throes of sexual ecstasy…
She was masturbating against the edge of a door, arching her back as she rubbed herself, her gyrations becoming more intense. He was mesmerized, forgetting where he was, what he was doing.
He could almost reach out and touch her through the magnified lens, captivated by the idea of watching her without her knowing. He was so immersed in the experience, leaning over the transom for a last look, he tumbled into the water.”
- Theresa Crenshaw “The Alchemy of Love and Lust”
The above passage was a true story told to Crenshaw, a pioneering sex therapist and expert on sex hormones, by an embarrassed friend. He was on a serious fishing voyage that day. And his “hormones” almost cost him a small fortune when his work-boat (a yacht for catching yellowtail) sailed on without him. Not only that, but somehow during the fall into the water, he sustained three cracked ribs and a broken arm!
Oh, the power of our hormones!
Our sex hormones influence every element of our bodies and our brains. And yes, they make us do dumb things that we’re embarrassed to admit. That cute guy with the blue eyes, hot six-pack, and no job that you almost married?
Yup. That was your hormones talkin’, girlfriend!
They play a huge role in our sexuality, and our very existence as a species hinges on their working properly. The reason you are here today is that somebody’s hormones got riled up enough to perpetuate the gene pool. And here you sit, the reproductive proof of at least one of your parent’s hormonal randiness.
Our hormones and our sexual desire naturally decline somewhat with age. This does make us smarter about dating partners (sometimes), but it’s still a fact that nobody likes. Now that I’m in menopause, I’m having to grapple with this issue in a major way.
