Patty Brisben

How would you feel if you needed health care but couldn’t get it? What if your children needed to go to the doctor but there was not a pediatric medical facility close by? That’s the problem many women face now when looking for a doctor to take care of their sexual health.

The Patty Brisben Foundation is focused on serving women’s sexual health needs. It’s a need that is here now, and will be greater in the future, according to a study in the Journal of Women’s Health. The demand for women’s health care in the U.S. alone is estimated to grow by 6% by 2020—that’s only three months away!

Demand is expected to grow fastest in areas with the highest population jump (Texas, Florida), in the Western states where supply, the report says, is already less than adequate, and among Hispanic women. “This increase in demand by 2020 will translate into a need for physicians or nonphysician clinicians, which is clinically equivalent to 2,090 full-time ob-gyns,” the article notes.

The study also mentions what might happen to women’s health services without more facilities: “Ob-gyns in certain locations,” according to the report, “may have to limit their practice more and not assume expanded roles in addressing women’s primary care needs.”

That’s why the Patty Brisben Foundation is so passionate about research into women’s sexual health, and making sure facilities are available for women who need them, not just in the United States, but around the world. And that’s why we hold our Gala each year—this year on Saturday, October 12. “All That Glitters Is Glam” will be a lot of fun, but there’s a serious side to what we do—raise money so that all women can have adequate care for their sexual health concerns.

If you’re in the Cincinnati area, we’d love to see you at the Gala. If not, please consider donating to the Patty Brisben Foundation so your friends, neighbors and sisters here and around the globe can be assured that #sexualhealthmatters!

Read more on the study from the Journal of Women’s Health here!

Have you noticed how early pumpkin spice everything arrived on the shelves this year? It seems as if we were still on the beach and all of a sudden everything pumpkin spice from donuts to coffee to cereal was on sale. Well, even if you’re not a fan right now of pumpkin spice, you might be once you find out it can spice up your love life!

In an article for howstuffworks.com, Lee Ann Obringer writes about scents being powerful aphrodisiacs, including, yes, pumpkin spice. But first, how they work:

Dr. Alan R. Hirsch from the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago and the author of Scentsational Sex, did a study on how smells affected our arousal. And he found out several scents can be turn-ons, including cheese pizza, buttered popcorn, lavender and, yes, pumpkin pie. Even licorice candy can be arousing!

In an earlier article in the New York Daily News, Dr. Hirsch noted that the combination of the lavender and pumpkin pie scents increased penile blood flow up to 40 percent. Even vanilla and strawberry smells can be arousing.

If you’re making the pumpkin pie from scratch, don’t throw away those seeds. “The most important element of the pumpkin are the seeds themselves,” said Palm Beach Gardens Alternative medicine expert Dr. Ralph Monserrat.

“Pumpkin seeds are very rich in zinc. That, in itself, is very valuable in individuals who have prostate enlargement…because they are very rich in zinc, there will be an increase in testosterone and that increase will also increase the sexual desire,” said Monserrat.

The perfume industry was built on the premise that scent can attract a prospective mate. Now, you can add a pumpkin spice latte to your dating ritual as well! Want to read more? Here are the links:

The smell of pumpkin pie may be good for your sex life

Pumpkin pie smell stimulates arousal in men; Scent is sexy aphrodisiac, says study

Here’s A Holiday Sex Tip: Pumpkin Pie Can Help Your Man … Get It Up For Some Holiday Loving!!!

You all know what passion I have for the Patty Brisben Foundation. It’s certainly a project close to my heart, especially now that we’re spreading the word around the world that #sexualhealthmatters.

Because of the generosity of thousands of people like you, we can continue to fund important research while educating more than 10 million women a year about the beauty of their bodies. We fund projects, research and grants around the world, but the work is never completely finished. We need donations to continue helping these women with their sexual health and sexual education.

That’s why, again this year, we are partnering with the Queen Bee Half Marathon its Medpace 4 Mile event to raise money for the Patty Brisben Foundation through a virtual 4 miler. The first year we partnered with the Queen Bee, you raised more than $10,000 for the Foundation and we want to do it again!

A virtual event is simple: You can do four miles whenever you want—two miles today, two miles next week, or however your schedule works. You can do them by yourself, on a treadmill, with a group of friends or your fellow Consultants. You can even make a party of it, as many Consultants have done, bringing in friends and family for a Saturday afternoon picnic, and finish the four miles then!

However you do the four miles, remember that you are doing them for women around the world who don’t have the access to sexual health and education that we do. You are helping women empower themselves, with the knowledge that there’s nothing wrong, dirty or embarrassing about sexual health. You are leading women down the path of taking charge of their own sexual health, and that’s a powerful message.

So be part of the Queen Bee Medpace 4 Mile event, and be part of a worldwide movement to remind everyone that #sexualhealthmatters! Sign up here!

Did you know September is World Sexual Health Month? Started by the World Association for Sexual Health in 2010, this month-long celebration is a way to help spread greater awareness for the importance of sexual health education across the globe!

What exactly is sexual health education? Well, it certainly goes beyond those sex ed classes many of us had to squirm through in high school. “’Just say no’ never really worked in curbing substance use and it certainly doesn’t help in equipping young people to navigate a world of complicated choices around sex and reproductive health,” the ASHA says. “Too often our sexual education curricula are based on politics rather than science.”

Education also means educating yourself about your sexual health. “Talking to a healthcare provider about your sexual health can be intimidating,” the ASHA says. “However, being able to talk to your healthcare provider about your physical health as it relates to your sexual health is absolutely crucial.”

The ASHA suggests 10 questions you should be asking your healthcare provider about your own sexual health, including:

• How do I talk to my partner about sexually transmitted diseases and sexually transmitted infections?
• What are my options when it comes to birth control?
• I’ve been feeling differently about sex recently. Can we talk about what might be going on?
• What screenings are recommended for someone my age?

“The questions you may want to ask your healthcare provider can cover a wide range of topics,” the ASHA says, “from changes in sex drive, dealing with sex during pregnancy, pain during sex, protecting your fertility, what form of contraception would be best, or other issues.

“If you feel uncomfortable with your healthcare provider for any reason, follow your instincts; ask around for other recommendations,” the group adds. “Your good health depends on your ability to communicate and rely on your healthcare provider! You might have to try more than one before you feel completely comfortable.”

Any month is a good time to learn more about your sexual health, but this month is set aside to take the steps you need to educate yourself, and your partner. You can read the entire list of 10 questions to ask your doctor, and other sexual health suggestions from the ASHA, here!

If you’re like me, this time of year can be a bit hectic as kids go back to school, older ones go off to college and household routines change dramatically. It can be stressful, especially for mom and dad who have to juggle their own lives while juggling kids’ schedules.

In fact, Sara Gorchoff, a professor at Monmouth College, says having kids in and of itself isn’t the best thing for relationships. “There are many studies that show with the arrival of kids, marital satisfaction decreases,” Gorchoff says in an article for Today. “Caring for kids is stressful and tiring and you associate your partner with the things you are doing. Having kids leave is an opportunity to re-associate your partner with fun, excitement and relaxation.”

Huffington Post’s “Life” blog, “20 Tips for Parents Helping Each Other as Their Kids Transition Back to School,” lists practical tips for mom and dad to help the entire family ease back into the school year, including, “Agree on child care arrangements that work for kids and parents alike; decide which parent has an easier time talking about difficult topics with each child; discuss together who is the best helper with different academic subjects.”

Both articles, however, bring up this important point: Parents should make time for each other, no matter how crazy it gets. In the Huffington Post article, Laurie Hollman, Ph.D., says, “Spend some time together before school starts, just the two of you. It helps a great deal to feel like partners beginning a new year of adventures without losing sight of your own relationship.”

Melissa T. Schultz, author of “From Mom to Me Again: How I Survived My First Empty Nest Year and Reinvented the Rest of My Life,” describes the off-to-college transition as going from “being constantly on call to not being called.” When family life surrounds the children’s needs and activities, many women were afraid that once the kids were gone, they would have nothing in common with their spouses.

But Gorchoff says women who invested time with their partners were the most well-adjusted. “Our research found that of the women we studied, on average, their marital satisfaction got better once their kids left,” she says. “We specifically found that these women were spending a similar amount of time with their partners, as they had when their kids were in the home, but they enjoyed that time more.”

With the kids back to school, it’s time to reconnect with your partner. Whether your children are gone for the day or gone off to college, now is the time to re-introduce yourself to your spouse and remember what got you two together in the first place. It’s good for your health, and good for your relationship!

Want to read more? Read the Today article here and the Huffington Post article here!