0:00

It's about quality of life. It's about,

0:03

you know, what's the point? I'm not talking about sex.

0:06

I'm talking about being able just to sit

0:08

down, you know, to work,

0:10

to stand, to do your hobbies, ride

0:12

your bike, wear your favourite pair of

0:14

trousers, you know, and then let alone

0:16

the sex side of it, you know,

0:18

the fact is that women won't have

0:20

sex because every time they have sex,

0:22

they get cystitis and a UTI. Well,

0:24

that's not sexy at all or pleasurable.

0:29

A former nurse, sex toy shop

0:31

owner, Sam Evans, is passionate about

0:33

products that increase our sexual pleasure

0:36

rather than our pain and irritation.

0:39

Well, this is the Liz Earle Wellbeing

0:41

Show, the podcast helping us all have

0:43

a better second half. I'm Liz

0:45

Earle and I'm on a bit of a mission

0:47

to find ways for all of us to thrive

0:49

in later life by investing in our health and

0:51

our well-being today. Well, if you

0:53

are a regular listener of this show,

0:55

you probably think quite carefully, spend time

0:57

and maybe money on great skincare

1:00

or hair care or supplements, but

1:02

do you give the same attention

1:04

to the health and care of

1:06

your vulva and vagina? Now, by

1:08

now, you know that I am

1:10

forensic about reading ingredient lists on

1:12

food packets and beauty products and

1:15

Sam Evans also likes to

1:17

think of herself as an

1:19

ingredients detective. She co-owns Joe

1:22

Devine, an online store that

1:24

sells only skin safe products.

1:26

Her area of expertise is

1:29

lubricants, moisturizers and sex

1:31

toys. Well, I have to say, hands

1:33

up here, this is something that is

1:35

way out of my area of expertise.

1:37

So, I am so looking forward to

1:39

a bit of good education here and

1:41

of course with Valentine's Day coming up,

1:43

I want to make sure that you

1:46

feel good, really good in your body,

1:48

whatever your age. So, do we need

1:50

to be buying intimate hygiene products to

1:52

stay clean and why does it matter

1:54

what material our sex toys may be

1:56

made from and can a good lube

1:58

really transform our sex? Next slide. Welcome

2:01

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new users are compensated to provide their stories. In

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four weeks, the typical new user can expect to lose one

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to two pounds per week. And the video may vary. Well,

3:15

Sam, what a pleasure to have you here.

3:18

This, I think, is going to be a very interesting

3:21

deep dive. Thank you. Thank you for inviting me. Yes,

3:23

it is one of my favorite topics. Love it. So

3:27

you trained as a nurse. And is that where your interest stemmed in

3:29

the genital area and what can and can't go wrong

3:39

there? No, actually, my background was

3:42

renal and then occupational health, hence

3:44

my passion for health promotion. But

3:47

actually, we set up the company with

3:50

an idea that there were some skin-safe

3:52

and irritant-free products out there. And it

3:54

was actually using these products, which transformed

3:57

my intimate health and our sex life because it was

3:59

the only one. light bulb

4:01

moment that actually the products we've been

4:03

using had caused all my

4:05

problems, my infections for 20 years.

4:07

The well known products that are

4:10

still out there that are still

4:12

recommended. And so, you know, I

4:14

say that yes, organic oil post

4:17

lubricants, you've got a sex life.

4:20

And I will talk about that

4:22

today, which is why I'm so

4:24

passionate about this because I advise

4:27

so many people who experience issues.

4:29

And as you said about, you know, people

4:31

caring about what they eat and what's in

4:33

their skincare products, then no thought

4:35

to what they put on their vulva and

4:37

inside their vagina. Yeah, which is obviously super

4:40

sensitive area and probably more in need of

4:42

gentle cares and many other areas. And also,

4:44

you know, you need to look after it.

4:47

You know, we moisturise our skin, you know, morning

4:49

and night, but we give no thought to our

4:51

poor old vulva and vagina that actually needs just

4:54

as much care too. So yes,

4:56

in my background, yes, nursing has really

4:58

helped because obviously I can come at it from

5:00

a clinical point of view, I understand a lot

5:02

of the health issues that are out there. But

5:04

I've also had my own sexual health issues, which

5:07

I'm happy to share with people. And often

5:09

people feel like they're the only person going

5:11

through this issue. And I go, well, actually,

5:13

no, I started from that. And that's your

5:15

I've overcome it. So there's nothing like first

5:17

hand experience. You know, I interviewed a lot

5:20

of brand founders and the strongest are those

5:22

who have had issues and problems

5:24

and found ways to overcome them.

5:26

Firstly, can we kick off really

5:28

with the view here that a good

5:30

lubricant can transform our

5:33

sex lives and why

5:35

that should be the case? Yeah, I mean,

5:37

very much so, you know, our lubricants are

5:39

the top selling products for us. They're the

5:41

thing that I get asked the most about.

5:43

It's the first thing that most people turn

5:46

to in midlife or going through the menopause

5:48

because vaginal dryness is an issue. But actually,

5:50

you don't need to have a dino dino

5:52

to use a lead. We know using a

5:54

good lead can transform your sexual pleasure. And

5:56

maybe your sex they last longer. But the

5:58

problem is we have so many

6:00

products that contain irritating ingredients. And we

6:03

now have the clinical evidence based research

6:05

about some of these ingredients that they're

6:07

actually not good for our intimate health.

6:10

And often people will be using a

6:12

lubricant like I did, that

6:15

cause so many problems, I have no idea with our

6:17

lubes. And you know, you constantly

6:20

you get thrash, you treat yourself,

6:22

you know, you go back to using your lube, or

6:24

you get cystitis or UTI, you get into your batteries

6:27

and your lube, you have no idea.

6:29

And actually, for us, people come to

6:31

us and say, I've tried so much and

6:34

all lubes are the same. I get that

6:36

from medical professionals, which drives me potty. No,

6:38

they're not. And, you know,

6:40

most people and medical professionals, they

6:42

say, it's fine to use some kind of your kitchen

6:44

or bathroom cupboard as long as it's slippery. Right. Okay.

6:48

It's not good for your intimate health.

6:50

Well, let's get into the lubricant ingredients

6:52

in a moment. But can you give

6:54

us a top line there on the

6:56

various different types? You know, I've seen

6:58

labels, water-based, silicon-based, oil-based. Yes. What

7:01

are the differences? And what can and

7:03

should we be using? So water-based is

7:05

the most common lubricant out there. It

7:07

is compatible with sex toys, with latex

7:10

condoms, and it is the

7:12

closest to your own natural lubrication. It's not

7:14

particularly long lasting. Having said that, we sell

7:16

sutile, luxe and rich, which is a water-based

7:19

lubricant, which is long-lasting. It's very unusual, and

7:21

I love it. And I'm the one customer

7:23

that. A lot

7:25

of the water-based lubricants out there contain

7:27

the rotating ingredients, so people don't like

7:29

them. And then you have oil-based

7:32

products. Now, I'm not talking about olive oil

7:34

and cooking oil and coconut oil out of

7:36

your kitchen or bathroom cupboard. I'm talking and

7:38

baby oil. I'm talking about products that have

7:41

been designed for intimate health. So, you know,

7:43

the only oil-based leave that we sell is

7:45

the yes, organic oil-based lubricant. But

7:47

oil-based products do destroy latex condoms,

7:49

and they linger inside the vagina

7:52

and the anus for

7:54

up to 24 hours. So If you're

7:56

then using condoms within that period, there's a potential

7:58

risk that the condoms will be damaged. Can be

8:00

done A synopsis they she's actually I've and

8:02

cretan think I'm and silicon the pretense of

8:04

from very slippery they have an innate that

8:07

a lot of people like eating them for.

8:09

The thing about so the to leave that

8:11

he sits on the skin they don't get

8:13

absorbed into the skin for the not nourishing

8:15

and hydrating lot for the was post and

8:18

lawyer by sleep that we fall and also

8:20

you can't use of the can leave for

8:22

silicon sex toys because they will give mr

8:24

selection of the sex toy. It leaves that

8:26

gray Nathan from the fight for to by

8:28

rubbing the fat and. I'm not Amish your

8:31

toy. You could potentially have a really expensive

8:33

toy and actually use it. Makes me feel

8:35

quite hockey the surface of the toys that

8:37

that's the difference. Thera hybrid so some the

8:40

other based in silicon. We don't sell them

8:42

because we already castle about the ingredients in

8:44

a product. But as the basically the three.

8:47

Okay, interesting. So silicon used on

8:49

sex toys is not is not

8:52

a good idea. Know.

8:54

Because it's silicon on silicon sights set

8:56

on if i it'll grains of sand

8:58

and so it causes an abrasion. said

9:00

the actually damages in the tip for

9:02

the what she damaged on the table

9:04

it makes it poorer. sedan it's not

9:06

as gun safe and the absorbed faatihah.

9:08

So. I'm in a that's really important

9:11

though some people will use of it's

9:13

a neighbor. The silicon choice if you're

9:15

using soft toy or metal toy or

9:17

plastic toy is perfectly fine For those

9:19

materials it's not going is obviously sincere

9:21

first miss. I mean the intimate house

9:23

market must be worth billions of an

9:25

it as the siege industries in a

9:27

you'd hope that it would follow that

9:29

as regulation putts around ingredients that that

9:31

are going in and around our bodies

9:33

is is that the case knife. There

9:35

are no regulations, rarely am and there

9:37

are some products. Are considered as medical

9:40

and products and there and it's Sta

9:42

regulations but neither is mean people can

9:44

put out any old products and uncertainty.

9:46

Now the sticky medical was on the

9:48

label and charging three times the price

9:50

and know any hunt and also people

9:52

well and white label product celibacy know

9:54

they'll get em in a something that

9:56

somebody else is selling that can put

9:58

their own modem on it. And

10:00

then sort of, you know, this is designed

10:02

for menopause. So I always say to people,

10:04

please check the label, you know, for anything.

10:08

I mean, that is a real red light

10:10

for me, actually, you know, things that say

10:12

for menopause, because it just seems like bandwagoning.

10:14

It's just, you know, they know that there's

10:16

rising awareness in menopause. So, you know, whether

10:18

it's a food supplement or, you know, lubricant

10:20

or something, it's just it's just cashing in

10:22

on something that shouldn't really be. You

10:24

shouldn't be needed, you know, because basically it's just a

10:26

stage of life. And, you know, we're going to need

10:28

good quality products and good quality supplements and lubes

10:31

and whatever stage of life. So let's

10:33

not, you know, let's not try and

10:35

make money out of some specific time

10:37

of life. I mean, is it because

10:39

it's all a bit hush hush from,

10:41

you know, if we're honest, a bit of

10:43

a quiet world that isn't properly recognized

10:45

because of its very nature. It's not

10:47

quite under medical regulation. It's also not

10:49

quite cosmetic. It kind of I guess

10:51

there's this open space, isn't it,

10:53

that just leaves us open for a

10:55

bit of misleading or potentially dangerous

10:57

products? I think so. And I

11:00

think obviously a lot of these well-known products have

11:02

been around for years. And so people see a

11:04

familiar name and they'll pick it up off the

11:06

shelf and they don't actually realize that the ingredients

11:08

are going to be causing them problems. So, you

11:11

know, it's it is really

11:13

difficult. And also there's products on prescription that

11:15

contain these irritating ingredients, you know, which is

11:17

really frustrating. But those products have been around

11:20

for years. And also, you know,

11:22

things being recommended by health care professionals

11:25

it's an influencer's and celebrities,

11:27

you know, it is I think,

11:29

you know, it's about finding what works

11:32

for you. If coke and oil

11:34

works for you, that's perfectly fine. But actually

11:36

a lot of people have irritation, but they

11:38

don't realize it's a lubricant or their moisturizer.

11:40

It's about your skin care regime, isn't it?

11:42

I think it's actually about finding something that

11:45

works for you in overtime. Obviously, things change.

11:47

And also, as I said, it's the first

11:49

time that people are often using a lubricant.

11:51

They've not required one. And

11:53

then they usually bit causes stinging, itching, irritation, not

11:55

just for a woman, but it could be for

11:57

their male partner, too. And then it puts them

11:59

off. fusing your loo. So, you

12:02

know, it's frustrating. I

12:04

guess the one that springs to mind, which I

12:06

mean, probably was the forerunner of all of

12:08

these is KY jelly. I mean, I

12:10

just remember saying that on the shelf, you know, even

12:12

as a young child and it's still going

12:14

strong. What sort of what formulation

12:17

is that? What is that made with? And is

12:19

that something that we should perhaps move on from

12:21

now? It's the lubricant

12:23

that destroyed my intimate health and sex life. How

12:25

was that so damaging for you? What was the

12:27

particular ingredient? Do you know? It was glycerin and

12:29

propylene glycol. But actually I was on the pill.

12:31

I was 23, met my husband. I was on

12:34

the pill. Didn't know that that caused the dino

12:36

dryness. So I got the dino dryness. And

12:38

so, you know, Paul went out and bought lube. And

12:41

so every time we use the lube,

12:43

I started to get infections. So thrush,

12:45

bacterial vaginosis, the fisci smelling discharge that

12:48

you need antibiotics for, cystitis, urinary tract

12:50

infections. And at that time you had

12:52

to get canister from your GP. You

12:54

couldn't get it over the counter. And

12:57

the intimate washes weren't as many, but there were

12:59

a few and I did try them and

13:01

they were exacerbating problems. I went to the local

13:03

health food shop to get my live yogurt because

13:05

there was nothing available in the supermarket. We'd dip

13:08

a tampon in it and put a few drops

13:10

of tea tree oil. I mean, the worst thing you could

13:12

do. Yeah. Inside my vagina

13:14

for any relief. But every time

13:16

we had sex, I'd be

13:18

lying there thinking, am I going to be up all

13:20

night on the lube with cystitis? Am I going to

13:22

be itching on the wall with the smother with thrush?

13:24

That in turn led to vaginismus whereby

13:26

my pelvic floor muscles tightened and that

13:28

made sex very painful. I'd never heard

13:30

of it. I got a diagnosis at

13:33

30, got offered stress management. Not

13:35

one doctor asked me about my

13:37

sex life. What was

13:39

the washing my sex life? No, nobody asked

13:41

me even what was I washing myself with

13:43

it with? You know, common things. I know,

13:45

am I scrubbing myself with something? You know,

13:48

what washing powder was, no, although things that

13:50

I go through now with people and say,

13:52

well, what are you doing that could be

13:54

causing this problem and all

13:56

these prescriptions. And

13:59

it wasn't until we started. up Josie Rine, we

14:01

started using the S oil base and

14:03

within a few days I remember saying

14:05

oh I haven't had any

14:07

irritation and that light came on. Which

14:10

is why I'm really passionate about this and

14:12

I will call out those brands, they were

14:14

the brands I used but they're not the

14:16

only ones. They're also me. So

14:18

Blisserine and properly Glycol, are they

14:21

common irritants then for women and

14:23

do many of the women that

14:25

call you and speak to you

14:27

have issues with things like cystitis,

14:30

recurrent UTIs etc. and you

14:32

think that those two particular ingredients, even if

14:34

you do nothing else in your life, if

14:36

you screen those out, that

14:38

you'll give yourself a better chance of some

14:40

vaginal health. Definitely, I mean

14:42

Glycerine is a sugar, creates a sugar

14:44

environment inside the vagina and that encourages

14:47

thrush to thrive. It's a well known

14:49

irritant. Propylene Glycol is the one ingredient

14:51

that it will disrupt the sort of natural

14:53

flora inside your vagina but also it causes

14:56

stinging and that's often the ingredient that people

14:58

say oh it stung when I put it

15:00

on and so those two things and so

15:02

we have brands now saying oh it's Glycerine

15:04

free, it's Parabens free but it's still got

15:06

Propylene Glycol in it. And

15:08

also Parabens are preservatives in a

15:10

lot of products and they are

15:12

weak hormone destructions but they are irritants and

15:15

you've got dyes and perfumes, alcohol, we all

15:17

know that that causes irritation and Glycerine. I

15:20

mean really, do you really need to rise

15:22

up your bit? I mean well maybe, I

15:24

mean anyway. I

15:33

was going to say the other ingredient that's

15:35

just recently sort of in the last couple

15:37

of years is in lubes is CBD. Now

15:40

we actually don't know what CBD does to

15:42

the microbiome of the vagina. There is no

15:44

clinical evidence based research. We know what the

15:47

other ingredients that I just talked about do

15:49

do because there has been research done on

15:51

that and also it's often

15:53

the carrier lube ingredients as

15:55

well aren't great but we get contacted by

15:57

CBD lube companies saying it will be great.

16:00

great for your website. You'll go, well, actually,

16:02

until you show me where's the evidence and

16:04

it's all anecdotal. As I said,

16:07

it's about finding what works for you. But

16:09

if you're somebody who has had sensitivities or

16:11

are finding that you're using a product and

16:13

you're now getting thrash or cystitis, then, you

16:15

know, those, these are the things that you

16:17

should be looking at. So

16:19

at Joe Devine, you say that

16:22

you only sell skin safe toys

16:24

and irritant free lubricants and

16:26

moisturizers. What exactly does

16:29

that mean then? So, for example, if I

16:31

went onto your website and looked at lubes,

16:33

there wouldn't be anything there that contains glycerine

16:35

or propylene glycol. No, basically, we

16:37

only sell three brands. We sell

16:39

the S-organic lubricants, the water-based, the

16:41

oil basins of a dino moisturizer.

16:43

We sell sutile, luxe and rich,

16:45

made from organic and botanical ingredients,

16:47

their long-lasting water-based lubricants. And we

16:49

sell one silicone lubricant, which actually

16:51

is the lube that lubricates

16:54

our condoms. Skin condoms are

16:56

lubricated, irritating lubes. So people

16:58

often think they have a latex allergy.

17:00

They're actually irritated by the ingredients

17:02

in the lube on the condom or the lube

17:05

that they're using with the condoms. So

17:07

our condoms are lubricated with silicone

17:09

lube. It's, you know, these ingredients

17:11

we know are good for skin

17:13

care. And that's the reason

17:16

why we only sell these lubricants.

17:19

And also, they are, you

17:21

know, made from botanical ingredients,

17:23

organic ingredients and also they're

17:25

ethically sourced and ethically farmed.

17:28

Again, that's another big issue. We have

17:30

palm oil in products and obviously we

17:33

shouldn't be using palm oil, you

17:35

know, because of the rain forest. Well, if it's

17:37

not from a... If it's not from

17:39

a... Yeah, yeah. If it's not from

17:41

a renewable source. And, you know, and

17:44

things like coconut oil, monkeys on chains

17:46

farm the coconuts. And also,

17:48

you know, a lot of stuff is, you

17:51

know, it is the botanical part of a

17:53

plant or, you know, it's been grown in

17:55

a... You know, it's been farmed in a

17:57

field, you know, that is good.

18:00

So, and the two brands

18:02

that we sell, the Yes and

18:04

the CTL, they're small companies, dead

18:06

by women who had

18:09

problems themselves and decided to set up,

18:11

find a solution, and

18:14

they know that these ingredients are good. Fascinating, I

18:16

hope that this is a podcast and actually episode

18:19

that women will listen to and share with their

18:21

girlfriends. It's just such a simple

18:23

switch, isn't it? One thing I want to ask you

18:25

actually, before we move off the subject of lubes, is

18:27

I was doing a podcast recently, I think towards the

18:29

middle of last year, with a sex therapist, and at

18:31

the very end, we just touched on the subject of

18:34

lubes, and she was saying about

18:36

a technique that she was recommending, you're probably

18:38

all over this, but I'd never heard of

18:40

it before, called Slide and Glide. Yeah,

18:42

it's called a glide. Where, okay, so tell

18:44

us about this. So for those that missed

18:46

it, it was basically, and I didn't really

18:48

understand it because I hadn't had this full

18:50

conversation about the ingredients in lubes, but she

18:52

was saying that if one partner uses one

18:55

type of lube, for example,

18:57

silicon, and the other uses another type

18:59

that's, I don't know, oil or water-based,

19:01

that you get sort of double the

19:03

benefit. Is that right, and how does

19:05

that work exactly? And I

19:08

don't generally recommend it with silicon lubes, but

19:10

yes, actually have a double glide pack. So

19:13

you have a tube of the water-based and

19:15

the tube of the oil-based, but you can

19:17

use the yes oil-based with soutil as well,

19:19

because that's water-based. So basically, you put the

19:21

oil-based on first, so you can either put

19:23

it on yourself or on a partner, and

19:25

then the water-based on top, because

19:28

water and oil don't mix, it

19:30

creates a slide, a

19:33

slippy sensation. So actually, it

19:35

is slippier, and also it's

19:37

longer lasting, because

19:39

the two ingredients don't actually mix. They

19:41

move over each other. Okay, so you

19:43

could put both on yourself, or

19:46

you could split, and one partner have one, and

19:48

one partner the other. And in a refuse, it

19:50

pulls the oil-based on himself, and then I'll put

19:53

water-based on me. We do that with the soutil

19:55

sometimes, and that works really, really well. But

19:58

it just makes it longer lasting. And as

20:00

I said, the problem with water-based lubricants,

20:02

they're not particularly long-lasting, you have to

20:04

reapply them, or you can reactivate them

20:07

with water. The thing with soutille, it

20:09

is long-lasting because it interacts with your

20:11

own natural lubrication to make you

20:13

feel more lubricated, which feels really natural because

20:15

it is your own natural lubrication. I've

20:18

never actually experienced that sensation

20:20

before of feeling so well

20:23

lubricated and it's so nourishing, it's got hyaluronic

20:25

acid in it. So I think I'm not

20:27

even quite sure how it works, but it's

20:29

doing something to your natural lubrication. So it's

20:31

promoting your own

20:36

natural lubrication because a lubricant should feel

20:38

natural, not intrusive. And the problem is,

20:40

I love the products out there, you

20:43

know, and I would say even with the yes

20:45

oil-based a little bit, when you get used to

20:47

it, it's fine. And I loved it and it

20:49

saved off tax life and my intimate health. But

20:51

even that takes a little bit of getting used to

20:53

it. I'm using a lead, paper's getting used

20:55

to because if you'd never used on the

20:57

spot, and also still we still have the

20:59

stigma of, well, I shouldn't need a lead,

21:01

I should be instantly wet. And actually people

21:03

of any age, you know, we

21:06

know so many things impact upon your natural

21:08

lubrication, not just menopause and midlife and getting

21:10

older. You know, there's so many things that

21:13

affect your natural lubrication, as I mentioned, the

21:15

oral contraceptive pill, but cancer

21:17

treatments and breastfeeding, you know,

21:19

and side effects and medication,

21:22

antihistamines, which a lot of menopause or

21:24

women take, I take one. Yeah, so I

21:26

get itchy skin, which is formication caused

21:28

by the estrogen depleting. And

21:30

I take a really strong antihistamine when

21:32

I need it. And people don't, because

21:34

it dries up your natural mucosa secretions,

21:36

your nose, and to stop

21:39

you sneezing and your streaming eyes. And

21:41

so it impacts upon your natural lubrication

21:43

in your vagina too. Extraordinary. Where does

21:45

this leave us with things like flavoured

21:48

lubricants and then sort of, you know,

21:50

light harsh advice about spicing up your

21:52

sex life with novelties like tingling or

21:55

colourful, you talked about glitter, you know,

21:57

glow in the dark mad things. What's

21:59

your job? on novelties like that. Are

22:02

they worth it? Are they just kind of neutral?

22:04

Are they damaging? Are they kind of fun to

22:06

play with if you fancy it or just leave

22:08

it alone? A lot of the

22:10

ingredients aren't very good for you. And there

22:12

are, you know, we write, I've written on

22:14

the website, you know, just to avoid it.

22:16

If you're going to use these products and

22:18

apply them with caution, just do a little

22:20

skin test to do it on the outer

22:22

labia, on the lips. And

22:24

then if you're finding it's a problem. I

22:27

mean, I tried a product the other day,

22:29

which was a tingling clitoral stimulator. And I

22:31

had to wash it off straight away. Tiny

22:33

little amount I put on my clitoris. It

22:35

was, it felt like it was burning. But,

22:38

you know, and I feel like my intimate health is really

22:40

good because of what I've done and the products that I

22:43

use now it's much better than it was years ago. So,

22:45

you know, I just say and that some

22:47

people love them and flavored leaves, I say great

22:49

use them for oral sex then if you want

22:52

to, but I, you know, I would just say

22:54

are on the side of caution, but there are

22:56

people out there saying, Oh, I never have a

22:58

problem. I call these people, they have cast iron

23:00

vaginas. People who will

23:03

never get such even though that we know something

23:05

like 75% of people with a vagina will

23:08

get about a thrash and it's the

23:10

top three Google terms on Google. Really?

23:13

Yeah, because it's so prevalent. And so, you know, and

23:15

there'll be people out there who, you know, I have

23:17

women who've never had a UTI and they come to

23:20

me and they're absolutely distraught. And I said, well, I'm

23:22

sure you've got a UTI, I have 20 years of

23:24

that, you know, but it's like, well, there is something

23:26

you can do about this. This is the reason why

23:28

you're getting it, you know, so, but there's some people

23:31

out there who for whom they could use anything and

23:33

it would be fine. But for a lot of us,

23:36

you know, these ingredients are not good. So

23:38

I would err on the side of caution

23:40

and just do a skin test and then

23:42

anything that burns, stings, itches,

23:45

wash it off because that's

23:47

not sexy nor pleasurable. Absolutely.

23:50

Well, stay there Sam, because I feel that

23:52

we've only just scratched the surface to excuse

23:55

the pun. When we come back in a

23:57

moment, I really want to talk more about

23:59

intimate hygiene. products, he's kind of cleansing

24:01

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26:37

the intimate hygiene market was created

26:39

to kindly solve a, quote, problem

26:41

for us that maybe doesn't even

26:43

exist in the first place. You

26:45

know, our vaginas, the self-cleaning and

26:48

in fact, using some of these products that promise to

26:50

make us cleaner or smell better or whatever

26:53

might be actually causing these problems in the first

26:55

place. Do you I mean, do you think that's

26:57

a fair take on it, Sam? Oh,

26:59

completely. Yeah. I mean, rises

27:01

in sort of vaginitis, the irritation. I

27:04

know it's huge. And this

27:06

market is worth billions. And

27:08

I know this year there's going to

27:10

be even more products launched, I've been

27:12

advised. And the problem is

27:14

because they're sitting there on the shelves in our

27:17

supermarkets and our chemists, people assume they're fine to

27:19

use and they should be using them. But as

27:21

you said, the industry was

27:23

created for a problem that doesn't actually exist.

27:26

It's actually caused a

27:29

lot of problems, which means then these

27:31

brands can sell you treatments and

27:34

things to resolve the problems that

27:36

they cause. I mean, that's crazy. You know,

27:38

isn't it? You know, something like, you know,

27:40

say, for example, just picking words out of

27:42

the air here, not mentioning, you know, not

27:44

particularly throwing rocks at any brands. But as

27:46

you talked about KY jelly in the beginning,

27:49

supposing somebody was using that, has an issue,

27:51

develops cystitis, develops thrush, goes on to buy

27:53

canistan or whatever to get rid of the

27:55

thrush, then ends up with a vagina that's

27:57

still not smelling great, then buys scented products

27:59

to put that. I mean the whole thing, you

28:01

know, I mean it's a pharmaceutical marketing

28:03

dream, isn't it? Because you're creating the problem

28:05

in the first place and then selling endless

28:08

products to try and make it better. Yeah,

28:10

and it's really frustrating because even some medical professionals, I

28:12

had a woman the other day, and she said she's

28:14

been advised to use a leading

28:17

brand. Well clearly, she had vaginal atrophy.

28:19

She needed vaginal estrogen and good lube

28:21

and a moisturiser. She certainly didn't use

28:23

that wash. But the problem is, as

28:25

soon as you put these products on

28:27

the shelf, people assume that they need

28:29

to use them. And also

28:31

within some cultures, you know, cleaning the

28:33

vulva area, you know, scrubbing it, you

28:35

know, is the norm. And also steaming,

28:37

you know, that's part of some cultures

28:40

as well. And I think, you know,

28:42

we're learning so much more about the

28:44

microbiome of the vagina. You know, we're

28:46

learning about the microbiome of our gut,

28:48

but our vagina in particular. The

28:51

problem is, you know, I get sent every

28:53

week someone will say, have you seen this product? Have

28:55

you seen that product? You know, I do the eye

28:57

rolling. I've got a t-shirt now. But you

29:00

know, we don't sell any inset washes,

29:03

be they organic or anything. Because

29:05

my view is you should just wash with

29:07

water. And if you need to use something,

29:10

your doctor can prescribe a gentle emollient,

29:13

which, you know, they're available on prescription.

29:16

They are available over the counter. And

29:18

that's what a lot of vulva dermatologists

29:20

will recommend to their patients who are

29:23

experiencing, you know, vulva skin issues. But

29:26

yeah, these products, so basically they perpetuate the

29:28

myths that the vagina smells that you need

29:30

to be washing away. The vagina has a

29:32

natural smell and that changes throughout the month,

29:34

you know, and also partners can perpetuate that

29:37

myth, can't they? Women will feel shame because

29:39

the partner says they smell. Well, you know, where are

29:42

all the willy washes? There are actually

29:44

a couple that have come across

29:46

where, you know, there aren't shells

29:49

of them. Because, you

29:51

know, people who are in a penis

29:54

are washing hopefully with soap, you know,

29:56

but also it's

29:58

not just the intimate work. washes, we've

30:01

got perfume menstrual products. So that's saying

30:03

the all your period smells. Well, that's

30:05

a natural bodily function anyway. And we've

30:07

got perfume condoms, and then bought out

30:10

by female empowerment brands, which drives me potty

30:12

because a lot of these in female empowerment

30:14

brands sell products that are not empowering, nothing

30:16

empowering about a bout of thrush or an

30:18

itchy vulva. And, you know, so these products,

30:20

I remember with my daughter, Minnie, we were

30:23

standing in boots smelling all the packets of

30:25

pads, which want to work out which

30:28

one wasn't scented. You know, it's because

30:30

we, because everybody feels shame

30:33

about their body, this part of their

30:35

body too, you know, and people don't

30:37

understand the how it works of itself,

30:39

cleaning that we have discharge that changes

30:41

throughout the month, you know, and they're

30:43

supposed to be this natural smell. And

30:45

obviously, if it's a fishy smelling discharge,

30:47

that indicates it's probably back to your

30:49

vaginosis, which needs treating and baby is

30:51

really difficult to get rid of. You

30:53

know, I've had bouts of it and

30:55

you have sometimes you need two

30:57

or three courses of antibiotics that can

30:59

be an absolute pain. And

31:01

also it brings shame to people because it isn't

31:03

a pleasant smell. But the problem

31:05

is a lot of these products are disrupting

31:08

your pH and your natural flora inside your

31:10

vagina, which is giving you thrush and that

31:12

too. I'm not going to make it better.

31:14

But is it really enough to just wash

31:16

the vagina with water? I mean, you

31:19

know, surely just a little bit of soap.

31:21

I mean, I mean, you really literally saying

31:23

just plain water. Don't put anything else. Yeah,

31:25

we can't wash the vagina anyway, because

31:28

it's it's entirely lovely. But your vovial

31:30

area, no, just just sleeping, you know,

31:32

with the shower head with soap, you

31:34

know, and I mean, some people like

31:36

to use a mild soap if they

31:38

want to use a gentle emollient. If

31:40

they feel some people really feel like

31:42

they need to wash them outside. The

31:44

problem is, you know, even things, you know,

31:46

and also remember your shower gels, your bubble

31:48

baths. I mean, the worst offenders are bath

31:51

bombs. I call them thrush bombs. There's an

31:53

article on the website. You know, I even

31:55

make up the little song thrush bomb song.

31:57

It's they drive me potty because

31:59

they are. full of horrible ingredients, even the

32:02

natural ones. Oh no, they've got natural ingredients.

32:04

Well actually, you're sitting in this soup in

32:06

your bar. But you know, you see on

32:09

YouTube, there's a mother and daughter, little tiny

32:11

little top, and they're making bath bombs, and

32:13

they're throwing in colours, and they're throwing in

32:15

glitter, and it's like, those bits of glitter

32:18

are going to get up inside your vagina,

32:20

and your bottom as well, your anus. It's

32:22

like, these things are not going

32:24

to, so you know, I call them thrush bombs.

32:27

Thrush bombs. But you know, the internet

32:30

washes and sprays, anything and

32:32

everything, to math. And

32:35

I don't know, sorry, I don't know how

32:37

many, I don't smell people as I'm walking

32:39

past them, I'm on the tube, I can't

32:41

smell somebody's vagina or balsamic. So you know.

32:44

It's interesting, I mean, I've talked a

32:46

lot on this podcast before about problems

32:48

like UTI's, recurrent UTI's, cystitis. I mean,

32:50

for me going through perimenopause, that was

32:52

a big issue for me, and I

32:54

spent too many years on antibiotics with

32:56

no relief at all. And

32:59

the thing that really helped me was vaginal

33:01

estrogen. And we know that that's

33:03

incredibly safe. And even for

33:05

women who are undergoing breast cancer treatment, or

33:07

who are not wanting to take any form

33:10

of systemic HRT, is that

33:12

your experience as well, that vaginal

33:14

estrogen can really be helpful here?

33:17

It's transformed my intimate health and my

33:19

whole genital urinary system. It is the

33:21

first thing I ask people when they

33:23

talk to me or they send me

33:25

an email, are you on vaginal estrogen?

33:27

I also say, you need an intimate

33:29

regime, the vaginal estrogen, it can make such a

33:31

difference. And some people aren't on a big enough

33:34

dose, I use a pessary three times

33:36

a week, you can use it up to the same

33:38

week, but most doctors will only prescribe

33:40

it twice a week. And

33:42

also, doctors will only prescribe it

33:45

for a month. I mean, one woman was told it's

33:47

so dangerous, you can only have it for a

33:49

month. I use it all the time. And I'm going

33:51

to use it forever. Until

33:54

I pop my clothes. I always said this,

33:56

but that's another issue, women will use it.

34:00

go away, so they're stop eating it

34:02

and then the symptoms come back. And also I

34:04

advise a lot of women who are scared of

34:08

the information in the

34:10

leaflet in the box because that information is

34:12

incorrect. It doesn't apply to the diagonal estrogen

34:14

and it's right. I would say go and

34:17

talk to your doctor to be reassured. And

34:20

also I say to people, well my

34:22

pressley works for me but you might

34:24

find something else. There's so many different

34:26

preparations now and I have to say

34:28

to people, you do need to persevere

34:31

because what works for one person might

34:33

not work for you and people have

34:35

never even heard of this. But there's

34:37

still this fear, it's not HRT, it's

34:42

vagina and not estrogen.

34:44

It's transformed. I've had many conversations usually

34:47

quiet whispered ones by

34:49

girlfriends saying, oh what can I

34:51

do to turn on vaginal dryness.

34:53

The first thing I suggest is

34:55

is badgifem. That certainly helped me

34:58

but it wasn't quite enough. So

35:00

I had to go up to something called IntraRosa,

35:02

I don't know if you've come across that. But

35:04

again I researched it

35:07

to the end and it's

35:09

incredibly safe. It's like

35:12

a coconut oil based pessary containing DHEA

35:14

and it converts into estrogen and a

35:16

little bit of testosterone as well which

35:18

is quite useful. And you

35:20

can absolutely use it every day, long

35:23

term. And it's just, I think with hormones

35:25

particularly in that area, we don't realise that

35:27

we have them naturally in our vagina and

35:29

around the whole pelvic area. And when we

35:32

lose them, they're gone and it's just putting

35:34

them back. It's not adding anything unnatural in,

35:36

it's just replacing a bit of what was

35:38

there and could be there

35:40

again to prevent symptoms. Yeah, no I completely

35:42

agree. So as I say to people, you

35:44

need an intimate regime with your vaginal estrogen,

35:46

a good vaginal moisturiser and good sexual lubricants

35:49

and only wash with water. Those are the

35:51

four things that I say to people. Once

35:53

you adopt that, you will probably notice a

35:55

real change. But I think we underprescribed the

35:57

vaginal estrogen and I think that's a good

35:59

thing. I think younger women, I wish I'd

36:01

had it at 40. I mean,

36:03

you know, I didn't get it till I was 51. And

36:06

I was already on HRT, but then

36:08

I went and I got had BV

36:10

twice. And so basically I said, can

36:12

I start it? And but now I

36:14

look back now at my UTI and

36:17

thinking, yes, I know that the terrible

36:19

leads were probably causing problems. But actually,

36:21

in my 40s, that vaginal

36:23

ischine could have really helped. And if

36:25

you said the breast cancer patients, you

36:27

know, I talked to them, what can

36:29

I do? My doctor won't describe anything.

36:31

And there's a brilliant doctor called Dr.

36:33

Alison Matt Bess that I met recently

36:35

last year, a cancer and menopause charity

36:38

event. And she prescribes it to all

36:40

her patients. Yeah, and actually, Matt Millen

36:42

have just come out the CEO, Dr.

36:44

Richard Simcock, and chief medical officer, you

36:46

know, recently said, No, actually, we know

36:48

it's safe for pretty much anybody. And

36:50

actually, it's about quality of life. It's

36:52

about, you know, what's the point? I'm

36:54

not talking about sex. I'm

36:56

talking about being able just to sit

36:58

down, you know, to work, to stand,

37:01

do your hobby, ride your bike,

37:03

wear your favourite pair of trousers, you

37:05

know, and then let alone the sex

37:08

side, you know, the fact is that

37:10

women might have sex because every time

37:12

they have sex, they get cystitis and

37:14

the UTI. Well, that's not sexy at

37:16

all, all pleasurable. So, you know, I

37:19

think, and also in the, you know,

37:21

it's more than included in the recent guidelines.

37:24

So I think they're going back and looking at

37:26

that and revising it for because I always think

37:28

of the old ladies in nursing homes. And

37:31

the old ladies that I cared for

37:33

who had UTI, who'd fallen, fractured their

37:35

hip, they ended up losing their independence,

37:37

often many didn't go home, some died.

37:39

And now I look back and I

37:42

think, actually, those women probably all had

37:44

for dyneolatrophies, they needed for dyneolestrogen, because

37:46

that's why they were getting UTI, which

37:48

made them confused and disorientated. And then

37:50

that's why they fell over. Yeah,

37:52

it cost the NHS so much money. You

37:55

know, and even today that still happens. So

37:57

I think that, you know, it's really

37:59

important. and tonight's only women contacts,

38:01

oh my God, my TV's subscribed, it's

38:03

been amazing. And I just think, you

38:05

know, it's a simple thing

38:07

and yet it can make such a difference.

38:10

Simple and safe. We talked a little bit

38:12

about the gut microbiome and we obviously talk

38:14

a lot about that on this show. And

38:17

you said, as we know that there's

38:19

a vaginal microbiome and there's this whole delicate

38:21

balance. What about looking at things like probiotics?

38:23

You know, there are certain strains like the

38:25

rhamnosa strain, for example, that has very

38:27

much been linked with improving vaginal health. Do

38:30

you go into that? Do you buy that

38:32

as a theory? And I really don't know

38:35

enough about it, but I do see there's

38:37

a lot of vaginal probiotics and I'm confused

38:39

as to how they actually work. How

38:41

do they make their way? I think we

38:44

know, well, it depends. From my understanding, we

38:46

know that there is this

38:48

vaginal microbiome and there are lots

38:50

of different species of beneficial bacteria

38:52

that are naturally thriving there normally,

38:54

but they will be depleted through

38:56

whatever reason through environmental stress or

38:59

hormone changes or whatever. And

39:01

some of the most significant in that

39:03

area are rhamnosa, for example. And

39:06

if you can have a probiotic

39:08

supplement that is proven, been clinically

39:10

proven to survive the digestive tract

39:12

acidity and make it down so it

39:14

can be systemically used throughout the body

39:17

and get into the pelvic area. I

39:19

mean, there are some brands, OptiBac, for

39:21

example, have a women's health probiotic

39:23

and that does have good clinical

39:26

research to it.

39:28

And if that's finding what works for you

39:30

as well, you know, sort of a, there

39:32

are various things. I contributed

39:34

to an article on patients about the

39:37

micro-vaginal fluid

39:39

transplants, you know, where basically

39:41

people are experiencing, you know, because we

39:44

hear a fecal transplant to

39:46

help people with that area of their body. But actually

39:48

this is something that they're looking at now with the

39:50

vaginal fluid transplants. And I actually, with all the issues

39:52

I had, I remember saying to the journalist that, yeah,

39:55

it probably would have been something that I

39:57

would have considered because, you know, for those

39:59

people constantly, constantly getting those

40:01

infections that are plagued their

40:04

life. So there are

40:06

lots of, with some of the

40:08

vaginal probiotics, I think some of them, as

40:10

you say, you want the clinical evidence based

40:12

research and that you know that the, like

40:14

all probiotics and supplements really, you want to

40:17

know, is this going to be

40:19

destroyed? Am I peeing it out? It's

40:21

like, what's happening? Is it actually being

40:24

absorbed? Is it working for me? So,

40:26

you know, but yeah, I mean, there's a lot

40:28

more things coming to market to actually look at

40:30

the microbiome. The problem with all these products

40:32

we've talked about that have got poor ingredients,

40:34

they are destroying those, are friendly

40:37

bacteria. And we have research

40:39

for that as well. We know that they

40:41

destroy the friendly bacteria when people use them.

40:43

And one thing I did want to pick

40:45

up on, you know, the dino moisturizer, that

40:47

is different. Yes. I wanted

40:49

to move on to that because obviously lubes, we're

40:51

talking about very much in a sex context, the

40:53

pleasure and sexual health. You know,

40:56

we moisturize our faces and neck, as you said, you

40:58

know, twice a day. I don't know how many

41:00

of us are actually moisturizing our vulvas. I'm

41:02

going to put my hand up here and

41:04

say, I am not. Is this

41:06

something that we do need to use? And surely if

41:08

something's good for my face, I can just rub it

41:10

on anywhere, can't I? No, well, you can't. OK.

41:14

No, you do need something that is

41:16

actually designed for that area. But the

41:18

problem is we have got the dino

41:20

moisturizers that are full of those irritating

41:22

ingredients that I talked about, even some

41:24

on prescription. One of the leading brands

41:26

is on prescription. But it contains glycerin,

41:28

but it also contains palm oil and

41:30

it contains mineral oil, which is

41:32

a byproduct of the petrochemical industry that's

41:34

in baby oil. Now mineral

41:36

oil is designed as a barrier. It's not

41:39

designed to nourish the nose. Not designed as

41:41

a moisturizer. And it certainly was never designed

41:43

for internal use. And also

41:45

I did a video a couple of

41:48

a while ago, actually, on my Instagram,

41:50

because I suddenly realized that people were

41:52

using vaginal moisturizers that contain palm oil

41:54

and mineral oil. And that

41:57

will damage condoms. And again, in

41:59

midlife, constantly. pushing this message that if

42:01

you're in a new relationship or enjoying casual

42:03

sex, you do need to use protection. Because

42:06

yes, you can no longer get pregnant.

42:08

So that's the comment I get from

42:10

a lot of people, but you can

42:12

get an STI. And we know that

42:14

those rates are going up in the

42:16

over fifties. And also because you're the

42:18

skin of your vagina and vulva is

42:21

thinner, because you're going through menopause, it

42:23

increases the risk of transmission through the

42:25

walls of the vagina. So you know,

42:27

but yeah, but those moisturisers. That's

42:29

a salient point, isn't it? Yeah, no, so

42:31

some people, I mean, I actually hadn't really

42:33

dawned on me about the moisturisers and, you

42:35

know, and I started thinking, well, actually, that's

42:37

got oil in it, hasn't it? So potentially,

42:39

there's a risk that it could damage your,

42:41

your condom if you're using it. So there,

42:43

the vagina moisturisers, you know, some, I use,

42:45

yes, vagina moisturiser twice a week, I pop

42:47

it up inside my vagina, anything that runs

42:49

out, I massage it into my vulva. Some

42:51

people use it every day. You know,

42:54

the, the sutile can be used as

42:56

a moisturiser and a leave because it

42:58

has higher hyaluronic acid in it. So

43:00

some people, you know, are using it as

43:02

both. But I do say to people do

43:05

your research again, be the ingredient detective when

43:07

it comes to your moisturiser. Some people get

43:09

confused and think that their lube can

43:12

be used as a moisturiser. Now I know I've

43:14

said about sutile, but it has got this property

43:16

of having hyaluronic acid in it. But

43:19

as I said, I use yesterday m2.

43:21

And some people use their moisturiser as

43:23

a lube. And a

43:25

moisturiser is designed to be a bit

43:27

longer lasting. And, you know,

43:29

but don't just think you can just whack something,

43:32

you know, you cooking oil out of your kitchen,

43:34

or, you know, or, or KM or baby oil.

43:36

I mean,

43:39

that's the one that I, the only thing

43:41

baby oil is good for is for getting off

43:43

your stickiness or the adhesive from your paint or

43:45

teeth patches. So that's why I use baby oil.

43:48

Leave it alone. Yeah, don't put it

43:50

anywhere near your genitals. So fine. But

43:52

yeah, so a lot of people, some

43:55

people don't need to moisturise with the

43:57

using vaginal estrogen and they're using a

43:59

good lube. and it feels comfortable, but

44:01

a lot of people sort of add it in and

44:03

they notice a difference because it just makes things feel

44:05

comfortable. You know, some people pop it in their bag

44:07

when they're out and about and if they nip to

44:10

the loo they can pop it on and just because

44:12

obviously a lot of people have really bad dryness and

44:15

you know it's uncomfortable and irritating so just to

44:17

make it feel comfortable. It comes in little applicators

44:19

that you can use but obviously it comes in

44:21

a big tube and we have a lube tube

44:23

as it's called, you can fill that up to

44:25

get it inside the vagina or pop it on

44:27

the sex toy and then obviously you can use

44:29

your fingers too. That leads me neatly

44:31

on to sex toys. Let's finish up

44:33

by talking about sex toys. You say

44:35

that you only sell the ones made

44:37

from skin safe materials. You know, why

44:39

are some materials safe for skin and

44:42

others perhaps aren't? Okay, so we only

44:44

sell sex toys made from silicone, glass,

44:46

metal and ABS plastic. So

44:49

the silicone is, you know,

44:51

high quality silicone, it's non-porous.

44:53

The glass is made from,

44:55

it's borosilic glass like your

44:57

pyrex dishes. So again, that

44:59

is very durable and it's non-porous. Having said

45:02

that, if you drop your glass sex toy

45:04

on the floor and it chips then obviously

45:06

you can't use it and you can clean

45:08

it in the dishwasher too. No

45:10

way! Pick your bills

45:12

there in the dishwasher. Oh my gosh. I'm

45:15

trying to persuade my children to empty the

45:17

dishwasher for me. Not an option. What's

45:19

this mum? Yeah. Some of them are very

45:21

beautiful, the glass toys. You can sit them

45:23

on your mantelpiece. They are what you are.

45:25

And ornament, it's a piece of mudnut. And

45:28

then the metal toys are made from

45:31

medical grade stainless steel, like medical, like

45:33

surgical instruments. So again, and they're often,

45:35

they're very beautifully designed and they are

45:37

non-porous too. And glass and metal toys,

45:40

you can enjoy temperature plays. So you

45:42

can warm them up in a bowl

45:44

of warm water or you

45:46

can cool them down in the fridge, not

45:49

the freezer. And actually that kind of gives

45:51

you different sensations as well. And it's very

45:53

nice in the summer when it gets hot

45:56

as well. And that you can actually, you

45:58

know, pop your toy in the fridge. if

46:00

you wanted to, my kids are so used to it anyway

46:02

now, but I don't know. And they usually leave

46:05

the scene, leave and condoms around. And

46:08

then the other toys

46:10

are plastic toys made from ABS

46:12

plastic and they are non-porous. And

46:15

so these are all skin safe. The

46:17

materials you really need to be careful

46:19

of are jelly, latex and rubber. Obviously

46:22

with latex there's a potential there for

46:24

an allergy or

46:27

some sort of a reaction to it.

46:29

The jelly toys and rubber toys, they're

46:31

all porous those materials, but jelly toys

46:34

in particular, they're often the cheap horrible

46:36

toys that you see on sale. And

46:38

they do perfume them to conceal the

46:40

smell of the jelly. But

46:42

they're all porous. So the absolute

46:45

bacteria, you can't clean them properly.

46:47

They degrade with certain lubricants and they can

46:49

degrade over time as well. So, you know,

46:52

they're really not good toys. And the other

46:54

thing to say is there are a lot

46:56

of fake and used products online.

46:59

So you have to buy, implore

47:01

people to buy from a reputable

47:03

retailer. Look, Joji Vine, obviously there's

47:05

others around. Avoid pop-up companies, be

47:08

a care wearer of really big

47:10

companies selling everything. You need

47:12

to know where that toy has come from.

47:14

So as I said, with the fake toys,

47:16

that's potentially dangerous. Obviously if it's got a

47:18

battery in it, you know, they can get

47:21

hot. So that's because

47:23

they're not very well made. And then with

47:25

the used toys, there's lots of samples sent

47:27

out to people and they use them

47:29

and then they repackage them and resell them. Now

47:31

don't get me wrong, there is a market for

47:33

used toys. But,

47:36

you know, you don't know where

47:39

this has come from. And also a good sex

47:41

toy retailer will know about their products. You should

47:43

be able to phone them, email them. They should

47:45

reply to you. There should be an address that

47:47

you can write to. Hopefully you should have a

47:50

social media presence. They should be knowledgeable about their

47:52

products like we are. I'm passionate about their products.

47:54

So, you know, these are just some of the

47:56

safeguards that I say to people when they're looking

47:59

for products. looking to buy a toy. And if

48:01

the price of a toy looks too good to

48:03

be true, then there's probably a reason for that.

48:07

And would you suggest then toys are

48:09

used for solo use? I mean, we're

48:11

talking like just masturbation or partner sex

48:13

or both? Everything. I think that, you

48:16

know, solo play to explore your own

48:18

body, to work out, find out what

48:20

works for you, you know, with your

48:23

partner to enjoy together. But also if

48:25

you are struggling to enjoy an orgasm

48:27

or sex doesn't feel the same often,

48:30

an issue in midlife, you know, you

48:32

have decreased sensation. And to help you

48:34

overcome a sexual health issue, like

48:37

vaginal tightness that happens in menopause or

48:39

decreased sexual sensation, or you've gone through

48:41

cancer treatment, you know, or you've had

48:43

gynae surgery and you've got scar tissue,

48:46

having a hysterectomy, obviously, which, you know,

48:48

if they have people can be sent

48:50

into surgical menopause, that leads to vagina

48:52

shorter and that can make penetration feel

48:55

uncomfortable. So a toy can help. And,

48:58

you know, and actually, using

49:00

a vibrator promotes the blood flow to the

49:02

tissues of the vulva and the vagina that

49:04

in turn promotes your own natural lubrication, it

49:07

improves sensation when it feels

49:09

really nice as well. And

49:11

it just improves your whole

49:13

intimate health. And because

49:16

it's keeping that blood flow going

49:18

to those tissues, which often have

49:20

become sore, dry, you know, less

49:22

flexible, and sex may feel uncomfortable

49:24

or painful. So why, so

49:26

can I just ask you, why does having

49:28

a hysterectomy shorten the vagina? That's something I

49:30

wasn't aware of. Okay, so they cut the

49:32

ligaments to the, that are connected to

49:34

the top of the vagina to the

49:37

uterus. So once the uterus has been

49:39

removed, it's almost like the vagina sacs

49:42

a little bit. And it becomes

49:44

short. And also if you've had your cervix

49:46

removed, there are a lot of surgeons will

49:48

try and preserve the cervix because it has

49:50

got so many nerve endings and it is

49:52

associated with sexual pleasure too. But if you've

49:54

had your cervix removed, you can end up

49:56

with what's like a purse string Scar,

49:58

so you know, like a purse. Ring dwarfing back

50:00

to amend the actually can scar was well

50:03

am and she knew a and also you

50:05

can that you know when you've had a

50:07

stretch and sometimes women ends up with prolapse

50:09

nate answer to be a serial serious and

50:11

that she did it up for to the

50:13

next the weakness in the wall of the

50:15

vagina so lot but a lot of women

50:17

aren't given and she saw a softer interacts

50:20

me i i just recently on my instagram

50:22

and that she did it and and I

50:24

do you live with to the Mccollum but

50:26

we got so much so many comments and

50:28

I'd off people did they want this information.

50:30

And insanely fifty said I've been given no

50:33

information and that's the one person he had

50:35

been given our health pricey which is a

50:37

little pressure sex toys and leaves and six

50:39

will simulate is not i latest which is

50:42

given out in the nhs and she starts

50:44

been given it by one of the neck

50:46

that you out with but nobody else had

50:48

been given advice and yes many women are

50:51

sent into surgical manacles following his threats me

50:53

and Se in a when they said had

50:55

that overthrew me Take the yeah I did

50:57

that cheaper to speaking different sexes sensations you

50:59

know beyond. Masturbation, a mutual masturbation and

51:02

all said and maybe the apologies and

51:04

nothing is because sex toys or of

51:06

aside me different sexual sensation, some five

51:09

persons pulses and yeah we got our

51:11

posts and sonic ways toys now that

51:13

twenty keys and caress the tip for

51:16

us and attacked by brace and they've

51:18

been the new kids on the block.

51:20

Am on. They have transforming orgasms everywhere,

51:23

am on facts and what about the

51:25

latest on A To is our biggest

51:27

seller. A civil Night Find Postseason T.

51:30

Because it is paid for help you

51:32

days with t Three sex with sensational

51:34

that orgasms maybe no longer feel the

51:36

same of that is taking long. That's

51:38

what I just want to enjoy an

51:40

orgasm for the first sizes. I mean

51:42

the and let's let's have some as

51:44

and positive parsing words. Then basically as

51:46

we age. About prioritizing

51:48

great sex Or because.

51:50

Let's say sit in a regular. Orgasms are

51:52

actually very healthy for yeah. And it's not

51:55

just that they feel great that can help

51:57

me sleep the keep looking young ladies to

51:59

me. boost your immunity, they may connect

52:01

with your partner and yourself. And for

52:03

men as well, regular ejaculation

52:06

can reduce the risk of your prostate

52:08

enlarging. So, you know, that's really important

52:10

too. And it's a part of your

52:13

daily living. It's a part of our lives

52:15

that people often overlook to keep you happy

52:17

and healthy. We know that when people's sex

52:20

lives are impacted for whatever reason, it

52:22

can actually really impact upon their physical and

52:24

mental wellbeing. So, you know,

52:26

our oldest customer is 93. I

52:28

plan to be like her. I love

52:31

that. Wow, that's real trailblazer.

52:34

Hope, hope. We have a lot of older

52:36

customers, you know, and if you want to

52:38

try stuff for the first time, you don't

52:40

have to stop big, go for the smallest

52:42

toy and just start your journey there. But,

52:44

you know, it's important to invest in

52:46

your intimate health and sexual pleasure if

52:48

you want to. But, you know, it's

52:50

important to invest in your intimate health

52:52

even if you're not having sex, just

52:54

to remain comfortable. But, you know, if

52:57

you want to enjoy great sex, and

52:59

I do have conversations with women who

53:01

haven't had great sex, but actually now

53:03

they're incorporating a good loo, moisturiser, toys,

53:05

the dino-echedron, and they're really enjoying themselves,

53:07

or they're in a new relationship and

53:09

they're discovering that they can have orgasms

53:11

in different ways. And for me, it's

53:13

always about being positive and saying that, you

53:15

know, I want to be like my 93-year-old

53:18

customer because, hey, you know, that would

53:20

be great. Well, who doesn't? Sam, thank

53:22

you so much. It's been an absolutely

53:24

fascinating episode. I'm going to go back

53:26

and re-listen to it myself and make

53:28

lots of notes and certainly be checking

53:30

out your website. Thank you so much

53:32

for your time today. Oh, thank you

53:34

for asking me. Well,

53:38

Sam, thank you so much for all

53:40

of that. My brain is absolutely buzzing

53:42

with all this information. Perhaps not the

53:44

only thing that should be buzzing after

53:46

that conversation about sex toys, but anyway,

53:48

do go and take a look at

53:50

our website. I certainly will be all

53:52

over it for lots and lots of

53:54

different bits of information. And I'd love

53:56

to know what your relationship with pleasure

53:58

has been like during menopause. especially.

54:00

I do think that sharing

54:02

and just knowing that none of us

54:04

are alone in our experiences is so

54:06

important. So come and chat. Find us

54:09

on Instagram at lizelwellbeing if you want

54:11

to find me personally. You can chat

54:13

to me in the comments there and

54:15

I am at lizelme and as ever

54:17

there are lots more articles and resources

54:20

exploring all of this on lizelwellbeing.com

54:24

and if you want more on

54:26

the emotional and mental side of

54:28

sex do listen back to the

54:30

brilliant episode with the therapist Kate

54:33

Moyle from the end of last

54:35

year. There was lots in there

54:37

about desire and just being more

54:39

mindful during sex. So have a

54:41

scroll back in your podcast feed.

54:43

Next week another Valentine's Day special.

54:45

We're looking at the science behind

54:48

how and why we love. Okay

54:50

until the next time we chat go

54:52

well. Bye-bye. The

54:59

Lizzell Wellbeing Show is presented by me

55:01

Liz Earl and is produced by Anushka

55:03

Tate for Fresh Air Production with additional

55:06

production support from Ellie Smith. The

55:10

Love affair event is on at

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Whole Foods Market with deals on

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delicious desires through February 14th, the floral

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to make the night sizzle. Gifts from

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