“A New Spring”
Opening Letter
From Dr. Anita
March is a month where we begin to thaw out from winter with blustering storms one day and mild, spring-like air bringing hope for the upcoming blooms the next. Transitions happen every year, at least in Wisconsin they do. In life perimenopause is a similar transition, and it can feel like a wild ride too. However, there is a lot of beauty in this new spring in itself. It is a time when we can come into ourselves and emerge from under all the growth and passage of seasons past. One topic that I find is buried under the ground cover for many is that of sexual health. I’d like to welcome you to a space where discussion of this expression of our beauty, strength and femininity is welcomed. Cause, you know what, Hollywood got it wrong as to what sex should be like. I think progress is being made though, thank you Shondaland and your production of Bridgerton! But we have to go way, way back, even before Shonda’s Grey’s Anatomy to the year 1350 when English texts named external genitalia “Pudendum” which translates LITERALLY from the Latin Pudere “to be ashamed”. Remember back in 6th grade and enduring “Sex ed” which wasn’t about pleasure and consent and joy, but about fear and stds. We can do better and I’m here to help.
This month, we’re opening the conversation. No shame here. Just real support and solutions for women in every stage of life. It’s time to feel connected, to your body, to your partner, and to yourself. Sexual health isn’t indulgent, you are not too old and yes, you are deserving of pleasure. It’s foundational and our bodies were made for it. Made for it how? The clitoris! We have the only body part made exclusively for pleasure. Mic drop.
— Dr. Anita
What’s New at Pause
ISSWSH Takeaways
I’d like to share some take-aways from the annual ISSWSH (International Society for the study of Women’s Sexual Health) conference I attended in February. There was a lot of discussion on the FDA approved medications for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder and their application for patients notably those with a history of breast cancer. You know about Viagra, right? Well there are treatments for women too. One is a pink pill called Flibanserin, taken every night, and the other is Bremalotide which is taken before “planned activity”. In a session on body image and cancer I learned about surgical techniques to preserve sensation for mastectomies. That was cool. There was a lot more but I was struck by the finding that testosterone and estrogen are best buddies in the vagina and vulva and work in conjunction to keep tissues healthy. Wow. Hormones aren’t pink or blue.
The Pink Pill
Now streaming on Paramount+
The Pink Pill Coming To Paramount
Remember I mentioned the Pink Pill? Well it had quite a journey to get through to market, years and years of trials, 2 denials from the FDA after safety and efficacy were made clear. There was even a debate over the legitimacy of women even having a condition of HSDD. What gives?! Viagra took like 30 seconds to get approval?! It is a story worthy of a movie and guess what?! “The Pink Pill” is on Paramount+ as of March 6th (International Woman’s Day). And guess what else?! I was in it for about 15 seconds. Don’t blink or you’ll miss me!
February was a busy month at Pause, my fourth month! We hosted a full house of 25 for a Sound Bath with Katie Ruiz. It was a lovely, relaxing, vibrational time. We’ll definitely have her back! A few days later I taught a cooking class at Grebe’s. We were “Cooking to Thrive” with plant-forward dishes like fennel, blood orange salad with seared tuna, king salmon with white bean stew and a tofu, lentil, kale curry.
Sound Self has landed
Keeping with the theme of sexual health, if you are stressed out and not in the moment, you can’t be present for the connection, joy and awe of great sex. If you feel “tired but wired,” training your brain and body to downregulate may be one of the most powerful skills you can learn to sleep, rest and recover but to also be in the moment doing one thing-at-a-time.
Come try out a Sound Self session to help regulate stress, calm the body, and engage the parasympathetic system. Intro sessions are $40, last about an hour, are in-house and on a new vibracoustic bed that will bring you deep into a zen space. Come try it out!
Event Highlight
Upcoming at Pause
Coming Soon
Spring fever is upon us.
In April, Pause will be hosting a sexual health–focused event designed to create open conversation, an Ask Me Anything and open house to shop inventory of sexual health products.
This will be a safe, supportive space — no awkwardness, no shame — just real talk about desire, intimacy, and whole-body wellness.
Details coming soon.
Monthly Ritual
This Month’s Pause Practice
This month, we invite you to try this simple ritual:
Once a week, schedule 10 uninterrupted minutes.
No phone. No multitasking. Stop. Pause. Breathe. Create some space in your body, tune in.
Ask yourself:
• What does my body need right now?
• Where am I holding tension?
• What would feeling “connected” look like for me?
Closing Thought
Before You Go
Your sexual health doesn’t come from a pill bottle, even though some pills can help. Sex can be easy but also complicated at the same time. Our body needs to have adequate circulation, sensation, hormone balance, nervous system regulation, emotional and physical safety. It has to both upregulate and downregulate at the same time! We need a certain amount of strength, agility, mobility and ability to focus. This can be difficult for many bodies. That’s a lot more than Netflix and chill. How you care for your body every day matters too. What you eat, what you drink, if you exercise. What do you need for good sex, how about exceptional sex?
You are the guardian of your body.
Protect it. Nourish it. Advocate for it.
You deserve to feel alive inside it.