Explored by Women’s Health Leaders

If there is one takeaway that Dr. Karyn Eilber, urologist at plusOne Wellness Collective, and Maria Warrington, chief executive officer at Beacon Wellness Brands, encouraged the women at the WWD x FN x Beauty Inc Women in Power event, it was to advocate for themselves.

“As women, as mothers, we advocate for everybody else, and never our own selves,” Eilber said. “No one is ever going to care more about your own health, your sexual wellness, how you feel than yourself. [And] if you don’t feel comfortable talking to your doctor, asking your doctor these questions, or you feel like you’re gaslit, then you really should think about getting a second opinion.”

Women’s sexual wellness has come a long way in the last decade, with more brands launching products in the space and retailers increasing interest, but the category hasn’t completely shed all of its stigma. Eilber explained that the history of vibrators dates back centuries to when doctors would use them to treat hysteria ­— for a time vibrators even became outlawed in several states.

Still, Eilber said, “You can’t really talk about sexual wellness unless you know what sexual dysfunction is.” Female dysfunction reportedly affects about 40 percent of women at some point in their lifetime. “So sexual wellness is on the flip side, which is not just the physical but the emotional and mental well-being in terms of your sexuality.”

With a range of accessible sexual wellness devices, plusOne’s mission is to empower. The company has researched sexual wellness, including a first-of-its-kind study on vibrator usage. Eilber stressed that there has been an inequity of health that has led to a lack of attention on women’s sexual health. Women participating in plusOne’s study used a vibrator two to three times a week. The study looked not only at whether the participants orgasmed but looked at the impact of increased blood flow.

“They found that after four weeks of using a vibrator, 98 percent of people felt more relaxed,” Eilber said. “Almost everybody had an orgasm, and this improves the ability to sleep and decreases depression. So just if you need a good reason to use your vibrator, there you are.”

Eilber and Warrington agreed that while talking to a doctor about sexual health is important, it can also be uncomfortable, noting that many doctors are not comfortable talking about their own sexuality. Moreover, the reality is that “most physicians are not educated on sexual health. Most doctors have not been educated on not just identifying but reading symptoms of perimenopause and menopause.”

“Our society needs to change, and it’s forums just like this that are going to empower women to start asking these questions and demanding better care,” Eilber said.

Eilber and Warrington further encouraged the audience to ask them questions and take them up on an offer for free samples of the plusOne vibrators.