The Sex Docs Reveal: Energy, Hormones & Better Intimacy at Any Age

In this episode, Dr. Micol Neely sits down with “The Sex Docs,” Dr. John Robinson and Dr. Cristina Romero-Bosch, founders of The Hormone Zone, to explore the powerful connection between hormones, energy, and sexual wellness.

This conversation goes beyond the surface, diving into how fatigue, stress, and hormone imbalances directly impact libido, relationships, and overall quality of life. Many patients come in thinking their symptoms are just part of aging—but as Dr. Robinson and Dr. Bosch explain, low energy, brain fog, and lack of desire are often signs that something deeper is going on.

Together, they break down why sexual health is a key indicator of overall wellness and how optimizing hormones can restore not just libido, but confidence, connection, and vitality. They also discuss how emotional, physical, and relational health all play a role in intimacy—and why you can’t treat one without the others.

The episode also highlights innovative treatments like peptide therapy, oxytocin support, and regenerative therapies designed to enhance both function and sensation for men and women. Most importantly, they emphasize that great sex—and great health—doesn’t have an expiration date.

About the Guests: Dr. John Robinson and Dr. Cristina Romero-Bosch are the founders of The Hormone Zone, a cutting-edge wellness and longevity clinic. Combining naturopathic medicine, hormone optimization, and regenerative therapies, they help patients improve energy, intimacy, and overall health.

With decades of experience, they take a whole-person approach—addressing physical, emotional, and relational health to create lasting, meaningful results.

This episode is a powerful reminder that when you optimize your health, you don’t just feel better—you live, love, and connect better too.

sexual wellness, hormone balance, libido, functional medicine, peptide therapy, longevity health, low energy, hormone replacement therapy, relationship health, intimacy and wellness, regenerative medicine

Follow, subscribe, and stay connected for more powerful conversations on strength, healing, and becoming the strongest version of yourself.

Stay Sassy and Strong with Dr. Micol

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Hi, this is Dr. McCole Nealy, and thanks for listening to our show. We are here to talk a little bit about mindset, movement, and muscle, and maybe a few other little fun things along the way. So, you all love talking longevity, functional medicine, hormones, but let's get into how do you feel and a little bit about sex. Yes, we're going there today. I'm here with Dr. Robinson and his wife, Dr. Vamosh. So nice to have you guys here today. Thank you. Thanks for having us.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Very much, thank you.

SPEAKER_02 0:52

So you guys have an amazing practice. You do a lot with hormones, but a lot sexual wellness.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

We do, yeah. We really, I mean, I think for us who can't separate one from the other. I'm not sure what came first, our hormone specialty or our relationship and sex specialty. But yeah, they definitely have been our passion. They go hand in hand.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

That's very much so.

SPEAKER_02 1:13

Tell me how that came about.

SPEAKER_00 1:15

Yeah, I think that patients were coming to us for, let's say, hormone imbalance. And inevitably, when they're asking about hormones, they're inevitably talking about sex, whether they're not having sex, their sexual relationships, what's going on with their personal relationships, and then wanting hormone replacement therapy to try to help with it. It just winds up being one of the key topics. People want more energy, they want more sex. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:37

Yeah. And so how do you start addressing that? Because some people are really shy about it. And I think it plays such a role in overall health. Yeah. If you're having a good sexual life.

SPEAKER_01 1:49

It's I I've been surprised how easy it is for patients to bring it up. But I also am always surprised to find out how few people in their personal life they talk about it if it weren't us. So for us, it's very easy because most people are coming in talking about fatigue, fat, and lack of libido, they're usually the ones initiating the conversation. But if not, we talk about it in a very frank fashion. We pretty much just say, and how's your sex drive? And like I always ask patients, how's your libido for you, not for your partner? Like, is it where you want it to be?

unknown 2:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

We're very frank about it. I think maybe because we've been doing it for so long and people come to almost expect that. I mean, you can follow us on Instagram at the sex. So we've got that persona for a while. So people come in knowing already that, you know, we've we've sort of opened that door for them. But, you know, it's just it's a relationship-based approach that we have with all of our patients, and we are very frank about it and open and it allows them to be able to.

SPEAKER_02 2:47

What's the number one thing people are feeling that really affects their sexual drive?

SPEAKER_00 2:55

I think maybe come back to the energy or the fact that they just don't have that drive at all. They don't have a sense of um uh bonding that makes them want to have the drive to want to initiate. Um, or in many cases, they say, well, no, I very much, you know, I love my husband, love my wife, but I just don't feel like it. Things start to change. I think stress gets in the way in a big way. And part of what hormone balance creates is an improvement in stress resilience. So once you kind of provide that a little bit more energy, a little bit more stress resilience, it opens the door to have room for sex again.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

So yeah, I would agree with that. I think that the energy is probably that trigger. And then the lack of energy will present in different ways. It could be, it could be like that mental fatigue where you're just so tired that you can't think of the words, you can't, you can't remember what you were doing when you walked into a room. And when you have that kind of mental fatigue, you often don't have the mental and emotional energy for libido. And then sometimes it's just physical fatigue. Like people are just pooped, hormone deficiency, sex hormone deficiency, thyroid deficiency, bad diet. Like it really, it really sex is one of those things that really helps amplify the importance of looking at a person as a whole being.

SPEAKER_02 4:09

I think people too then are a little bit, they think that they just have to accept that. That, okay, I'm just not, I'm getting old. I'm not gonna have good sex. Right. But I mean, personally, I think the older you get, the better it should get. What do you think?

SPEAKER_00 4:24

Well, I mean, first of all, people don't have to expect accept any kind of anything related to their health. That's the way we say it. As an age whether age, yeah. We're results-driven people, so we're results-driven for our patients about anything about their health, but particularly with sex. Yeah. Um, it's never too uh it's never too late. No. So we present it that way to them. And then again, when you're balancing hormones and you're working on those things and providing options, they realize they actually can restore it and actually maybe make it even better.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

Yeah, it's so funny. We have patients well into their late 70s, early 80s, especially you. You have quite a bit of like senior citizens.

SPEAKER_00 5:03

I have a 95, I think she just turned 95.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

Yeah, and they're they're having good sex. So I'm with you. I I definitely I know that John and I both agree. Like there's no age limit to good sex. Absolutely not. And when people use age as an excuse, I think they're just believing the baloney that's out there. But we should be having good sex until the day we die. In fact, I often recommend like die that way. Like, I think that if you're gonna go, go having great love. That's the way to go out. I I agree.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

I have a patient who um, when you were saying about this idea of that it should get better, and I think it can. So I had a patient come in uh who we did the O shot on, if you're familiar, the uh the orgasm shot.

SPEAKER_02 5:45

Explain it for our listeners.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

This is um utilizing platelet-rich plasma, which is uh sort of a fractionated portion of the blood. It has growth factors and things in it, and uh that allows you to then strategically inject that into places in the body, uh, uh, including the areas of the vagina, the clotters. And so we numb the patient up very, very well. You're numb first, yeah. And then uh again, strategically placing this sort of liquid gold into the area that helps to regenerate nerve tissue and and uh blood vessel growth. So this patient, she had this done, and it was for libido, and we'd had many conversations, but um not specifically about orgasms. So she comes back about six weeks later and I said, How are things going? Oh, it's great. Uh, I'm I'm having multiple orgasms. And I said, Wow, that's that's fantastic to get that back again. This is a woman that was in her 50s, and she said, Oh, no, no, I've never had multiple orgasms. This is the first time I've ever had that. Wow. So there's just a particular anecdotal uh example, but a procedure that can actually maybe make things even better than you thought it could be.

SPEAKER_02 6:48

Yeah, with something simple like simple as simple, natural. She didn't change partners. That's right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:53

Gotta fine-tuning on things uh downstairs.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

And it's a wonderful example of recognizing that sometimes the anatomy is what's not cooperating, sometimes the physiology is what's not cooperating. Yeah. A lot of times we think it's age or it's just maybe there is a problem with me, or there's a problem with the relationship. And no, really, many times, if not the majority of times, we find that by aiding and looking at the physiology of the person and the anatomy of the person, we really can help amplify the quality of their sex life. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:24

Yeah, it can be uh sometimes relationship issues, but I think you're exactly right that it is mostly sort of these physical things. And then from there that opens pathways to enhance the relationship or remember what why they got together in the first place. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:39

Because you're exactly right. A lot of times it's okay, low energy. Maybe you look at hormones, we optimize them. What do you do when you've got someone who's not having the sex they want? You've optimized their hormones, but they still want more.

SPEAKER_00 7:51

Uh yeah. Well, we mentioned the O shot. Um Can men have that? Oh, yeah. Yes, except it's called the P shot. The P shot, yeah. Yeah. So platelet rich plasma, also strategically placed into the penis, that helps with erectile function, helps with sensitivity. Right. Okay. Um, helps with length and girth, um, kind of wakes things up for sure. So that that can be really helpful. But beyond that, um, I think peptide therapy has been sort of that next step for us um with being able to help. Um, there can be, you know, the the usual Viagras and those types of things for guys, and that can be helpful. I typically use uh tadalophil, which is uh Cialis.

SPEAKER_02 8:29

Yeah. Um but do you use any of that for women? I try to do that.

SPEAKER_00 8:32

I have in the past, I just, you know, yeah, you can use sort of low dose with that, but I have had better results with this peptide, PT141 or Brimelanatine.

SPEAKER_02 8:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

Um, and you know, that's you know, FDA approved as uh by LEZI, if I'm remembering that correctly. Um, you know, it's an injection a couple of times. It can be used a couple different ways. It can either be used as needed, almost like Viagra, but it's a small little sub Q shot, or it can be used a couple of times a week. It's got about a three-day half-life.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

Okay. Um so And that's not a local injection. That's an injection that people would administer. Good to mention. You're not injecting it. At least for the females. Yeah. For the females, they're not injecting the bremolanotide into their genitalia. Okay. Although some of the injection therapies for men can be used right into the peasants. And oxytocin.

SPEAKER_00 9:20

Oxytocin. So we have a lot of luck. Lately have been working really well with an oxytocin, which we've used for years, but now we're using oxytocin with pre uh PT141 breemalanoti in a lozenge form.

SPEAKER_02 9:32

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 9:32

And so that winds up being the sort of next step uh for then you don't have to do a shot, which scares a lot of people.

SPEAKER_01 9:38

Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:39

So there are options that way orally for that.

SPEAKER_01 9:41

And what works nice about that combination is like like Dr. Robinson was explaining, you can use it for cumulative benefit if you're using it regularly, especially for the person that finds that there's some almost like emotional, like they're emotionally shut down. I think the cumulative benefit of regular dosing is really great. But for the person who's like, no, I I'm in the mood, I want to do it. I just can't find myself getting to that place of arousal. Well, what the oxytocin is in part doing, it's helping with that emotional bonding, but it is also helping with relaxing soft tissue. So a lot of times, especially for the female, the act of being penetrated can just be physically uncomfortable. Sure. Where they end up having a reduction in their desire, even if emotionally they're into it. It's uncomfortable. So when you do that oxytocin peptide combo, you're really affecting it in more than one level. And women have been reporting very good results with that. How long does that one last?

SPEAKER_02 10:39

Like is it something you take and then it's out of your system?

SPEAKER_00 10:42

Yeah, that could be uh it's kind of a short half-life thing. Again, I if a patient is wanting to use it as needed, they can do it that way. And then it's sort of dose-dependent and we'll have them play around with the dose. But if I say, well, you know, you go a week or more without sex just to keep the libido up, I have them take it two times a week, small amount, a couple of times a week, just to kind of prime the pump.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

Right. So it has it has both if you're using it right at the moment, you think of it as something that goes in, gives you almost like that female Viagra, gives you that stimulation and then comes out. But if you're if you're building, if you're letting it kind of build up in the system, especially with the oxytocin, then you're gil getting a little bit more of that long-term benefit. Nice. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:24

How often do you think we should be having sex to be healthy?

SPEAKER_00 11:27

That's a great question. We did a podcast uh episode kind of on that topic. Um most of the research kind of fleshes out at least once a week. It's around 50 to 52 times a year. So if you're at least having sex once a week, I think from a relationship standpoint, a bonding standpoint, that's where it's the most effective. From a longevity standpoint, um we we kind of dug into that and there wasn't anything really definitive about it, but there was these varying numbers that still in the end kind of came down to about one time.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

And what's funny is there is a difference between men and women. It's not just stereotypical. There seems to be a physiologic and longevity difference between what men and women benefit from. And we're talking about quite an age range. So again, even people well past 50, 60 years old are going to get health benefits from frequency of sex. Things that are important to know is that quality benefited your health and your longevity more than quantity. So if you're having really good sex one time a week, that's better than mediocre sex five times a week. And we found that the research, as long as you're getting in that one time a week, which we feel like, gosh, that's not too much to ask. But really, if you can get that three times a week, that's like a magical number. That's when you're getting most of the body of research, as well as I would say anecdotal evidence that patients are reporting. When you're getting that frequency of about three times a week, you're really tipping the scales into better outcomes for your relationship, better outcomes for longevity, better outcomes for like mental and emotional overall wellness. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 13:02

Yeah, and we've got a prescription too. So we could take it even further. We've got the 30-day challenge. So we'll tell patients just have sex in any way, shape, or form that could be for you, even if it wasn't penetration or whatever. Have some kind of sexual intimacy, no matter what, at least one time a day for 30 days. And that can be transformative for relationships.

SPEAKER_02 13:22

What do you see come out of that 30 days?

SPEAKER_00 13:24

Well, that's what they realize that they actually can do it more often. Right. Um, they they start to the this uh sense of self-esteem really starts to improve, particularly I'd say, for women. But guys will feel that much closer as well. It's just a closeness that they had forgotten in many cases, and just making sure they just commit to it no matter what. Um, and yeah, and they realize they have room for it more than they thought.

SPEAKER_01 13:45

We really have gotten such incredible feedback on that simple request. First of all, I think it's just fun. I think in the beginning, people will just start to giggle with each other about it, like bringing that up in conversation, like you want to try having sex every day for 30 days, no matter what. Yeah. Makes people just automatically feel better. Um, and what's so wonderful about that experiment is that it really teaches a person that it doesn't always have to be this big overture. It doesn't have to be this romantic day. Now sometimes those quickies are all it takes to help you feel reconnected as a couple, but even for yourself, like the cathartic nature of having sex first thing in the morning. People are just feeling much better throughout the day. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 14:30

You mentioned something like quality over quantity. What does that really look like? Because someone's quality might be different person to person. Like you see, some people are super obsessed with getting an orgasm. Some people want their erection to be as big and hard as possible. But what are the variances you see or people talk about? Like what's normal? Because not everyone knows what's normal because they're not talking about it.

SPEAKER_01 14:57

That is a great question that I'm not sure anyone's ever posed to us before in the sense of recognizing the difference between what quality means person to person. It's something that we have talked about even within just our own podcast or our sessions with patients. Step one is having the right mate. And you need to be able to have those conversations. And we do talk about this idea, this kind of like societal critique that people are very comfortable with sexuality, but they're not very comfortable with intimacy. Yeah. And it's very difficult to have good sexuality if you're not having good intimacy. So one of the first things I would say to answer that question is people need to talk to each other about what makes good sex. Because you're right, it is different from person to person.

SPEAKER_00 15:44

Yeah, people aren't, they're not having couples, often don't have those conversations about what that really means. Um it's a it's amazing to me when I when they really kind of talk about it. It's it's a lot of wham, bam, thank you, ma'am, kind of uh situation, especially with guys when I talk it through or when I talk with women about what's going on with their relationship. Um, men, some and I'm kind of talking for guys here real quick. Um, they can be a little bit boring. So where I'm I'm often sort of lamenting on our podcast and telling guys, come on, guys, you know, be a little bit more adventurous, get creative, and that that creativity doesn't have to be about the actual sexual act. It's all that moment of penetration and those things. It's about the intimacy, it's about being clever, it's about the simple touch and these types of things. And uh, you know, and and getting women into your partner into a place of feeling safe and secure has so much to do with again, priming the pump is one of my favorite uh terms. Uh to have her then be ready to fully open, quite literally, yeah uh for the process. So that's an intimacy that has to start well before the act.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

Right. Yeah. And the opposite spectrum of that is what funny enough, I hear from a lot of women, which is this idea of my partner doesn't believe I'm satisfied if I don't orgasm. And what a misconception that is. I mean, we spend a lot of time working with couples, trying to help them come to a place of able to really communicate effectively with your partner to say, I don't need to orgasm each time to have satisfying sex, which is more true for the female. Yeah. Many women will be like, that was so wonderful, but they never orgasmed. And it is what it is what what what John's talking about, this idea of intimacy and that that satisfaction and that sexual satisfaction comes from connection. And that is a that is like a groundwork that isn't really about the bedroom. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:40

So yeah, those are and you know, even with let's say vaginal penetration and an orgasm that way, you know, many women just don't have that type of significant majority of women. Yes, yeah. So, you know, and then they I don't know, they think that they must have that because they heard about it, but it doesn't necessarily have to be. Um, so it's again, it's about communication, knowing that you're not alone.

SPEAKER_02 18:00

I do think that's key. And I think a a lot of people just don't talk about it. Or they see a movie or social media and they think it's gotta be like that. Right. That's a best friend. So let's fake it, you know? Yeah. And then that's the spiral of okay, I'm tired of faking it. Yes. But if as a woman you would just tell a man, I mean, you tell me, like, isn't it okay to say what you want?

SPEAKER_00 18:23

I from my perspective, I would prefer that. But you know, guys, um, you know, where they're not anywhere near as as perhaps verbal as women are, and so maybe they they they feel Men can have problems with um a lack of power.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 18:37

And if they don't feel that sense of power, then it can be really, really difficult for them to then even want to further open up. So I think it's where women need to feel safe and men gotta had have have a sense of sort of centralized power for themselves uh and an empowered in order for them to communicate those types of things.

SPEAKER_01 18:55

And I and I would add to that, I would add to that. I think so often the modern woman is hearing the story about how women are disenfranchised and their power has been taken away. And so there's almost like the pendulum's swung so far over to the side of empowered women that women have become castrating and then they're upset because the men aren't manly. So if if we're encouraging communication, then we need to do it on both ends. We need to say, how do we help men be receptive? How do women then deliver the information in a way that isn't castrating, isn't insulting? It really is about relationship building. Because what is true is that men and women both will report wanting their partner to be satisfied.

SPEAKER_02 19:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:38

So if we're encouraging communication, then we have to make sure the communication styles are matching up as well.

SPEAKER_02 19:43

Yeah. Which having the right partner helps too. Having the right partner helps. Yeah. What's your opinion on toys? This is we haven't talked about this in a while.

SPEAKER_00 19:53

I I think it's great if that's what is going to sort of work. I mean, I think it's an exploration for people. And that comes certainly back to the idea of communication and intimacy and about what somebody likes or not. You have to kind of go through that process and you know, head over the store and and pick out those things and try to see what works or not.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

It couldn't even be bonding to go and do that together. Yeah. Right. And this is a particularly important conversation with our older patients, especially the male partners having erectile dysfunction of sorts, an erectile dysfunction that is difficult to treat, or maybe you're in the beginning of treating, so you're not quite where you want to be. So we really try to break down those barriers and remind the person, it's it's like with anything that we do. It's like with medicine, right? It doesn't really matter what the tool is, it matters what the intention behind the use is. Yeah. So if you're using toys for the purposes of bonding, then then there's no taboo to that. Just make sure that you're on the same page about it and be very comfortable in saying I like this or I don't like it.

SPEAKER_00 20:54

Right. And being able to say no.

SPEAKER_01 20:55

I agree.

SPEAKER_02 20:56

I think that is your key, like communication. Communication for sure. I think it's just like the peptides. Peptides are a tool. Um so if if you're using hormones as a tool, you're using peptides, the toys can also be. But with all of these, you shouldn't force it on your partner, you should be on the same path course.

SPEAKER_00 21:15

Um and you know, and to kind of circle back to just the physician relationship. Um you have to be able to have a relationship also with someone that's gonna be able to navigate those types of things for you. We never it's never just these, it's just not hormones by itself or peptides by itself. It's uh, you know, it's not what you do, it's how you do it, it's not what you say, it's how you say. And you gotta bring that together in a relationship with someone that's gonna be able to guide you through those things. Um and look at you as a person and look at you as a whole.

SPEAKER_01 21:43

Yeah. And and I I I think that when couples uh start these journeys of wellness together, they're so much more effective. Both people will get more out of it for themselves and then they will get more out of it as a couple. So we do find that our patients are often coming in and then they say, you know what? I'm going to bring my partner and then pfft forget.

SPEAKER_00 22:07

When they come in together right then and there. Yeah. They they they take that journey together and they're encouraging one another. And, you know, it's it's such a a bonding experience of wellness for them. Yeah. Yeah. And then seeing all of that change from them. It's it's fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 22:23

Really quick, uh worst habit to destroy your sex life.

SPEAKER_00 22:29

Uh for men, I think it's uh pornography and excessive masturbation. I really think that that's um a problem. Not saying that someone they're back to the idea of toys and these various things, and not to say that it could be impossible for someone to utilize that, but that has been a problem. In fact, when you know part of our questionnaire for men and erectile dysfunction is to ask them about pornography because they're desensitizing themselves. Uh, they're also through it's literally a grip uh process that men are uh using their hand and it's different from vaginal penetration or a sensitive type of feel with the penis. And they're um they're actually doing damage to them when they're actually in the midst of regular sex. They they can't have it. It does it, yeah, that yeah, they're not sensing it, it's not working for them. Um so you know, excessive be, you know, it's a slippery slope, be very careful.

SPEAKER_01 23:24

Sure. And I would say from a female perspective, what I have observed to be the most damaging would be secrecy. I think women keep a very private life that sometimes is driven by shame or embarrassment, or they're like, oh, you know, I don't want pe I don't want my stomach to show, or I don't want my butt to show, or I'm fantasizing about a character from a show that I watch. And I think that all of those things, the only thing it's really doing is shutting them down from being able to experience good sex with their partner.

SPEAKER_02 23:53

Sure. How about the flip side of that? Best habit you could do to have great sex three times a week.

SPEAKER_00 24:00

Well, first of all, get your hormones checked. Yeah, uh, I mean, and and almost at any age, um, because you know, with women will they'll start having uh their testosterone lower after the age of 20. So by the time they get in their late 20s and 30s, it becomes clinically relevant for them.

SPEAKER_02 24:14

I seem both too high and too low. Both both in. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 24:17

So in the end, it's still about balance. So just having uh getting tested, um having a uh the coach, so to speak, with a physician relationship, I think is really important. Um, that would be maybe one key step for a lot of people.

SPEAKER_01 24:31

But I would agree. I think number one is definitely make sure that your physiology is there. This is for people who are experiencing low libido or not the best sex life. But I would say number two is just have sex. Like keep having sex. Good practice makes very good sex, and it doesn't matter because again, the more you're having it, the more comfortable you have with it, and the more it becomes something you just don't skip out on.

SPEAKER_02 24:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:54

So practice makes perfect.

SPEAKER_02 24:55

Practice makes perfect. You got it.

SPEAKER_00 24:57

Not a bad thing to practice for.

SPEAKER_02 24:58

I love it. Well, thank you for being with us today. This is fun. I love this topic. I I could go on and on with my questions, but we'll have to have you come back again. Absolutely. Thank you so much. You've got your prescription one to three times a week. And if you want to get hormones checked or learn some other tools, come see us.