Sexual Wellness Contributor Dre Gabrielle Landry

Hi! Dre. Gabrielle Landry here, I am a medical doctor with a special interest in women’s health. During my training and eventual practice, I realized that the field of women’s beauty and wellbeing was not treating women as a global entity in regards to their treatment. We often forget that women’s beauty is not only physical; it is a myriad of many factors, including intimate and everyday family life that goes beyond the traditional medical approach.

My practice at Elna Clinique, located in the Old Port of Montreal, is centred on uplifting women, and demystify and destigmatize aesthetic and sexual wellness treatments. Most of my patients are women suffering from painful intercourse, diminished sex drive, symptoms of hormonal dysfunction/menopause, or recurrent vaginal infections, as well as concerns about their skin, whether it be acne, rosacea, or wrinkles. The psychological burden generated by those concerns is often slipped under the rug during a traditional medical consultation, and therefore I offer a safe space for women to address their concerns openly and reveal innovative, precise and individualized treatment plans. The clinic offers a range of treatments both aesthetic (think injections and laser treatments for the face and body) and sexual wellness related (STD counseling and testing, vaginal rejuvenation through lasers and injections, etc).

1)   It is great to use your girlfriends as a sounding board for your most intimate issues, but I strongly suggest to all women, regardless of their age to speak to a medical professional. In most cases their concerns regarding their sexual health and wellness can be treated easily and result in a better quality of life.

2)   Stop comparing your sex life: Your friends, XXX movies, your workmates… everybody is different. And most of all, don’t pressure yourself. We should not base our behaviour on the social constructs on how women should behave. Do not have sex when you are not 100% up to it. It’s not worth it.

3) Vagina stress! Stop thinking your genitals are not normal because they do not look like another women’s. As there is a huge diversity in human bodies, genitals are the same in that they are all unique and constantly changing and evolving – your smell,  vaginal secretions and the size of your labia can fluctuate during your lifetime, influenced by different factors (hormones/pregnancy/lifestyle).

4)   It is not normal to experience painful intercourse. Sex should NEVER just be tolerated and uncomfortable. There are multiple reasons why you cannot enjoy the act of having sex:

5)  NEVER use soaps or scented feminine intimate products. Those can cause irritation or leads to discomfort or even infections.

If you have any questions for Dre. Gabrielle Landry, feel free to leave them in the comments below, or can contact her clinic Elna Clinique.

Feature image via Blush.