Sexual Health is Whole Health : A Conversation for Sexual Health Week

Written by Sarah Martinez-Murray, Founder of Slyde Body

Sexual Health Week is here, and while a lot of the headlines will talk about condoms, clinics, and STIs, let’s get real: sexual health is so much bigger than a trip to the doctors.

It’s about how connected you feel to your body, how safe you feel in your skin, and how much space you give yourself to feel pleasure.

At Slyde Body, we believe sexual wellness is health, full stop. It’s not a nice-to-have or an “extra” you squeeze in after gym classes, supplements, and skincare routines.  

Your sensuality, your ability to access desire, and the rituals you create around intimacy -- with yourself or someone else - are deeply linked to your nervous system, hormones, and overall wellbeing.

This week is a reminder: your sexual health matters. And it matters at every stage of your life.

Slyde Body was built for women who are done waiting for permission to feel good. Our elixirs, oils, and rituals are crafted to support not just the physical body, but the inner terrain of stress, hormones, and nervous system balance that underpins desire.

Because here’s the truth: you can’t fake feeling alive. You either feel lit up from within, or you don’t and that’s where sensual rituals come in.

Pleasure isn’t only about sex. It’s about slowing down, reclaiming softness, and reminding your body that it’s safe to open.

We create tools that anchor you back into that truth.

And while Slyde Body is about ritual, rhythm, and nourishment, we’re also celebrating our sisters in sexual wellness this week: SheSpot.

SheSpot is the kind of destination women have been waiting for - a modern, stigma-free space where you can explore pleasure products from multiple trusted brands. Think of it like the Selfridges of sexual wellness: beautifully curated, safe, and empowering.

We’re united in a shared mission: to give women spaces where sexual wellness feels safe, nourishing, and unapologetically celebrated. Together, we create room for women to feel supported, to explore, to experiment, and to return home to their own pleasure - without shame, pressure, or stigma. Because every woman deserves to feel held, resourced, and free to deepen her connection to herself.

Sexual Wellness Across Life Stages

Your body changes. Your desires change. What you need in your 20s is not what you’ll crave in your 40s, or your 60s. That’s the beauty of being a woman - we’re cyclical, layered, evolving.

When we look at it in our 20s & 30s

Exploration & Foundation of self In our 20s and 30s, it’s all about exploring - the era of firsts. First partners, first toys, first time really listening to what your body wants (and what it doesn’t). It’s about boundaries, curiosity, and experimenting in ways that feel safe and nourishing, while building the foundations of a healthy, self-respecting relationship with your body.

In Your 30s & 40s:

Transformation & Reconnection Life gets louder here. Careers, kids, stress, hormones — it can all pull you away from yourself. Desire doesn’t vanish, but it can feel buried under responsibility. This is when reconnecting with your body becomes medicine. It’s about finding products and practices that truly nurture your nervous system, and asking yourself honestly: what do I want now? The answer is allowed to be different than before. It’s allowed to change. And in that honesty, you rediscover what really turns you on. 

In Your 40s & 50s:

Midlife Power & Transition Perimenopause and menopause arrive with their own challenges - dryness, shifting desire, changing energy. But let’s be real: midlife can also be the sexiest, most powerful time of your life. With the right support (lubrication, hormone friendly rituals, toys that adapt to your body’s needs), you’re not “losing” anything. You’re stepping into unapologetic ownership of your pleasure.

60s and Beyond:

Ageless Pleasure & Freedom Pleasure has no expiry date. In fact, many women find intimacy becomes even more liberating later in life - no pressure, no scripts, just freedom. Here, comfort and confidence are key. Think nourishing oils, soothing elixirs, and toys that prioritise ease of use. This is about pleasure as your birthright, no matter your age.

Whole Health, Whole Life

Sexual health isn’t just about what happens between the sheets. It’s about how you carry yourself through the world. Feeling connected, confident, and tuned into your body ripples out into every area of your life - from relationships to creativity to career.

This Sexual Health Week, we invite you to remember: you are allowed to prioritise your sexual wellbeing, for you and your wellbeing.

No rules, no obligations or needs. Not once in a while. Not only when things “go wrong.” But always. Because sexual health is whole health.

And you deserve it.