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Susan Kellogg Spadt, PhD, CRNP, IF, CST

Pelvic Pain Specialist

Professor of OB-GYN at Drexel University College of Medicine

Professor of Human Sexuality at Widener University

Assistant Professor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Bryn Mawr, PA

Dr. Susan Kellogg Spadt is a nationally recognized expert in pelvic/vulvar pain and sexual dysfunction who treats patients from the greater Philadelphia/tri-state area and throughout the United States. She performs direct patient care and consultative services as a vulvar specialist, sexual dysfunction clinician and therapist.

Dr. Susan Kellog Spadt is a professor of OB-GYN at Drexel University College of Medicine; professor of human sexuality at Widener University; assistant professor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and clinical associate faculty at the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson University. She is a certified sexual therapist and educator and is a fellow of the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health.

Dr. Susan Kellogg Spadt has authored/co-authored two books, 15 book chapters, more than 75 peer-reviewed articles, and has been a featured columnist in Women's Health Care, The Female Patient, Contemporary Sexuality, and The New York Times.

She speaks internationally on genital health and human sexuality and has been featured in popular venues, including The Today, Show, 20/20, CNN, Cosmopolitan, Discovery Channel and WebMD.

Dr. Susan Kellogg Spadt is currently the director of female medicine at the Center for Pelvic Medicine, Academic Urology of PA, LLC.

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Vacation Sex

Ask the Expert

Q:

I've heard about vacation sex. What is it, and can it improve my sex life with my partner?

A:

Vacation sex is just what it sounds like: sex while you're on vacation. You may leave home as a stressed couple who hasn't had great sex in months, but after a day or so enjoying the novelty of your destination (and leaving your hectic day-to-day schedules behind) you may turn into that couple you felt you were when you first met-passionate and crazy about each other. Novelty, it turns out, may help increase levels of "feel good" neurotransmitters in the brain, such as dopamine. This may provide some explanation for the motivation to seek out novel and pleasurable activities-like sex.

Now, obviously this strategy doesn't work on all vacations! Visiting your in-laws and sleeping on the fold-out couch in the family room while their golden retriever snores at your feet is certainly not desire inducing. The key is going away alone or, at the very least, getting some time alone on a family vacation. If the kids are old enough, consider putting them in their own room. The key is getting away from the routine and building time into your schedule to simply relax and be together.

While there's no official research on vacation sex, common sense suggests that a change of scenery + shedding of responsibilities = stress reduction. And there is plenty of research on the negative effects of stress on sex!

Can't manage a week on a tropical island? No problem. Book yourself and your partner into a nearby hotel for the weekend and ask a family friend to help watch the kids. Bring with you whatever you know to be a spark for romance: a bottle of wine, some romantic music, nice lingerie, and, maybe, some adult toys. Plan to order in room service, sleep when you get tired, indulge in long baths and take time to communicate and reconnect sexually.

You will emerge revitalized and, if you're lucky, the benefits may spill over into the everyday-for at least a few days!

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