Suzanne Somers says she has sex twice a day at age 73: ‘I’m kind of in that groove’
Baring all and posing in her “birthday suit” to celebrate turning 73 years old isn’t the only thing keeping Suzanne Somers feeling young.
In a new interview with the Daily Mail, the actress opens up about her sex life, revealing that she and husband Alan Hamel, 83, credit weekly shots of the melanocortin-based peptide PT-141 (also known as Bremelanotide or Vyleesi) with giving them a boost in the bedroom. According to Somers, the couple — who married in 1977 — make love twice a day thanks to the “sexual stimulant.”
“I usually say I sleep through one of them,” the “Three’s Company” star jokes of their twice-daily romps. “That's usually that one at 4 o'clock in the morning. But, you know, then again around 8 o'clock in the morning, I'm in the mood.”
A breast cancer survivor whose support of alternative treatments has caused controversy in the medical community, Somers has long sworn by bioidentical hormones, as documented in her 2006 book, Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones. She now claims that adding PT-141 shots — typically used to treat low sexual desire in cases without an underlying medical or emotional cause — has helped her get “in the mood.”
“I’m kind of in that groove, like when you were younger and you're in the mood all the time, and so is he because he's on hormone replacements,” she shared.
“I thought, ‘Wow, what a great thing.’ Because men have had Viagra, but this [is] actually a shot for both men and women that’s not a drug. It just stimulates that part of your brain that says, ‘Hey, I’m kind of in the mood.’ And so, isn’t that a wonderful thing? And it’s not a drug, so I love it.”
Sherry A. Ross, MD, a women’s health expert and the author of She-ology, thinks Somers is setting a good example by speaking out about her sex life — but cautions that not everyone may enjoy the same effects from the medication.
“I have to give Suzanne Somers credit for embracing sex and standing on a soap box to talk about it,” Ross tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “With the sexual injustice happening in the bedroom, women have not been given many viable options to help improve desire. Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) affects over 40 percent of women with very few treatment options. Unlike men, women’s sexual desire, excitement and energy tend to begin in that great organ above the shoulders, rather than the one below the waist. The daily stresses of work, money, children, relationships and diminished energy are common issues contributing to low libido in women. It’s not a myth, after all, that women are more complicated than men.”
Ross describes the FDA-approved Vylessi (the brand name for PT-141) as the “new kid on the block to help boost a women’s sex drive,” noting that the self-administered injection is typically used for pre-menopausal women.
“It’s been known to improve sexual desire for women a few times a month,” Ross says. “I would say Suzanne is having a better-than-average response to a medication that is only indicated for premenopausal women, not those in menopause. Love that Suzanne is talking about sex and ways to make it enjoyable and regular for women in menopause. With that said, Vyleesi is a drug — not a plant — for pre-menopausal women, which is not the case for Suzanne. Also, it’s only been FDA-approved since June of 2019.”
Ross adds that those interested in Vyleesi discuss it with a doctor first, and says its side effects can include nausea, vomiting, flushing, headaches and injection site reactions such as pain, swelling, and redness.
But with or without medication, things have always been steamy between Somers and Hamel, who met on the late-1960s game show, “The Anniversary Game.” The couple dated for nearly a decade before tying the knot, and Somers says it was lust at first sight.
“Oh, he's just so beautiful,” she told the Daily Mail. “I had sex with him on our very first date just in case there wasn't a second one. I just wanted to be with him that first time.”
Somers, whose next book, A New Way to Age, will be released in January, isn’t one for mystery. The star raised eyebrows two weeks ago when she shared a photo of her posing nude in honor of her 73rd birthday.
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