It's interesting how much has changed over the last decade. We're far more open about mental health than we used to be, conversations around hormones and menopause are finally becoming more mainstream and women are increasingly sharing their experiences of everything from burnout to body image. Yet when it comes to intimacy, there still seems to be an invisible line that many of us don't quite know how to cross.

For something that's such a normal part of life, it's surprising how many women still feel embarrassed talking about pleasure, desire or simply wanting to feel connected to their own bodies. Somewhere along the way, many of us absorbed the idea that intimacy was something that happened for someone else rather than something we were allowed to experience for ourselves.

We don't think those beliefs appear overnight. They're passed down quietly through generations, shaped by the conversations we never heard, the questions we didn't ask and the subtle messages that suggested "nice" women didn't talk about sex, let alone admit they wanted more from it. Even if those ideas weren't spoken out loud, many of us grew up feeling them.

What's encouraging is that we're starting to question those old beliefs. Women are becoming more curious about their own health, more willing to seek answers when something doesn't feel right and more comfortable acknowledging that intimacy is part of overall wellbeing, not something that sits in a completely separate category.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that being in a loving relationship automatically means your intimate needs are fulfilled. Anyone who's been in a long term relationship knows life is rarely that simple. Careers become demanding, children need your attention, stress creeps in, hormones shift and suddenly the version of yourself that once felt carefree and connected feels a little harder to find. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your relationship and it certainly doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. It simply means life changes, and so do we.

For many women, particularly through perimenopause and menopause, intimacy becomes even more complicated. Changes in hormones can affect desire, confidence and physical comfort, yet so many women are left thinking they should just put up with it because nobody has ever told them otherwise. We spend so much time talking about hot flushes and sleep disturbances that we often forget intimacy is another part of the conversation, despite the enormous impact it can have on confidence, relationships and overall quality of life.

What often gets overlooked is that intimacy isn't only about having a partner. The relationship you have with yourself matters just as much. Understanding your own body, recognising what feels good, letting go of guilt and allowing yourself to be curious without judgement are all part of building that connection. It's not selfish and it doesn't diminish your relationship with someone else. If anything, feeling more connected to yourself often strengthens every other relationship in your life.

Perhaps that's why more women are beginning to see intimate wellbeing the same way they view exercise, skincare or mental health. It's no longer about fixing a problem or waiting until something feels broken. It's about recognising that looking after yourself, in every sense of the word, is a worthwhile investment.

At Lusté, we believe intimate wellbeing deserves to be treated with the same care, respect and openness as every other aspect of women's health. Whether that's finding a gentle water based lubricant that makes intimacy comfortable again, taking time to journal through the mental load of everyday life, using affirmation cards to rebuild confidence or simply giving yourself permission to learn more about your body, every step is really about the same thing: reconnecting with yourself.

Maybe that's where the biggest shift is happening. Women are no longer waiting for permission to prioritise their own wellbeing. They're recognising that wanting intimacy, comfort and pleasure isn't something to apologise for. It's part of being human and the sooner we stop treating it as something to whisper about, the sooner more women will realise they've never been alone in feeling this way.