A middle-aged student writes of finding a sense of belonging with twenty-something-year-old classmates; a Saudi Arabian woman makes history at the top of Mount Everest; the funny things said when women say no to having children; the No. 1 killer of girls aged 15 to 19 globally is not a disease; and remembering the anniversary of Amelia Earhart’s extraordinary journey.

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, MD and Evelyn Hecht, PT, ATC

In today’s article, licensed physical therapist Evelyn Hecht explains how working to lengthen the pelvic-floor muscles can help restore a woman’s ability to have pleasurable, rather than painful, intercourse.

By Cecilia M. Ford, Ph.D.

We asked Dr. Cecilia Ford, a psychologist in private practice since 1987, to discuss a possible path to psychological recovery for the three victims of the horrific kidnappings in Central Ohio.

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, MD and Evelyn Hecht, PT, ATC

A menopausal woman loses approximately 70 percent of her estrogen levels, and when she has not had intercourse for three years, this combination causes the pelvic-floor muscles to tighten, making intercourse painful. The old motto “Use it or lose it” is very applicable here!

By Ro Howe

Our long-time contributor Ro Howe, chef/owner of Barraud Caterers, in New York City, had a grim, dour mom. Happily, she acquired several second mothers: the stern but benign Benedictine nuns at her boarding school. Here, in fond memory of the nuns-her-mothers, is a recipe for a real, and comforting, English pudding.

By Cecilia M. Ford, Ph.D.

“After my menstrual cycles began to change, I became more volatile, needed more sleep, and, for no reason, would sink into an emotional pit: feeling hopeless, having trouble concentrating, and not knowing how to climb out of the pit.” What should I do?

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, M.D. and Wulf H. Utian, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Patricia Yarberry Allen is a collaborative physician. Today, she calls on the expertise of reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Wulf Utian to counsel a 37-year-old woman suffering pain and depression after a complete hysterectomy.

By Cecilia M. Ford, Ph.D.

“In the golden age of Freudian psychology,” Dr. Ford counsels a woman whose husband is having an affair, “everything was always about sex. But the current thinking is that even SEX isn’t always about sex. Your husband’s infatuation with his trainer bears all the earmarks of a classic midlife crisis . . . his wish to feel young and powerful again.”

Letty Cottin Pogrebin’s wit, forthrightness, and perceptiveness make the book special. She calmly addresses the fears and selfish motivations we visitors would never admit to, and offers counsel on dilemmas we’d have no idea how to handle.

By Dr. Pat Allen and Dr. Joseph Safdieh

Dr. Pat Allen and Dr. Joseph Safdieh counsel a woman who is desperate for relief from severe menopausal symptoms, but has been advised not to take hormone therapy because she suffers from frequent migraines.

By Cecilia M. Ford, Ph.D.

Psychologist Cecilia M. Ford counsels a much-disliked office manager on (1) changing her behavior and (2) the power of praise.

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, M.D.

“Wearing my red three-quarter-length Akris red spring coat, my Josephine & Laurentina gray fur scarf over their fabulous black, thin-wool turtleneck, and Leggiadro gray wool stretch Capri pants with my favorite Stubbs & Wootton velvet shoes, I joined the other Lunatic to test my endurance. If they carried me out on a stretcher, at least I would be well dressed.”

By Patricia Yarberry Allen, MD and Timothy C. Dutta, MD, FACC

This week, Dr. Patricia Yarberry Allen asks cardiologist Timothy C. Dutta to counsel a survivor of Hodgkin’s disease who worries about the consequences of the radiation therapy that saved her life 16 years ago.

By Chris Lombardi

In “Holding Silvan,” Monica Wesolowska explores with honesty the kind of questions most of us don’t want to think about — the kind of choices people make for their loved ones when they’re about to die.

By Cecilia M. Ford, Ph.D.

To the anxious parents of a late-adolescent: It is hard to change your parenting style after all these years, but if you recognize that the needs of an adult child are different from those of the child you once knew, it will be easier.