Sex advice is everywhere - but how much of it is rooted in or science, or reality? I’m Leigh Norén, sex therapist and host of In Bed with Science: a Sex Podcast, where we take findings from the research lab and make them helpful, and actually applicable to your sex life & relationship.
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Leigh Norén | Sex Therapist and Relationship Expert
Around 20 to 30% of women struggle to orgasm during partnered sex. And while there are plenty of reasons that get talked about — relationship issues, technique, and types of sex — they don't necessarily explain why it's so inconsistent. Why sometimes you can come, sometimes you can't, and you can't for the life of you find the pattern.
This week, I dig into a recent study that points to a factor most of us are barely looking at — and it might just be the missing piece.
We explore:
Why coming during partnered sex can be so inconsistent — and what the latest research can tell us about it
The surprising difference between inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD when it comes to orgasmic consistency
Why orgasm requires sustained attention, and how our culture trains us out of the exact thing sex needs us to do
The link between neurodivergence and kink — and what it tells us about staying present during sex
Concrete, science-backed ways to increase orgasm consistency during sex with a partner, ADHD symptoms or not
Timestamps:
03:47 — What the research found about ADHD and orgasms
06:07 — Why your ADHD subtype matters for coming
08:43 — Why presence during sex is so hard
14:14 — How shame carries into the bedroom
16:55 — Practical ways to stay present during sex
17:46 — The surprising link between ADHD and kink
The study in this episode:
Exploring Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptomatology in Relation to Women's Orgasmic Consistency (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00224499.2025.2489771#abstract)
Published in the Journal of Sex Research by Jensen-Fogt and Pedersen.
Interested in my services? Check them out here (https://leighnoren.com/all-services)
Join my 1:1 online program Re:Desire here (https://leighnoren.com/apply).
Do you want to submit a listener question for the podcast? Here's the link (https://airtable.com/apploL0ElRa01lJAk/pagT9VXL3OG25BwvA/form)
1 Sept 2026
Stop Trying to Recreate the Honeymoon Phase — Do This Instead (Why Desire Fades in Long-Term Relationships)
When couples have been together for years, boredom can start to feel like something you have to accept. You love each other, but somewhere along the way, you start wondering whether the spark left because your partner became boring — or because the relationship did.
In this episode, I dig into a study on self-expansion that offers a solution to that bordeom: curiosty. And the longer you've been together, the more important it may be to keep creating moments where you get to experience each other in new ways.
We explore:
Why knowing your partner so well can sometimes get in the way of wanting them
Why trying to recreate the honeymoon phase usually doesn't work — and what to do instead
How self-expanding activities can support desire and satisfaction in long-term relationships
What “doing something new together” can actually look like without grand gestures, weekends away, or turning your life upside down
The catch: why one interesting date night won't carry your desire for months, and what long-term desire requires over time
Timestamps:
02:14 — What the research found
05:54 — Why curiosity matters in long-term relationships
08:44 — Novelty beyond sex and techniques
14:16 — Why this matters more in longer relationships
19:49 — Small ways to bring aliveness back
The study in this episode:
Broadening Your Horizons: Self-Expanding Activities Promote Desire and Satisfaction in Established Romantic Relationships (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30265020/)
Published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology by Muise, Harasymchuk, Day, Bacev-Giles, Gere, and Impett.
Interested in my services? Check them out here (https://leighnoren.com/all-services)
Join my 1:1 online program Re:Desire here (https://leighnoren.com/apply).
Do you want to submit a listener question for the podcast? Here's the link (https://airtable.com/apploL0ElRa01lJAk/pagT9VXL3OG25BwvA/form)
11 Aug 2026
A Doctor Asks a Sex Therapist: Married at First Sight, Low Desire & What She Really Does All Day
This week's episode is a little different. I sat down with my cousin — Dr. Chloe Vites, a GP (doctor) based in the UK — and let her ask me all the questions people usually ask me at parties, on flights, and in the DMs.
Things like: Why I became a sex therapist. What I actually do in session. What it was really like filming Married at First Sight: Sweden. And the things I wish couples knew before it's too late.
In this episode, we explore:
The moment at 17 that made me decide this was going to be my career
Why I chose to specialise in low desire — and what most people get wrong about who actually struggles with low libido
What it was really like filming Married at First Sight: Sweden (GIft vid första ögonkastet) as one of three experts, and the parts that surprised me most
The biggest myth about desire — and why the most common assumption keeps couples stuck for years
What I wish couples in crisis knew (and why I really wish they wouldn't)
How I talk to my own kids about sex — and important steps not to skip
The hardest part of my work — and it isn't the topics you'd expect
01:16 — Why I became a sex therapist
03:51 — Specialising in low desire
06:28 — What sex therapy is really like
08:31 — Filming Married at First Sight Sweden (GVFÖ XL)
10:59 — The easiest & hardest parts of the job
15:59 — Being a female therapist with male clients
20:31 — How people react when they know my job (in dating & with acquaintances)
23:59 — The hardest conversation about sex for couples
28:02 — Talking to kids about sex (& how I talk to my own about it)
32:12 — What I used to believe about sex
33:30 — What people get wrong about desire
37:38 — MAFS Sweden & analysing people as an occupational hazard
40:41 — What I wish every couple knew
Interested in my services? Check them out here (https://leighnoren.com/all-services)
Join my 1:1 online program Re:Desire here (https://leighnoren.com/apply).
Do you want to submit a listener question for the podcast? Here's the link (https://airtable.com/apploL0ElRa01lJAk/pagT9VXL3OG25BwvA/form)
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401
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.5 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 50 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
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Social presence
0
YouTube
66
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