Hi, I'm Dr. Silvia Gioffreda
I'm a medical doctor and sex therapist passionate about
helping people rebuild a healthy, joyful relationship with their desire.
I was 15 when I joined my first sex education campaign, volunteering with the Italian Red Cross. It was the only campaign that accepted minors, so I can’t say I chose it. But I never left.
Medicine came next, then sexology, and now psychotherapy. Along the way I wrote a book, gave a TEDx talk, and sat with individuals and couples who were convinced something was wrong with them.
Most of the time, what needed attention was the context, not the person. Because desire isn’t a measure of love. It’s feedback. Stress, exhaustion, pressure, old beliefs and the state of your nervous system all shape it. And the idea that “real” desire should appear out of nowhere? That’s a cultural myth, not a medical standard.
My work sits where medicine, psychology and the body meet. I use evidence-based sex therapy tools, explained without judgement, and I look at the whole picture: your history, your relationship, your body, and the beliefs you carry about sex.
If your desire has gone quiet, I’d rather help you listen to it than try to force it back.
MY VIDEOS
FREE LESSONS
MY TED TALK
Rediscovering Pleasure:
A New Vision of Sexuality
(Italian recording with English subtitles)
Physician and clinical sexologist Dr. Silvia Gioffreda guides us on a unique journey that intertwines ocean waves and human intimacy, revealing the connection between sexual performance and anxiety. Through her personal and professional experience, Silvia explores how the obsession with orgasm has turned sex into a competition and offers a new approach to experiencing sexuality with authenticity and freedom. An opportunity to reflect and discover a more authentic perspective on pleasure and intimacy. Rediscover Pleasure: A New Vision of Sexuality. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
TESTIMONIALS
MY BOOK
Published by HarperCollins Italia. English translation will come soon.
A practical, inclusive guide to understanding your own body and others through pleasure.
Ready to discover what sexual pleasure actually means? Forget the clichés and the rules society imposed on you. It's time to let go of sex as a "performance" and experience it as discovery and play.
In this book, Dr. Silvia Gioffreda, known online as @lapopdoc, guides you through a journey of understanding your body and your sexuality, so you can reach pleasure that is authentic and genuinely yours.
Through practical guidance and the four foundational pillars of pleasure culture, consent, communication, and safety, you'll shed the beliefs and biases you've carried about sex and find a new way to enjoy it.
Alone or with a partner, you'll learn to explore unexpected erogenous zones and understand how to activate your brain's pleasure circuit.
It doesn't matter how many orgasms you've had or how many positions you know. With this book, you'll finally experience sex as a source of growth and freedom, becoming someone more deeply aware of yourself and contributing to a better world.
Discover sexuality like you've never seen it before.
290 pages. Published April 7, 2023.
MY CALENDAR
PRIVATE SESSION
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about working with me.
What happens during the Call?
In 60 minutes online, we look at what is actually going on: your history, your relationship, your body, and the beliefs you carry about sex.
You leave with a clearer understanding of what is shaping your experience and concrete next steps.
It’s for you if desire has faded, or if sex has started to feel like a duty or a performance.
What if the problem isn't desire?
Sometimes it isn’t. Low desire can be the visible part of something else: sex that hurts, difficulty with arousal or orgasm, the effects of medication or hormonal changes, or a relationship that no longer feels safe.
That’s where being a medical doctor makes a difference. We look at the whole picture, not just the symptom you arrived with.
And if your question is about something else entirely, you can still book. If it’s outside what I can help with, I’ll tell you honestly and point you in the right direction.
How much does a session cost?
A session costs $180 for 60 minutes, one to one with me. No packages to buy upfront, no hidden extras. You book one session and we see where it takes us.
Why pay for a session when I can learn this online for free?
I make a lot of free content myself, so I’m the last person who’d tell you it’s useless. Free content can show you how desire works in general. What it can’t do is look at your life: your relationship, your history, the particular way stress lands in your body. Reading about it is one thing. Having someone help you make sense of your own situation is another, and that’s what a session is for.
Will our conversation stay private?
Yes. I’m a medical doctor, so confidentiality isn’t just a promise I’m making on this page. It’s part of my professional duty. Nothing you share with me goes to anyone else, your partner included, unless you ask me to.
Should my partner join the session?
That’s up to you. A lot of people prefer to come alone the first time, because it’s easier to be honest when you don’t have to worry about how the other person is taking it. If you’d rather come together, that works too. And if you start alone and later want to bring your partner in, we can do that.
What if I feel awkward or don’t know where to start?
That feeling is completely normal. Talking about desire can feel exposing, especially if you’ve kept it to yourself for a long time. Most people begin with some version of “I don’t even know what to say,” and honestly, that’s a fine place to start.
You don’t need to prepare anything. I’ll guide the conversation, at your pace, and you only share what you’re ready to share. And nothing you tell me will shock me. I’ve heard it, I promise.
A lot of people tell me the hardest part was booking. Once they start talking, they feel lighter.
What happens after the first session?
For some people, one session is enough to see things differently and know what to do next. Others want to keep going. If that’s you, we’ll talk about what that could look like and you decide. There’s no sales pitch waiting for you at the end of the call.
