Is Sex Good For You? Yes!

-- Nestor Besas [nestor_besas@yahoo.com] wrote:

Is Sex Good For You? the answer is yes!
by Dr. Jeffrey Kaufman, President of the American Association of Clinical Urologists.

Regardless of anything else running through your mind in the aftermath of a sexual encounter, many want to know: Was it good for you?

Sex is healthy for the prostate.

Chronic prostate irritation, or prostatitis, can result in pelvic discomfort as well as problems with urinating frequency and urgency. Doctors often recommend routine sexual activity to men with prostatitis because ejaculations help flush the prostate clean. The gland’s function is to contribute to the production of seminal fluid, and regular evacuations represent a pleasurable bit of self-care.

However, the recommendation is difficult to follow when inflammation from prostatitis impairs sexual functionality. Dr. Jeffrey Kaufman, president of the American Association of Clinical Urologists, explains that medical intervention can help. “Medication for the prostate or a pill like Viagra can help break the cycle and enable a man to perform,” says Kaufman. “As his sexual function gets better, his urinary function may get better until generally he’s having fewer problems.”

Kaufman adds that a man won’t become ill from not having sex (regardless of complaints to the contrary), but being active does promote better prostate health.

In women, sex maintains tissue elasticity and moisture.

Dr. Barbara Levy, a gynecologist in private practice in the Seattle area, explains that a regular sex life is important for maintaining healthy tissue as women age. “There is something to the adage ‘Use it or lose it,’” she says. “Especially in perimenopausal and menopausal women, sex maintains the integrity of vaginal and vulvar tissues. As hormone levels go down, a consistent sexual life will maintain the elasticity and moisture in those tissues.”

Dashed expectations can lead to real pain.

Infamously, a man can experience dull pain in the pelvis when a sexual act is cut short prior to climax. Kaufman describes the condition known medically as pelvic venous engorgement: “As the male body prepares for orgasm, one of the physiologic parameters is the increase of blood flow in the pelvis. When you’re stimulated to the point that you should be reaching orgasm—and, for whatever reason, you’re prevented from reaching it—there is pelvic engorgement of the blood vessels in the pelvis.”

That fullness in the veins leads to the ache. Contrary to what one may have guessed based on a schoolyard education, the pain doesn’t result from backed-up seminal fluid in the testicles (in fact, the testes are responsible for only about 1 percent of the ejaculate’s makeup). So why would testes in such a state be referred to as “blue” in the vernacular? Maybe they’re just sad.

Most claims about the health benefits of sex are subjective.

Visit the Sexual Studies section at your local bookstore and you can read declarations that sex fights cancer, limits depression, boosts the immune system, reduces risk of stroke, improves sense of smell and achieves world peace. Barring a handful of small studies, there is little science behind these claims.

What we do know is that people have a sense of well-being when they are physically active and when they enjoy intimate relationships. In these ways, sex shares in developing a healthy state of mind and body. The evidence is subjective much beyond that. A roll in the hay may very well fix that crick in your neck, but don’t ask for proof. “Just because we can’t prove it doesn’t mean we can’t believe it,” says Levy. “It just means we can’t make these claims with scientific certainty.”

No study has established sex as a painkiller.

Because orgasm promotes a spike in the production of the pain-dulling hormones endorphin and cortisol, it has been posited that sex relieves all kinds of aches and pains, including rheumatism and migraines. Most people basking in the afterglow will attest that their body feels good, and it’s a no-brainer that a satisfying encounter can temporarily relieve tension and stress (which lead to any number of ailments). But, as Kaufman explains, trying to relate sexual activity to pain relief is a difficult task.

“There is some relation to pain perception, but we don’t know exactly what it is,” says Kaufman. “Certainly there’s endorphin release with orgasm, but not there’s not a chronic [continual] elevation of endorphin levels like we see in someone who exercises vigorously week after week.” Therefore, it’s unlikely anyone could have enough sex to sustain hormone levels that might lead to genuine, sustained pain relief. It would be fun to try, though.

Take These Tips to Bed!

Too tired, never in the mood. Turn things around with this expert advice.

Isn't it a little unfair that guys can just take a pill when their sex drive is flagging? Even though drugmakers are hotly searching for female versions of Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra, it's pretty clear that there won't be a magic bullet for women at least for a while.

"There's not going to be one panacea—one cream or spray or nasal delivery system—that cures all women of sexual dysfunction," says Laura Berman, PhD, a sex therapist, director of Chicago's Berman Center, and half of cable TV's "Sister Act" (with Jennifer, a urologist) on the Discovery Health channel.

Until the female Viagra, there's self-help—and plenty of it works. Read on to find the most common sex-life saboteurs, the real reasons behind them, and expert advice on how to handle them.

You're Tired
No matter what causes it—insomnia, working the late shift, a new baby—exhaustion is no aphrodisiac. All you want to do in your bed is sleep. How do you perk up your love life when you're anything but perky? Try the following:

Make the time.
"How important is sex and, because they're related, how important is your marriage?" asks Janet Hyde, PhD, a professor of psychology and women's studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Everyone says they're busy. But my husband and I make time for sex. Things that are important should come first." So, turn off "The Amazing Race," and turn each other on. If you have to, says Hyde, make a date that morning so you both can think about it—and each other—all day.

Do it after exercise.
For some people, exercising too close to bedtime makes it hard for them to sleep. Take advantage of that found energy. "After 35 to 40 minutes of moderate exercise, everything in your body is going right," says Hyde. "Your blood is circulating, your nervous system is firing, so scheduling sex right after you exercise makes for good sex."

Compromise.
If your partner comes on to you after a particularly grueling day, you're likely to get angry because he doesn't see how exhausted you are, says Marianne Brandon, PhD, cofounder, with Andrew Goldstein, MD, of the Sexual Wellness Center in Annapolis, MD. "Offer a compromise," recommends Brandon. "There are things you can do for your partner other than intercourse that are less draining but still satisfying, such as oral sex or holding or caressing him while he masturbates."

You're Angry
Relationship problems are often the uninvited trois in your menage. "Some disputes between partners are disguised as sexual problems," says Leonore Tiefer, PhD, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine and author of "Sex Is Not a Natural Act."

"It's easier to say, 'I'm not interested' or 'I have a headache,' when the truth is, 'I'm mad at you.'" Don't try to deal with the anger by shutting down sexually. If you do, you'll both end up suffering.

Use words.
Let your partner know that you want to talk about something important. "If he doesn't have advance warning, he may feel blindsided," says Brandon. "You can say, 'There's something going on. I want to talk about it and get your thoughts. What's a good time?'" Pick a time when you won't be interrupted, i.e., when the kids are asleep.

Listen.
Pay attention to what your partner is saying; don't use the time while he's talking to think up a snappy rebuttal. Remember, you're trying to reach consensus, not win. And don't expect an immediate resolution, says Brandon. "What's important is to stay in touch, so no one feels isolated. You need an ongoing dialogue."

You're Bored
"Relationships can settle into patterns that don't support a healthy sex life," Brandon says. "For example, couples can become more like friends than lovers and can lose that sexual spark." A routine repertoire of lovemaking techniques can make you feel ho-hum about sex. Here's how to spice it up.

Resurrect great memories.
Make time every day to fantasize about having great sex with your partner. "When you imagine enjoying sex, it helps you get your body aroused," says Brandon.

Try some risky business.
Do something you thought you'd never do. Find a new position—or a new location—that thrills you both.

Slow it down.
Has sex gotten a little perfunctory? "Quick sex offers next to no pleasure most of the time," says Brandon. "It's like eating ice cream: If you gobble it down, your experience will be much less pleasurable than if you savor every bite. Slow it down until it takes three times longer than it usually takes."

Initiate sex talk.
"Often couples have different ideas of what sex is for: One feels that it's for romance and bonding; the other feels that's much too serious, and it's just about having an orgasm," says Tiefer. Talk about your feelings in a neutral place (not your bed) with the idea that you're working on a project (your sex life) as colleagues, not negotiating a settlement like two sides in a labor dispute.

Remember, says Tiefer: "Sex is a lot like dancing. There's the same type of cooperating, making mistakes, and correction and praise back and forth before you get it right."

You're in Pain
Roughly 86% of women have some sexual dysfunction in the first year after they have a child. Fatigue and the delirious love you feel for your new baby play a role in sidetracking your sex life, but much of it is hormonal. "Nursing can affect your libido and your ability to be aroused, and it can even make sex painful," says Goldstein.

Breastfeeding lowers your body's production of the three chemicals you need for a healthy sex life—the hormones estrogen and testosterone and the brain chemical dopamine—as it turns all the body's attention, via the hormone prolactin, to milk production. You lose your desire for sex, and your body isn't able to prepare for it even if you do get the urge. Without enough estrogen, your vaginal walls thin out and don't produce the lubrication you need for intercourse, so sex can hurt. (A similar problem occurs during menopause.)

"Also, women often take a progesterone-only Pill during lactation, and progesterone is one of the main sexual saboteurs," says Goldstein.

Nursing isn't the only thing that can wreak havoc with your hormones. Taking the birth control pill, going through menopause, or having your ovaries removed can disrupt the delicate balance—sometimes dramatically.

Testosterone levels also start declining naturally in women in their late 20s and are significantly decreased by the time a woman is in her 40s. "It's not a menopausal thing," explains Goldstein. What is menopausal: the cessation of ovulation and gradual decline of estrogen from the ovaries. The drop-off of testosterone lowers libido while the lack of estrogen further exacerbates the problem by reducing lubrication and thinning vaginal walls, making sex painful.

Having your ovaries removed, a surgery called oophorectomy, sends you into abrupt menopause because the ovaries are your body's most prolific producer of estrogen. Testosterone also plummets after an oophorectomy.

Some serious medical conditions—endometriosis, ovarian cancer, interstitial cystitis (inflammation of the bladder)—can also cause pain during sex and at other times. By some estimates, as many as 16% of women may have an ailment called vulvar vestibulitis, or vulvodynia, characterized by chronic pain and inflammation at the opening of the vagina. Some women may also have pelvic floor dysfunction, a syndrome that can include painful muscle spasms, often precipitated by childbirth, scoliosis, or lower-back problems that lead to misalignment of the pelvis.