Not getting any? You’re not alone: Women today have less time for sex than their 1950s counterparts. And it’s estimated that 40 million Americans have what experts call a sexless marriage (having sex less than 10 times a year).
A regular sex life is good for your health. It can satisfy all sorts of emotional- and physical-intimacy needs and help partners stay close, says Anita H. Clayton, MD, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Virginia and author of Satisfaction: Women, Sex, and the Quest for Intimacy. So why the dry spell? You can chalk it up to a sheer lack of time, but there are a slew of other reasons, too—from weight gain and perimenopause to technology overload (stop texting now) in the bedroom. Here’s how to beat the top 10 sex busters.
Reason 1: Your bed isn’t sexy anymore.
We hear it over and over again: The bed should be used for sex and sleep only. So why do so many of us insist on bringing third parties—laptops, PDAs, Law & Order—into the boudoir? All that technology and distraction can cause insomnia and put a damper on your sex life. After all, it’s harder to initiate sex if your spouse is hiding behind a newspaper or glued to the TV or if your hands are busy exploring the Web rather than his body.
Sex Rx: At a minimum, make the bedroom a no-technology zone, Clayton suggests. Then take a hard look at your life (from romance and work to entertainment and family), and give sex the priority it deserves. If you have to schedule sex like you do a meeting, do it!
Read More
An orgasm is a rush of pleasure that usually comes from contractions of the muscles in the vagina, anus, and abdomen. It can feel like light pops, waves, vibrations, an explosion, or anything in between.
More than 1,000 of you told us what really turns you on. See the results of our healthy sex survey!
Experts say there are six different ways you can be “in love.” And your love style may change over the course of your relationship.
Get your groove back. A hot and healthy sex life isn’t always as easy as 1-2-3. Read on and reconnect in the bedroom, with tips from our sex-perts.
With long hours at the office, money woes, and all the other stuff of family life, who has time for passion? But according to psychotherapist and sex educator Laura Berman, PhD, passion is so essential to healthy relationships that it’s worth making time for. In her new book, aptly titled The Passion Prescription: Ten Weeks to Your Best Sex—Ever! (Hyperion, $24.95), Berman offers a fun, easy-to-follow plan to improve your sex life.
How’s your sex life? Chicago relationship therapist Laura Berman, PhD, and her MD sister, Jennifer, a urologist in Los Angeles, asked 2,600 American women to answer that question for Secrets of the Sexually Satisfied Woman: Ten Keys to Unlocking Ultimate Pleasure (Hyperion). Laura Berman spoke with Health about the sexual temperature of the nation.
There aren’t many women we know who actually like standing naked in front of a mirror. But being comfortable with your body is vital for good sex. Women who are dissatisfied with their bodies are more inhibited in bed than those who are happy with their bodies—and that holds true whether they are a size 2 or a size 16. Self-assurance is what matters most, says New York sex therapist Edward Ratush, MD. Try these tips to make love with confidence. 
