Tag Archives: sexual health

Taking care of your sexual health

Sex is not all about having a mind-blowing, orgasm filled, and satisfying sex. It is a little more than that. There are so many things involved with having sex which includes the sexual organs, reproduction, infections, STDs and so on. If you have decided to live a sexually active life, then you would need to take responsibility for your actions. Here are some aspects of sexual health you should know about:

What sex entails

This talks about the whole essence of sex, beginning from the desire to have it, how to get stimulated and your response or reaction to it. Knowing the basics will enable you to have a clear understanding of what you are getting into so you don’t become confused or frustrated at some events that may occur during sex.

The reproductive cycle

One of the reasons for having sex is for reproduction. But is this the reason most people have sex? No. people just want to feel good and have orgasms. Identify what you want out of sex. Do you want babies? Learn how to track your cycle and what things that are required of you to do in order to have a healthy pregnancy. You don’t want to make babies? Get information about ways to prevent conception during sex. Birth controls, condoms, vasectomy and so on are tools you can use to be on a safe side.

Erectile dysfunction

This is one issue that disturbs men of all ages. Knowing about the causes of erectile dysfunction and prevention will help you have a better sex life. No one wants to be with a guy that can’t get or sustain an erection. It would end up making you and your partner frustrated. So help everyone and get yourself informed.

Higher Libido

Sexual desire varies which could cause one partner to desire sex more often than the other. This is often mistaken as sex addiction but they are quite different. Know how to reduce your libido to match that of your partner could reduce the conflict most couples have because of this issue. You could also get someone with a libido as high as yours.

Vaginal dryness

One of the struggles of women who are either pregnant or are in their menopause. This could cause friction between partners as one party might not have a desire for sex and the other might not even feel satisfied because of the dryness of the vagina. Knowing what to do in such situations like getting a lubricant in form of a tube or condom might fix the problem. Consulting your doctor at this time will also be appropriate.

Guarding against infection

This entails learning about the different types as well as consequences of infection should be first on the list. This is followed by prevention which deals with taking necessary steps to prevent sexually transmitted diseases or infections. Prevention is important to limit the spread of these diseases thereby protecting your health and that of others. You should also know about getting a test for STDs. How often should you get a test and why it is important to be tested? Then, you need to know how to live with STDs if you have contracted one.

Smoking and sex

There used to be a time when it was considered beneficial for your health to smoke. That’s right, the tobacco industry had it really well back in the day – people from all walks of life were starting to smoke cigarettes. But as time went on, it became obvious that this was a rosy image of the reality. Serious side effects were discovered by scientists and medical experts when it comes to smoking. And one of the ways in which smoking can affect your life is through the ruining of your sex drive.

Many people would say that smoking half a pack of cigarettes daily is not that big of a deal. After all, we’re not talking about a lot of cigarettes. And while it’s infinitely better to smoke half a pack of cigarettes than two packs of cigarettes on a daily basis – it still doesn’t mean that it’s all right to smoke at all.

In fact, it has been shown that even a few cigarettes a day can have an adverse effect on your sexual health. Your goal should be to decrease the number of cigarettes you’re smoking, and in best case scenario, to quit smoking altogether.

The way smoking can ruin your sexual health is through wrecking your cardiovascular health. Time and time against it’s been shown that smoking is very bad for your heart. And the heart plays a powerful function when it comes to our libido – for example, the heart pumps blood into the penis in the case of men, and this helps it become erect. If your blood vessels become damaged from the smoke of cigarettes that you have inhaled for years on end, then this may ruin the process of achieving a hard erection for men. It’s very much similar in the case of women as well.

There’s also another important part that many people miss when it comes to smoking and sex. Smokers have notoriously bad breaths. If you ask any person to describe a smoker’s breath, then chances are that they’ll use terms such as “disgusting” and “stinky”. How do you think this relates to your partner’s sexual drive? It’s not very conducive towards getting aroused if you smell someone’s breath and it smells of cigarettes. So, there’s another way in which smoking can improve your sexual life.

It’s also scientifically shown that smoking has a detrimental role in your fertility as well. If you wish to one day have children, then ceasing your habit of smoking is one of the best things that you could do to this end.

And in the end, smoking is not only bad for your sex life, but also for your overall health as well. There are many ways in which smoking damages your body. Your lungs suffer, your heart suffers, your blood vessels suffer. In fact, all the organs in your body suffer from your habit of smoking. The best thing to do here is to quit and quit for good. Sure, it won’t be easy, but in the end, it will be well worth your effort.

Natural ways to increase fertility

Having a child is one of the most profound, powerful experiences that we can have in life. Typically, most people would like to have a child at some point or another in life, and if you’re not a parent already, then you have no clue of what it means to have a child of your own. But the sad fact is that some people simply can’t have babies – they have issues with fertility. In some cases, infertility is incurable. This is a sad fact, but some people will never be able to have children on their own.

But luckily, in most cases, you can do something in order to boost your fertility. Below you will find a list of some of the best ways in which you can do this. And we’re not talking about taking potentially harmful pills or having expensive surgeries that may ruin your life if done improperly.

What we have in mind is for you to do some wholly natural things and increase your fertility in this way.

The first thing that all people need to do, not just for boosting their fertility, but for improving their sexual health in general – is to exercise. Exercise is shown in many scientific studies that it’s nature’s miracle drug that improves your health in myriads of different ways. No matter who you are, you will benefit from exercising frequently. Everyone can spare some time in their lives so that they can do simple workouts for 20 minutes per day. And the best thing about all this is that exercise can also increase your fertility, among other things. So, be sure to read up more about the powerful potential that exercise has – and be sure to implement it in your sex life.

If you’re a passionate smoker – then this is a thing that you will have to change. Smoking is shown to be the opposite of what exercise is all about – it literally kills your body. Studies continuously show that smoking is one of the worst habits that you may have, and no matter who you are, it will do you a world of service to stop smoking. Smoking may also wreck your level of fertility – so here’s another reason for you to stop smoking right now.

The diet is a thing that most people don’t really care about, even though we know that it’s very important. Make sure that you eat natural foods, and that you evade eating processed foods – and this will definitely improve your fertility. Vegetables are a must, every day, make sure that you eat them in various colors so as to derive the biggest benefit from this type of food.

So, if you follow our advice from above, then you may very well experience an increase in your fertility so as to be able to finally have a child. We sincerely hope that you will get your wish, as having a child is, again, one of the most powerful, beautiful experiences that a person can have in a lifetime.

5 surprising benefits of having regular sex

We all know that sex is one of the most pleasurable activities that we can indulge in as people. But did you know that there are some other benefits that you will experience if you have regular sex, besides the awesomeness of the experience itself? Below you will find a list of the 5 most important benefits that you will experience if you’re having regular sex.

  1. You will have a healthier immune system. There are several studies that are done on the subject of sexual health, and most of them have shown a tight correlation of having superior immune system function and having regular sex. There are immunes system antibodies that fight disease – they are present in greater numbers in the bodies of people that have regular sex, as compared to people that don’t have any.
  2. It will increase libido in men. You may think that having regular sex will diminish your libido – but in fact, the opposite is true in most cases. If you have sex you will want to have even more sex – the enjoyment that you derive from this activity won’t fade off, but it will get increased even more.
  3. There’s a link between regular sex and low blood pressure. There are quite a few studies done on this subject as well, and they have shown that people that have regular sex have lower blood pressure on average than the people that don’t have sex. One study has shown that the diastolic pressure is lower in the case of a person having regular sex (but not in the case of a person regularly masturbating). As we all know, high blood pressure is known as the silent killer – and if you manage to lower it you will have staved off a big chance of heart disease later on in life.
  4. You will have the best sleep of your life. After reaching intense orgasm, there’s a sleep-promoting change that happens in your body. And this change comes in the form of the increased quantity of the hormone called prolactin, which is a “feel good” hormone and it provides calmness and relaxation for your body.
  5. Sex distresses your body and mind. If you find that you have a lot going on in your mind and that the world weighs down on you – having sex is one of the best things that you can do in order to ease off the pressure. You will be able to expend all of the negative energy that you have accumulated in the time period, in a highly positive way. And if you remember the previous point – your body will secrete more of the hormone called prolactin, which will relax you even more so. If you find that you’re overly stressed – having sex is a life-saver.

Surprisingly, these are not the only benefits that you will experience from having sex. But it would take a lot more than a small article to explain the full plethora of physical and psychological health-promoting benefits of sex. We advise you to find them all out for yourself.

An Introduction To Sexual Self-Confidence

Sexual self-confidence is defined as a manifestation of the attitude we have towards our own body in our relationship with the partner, in both sexual and less sexual activities. It determines how safely and confidently we act, how we behave during sex and what our body language is saying in general and how we are perceived in specific environment. We can’t provide an universal answer about how we can acquire it because we are all different and we have to walk our own path to self-fulfillment, but we usually face the same obstacles.

We must know how to relax

In some people, the uncertainty that they feel doesn’t allow them to let themselves fully in the sex game and explore what we want. Fear of rejection may force each of us to focus only on the partner when we are having sex and consciously forget our own pleasure. We usually say, I am less important because we feel that our partner’s happiness and satisfaction is more important than our own. This is wrong because we should both enjoy sexual activity and there are situations when we need to be selfish! lasting longer in bed

We must know how to achieve satisfaction

This is one of the most important elements of sexual confidence. A person who is confident in their capabilities and desires knows how to achieve orgasms easily. They know what they want and what they dislike, they know what they would like to try someday and they know what seems to be repulsive. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you have to be some kind of expert in the field of sexuality, but it certainly means that you should explore new things in a playful and mischievous manner. You need to feel safe in your own skin and let yourself express your sexual desires. Those who feel comfortable in their own skin certainly know what and how to get things. sex pill cure ed dysfunction

Beauty is a relative thing

Cellulite, pimples, acne, obesity, baldness are some of the flaws that almost every person has. Each of us has at least one or usually several things on themselves that they want to change and this is how human nature works. That’s why it doesn’t really matter how we perceive ourselves, but how satisfied we are with ourselves despite these shortcomings. Confidence is definitely sexy and sufficient reason to leave a good impression.

Men ignite, women react

A good portion of our poor sexual confidence can be attributed to the society in which we live. The society dictates how we should act during sex. It is not unusual to hear that the man is the one who initiates sex, leads the intercourse and suggests new positions or even new toys in the bedroom. It is also believed that they have strong sexual fantasies and can’t live without sex. On the other hand, women just need to react and follow. They need to wait because otherwise they can get labeled by the community. The good news is that these beliefs are fading away and more and more couples acknowledge the fact that sex is not some kind of activity in which every individual has its role depending on their gender.

The Power of Sexual Fantasies

According to many sexual health experts, sexual fantasies are completely natural, universal psychological phenomenon which is similar to daydreaming. Just like dreaming, some sexual fantasies are fun and satisfying while others can cause unpleasant feelings.

This kind of daydreaming comes quite naturally in both men and women, regardless of the motives and drives. Sexual fantasies that enhance self-esteem and intimacy with our partner are the ones that we crave for the most. Each of us should deepen our knowledge and understanding of our own intimate thoughts, because the more we know about sexual fantasies the more firmer stance we will built on our sexual desires in reality.

The range of sexual fantasies is really great. Nothing can set limitations besides the imagination and fear and fear should definitely be out of the picture. No matter how dangerous and odd some of your sexual fantasies looks never take them literally and seriously. Sometimes,  if you imagine having sex with your neighbor or even your boss this doesn’t mean that you really want to have sex with them or seduce them.

Women are more inclined to sexual fantasies because they make them feel sexy. They can also help them reach orgasm easier and satisfy their curiosity and relax. Sexual fantasies are something really intimate and it can definitely make anyone feel relaxed. It is good to point out that men don’t have an exclusive right to sexual fantasies. Numerous studies have shown that men fantasize about sex two times more than women, but this doesn’t mean that women don’t use their imagination. It is also interesting that male fantasies usually include raw physical action, while women’s fantasies are more romantic and emotional. Erotic daydreaming can encourage passion in both women and men. Women who often fantasize about sex are more likely to have sex. They also seem to enjoy more while having sex.

If your long-term relationship or marriage have fallen into a well known routine and the sexual tension is lost somewhere between your duties on work and concerns about the future of your household, it might be a good idea to try to use your imagination. This doesn’t mean that you are getting away from your partner or that you are creating your own fantasy world. This situation is exactly the opposite because sexual fantasies help you understand what you are looking for and what you are missing. If you trust your partner, feel free to share your thoughts without any fear because there is a good chance that he is fantasizing too. As we have mentioned before this is a natural phenomenon.

As many experts claim, women who have found the right way to fantasize have boost the libido and they have also increased their self-confidence even after performing mastectomy or similar surgical intervention.

Bu accepting sexual fantasies and other roles that we assign in our thoughts, we become freer and we accept these thoughts that accelerate our heart rate without any shame. Sexual fantasies can be very beneficial if we accept them with an open mind.

Smoking And Sexual Health

Most anyone knows that smoking is bad for you. It can damage the lungs, the heart, the brain, the kidneys and most any organ of the human body. A whole lot of diseases have extremely higher potential to appear in a person that’s actively smoking. But even though people know this, some of them go on with the bad habit. Trying to convince these people to quit smoking is like trying to convince an elephant to play basketball. But either way, we must push on with the battle to eradicate this horrible habit that’s endangering the lives of millions upon millions of hapless people.

And the nail in coffin might just prove to be… the effect of smoking on sexual health. We all know by now that smoking steadily destroys the heart and its capacity to pump out blood effectively. This translates into many bad symptoms that a body experiences, but not to say the least it is harmful for the sex life. There have been dozens of credible scientific studies that confirm this notion. One of these studies measured the sexual potential of men that were smoking while the research was conducted, and the potential of non-smokers.  What they found out was that the smoker group had 73% higher chances of suffering from erectile dysfunction – a bad condition that may very well destroy a man’s self-esteem.

Moreover, once achieved, the quality of the erection faltered as well. This meant that the erection was of lower strength and size, and lasted for a shorter time period. This can spell death to your sex life. However, if you’re a smoker, don’t get so disappointed and think that it’s impossible to improve your sex life from now on. Namely, there was a third group in the aforementioned study, and it consisted of men who were smokers when the research begun, but had given their best to quit smoking at the end of the study. The results were again fascinating – this new group of men have improved their chances of achieving and maintaining a firm, hard erection by a whopping 65%!

So quit smoking while you still can, because it will serve you in the long run. Your sex life will thank you for it, among many other aspects of your life that will be improved as well.

However, some people find smoking actually stimulating in a sexual way. While smoking can do nothing but harm for the body, it sure can make the mind horny. Some people actually have a cigarette fetish and get turned on when they see a member of their opposite sex smoking. There’s nothing wrong in this per se, it just is.  But if you’re one of these people that get turned on by cigarettes, try to think about the tenfold increase in mortality risks and many diseases risks for a smoker, when you’re up about it. It will definitely shake you up out of that mentality.

In the end, we’ll agree that smoking is bad. If you just decide to lose the habit, then you’ll find out your life improving in many ways. And finally, you’d be able to have better sex!

Safe Contraception Options: Who Should Use Protection

Who should use protection, men or women? It is an interesting question. Sex, contraception options and protection are mutual responsibility. Both men and women should know how to choose the right method. Both of them should think about their own and their partner’s health and well-being. It is not enough if one partner is responsible: both parties should know how to prevent pregnancy. Safe sex is not a matter that you can shrug away, saying that your partner is on the pill and it is not your problem. Contraception pill may not solve sexual problem and not forget about the side effect.

Honesty, Trust, Contraception Options and Your Health

Is your partner honest with you? Does your female partner tell you that she takes birth control pills – and is it true? Probably she has side-thoughts and she thinks it is time to settle down and have a baby, so she has just “forgotten” about her birth control pills. Maybe she is the happy-go-lucky one and she has skipped one or two days, so now both of you are at risk of an unwanted pregnancy. Has your male partner told you that he has undergone vasectomy, so he is perfectly safe for you; but what about sexually transmitted diseases? Would your partner tell you if they had some minor infection? Do you know your partner well? Are you in a serious relationship, based on trust? Are you into one-night stands or short-lived relationships? These questions are not moral issues. They have a lot to do with your health. Never leave protection to your partner! Whatever he or she says, make sure that you do your best to avoid an unwanted pregnancy or an infection. Has he had a vasectomy? Is she on the pill? Great. You should still use protection. Combined contraception options are safe. If he did have a vasectomy, you still can take your birth control pills and ask him to use a condom.

Prevent Pregnancy: Choose the Right Method

While hormonal contraception is unbeatable when it comes to avoiding unwanted pregnancy, do not completely dismiss barrier methods. Condoms protect you from sexually transmitted diseases, and even some kind of cancers like cervical cancer.

Prefer male condoms over female condoms. Male condoms have a lowest failure rate of the barrier methods. Use a condom with spermicide. Never restrict your protection methods to female condoms alone! They have the highest failure rate of all birth control methods (with the exception of coitus interruptus, the withdrawal method). For instance, diaphragms are not reliable when you want to avoid pregnancy. Neither do they protect you from the diseases of the upper genital tract.

The safest way of having sex is when both partners use some kind of protection. For women, combined oral contraceptive pills, implants, combined injections, intrauterine devices are the safest methods, and, of course, the irreversible methods: hysterectomy, tubal ligation, and essure. They should also insist on using a condom. For men, vasectomy and lubricated latex condoms will be the safest way (make sure that you use water-based lubes and avoid oil-based lubes that may damage the condom). They can use plastic wrap when giving oral sex to their partner. Oral sex may seem safe, but it can lead to ugly surprises – for instance, human papilloma virus that can cause serious sexual health issues.

How Exercises Can Help You Get Rid of Erectile Dysfunction

Awkward and annoying, erectile dysfunction (ED) is an issue occurring for a lot of reasons, as well as in several guys. ED is usually due to physical states like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and low testosterone. Other causes can include nerve damage, blood flow difficulties, hormonal changes, and emotional issues.

Treating ED with drugs like sildenafil (Viagra) is not your only choice. According to a research conducted by a University of the west, UK, it is discovered that exercises has helped 40% of guys with ED restore erectile function, and yet another 33.5% dramatically improve the problem of ED.

What Exercise do you need to do?

Pelvic floor exercises increase the effectiveness of the pelvic floor muscles and therefore are more generally called “Kegel” exercises. Women perform Kegels in preparation to recover muscle tone post pregnancy. Kegels additionally encourage sexual health and urinary continence. Kegel exercises can help men too. Specifically, Kegel help reinforce the bulbocavernosus muscle.

Fundamental Kegel Exercise

In Kegel exercise, the most important part is to identify your pelvic floor muscles. And, the best way to locate them is by stopping your urine flow several times while urinating. The muscles you squeeze to get this done would be the types you have to workout. To perform Kegel exercise, squeeze this particular muscle while holding the flow of your urine for 8 to 10 seconds before releasing. Do this rep 2 to 3 times whenever you go for urination.

Additional Advantages of Kegel exercise

A different way to consider Kegels is like holding a bowel movement to compress the muscles of your anus. Hold while breathing for 5 to 10 seconds and relax every muscle.

Pelvic floor exercises help alleviate impotence problems, plus Kegels additionally helps:

  • Reduce bowel or urinary incontinence.
  • Stop dribbling.
  • Possibly enhance entire sexual experience.

Aerobic Exercise

Working the muscles past the pelvic floor additionally may help treat impotence problems. Studies in Ethiopia and Italy suggest that ED may enhance doing aerobic exercises.

Blood flow issues usually cause ED to the male reproductive organ. Vascular disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity can impact blood circulation and result in ED. Not only your problem of erectile dysfunction but your overall health can be improved significantly if you employ aerobic workouts in your daily life.

Conclusion

Kegel exercises really are an easy, powerful instrument for enhancing the effectiveness of the muscles involved with urinary and sexual function. Talk to your physician about your ED to determine which treatment strategies are best for you personally.

Taking a small blue pill isn’t always best treats ED. Many strategies for retrieving your sex life and conquering ED at the moment are accessible. Pelvic floor exercises that are straightforward are an excellent spot to begin.

Kegel exercises can be performed by you anywhere, anytime. Place in your calendar for those who have trouble remembering. Aerobic exercise enhances your entire cardiovascular health, which includes direct effect on your own capacity to reach and keep an erection.

Coping with all the underlying reason for ED is an infinitely more efficient way to increase your sexual well-being.

Few Things You Should Know About Testicular Pain

If there is one thing that men don’t want to talk about that’s testicles. The reasons are numerous and probably the root of this problem can be located in their sensitivity. However, testicular pain and unpleasant feeling in the testicles can cause a lot of stress in men. Many men believe that this pain is related to their sexuality and manhood and this situation can make them very vulnerable.

The testicles are a sensitive part of the body, responsible for production of testosterone and sperm. There is a good reason why testicles are positioned outside the body. In this way, they can keep the optimal body temperature which is usually around 1 or 2 degrees lower than the temperature of the rest of the body.

Every abnormality in the area of the testicles in many men creates a feeling of shame and insecurity and this is exactly why it is very difficult for them to visit a doctor and seek for professional help. It is important to understand that every pain and feeling of discomfort is abnormal. Even if there aren’t any bumps or physical changes present on the testicles, you should definitely see your doctor and have a consultation.

Very often a sharp kick in the scrotum or the testicles can cause pain in the testicles. Every man that has suffered such type of kick or blow probably remembers that pain. Swelling and bleeding are probably the worst consequences of this injury. The good news is that most of these kicks end up good and no matter how bad the situation appears the pain will be gone in few days. This may affect sexual health and lower sex drive if not treated properly.

It is good to point out that the testicles are prone to infections. Testicular infection can cause pain, swelling, increased sensitivity and increased temperature in the testicles. Bacterial infection usually appears in the urinary tract and it can be easily treated by using antibiotics. On the other hand, viral infections are more often present in the testicular area and it can affect one of the testicles or both of them. There are rare cases of infertility caused by viral infections in this area.

Another thing that can cause testicular pain is occurrence of kidney stones. Kidney stones are traveling from the kidneys to the bladder and penis. They usually cause sharp pain in the abdominal area. The presence of blood in the urine is not something uncommon in situations like these. When your doctor finishes with the examination of your testicles and doesn’t find any abnormalities it is very likely that you will need to perform few more tests in order to determine whether you are suffering from kidney stones or not.

Testicular cancer rarely causes discomfort and pain in this area. It is more common to witness a swelling on one of the testicles in cases of testicular cancer. This swelling is not very unpleasant and painful and this is why in many cases men don’t even notice that they are suffering from this type of cancer. Testicular cancer can be treated in almost every patient if it is discovered early.