How to Have a Healthy Sex Life: 4 Important Facts

A healthy sex life is about much more than how often you “do it.” Sex is not only pleasurable, but it can also pave the way for other benefits to your overall health. Sex can serve as a stress release, help lower blood pressure, improve sleep, lift depression and help your immune system.

But how can you help ensure a healthy sex life, and what does it reveal about your overall health?

We believe a good sex life is an important part of your health. We want to assure you that we are available to answer any questions or concerns you may have about what’s going on in the bedroom. Don’t ever be embarrassed to discuss sensitive subjects with us. We are part of your medical team and we want you to live the healthiest life possible. Just contact us for an appointment.

What Is a Healthy Sex Life?

A healthy sex life doesn’t center on how many times you have sex or even how often you orgasm. Good sex centers around intimacy, and sometimes a good massage or holding each other can be enough. Alternatively, this type of touching can add to sexual chemistry, an important part of intimacy.

We have some important information on how to have a healthy sex life that can help you and your partner. 

How to Have a Healthy Sex Life: 4 Things You Should Know

1. Don’t Obsess About How Often You’re “Doing It”

When you obsess about how often you “should” have sex, you’re creating pressure that doesn’t need to be there. The truth is that interest in sex naturally waxes and wanes throughout your relationship. There is no one number you must reach in order to have a healthy sex life. What’s more important is your intimacy and satisfaction when you do have sex. 

However, if you’re not having sex regularly because you have a very low libido or because sex is painful, then schedule an appointment with us. We can help you and your partner find solutions to point you toward a more enjoyable sex life.

2. Be Open to Trying New Positions

Trying out new positions is a great way to change or spice things up in the bedroom if you feel your sex life is becoming stale. In some cases, trying a new position can enable you to have a more intense orgasm. Other people enjoy the use of sex toys, erotica or role play.

The most important thing is to talk with your partner about what they enjoy and what makes them more comfortable, which brings us to our next item…

3. Have Open and Honest Communication

If you’re not communicating with your partner, how will they know what satisfies you? In turn, how will you understand what they enjoy and what arouses them? 

It’s not a coincidence that couples who have the most satisfying sex lives are also those who communicate freely and openly. Talking it out with your partner is key to creating a mutual understanding that leads to intimacy… which in turn can lead to great sex.

4. Schedule Sex if Needed

The world places a lot of demands on your time. Whether it’s shuffling children to school or preparing for that important presentation to the board, juggling family, career and other stressors can be overwhelming. As a result, you may feel you have no time for sex. 

That’s why it’s even more important to work sex into your schedule. Remember that sex doesn’t always have to be spontaneous. While many may balk that scheduling sex isn’t romantic, it provides an opportunity to establish greater intimacy with your partner.

How Does Your Sex Life Affect Your Overall Health?

Sex does more than merely make you feel good and relieve stress. It also has some overall health benefits.

These include:

Protecting Your Heart

To a certain extent, sex is similar to exercise. It increases your heart rate, which in turn protects you from heart disease. In fact, studies indicate that women who have satisfying sex lives are less likely to have a heart attack. Sex also has the added benefit of lowering blood pressure. This is one way a healthy sex life can contribute to your overall health. 

Helping Alleviate Vaginal Atrophy

Vaginal atrophy is a condition—most often seen in postmenopausal women—where the vaginal walls become thin, dry and inflamed. This is the result of having less estrogen. Sexual activity can help alleviate this situation by stimulating blood flow to these areas. 

However, many women with signs of vaginal atrophy can find sex painful or uncomfortable. That’s where we can help you. Schedule an appointment and talk to us about what options are available to you. We’ll also discuss other strategies to help make sex pleasurable again.

Helping Reduce Pain

Some studies also indicate that sexual stimulation can help reduce pain due to the pain-releasing hormones that your body emits, particularly after an orgasm.  These sex hormones include testosterone, estrogen and progesterone. The relationship between sex hormones and pain is a part of ongoing research on how your body processes pain.

At Chapel Hill OBGYN, we realize that sex is just one facet of your gynecological health, but it can influence your overall sense of well-being. Remember that we want to work together with you to help you live a healthy life.

But What About Sex During Pregnancy?

Generally, as long as you have a healthy pregnancy, there should be no problems with sex while you’re pregnant. However, we realize that as your baby grows, sex can become uncomfortable—maybe even painful. 

Our advice? Experiment with different positions. Find other ways to pleasure each other outside of intercourse. Keep the lines of communication open.

If you’re having painful sex during your pregnancy, we encourage you to check out our earlier article, “Painful Sex During Pregnancy: When to Call Your OBGYN” and contact us for an appointment.

At Chapel Hill OBGYN, We’re Always Available to Answer Your Questions

Is sex painful for you? Do you have a dry vagina that causes your lovemaking to be uncomfortable? 

We can provide solutions to these issues so you can have a happy and fulfilling sex life. 

For decades, we’ve helped area women live healthier lives. Whether you need a wellness checkup or you’re considering starting a family, we invite you to see why our gynecologists in Durham and gynecologists in Chapel Hill are the providers of choice for Orange and Durham counties. 

Contact us to schedule an appointment today.

Of course, a healthy sex life is just one facet of your overall health. We want to be partners in your care to help you stay healthy throughout all of life’s stages, whether you’re expecting your first child or entering menopause.

So next, we’ll take a look at some vital and important health tips for women.

Our Top 10 Women’s Preventative Health Care Tips

We want all of our patients to live longer, healthier lives.  A big part of that is taking a proactive approach to your health, so you can stop any issues before they develop into serious problems. 

That’s why we’re here to help. To assist you, we’ve compiled a list of our top 10 women’s health preventative healthcare tips  below to help guide you toward a healthier life.

1. Get regular cancer screenings.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death for women in the United States. Early detection and treatment of cancer can save lives, discovering cancer when it is most treatable and beatable.

We recommend that you get regular screenings for cervical cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, and any other type of cancer that runs in your family history. 

2. Keep up-to-date on vaccinations.

Vaccinations can help protect you from a variety of diseases, including HPV, which can cause cervical cancer and COVID-19. There are also vaccinations you may need during pregnancy. In addition, we highly recommend getting the HPV vaccine, flu vaccine, and, depending on your age, the shingles vaccine. 

3. Ensure you’re getting enough calcium and Vitamin D

We believe one of our important women’s health preventative healthcare tips centers around avoiding diseases such as osteoporosis. Women who have entered menopause are at greater risk for developing this disease, which causes brittle bones. 

Calcium and Vitamin D are important for bone health, and that’s why you should get enough in your diet or through supplements to prevent bone loss and osteoporosis. Speak to us if you’re not sure how much calcium and Vitamin D you need. 

4. Keep your heart healthy.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for American women. The good news is that you can dramatically reduce your risk by following a few simple steps:

• Eat a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It is also important to limit unhealthy fats, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugars.
• Exercise regularly. This is an important part of our women’s health preventative healthcare tips because exercise is great for your heart.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese increases your risk of heart disease. Aim for a healthy weight for your height and body type—you can discover that number by checking out your body mass index with this handy BMI calculator.
• Get regular checkups. See your doctor for regular checkups to monitor your heart health and make sure you are taking all the necessary steps to keep your heart healthy. This includes monitoring your cholesterol levels.

5. Take precautions to prevent STDs.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can have serious consequences that can include infertility. In certain cases, these diseases may not even have any symptoms—which means you or your partner can spread them without being aware that you are infected. 

As a vital women’s health preventative healthcare tip, you should reduce your risk of STDs by practicing safe sex and having regular STD testing. 

6. Stop smoking, if you smoke.

Smoking increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and other health problems. If you smoke and are having trouble quitting, there are several smoking cessation resources available to you including our healthcare team. Just let us know you’re ready to stop smoking and we can help point you in the right direction. 

7. Have a regular wellness exam.

A regular wellness exam can help detect health problems early. We encourage you to have a physical every year and come to us whenever you have any health concerns. If you have issues with your period or menopause, or even if you’re planning on having a child, we want to see you so we can work with you to ensure you understand our women’s health preventative healthcare tips. 

Are you past due for your Pap smear or yearly physical? Simply contact us to schedule an appointment. 

8. Get plenty of exercise

This is a women’s health preventative healthcare tip that is vital for your well-being. Exercise is important because it can reduce your chances of developing more serious health problems. That’s why we suggest either getting 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of more intense exercise every week. 

Pregnant? Talk to us and we’ll provide information about safe and effective exercises for you. 

9.  Only drink alcohol in moderation

Alcohol can be harmful to your health if you drink to excess. We suggest limiting it to one drink a day.

Of course, if you’re pregnant, realize that there is no “safe” level of alcohol—you should avoid drinking entirely to reduce complications. We also recommend that you abstain if you’re actively trying to get pregnant. 

10. Take care of your mental health.

Mental health may not be the first thing you think of when reviewing women’s health preventative healthcare tips, but it’s just as important as your physical health. Please talk to us if you have any mental health concerns such as anxiety or depression—particularly postpartum depression.

Chapel Hill OBGYN: On Your Side Through Your Healthcare Journey

While this concludes our top ten women’s health preventative healthcare tips, it does not include the many ways we work with our patients through each stage of life. We work closely with couples who are facing the emotional and physical challenges of infertility.

We help women ranging from those who have reached menopause to young women who are having their first OBGYN exam.

It’s important for  you to know that we were here for you, and we pledge to always take time to answer your questions. 

Ready to schedule an appointment? See why we’re frequently chosen as the best OBGYN practice in Chapel Hill and Durham.