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, according to information from the American Academy of Family Physicians.

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

Essentially, a healthy sex life centers around communication and awareness. 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.

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, according to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 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, estrogent 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. Please don’t ever be embarrassed to discuss your sexual health with us. 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.