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Women's Sexual Health
Woman’s Libido - Foods that Naturally Increase Libido Levels
Having libido problems? Libido naturally slows down as people age. Aging is natural, but this does not mean that you can’t livening up your sex life.
The hormone that controls libido (for both men and women) is testosterone. What you want is to balance your body's level of testosterone. When there's too much or too little, things go wrong or get out of hand. The production of testosterone, is dependent on vitamin B and zinc, both of which can be found in the regular foods we eat. Thus, eating the right kind of food will keep your libido up and running.
Foods rich in saturated fats such as those in fast and processed foods have been linked to decrease in libido. So if you want a great sex life or want one back, it will do you good to get more of the foods listed below.
Natural Libido Enhancers
1. Oysters. Oysters have high contents of zinc, which is the mineral responsible for testosterone (and sperm for men) production.
2. Avocado. Avocado contains good levels of folic acid which aids in protein metabolism. It also contains vitamin B6 that increases hormone production, and in potassium that helps regulate the female thyroid gland and enhance female libido.
3. Asparagus. This vegetable is abundant in vitamin E, which is one of those that aid in the production of sex hormones in both men and women.
4. Liver. Though not necessarily a sexy food, liver is a good source of glutamine which can help in increasing slowed libido.
5. Figs. These are rich in amino acids that are believed to increase sexual stamina.
6. Celery. Though not rich in zinc or vitamin B, celery is a very good source of androsterone, which is an odorless hormone that is released in male perspiration that turns women on.
7. Basil. This herb has been said to boost fertility and to stimulate sex drive.
8. Eggs. Eggs are good sources of vitamins B5 and B6, which works in fighting stress levels and balancing hormones, which are both crucial in keeping a healthy libido.
9. Salmon. Salmon and other kinds of fish contain essential vitamins B5, B6 and B12 which maintains a healthy reproductive system.
10. Brown rice, turkey and cheese. These three are very good sources of zinc.
Eating for better sex
Great Diet = Great Sex Life
There are two extreme categories in terms of eating habits that many women belong to: the ones who do not care about being fit, and those who obsess about dieting. If you are one of them, here is a message for you:
If the risk of diabetes, heart disease and other potentially chronic illnesses doesn't worry you enough to compel you to have better eating habits, maybe this will: The healthier your diet, the better your sex life will be. Convinced now?
The exact same kinds of food that assists in maintaining your cardiovascular health also helps in improving sexual function. The functions of the heart and the sexual organs are tightly connected: everything good for one is good for the other. To improve sexual function, here are the three basic food laws to follow:
1. Go greens, go beans. Vegetables and legumes are both nitrogen-rich and they help in the production of nitric oxide, which is the gas that stimulates the dilation of vessels which are very critical in sexual performance and in achieving orgasm.
2. Yes to staminators. Lean meats and nuts have high content of L-arginine which is an amino acid that also helps the body product enough amounts of nitric oxide. Women who have high blood pressure or related diseases are not able to prolong this much needed nitric oxide effect.
3. Go for brights. Food and drinks that are brightly colored contain a lot of antioxidants that aid in combating free radicals that are responsible for clogging and damaging arteries. Build-up of clogs and plaque inhibits appropriate blood flow in arteries as well as in sex organs.
Remember: what damages your heart and the parts that lead to it also damage your sexual life. These foods may not be the cure for hormonal deficiencies caused by menopause or aging, but they definitely will keep your heart healthy and will reduce the despair that usually comes when you are denied one of the more important things in life. Yes, having sex is important.
Woman’s Orgasm
What does the Female Orgasm Feel Like? Remember the end of the Star Wars, when Luke sends a shot into a 2 meter opening in the Death Star to make the whole thing blow up? Well, imagine that that shot reaching its target is the beginning of a female orgasm. It may start in that one tiny spot – a.k.a. the clitoris – but the intense rush of pleasure explodes through our entire body, our brain goes blank, and muscles deep inside start throbbing ecstatically. At that point, we lose control: Our hips jerk out of control, our nipples get hard, and our mouths make an involuntary “O”. The blast can last anywhere from 5 seconds to a few minutes, then slowly fades and we feel tingly and satisfied all over,
kind of like the first time we saw Star Wars :J.
Woman's Orgasms: Myths vs. Facts
A lot has been said about female orgasms. However, it is important to know which facts are true, and which are not. Let’s explore some of the most common myths and shed some light on them:
Myth: Vaginal orgasm feels better than clitoral orgasm.
Fact: The question of which is better than which doesn't really have an exact answer. It mainly depends on the woman being asked, some prefer clitoral, while some prefer G-spot stimulation. This is always a case-to-case basis.
Myth: Women who have partners with large penis are more likely to achieve orgasm.
Fact: The size of your partner's penis has nothing to do with achieving orgasm. There are very few nerve endings in the vagina so the penis is practically immaterial in this sense. Both large and small penises can potentially give the same kind of pleasure to women. The G-spot is only 2 inches from the vaginal opening so it is easily accessible to an average-sized penis. As they say, it's not what you have, but it's what you can do with it.
Myth: You only feel sexually satisfied if you attain orgasm.
Fact: Most women feel sexually satiated whether or not they reach orgasm. But, it would be preferable if they do each time. It is like the icing on your cake, the cake itself is delicious.
Myth: Condoms hinder women to attain orgasm.
Fact: It is very unlikely for condoms to interfere with orgasm. If they do, the use of ribbed condoms may increase the needed sensitivity. Condoms are perhaps the most effective form of contraception, so they should come in handy.
Myth: If a woman does not reach orgasm, her lover is not skillful.
Fact: There are many factors that affect a woman's ability to reach orgasm. These are not limited to physical factors alone, but they include emotional ones. There are a lot of ways that a loving partner can assist her woman to reach orgasm. Good communication is the most predominant. Thus, couples must work at both physical arousal and emotional connection.
Pain During Intercourse: Is it Normal?
Feeling pain during intercourse can be very frustrating. A lot of women actually think that pain during intercourse is entirely normal. It can be, to some extent, but know that sex should be as pleasurable to you as it is to your partner, so any pain or discomfort that keeps you from enjoying the experience is not quite normal.
Pain related to intercourse can be felt during entry attempt, during actual intercourse and after the act is finished. Slight pain can be normal, but those that worsen and are accompanied by bleeding or discharge right after demand the attention of your gynecologist. Even more so if you experience symptoms like vomiting, nausea and unbearable pelvic pain.
The good news is that there are a variety of ways by which you can help prevent pain during sex. Here are some of them:
1. Discontinue use of perfumed soaps. They may contain harsh ingredients that will dry you down there.
2. Avoid douching. Douching can disrupt your body's natural cleansing systems that rinses yeast and bacteria that are usually always present in the vagina. This irritation can lead you to infections and pain during intercourse.
3. Do not use perfumes on your vagina. They contain chemicals that are too harsh for your vagina's natural protective secretions.
4. Don't take bubble baths often. Bubble baths, especially prolonged ones, put you at risk of vaginal infections.
5. Avoid using scented toilet papers. These may also contain materials that can irritate you down there.
6. Don't use tight synthetic garments or panty liners unless absolutely needed. Wearing uncomfortable garments hinder your vagina from 'breathing' freely, thus making it susceptible to infection.
Remember that sexual intercourse is always a pleasure by which couples can consummate their affection for each other. Uncomfortable pain is not a normal part of it.
Menopause - Erasing the “Pause” in Menopause
Decades ago, society has considered menopause akin to a woman’s death. Sure, it is not merely a “pause” but the end—but only of a woman’s reproductive ability. Today, the topic is no longer as embarrassing. Today, menopause is no longer a scary word.
Around 4,000 women face menopause every day. Technically, it refers to the period in which the levels of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone drop. Menstruation stops permanently and eggs are no longer produced. Thus, a woman can no longer give birth, or be pregnant.
There are three ways to enter menopause. “Surgical menopause” is experienced by women when both of their ovaries are removed. “Chemical menopause” is experienced by those who undergo chemotherapy, because chemotherapy often leads to amenorrhea, or the cessation of menstruation. And then there’s “induced menopause”, which is caused by breast cancer treatment and x-rays.
Of course, “natural menopause” is the most common, that which we hear most about. On average, it occurs between the ages 45 and 55, but it can begin as early as 35 or as late as 60. For most women, menopause lasts for only a couple of years, but a few experience its symptoms for up to six years.
Jokes about women’s menopause are very popular. You hear them when an adult woman suddenly cries or experiences “hot flashes” for no reason. Maybe, dad says to ignore mom’s nags—because she’s “menopausal”. As sarcastic as these jokes may be, most of them are based on truth.
Women undergo a lot of changes during menopause, most of them internally. These are shown externally in various physical symptoms. Most common are hot flashes or night sweats; irregular, scant, and/or heavy periods; dry or itchy skin; aches or pains; insomnia; “formication”, which is a sensation similar to having ants crawling on the skin; allergies; respiratory problems; and tiredness or lethargy. Many women are also bothered with increased body fat, hair loss, bladder problems (including urinary incontinence), and loss of vaginal elasticity.
Menopausal woman may exhibit; mood swings, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, poor memory and concentration, and decrease in sexual desire. Some women find sex more pleasurable after menopause.
To avoid exhibiting menopausal symptoms. Women can wear clothes made from natural fibers such as cotton, avoid hot drinks such as coffee and tea, avoid alcohol, and lower their intake of salty foods. Sticking to a balanced diet, doing moderate exercise, drinking plenty of water, and avoiding smoking can also help.
Who says you should “pause” during menopause? Enjoy life—no pause!
How to Survive in a Breast-Obsessed World
As Samantha Jones on one Sex and the City episode puts it: Nipples are in! Yes, and so are the hosts that contain them: the breasts.
The obsession with breasts is quite inescapable. You see them everywhere - magazines, billboards, television, advertisements, movies. Portrayal of the ideal body with large, round, perky, firm breasts creates the illusion that this is how perfect bodies should be. It is unfortunate how women tend to compare themselves with these images they see around them. Worse, they strive to look just like them.
There are ads everywhere telling us that it is possible to get that perfect body. Over 130,000 breast enlargement procedures are done each year in the US alone.
How are women to survive the torture of wanting to be perfect when they experience it everywhere they go? The media is showing no sign of changing this obsession, so what can we do to avoid getting sucked up into this illusion. Here are some ways to survive this world of breast obsession:
1. Do not limit your concept of beauty. Expand it - beauty is not just what you see on magazine covers or on celebrity pages. Try to think of the people who you genuinely think are beautiful and find out why you think they are. You will realize that their bodies are not free from imperfections and that they are still beautiful despite that.
2. Remind yourself that beauty is more than skin deep. If you think about the people you admire and respect, you'll see how you do so without even considering how they look like!
3. Prioritize working on your self-esteem. Remember that you are unique and special, no matter what you look like. Find out for yourself what special characteristics you have that sets you apart from everyone else. Once you find it, celebrate it and focus on that aspect from then on. Believe that you are a wonderful person both inside and out, because you are!
4. On your free time, do the things that make you happy. Call your friends, go out, paint, dress up, workout, read a nice book or go see a movie. There is nothing like happiness to boost your self-esteem.
5. Live a healthy lifestyle as this will surely give you confidence to face each day.
Each of us are unique in our own very special ways. It is what makes our world interesting and beautiful. We were not born to be perfect, even women who we think are, are really not!
Fertility - Protect your Fertility Before It's Too Late
A lot of women tend to take their fertility for granted. They go through their usual cycles without appreciating the very few days they have the possibility of procreating. In fact, most of us do not pay attention to our fertility until something goes wrong or until it's too late.
So that no such things would happen to you, you should be well aware of the factors that ffect your fertility and make a fresh start in taking care of your body and health. Here are some tips:
1. Maintain a fit and healthy body. Try to be within your ideal body weight. Being underweight or overweight can have a detrimental effect on your fertility.
2. As much as possible, try to avoid multiple sexual partners. It can be interesting, but know that the more partners you have, the more you put yourself at risk for sexually transmitted diseases or STDs. STDs usually lead to infertility if they are left untreated. To be safe, use condoms as it prevents most STDs.
3. Don't smoke anything. Aside from being plainly bad for your health, smoking cigarettes and marijuana can decrease your chances of conceiving, not only now but in the future as well. These can also reduce sperm count in men so warn your partner on this, too.
4. Alcohol can do potential damage to both sperm and eggs. Try to avoid excessive drinking, and don't drink when you are trying to get pregnant, all the more when you are pregnant.
5. You should avoid exposure to harmful chemicals. Chemicals can damage sperm and egg cells, and can further cause birth defects. Check your work, your home and your environment for unnecessary exposure.
6. If you are trying to conceive, it is best to avoid stress and to build a quality relationship with your partner.
Infertility can be very damaging for couples who want to build their own family. Make sure that you are not doing anything that can lessen your chances of bearing children, now and in the future.
Sex During Pregnancy
Pregnant, anxious and don't know how to deal with having sex? Pregnancy can bring significant changes to women and their partners when it comes to their sexual relationship. This generally has something to do with the couple's feelings and anxiety about the pregnancy, along with changes associated to it. This is absolutely normal, and you need not obsess over it.
Women go through both physical and emotional changes during pregnancy. It may lead to a loss of sexual desire due to the newfound maternal feelings that overwhelm you. Thus, as you start to stress over childbirth and motherhood, you tend to stop feeling sexual.
Remember, your partner probably feels the same magnitude of anxiety. While many men find a mommy's growing body desirable, a few others find it hard to accept. If your partner belongs to the latter group, remember that he may be turned off by your body, but he is surely still turned on by you.
In many cases, both you and your partner worry that intercourse may endanger your baby and/or you. Don't let this thought bother you. Unless you have a complicated pregnancy where there is a threat of miscarriage, it is safe to have sex throughout pregnancy. It is always best to confirm this with your medical practitioner if you have any doubts.
There will naturally be inconveniences as a bulging tummy may get in the way of love making. But, this is a time to make use of your creativity to think of ways and positions through which you can enjoy your bonding act.
1. Many couples use positions such as hands-and-knees and side lying especially during the second and third trimester of the pregnancy.
2. Gentler and shallower penetrations can also avoid further discomfort. This is not because the baby might be harmed in one way or another (they are very well cushioned inside), but because thrusts may bring discomfort to your vagina.
3. Do not be afraid to have orgasm. It does cause the uterus to contract, but these occurrences (i.e. Braxton Hicks) are perfectly normal.
4. Some couples do not have strong sexual needs during pregnancy, but you would definitely have an increased need for some physical affection - cuddling, holding, touching, and hugging. You should nurture your feelings with your partner by spending time together and experiencing the entire pregnancy experience with each other.
Pregnancy may lead to changes in your sexual relationship, but remember to keep your relationship strong and loving even without the frequent sex. This should be a phase where you lay the foundations that will carry you both through the first difficult weeks of parenthood.
Masturbation - Scrap the Masturbation Taboo
Most women feel embarrassed and ashamed to discuss masturbation. Women today should loosen up and start accepting the fact that it really is sexually healthy and normal to masturbate.
The feeling of self pleasure in women that is achieved through masturbation is both a positive physical experience and an emotional enhancing experience. It is a way through which women can explore their sexuality and achieve sexual independence and freedom.
Achieving orgasm through masturbation requires an ideal mental and physical state. Aside from these two, the technique by which it is done also affects the intensity of the feeling. There are no right or wrong techniques. Each female body is unique in its own way, different techniques lead to different responses, so there is not a single technique that can assure orgasm.
There are a few commonly-used female masturbation techniques:
1. Stimulating the clitoris. This involves caressing or rubbing the clitoris using the middle and/or index fingers.
2. Finger insertion. This is the insertion of one or several fingers inside the vagina and stimulation of the g-spot by rubbing the front wall of the vagina.
3. Use of sex toys. Vibrators and dildos can be used for clitoral and vaginal stimulation to achieve orgasm. Breast and nipple stimulators, as well as anal stimulators can also be used.
There are many other masturbation techniques, the effect of these techniques vary greatly. A woman who is at ease with her technique and with her body will have no problems reaching orgasm. It is best to experiment on different techniques to know which one works best. Most importantly, women should stop feeling ashamed about the thought of female masturbation. Masturbation is normal: a lot of women do the same, so there is no reason not to enjoy yourself
Contraception - Contraceptive Methods: Which is Best?
With all the contraception methods to choose from, women often have difficulty deciding which one to use.
Before we lay out all the options, bear in mind that there is no one solution for everyone. You can only choose the one which will work best for you, and that choice would depend on various factors.
How protected do you want to be? How regularly do you engage in sex? How much trouble are you willing to go through? Can you tolerate side effects? You must consider all these questions before choosing your method.
Failure of contraception usually happens due to improper or inconsistent use of the method. Considering this, you should choose the method which you feel most comfortable using regularly.
Here are the most effective and popular methods available today:
1. Abstinence or Outercourse. This simply means not having intercourse (penis does not enter the vagina). Interestingly, this will allow you and your partner to be more intimate and enjoy each other without actual intercourse. These help prevent passing of sexually transmitted diseases and of course, pregnancy.
2. Barrier Methods. These are placed either over your man's penis (while erect) - condoms, or inside your vagina - diaphragm and cervical cap.
3. Fertility Awareness Based (FAB) Methods or Natural Family Planning. Using this method would require you to estimate your fertile days through your usual menstrual cycle and avoiding sex (or using other control methods) during these days.
4. Implants (Norplant). These are tubes are the size of a matchstick placed underneath the skin that contain a hormone that will prevent pregnancy for a span of five years.
5. Injectables (Depo Provera). These are shots of the hormone progestin with will prevent you from being pregnant for a maximum of three months.
6. Intrauterine devices. IUD are plastic T-shaped tubes that contain copper or a hormone that prevents pregnancy. It is placed inside your uterus where it remains for one to ten years maximum.
7. Oral Contraceptives. These involves pills taken daily which contain hormones that will prevent you from conceiving. Today's pills are effective and safe, provided they are used accordingly.
8. Spermicides. These can come in the form of foams, jellies, creams and suppositories. They are inserted deep inside your vagina shortly before engaging in sexual intercourse.
9. Ligation. This involves the permanent blockage of your fallopian tubes (passageway bittern the uterus and the ovary) through surgical methods.
10. Contraceptive patch. These transdermal patches are worn on the skin and changed weekly. Its effect is much like that of pills as it uses the hormones estrogen and progestin to keep you from getting pregnant.
All of these methods for contraception are proven safe if used as directed. Combining the effect of condoms (worn on your man) and any other methods can decrease your chances of conceiving and prevent you from acquiring STDs as well. Through all these, remember that the main ingredient for successful contraception is knowing which one best fits you, your needs and your personality.
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