Latest news with #sexlife
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
How to safely have sex while pregnant, according to health experts
Being pregnant doesn't have to put a pause on your sex life. Sure, it may change your sex drive or comfort levels. But from a health and safety perspective, the good news is that "most people can safely have sex while pregnant," says Dr. Karen Tang, author of "It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (But Were Never Told)." For the record, health experts say it's completely normal if you or your partner don't feel like having sex while pregnant, for any reason. The key is keeping an open dialogue about how you're feeling, and any worries about how the current pregnancy could impact your sex life as a couple. But if you are interested in learning the dos and don'ts of having sex while pregnant, Tang is answering your FAQs. 'Pregnancy nose' videos go viral. Here's the problem with the trend. In most cases, there's no need to worry about vaginal penetration, sperm or orgasms hurting a "normally-developing pregnancy," she adds. The uterine muscles and amniotic fluid are there to protect the baby, according to the Mayo Clinic. But there are certain cases in which a doctor might suggest putting a pause on bedroom activity. Conditions that might lead an OB/GYN to recommend against having sex, according to Tang, include an early cervical dilation or weakening, concern about risk of uterine infection, placenta covering the opening of the cervix, a history of early labor, leaking amniotic fluid or experiencing vaginal bleeding. Folate is crucial for prenatal care. But it could also prolong your life. As long as your doctor has said you don't have any of the aforementioned conditions that could make sex during pregnancy unsafe, you're fine to have sex throughout your pregnancy, experts say. Ultimately, pregnancy sex should be discussed on a personal basis with your doctor, who can offer guidance depending on your unique situation, Tang says. Condoms obviously aren't needed to prevent pregnancy if you already are pregnant, but the Mayo Clinic notes that condom usage is vital if your partner has a sexually transmitted infection, or if either of you have sex with a new partner while pregnant, as an STI can cause serious health issues for you and the baby. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can you have sex while pregnant? You likely won't hurt the baby.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Parents Are Sharing How To Actually Keep The Spark Alive In The Bedroom After You Have Kids
If you've ever been in a long-term relationship — whether dating or married — keeping things exciting (and spicy!) is important. So, what happens when you throw kids into the mix? A Reddit thread recently asked, "How do you have an active sex life after having kids?" Here's what people had to say: 1."Ever have to do laundry? Throw some chicken nuggets at the kids, turn the TV on, then go 'do laundry.' Might only be a few minutes, but it can work." —u/CoffeeBean8675309 "My wife and I 'fold' a lot of 'laundry.' My three kids despise laundry as a chore, so my wife and I 'do it' while we do it. We have a very active sex life." —u/ChardEmotional7920 2."With remote work, we have a 'rendezvous meeting' during the day whenever we have time in our professional agenda." —u/vidango 3."Don't allow the kids to sleep in your bed. Set a bedtime routine relatively early. If you're usually exhausted by that time, get creative during the day. Turn on a movie and lock the door." —u/pilatesprincess222 4."Don't be afraid to plan sex. Some people think that it takes the romance out of it, but you can't afford to be impulsive when you've got kids. My wife and I still manage two to three times a week after 12 years together with two kids." —u/TBK_Winbar 5."Vaseline. Not the way you think. Put it on the door handle so the little gremlins can't get in. Joking, I love my kids more than anything." —u/Tim_and_Jel 6."Nap time." —u/Lower_Surround1727 Related: 27 Horrifying Deaths People Can Never, Ever, Ever, Ever Forget Because They Were That Bad 7."Help each other get enough sleep, so when the kids go to bed, you both have energy." —u/relditor 8."Send them to their grandparents for a bit." —u/frustratedhater 9."Marriage isn't 50/50, it is 100/100. You need to be all in all the time. Put each other first always. Flirt all day, every day. We have been married for 32 years and have four kids. We have an amazing sex life, three to four times a week." —u/Hot-Astronaut-1203 10."A locking bedroom door and a white noise machine for the kiddo." —u/LadyJenniferal Related: My Innocence Has Been Destroyed After Learning These Terrible, Disturbing, And Creepy Things 11."My wife and I 'take showers' at the same time all the time. Save their screen time for advantageous moments." —u/friendlysarlacc 12."Ever heard the saying, 'Sleep when the baby sleeps?' Same concept." —u/WeedEmAndReap 13."Role playing is a great way to achieve this. Imagination is key, and you'll end up having so much fun. Brainstorm some scenarios with your partner and give it a go!" —u/loveleesole 14."My friend and her husband rush to have naptime quickies in the laundry room or wherever it makes sense, and she says it's the most fun sex era they've ever had." —u/spiffle4 15."I think you have to accept having sex wherever you can find the time. Morning sex before the kids have woken up. Afternoon sex when everyone else is out of the house. Late-night sex when the kids have gone to bed. I feel like two partners who are committed to each other will find the time." —u/workerbee223 16."Quietly. And teach kids privacy and boundaries at a young age." —u/jmward1984 17."Kids sleep. Quickies while kids are occupied are the bomb (younger kids nap). Date night includes sex. Add the rule, no disagreement is finished until you have makeup sex." —u/mdmhera 18."Spooning still leads to forking." —u/GulfCoastLover 19."We were blessed with a heavy sleeper, so naptime and bedtime were reliable windows for getting down. It's also important to recognize that this is a huge change, and everybody reacts differently. Don't force yourselves to do anything that feels exhausting or mechanical. Sex isn't what maintains a connection between two people. It's caring for one another and responding to a partner's needs. That takes many forms, and it might be sex!" "Me and my partner were horny as hell pretty much immediately, so we forced whatever windows we had. But you and/or your partner might want different intimacy. A lot of your neurological code gets rewritten after the birth of a child. It's important, I think, to let things change however they need to. All that's to say: what you consider an 'active' sex life may not be possible anymore. It might be! But it might not. The key is to find what you can get and stay close to your partner." —u/LiterateNoob 20."Before having kids, my wife and I got the best advice: 'This child is entering YOUR life, not the other way around. Learn to continue to live your life with the addition of the child. Don't replace your life with the kid's every whim, like the world tells you, to be a good parent. The kid needs to learn the world doesn't revolve around them.' As an educator and a parent, I wish more people understood this." —u/garagedooropener5150 Parents, what else would you add to this list? Share your thoughts in the comments! Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity. Also in Internet Finds: 15 Facebook Marketplace Items You'll Wish, From The Depths Of Your Soul, You Could Unsee Also in Internet Finds: People Are Confessing Their Absolute Pettiest "Revenge Served Cold" Stories, And It's Deliciously Entertaining Also in Internet Finds: 19 Things Society Glorifies That Are Actually Straight-Up Terrible, And We Need To Stop Pretending Otherwise
Times
22-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Times
We've only ever had sex with each other — have we missed out?
Q. We've been together since we were teenagers and I feel like we've been going through the motions in the bedroom for some time, but now our son's gone to boarding school, it's really exposed the lack of excitement in our sex life. We're only in our late thirties and I worry we've missed out by never sleeping with anyone but each other. Friends have suggested we 'open up' our marriage but we definitely don't want to do that. What else can we try? A. I'm not sure what you mean by 'some time' but most couples who have been together twentysomething years and raised a family experience some decline in sexual frequency and sexual excitement. I don't really know why anyone expects anything else.
The Guardian
20-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Guardian
Tell us: how has your sex life changed after 60?
Culturally, sex is often portrayed as something enjoyed exclusively by the young and nubile. In reality, that's far from the case. 'At 74, I have never had such a fulfilling sex life,' Jane Fonda told the Sun in 2012. 'When I was young I had so many inhibitions — I didn't know what I desired.' According to the National Institute on Aging (NIA), 'many older couples find greater satisfaction in their sex lives than they did when they were younger.' Some of the possible reasons are that older couples enjoy fewer distractions, have more time and privacy, and aren't worried about pregnancy. 'They also may be better able to express what they want and need,' suggests the NIA. We want to hear from people aged 60 and up about how your sex lives have changed and improved over time. You can tel us how your sex lives have changed and improved over time using this form. Please include as much detail as possible. Please include as much detail as possible. Please include as much detail as possible. Please include as much detail as possible. Please include as much detail as possible. Please note, the maximum file size is 5.7 MB. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. If you include other people's names please ask them first. If you're having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
The Sun
19-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
How I stuck a £3.99 patch on my body to turbo boost my flagging libido… but did it help spice up sex life?
NO matter how much you love and fancy your partner, there are times when you just don't feel sexy. I've been with my husband Bryn, 42, for 17 years and our sex life looks a lot different to when we first met, especially since having our two daughters, now ten and three. 9 Recent research by Higher Nature found one in four women aged over 50 has no interest in sex, while 81 per cent say their libido has declined since menopause. But it isn't just Gen X struggling – studies have shown Millennials and Gen Z have less sex than previous generations at their age. A 2018 study by counselling Relate found that 61 per cent of people in their 30s were having less sex than they would like and 31 per cent said they've 'lost their libido since having children '. I can relate to this. After a traumatic birth with my first daughter, sex was painful for a long time due to scarring and pelvic floor issues. It took months for me to find out what the problem was and years to recover. Thankfully we've put in a lot of work to get back to enjoying sex. Bryn and I have a happy balance, both favouring quality over quantity, and trying to avoid comparisons with other couples. Sometimes we have sex three times a week, particularly just after I've ovulated and my hormones are telling me to get busy making babies. But at other times things are a bit quiet in the bedroom department and it might not be for weeks or months. This tends to be because we're tired and busy. On top of raising our kids, we are moving house, Bryn has changed jobs and I'm running my own business. These are all some of the most stressful things you can do in life and there's little time to switch off, let alone find an extra hour to get turned on. We all know sex can be fun, but it's also about connecting with your other half and even with yourself - which isn't always easy. For us, the times when we are both in the mood are when sparks really fly. But the tricky part is getting our libidos in sync, especially of late. I'm not expecting a long-term relationship like ours to feel like a teen romance – but finding an easy way to kickstart arousal would be welcome, especially when we know we have a child-free few hours to enjoy ourselves. Luckily, there's a growing market for products that claim to boost your libido. I'm not expecting a long-term relationship like ours to feel like a teen romance – but finding an easy way to kickstart arousal would be welcome Rather than drugs like Viagra, designed to get things up and ready for action, these are more subtle. They contain ingredients that claim to stimulate your desire for getting intimate. One of the most affordable options is patches that you stick onto your body half an hour before you'd like to jump into bed. They enter your bloodstream topically through the skin, for faster absorption and no impact on the gut. I was sent a pack from The Patch Collection, who produce patches to aid with everything from jetlag and metabolism to insect bites and period pain. Their Libido version contains a variety of plant extracts and herbs - fo-ti, damiana, gotu kola, saw palmetto, tribulus terrestris, Siberian ginseng and L-arginine. These ingredients lay claim to benefits like increased energy and better mental clarity. Saw Palmetto may balance hormones while L-arginine could increase blood flow. Cringe-free A single patch costs £3.99 – or you can get a pack of 15 for £19.99, working out at just £1.33 each, with extra discounts if you subscribe. Generally, we enjoy vanilla sex but with a few sprinkles thrown in. It's not unusual for us to try a new toy and we have tried libido boosters in the past - with some success, so we are both up for trying these. They're discreet, arriving in the post in anonymous and cringe-free packaging. The instructions are straightforward. You simply peel off the back, stick on a hairless area of skin and you're done. They are barely noticeable, with no pulling when you take it off. The first time I use them, the instructions say to put the patch on around 30 minutes ahead of time to feel the effects. I do this after dinner, a bit ahead of going to bed. As I wait, there's a little shift in my libido - but not much. 9 9 I give it a little longer but don't get the hoped-for turbo boost and luckily (or not), Bryn slept badly the night before so our planned sexy session doesn't happen. It's a disappointing start. The second time, after a few days apart from each other, we both try the patches - they are unisex. It's not just women whose libido fluctuates. According to the NHS, one in five men suffer with loss of libido at some point in their lives. We try to keep things as 'normal' as possible to make the experiment fair, so we avoid having romantic or sexy touches, like a special dinner or lacy underwear. We go to bed at the usual time and this time we do have sex. It's enjoyable. It's not just women whose libido fluctuates However, we're often more turned on when we've been away from each other so it's hard to tell if the change is due to that absence or the boost from the patches. We decide to give it one last shot. Maybe 30 minutes before a roll in the hay just isn't long enough to light our fires? We choose a weekend when we are away together with friends, both wearing our patches for the whole day. The result? Well, we do have sex - we're away without the kids, after all. We had spent quality time together, in grown-up company, not worried about the kids all day, and had a delicious dinner date. This can make all the difference. However, there wasn't the real oomph of arousal that I was hoping for. Bryn says there wasn't the impact he'd expected either. We've used other libido boosters before which, in our experience, have worked better. Hanx's Libido Lift - which is £3 per sachet - works fast, and lasts for ages. When I tried that I was stunned by how quickly I felt turned on. I had gulped it down mixed with water before bed and it worked wonders. We also once experimented with libido boosting chocolates by the brand ForPlay. Gold-flecked, they brought on an intense feeling which lasted well into the next day. So much so that the second time we used them I only ate half a square of chocolate so I wasn't left turned on the next morning. For me these libido patches did not have the same effect. Maybe the placebo effect of using the patch may be stronger than the work of its ingredients. When I felt a twinge of arousal, it could have been from circumstances as much as the patch itself. This might be due to the delivery method – I don't think you can get as much active ingredient as you need via the skin. I also wonder if different people will respond to the ingredients better than others or need a stronger dose of one element to have an effect? But it's still worth giving a go, as even just the thought of getting frisky with your partner might be the bedroom boost you need. And if it doesn't work, give a different one a try! Clio is the author of Get Your Mojo Back: Sex, Pleasure and Intimacy After Birth, £14.99, Watkins. 4 MORE LIBIDO BOOSTING BUYS Hanx Libido Lift, £14.99 for five sachets, 9 This peach-flavoured supplement is easily dissolvable in water, smoothies or cocktails, containing traditional aphrodisiac maca root powder, as well as vitamin B6, Tribulus terrestris, L-arginine and maritime pine bark extract. ForPlay Chocolates, £28, There's a luxury vibe to these adaptogen-infused treats to enjoy together. Includes three for him and three for her, plus six play cards. Available in milk or dark. Oh Collective Date Night Chocolates, £14.95, These dark chocolate and strawberry treats have extra oomph thanks to maca, panax ginseng, damiana and cayenne. Box includes four chocs plus a truth or dare card. These gummies are more of a classic vitamin supplement, containing maca, damiana and L-arginine as well as zinc and vitamins B6 and B12 to boost wellbeing.
