Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Secrets to a Long and Happy Sex Life: By Andrea Sachs

America's lovers are graying, and the publishing industry knows it. Naturally, since publishers rarely pass up a chance to win an audience, there is a current boomlet of sex books for midlifers, semi-seniors and seniors. With all the manuals already out there, you have to wonder how it is they still don't know what to do.
The truth is, though, that sex changes as our bodies age--and not all the changes are welcome. Many women going through menopause encounter physical problems such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness, while a number of men as they age have more trouble reaching and holding an erection. Often too, alas, the monogamy that lies at the heart of many long-term relationships begins to be equated with monotony.
Our sexual drive stays with us our whole lives, the experts all stress, and with proper knowledge, we can have long, happy sex lives. Dr. Alan Altman, the co-author of Making Love the Way We Used To...Or Better: Secrets to Satisfying Midlife Sexuality (Contemporary) writes, "While I can't say that you'll ever feel the ultimate heart-stopping passion you felt the first month you fell in love with your partner, I do know this: there are many of us who settle for predictability when we could have more excitement; friendship when we could have intimacy; medical problems that kill our sex life when we can correct them; and the status quo when we could have a relationship that is constantly evolving and renewing itself."
Other authors in this genre also hold out hope for lifelong love and lust. In her introduction to the often gaspingly explicit Still Doing It: Women & Men over 60 Write About Their Sexuality, edited by Joani Blank (Down There Press), Eleanor (Ranger) Hamilton writes, "When I was a student, training to become a marriage counselor, I asked a lovely old lady in her late sixties, 'When does sexual desire stop?' Her immediate response was, 'I'll let you know.' Her answer confirmed what I have known now for 40 years--namely, that we are sexual beings from birth until death."
With that in mind, here's a sampling of the sex tips for mature lovers offered by the current crop of authors:
Taking a Position
Getting bored in the bedroom? Maybe it's time to consult the Kama Sutra and go back to the drawing board for a new position or two. As Married Lust: 10 Secrets of Long-Lasting Desire by Pamela Lister and Redbook magazine put it, with Martha Stewart swagger, "After all, would you spend hours preparing fabulously creative hors d'oeuvres for a dinner guest, only to go dump the same old tuna casserole on him? Having a range of sexual positions is not only a perfect antidote to the encroaching dullness of routine, but it allows you to decide what style of lovemaking you're in the mood for--tender, raunchy, kinky, spiritual, whatever--and to pick the position that best expresses how you feel." In Redbook's survey of 10,000 married men and women, women declared that the missionary position was their favorite, while men rated it last. Men's favorite position? Woman on top.
Stimulating Company
After 40, men's erections are less automatic. According to Dr. Saul Rosenthal, the author of the newly revised Sex over 40 (Tarcher/Putnam), "One thing you can count on is that when you are over 40 you won't be getting spontaneous erections in the same rapid and easy way you did when you were in your adolescence or early 20s...Just thinking about sex or seeing a sexual partner won't be enough. You will require more and more direct physical stimulation." But that's not bad, says Dr. Altman, and it doesn't mean that sex stops. "It just means that your partner is going to have to help you," he says. "And here, an understanding, loving partner is truly important."
Inside the Medicine Chest
If something has put a hex on your sex drive, the culprit may be a medicine that you're taking. Various blood-pressure medications, antidepressants, antihistamines, heart drugs and some antibiotics have been implicated in interfering with sex drive or performance. If there's a problem, check with your physician to see if it makes medical sense to adjust the dosage of your prescription.
Staying in the Game
Women who cannot or choose not to take estrogen risk vaginal problems if they are not having sexual relations on a regular basis. To be absolutely clinical about it, "lack of use promotes vaginal atrophy, while frequent intercourse helps maintain elasticity," says Dr. Altman. He is aware that some women could find this message annoying, especially if they don't have a regular partner. Undaunted, Dr. Altman advises that women, well, improvise. "For patients who don't have a willing or able partner, I suggest they take the advice from the song made famous by Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better." Although Simon was almost certainly not singing about self-stimulation, he says, "doctors and sex therapists definitely recommend it as a remedy because it works to keep the vaginal walls healthy, elastic and responsive."


Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,109614,00.html#ixzz1QYJ3rwtA

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