Dr. M Shazad Baig

Over the last couple of decades, there has been a steady increase in the number of issues pertaining to sex. While there are a variety of reasons attributed to it including more exposure to sex through media forums, the changing lifestyle of people is said to be a bigger reason.

With people connected to their work all through the day and multitasking on the rise, work is never complete.  Even when retiring for the night, there are always things running about what next to do.  In cases where both couples are working, there is no match of timings either. That being the case, sex has taken a backseat, almost the last seat.

In addition, the altered Indian lifestyle also has led to greater exposure to sex leading to increased cases of abuse (family/friends circle), past unpleasant experiences, relationship failures, etc.  All these have changed the equations in relationships.

More and more couples are worried about a number of sexual issues, including:

• Loss of desire 
• Anxiety about sex
• Erectile dysfunction
• Orgasmic disorder
• Premature or delayed ejaculation
• Conflicting sexual desires 
• Past sexual abuse or assault
• Loneliness
• Image issues 
• Promiscuity 

Sex therapy is on the rise, and 90% of the therapy consists of getting the couples to have a frank, open discussion. As much as it is a private topic, the problem can only be solved when an open discussion happens, both with the doctor and with the partner.

Whether it is past abuse or erectile dysfunction, the first step is to acknowledge the problem and discuss about it. If you are not able to confide in your partner or a good friend, it is advisable to seek a therapist.  

It is wise to pick a therapist who comes through referral. Some things to keep in mind are:

1. Be open - Like any other counseling, sex therapy also involves a frank discussion with complete confidence in the person. The therapist will understand your concerns about anxiety or problem and help you how to communicate your desires and needs with your partner.
2. It does not end with one discussion - Starting to work with a sex therapist is just the first step. It might take a while (a few months) to completely resolve the issue and identify the solution.
3. Involve your partner - Though it is advisable to start talking alone with the therapist, after a couple of sessions, the partner may also be called in to see if there is something that needs to be worked upon.

Sex therapy can definitely help to resolve the above noted issues and improve sex life, which is very essential for a healthy body and relationship.

Keeping track of your cycle probably doesn't sound that interesting or important, but you can get a lot of benefit by doing that. There are changes that your body goes through and there are specific times when you are ovulating; knowing all these would make your life a lot easier, which is only possible by tracking your period.

1. Know about your body: Getting your period every 28 days has always been considered normal, but only 15% of women get their periods on the clock. Many factors such as stress, illness, exercise etc. can cause your period to delay. This is where tracking your cycle can help you finding the pattern that is specific to your body condition. During your cycle there are lots of changes happening in your body. The hormones cause a change in the fluid produced from your cervix and also lead the basal temperature of your body to increase. Monitoring these changes through tracking your cycle is known as the symptothermal method. By this way know about how fascinatingly your body works.
2. Desire to get pregnant: Tracking your cycle will help you get pregnant. During your cycle, there is a specific time, which heightens the possibility of conceiving. The fluid production from the cervix due to hormonal change is the cause of such possibility. Knowing your cycle can take out the stress from trying to get pregnant and it can also determine any abnormalities that are preventing your pregnancy.
3. Avoid pregnancy: If you know the time when you are most likely to get pregnant through tracking, you obviously know when not to have sex if you are trying to avoid pregnancy. Using symptothermal method for the purpose of birth control has proven to be 99.6% effective, which is higher than birth control medications.
4. Health benefits: You can reap a lot of health benefits by tracking your cycle. Conditions like fibroids, polycystic ovarian syndrome and endometriosis are quite common in women, which can be detected by tracking your period. If anything is wrong in your reproductive system, the cycle will indicate it.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!