Dr. A.Jalaludheen Jalal

Women who masturbate regularly are likely to enjoy better sex lives with their partners and are more self confident in nature. Women who indulge in masturbation enjoy a wealth of physical as well as mental health benefits.

Following are the benefits that you should be aware of:

a) Psychological or mental benefits of female masturbation:

1. Helps you accept yourself: Accepting your sexuality is very important as it makes you aware of your body and makes you comfortable with it. It strengthens your love for yourself and increases your confidence. Paying attention to your sexual desires and fulfilling them yourselves is pleasurable as well as healthy. Masturbation can help you know your physical needs and relieve stress associated to your personal and professional life.
2. Improves mood and busts stress: Masturbation helps you get rid of depressed feelings and in turn positively affects your sexual life with your partner. It improves your mood and is considered an effective stress buster without any associated side effects.

b) Physical benefits of female masturbation:

1. Prevents insomnia: Masturbation can be a natural way to prevent insomnia as there is a subsequent release of hormones and stress involved. During masturbation the hormone called dopamine increases as the process reaches climax. After orgasm, the hormones called oxytocin are released along with endorphins which consequently help you to sleep better.
2. Prevention of infections: Female masturbation is very important as it prevents cervical infections and also relieves you from infections in the urinary tract. Recent studies suggest that masturbation helps relieve you from pain caused by urinary tract infections. It lubricates the vagina and eliminates harmful bacteria from the cervix.
3. Better cardiovascular health: Masturbating promotes improvement in cardiovascular health and also effectively lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It has been observed that women who masturbate regularly are less vulnerable to coronary heart disease and overall have a better immune system.

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

It is important that we treat our body with care and ensure that we eat healthy and right, in order to support our body to function right. When the semen that spews upon ejaculation does not have the appropriate amount of sperm in it, this signifies a condition called Low Sperm Count. This is also called Oligospermia, while a complete lack of sperm in the fluid or semen is called Azoospermia. If a male has less than 15 million sperms in each millilitre of semen, then he is considered as a patient suffering from low sperm count. 

This also makes a person infertile and lessens the chances of fertilising a partner's egg. The symptoms may include problems in gaining and retaining an erection, premature ejaculation, pain and discomfort, a lump in the penis, and inability to conceive a child. This may be caused due to infection, ejaculation problems, tumours, hormonal imbalances and Varicocele. The way to treat this condition is as follows:

- Surgery: A patient with a low sperm count may be asked to go through surgery which will help in correcting a Varicocele in a surgical manner. For this, any vasectomies that the patient may have gone through will have to be reversed. Also, the doctor can resort to sperm retrieval methods in order to scoop the sperm directly from the testicles and epididymis. This is usually done in cases where there is no sperm in the semen that the patient ejaculates.

- Infection Treatment: With the help of antiviral medication and oral antibiotics, any infection in this part of the body can be treated and cured so that normal sperm production can take place. While this method can cure the infection in the reproductive tract of the patient, there is no guarantee of increasing fertility with this process.

- Hormone Treatment: The doctor can aim at treating any hormonal imbalances by using hormone replacement therapy as well as medication. This can help in treating cases of infertility as well by tweaking the way the body produces and uses hormones.

- Counselling: A patient may have to undergo counselling and associated medication to help in overcoming problems like erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation.

- Assisted Reproductive Technology: ART or Assisted Reproductive Technology usually involves surgical extraction of sperms from donors which can be inserted in the genital reproductive tract of the female partner so that conception via methods like In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) can be possible.

Increasing the frequency of sexual intercourse and avoiding excessive use of additives like lubricants can also help in increasing the sperm count. One must also follow a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise even as a proper routine is followed. Also, smoking and excessive drinking must be avoided. One must also time sexual activity with the ovulation cycles of the partner.

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

Although sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are capable of affecting both genders, the impact on men and women is different. In women, this problem can cause long-term issues such as infertility. Although most STDs can be readily treated as soon as the symptoms surface, some cases might not throw up any symptom.

Some of the curable STDs that can affect women are discussed below:

1. Gonorrhoea: This STD is caused by bacteria living in mucous membranes of the vagina, urethra, mouth, rectum and eyes and is capable of spreading through contact. The symptoms in women include excessive discharge from the vagina, abdominal cramps, pain in the pelvic region and bleeding from the vagina after sex.

2. Chlamydia: The STD is a result of a bacterial infection of ‘Chlamydia trachomatis’. Symptoms in females include burning sensation during urination, unusual vaginal discharge and bleeding between periods. Without treatment, the infection might spread to the urinary tract which could potentially cause PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease) which is capable of causing problems in pregnancy and even infertility.

3. Genital Herpes: Genital herpes is generally caused by the herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) or the herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1). The virus is commonly known to be the chief cause of cold sores. Symptoms may appear soon after infection and usually are severe. This includes blisters which turn into raw and painful sores that scab and heal over time. This might be accompanied by swollen lymph nodes and fever.

4. Chancroid: This infection is a STD caused by the bacterium ‘Haemophilus Ducreyi’. It occurs most commonly in the vulva (the female external genital organ that includes the clitoris, labia as well as the opening of the vagina). The condition starts out as a tender bump that appears during the incubation period after intercourse. The incubation period generally ranges between 3-10 days. The bump turns into an ulcer i.e. an open sore, due to the death of the cells. This is usually painful.

5. Syphilis: It is caused by the bacterium ‘Treponema pallidum’ and the disease mainly occurs if you have sexual intercourse without any protection, that too with multiple sexual partners. The other mode of infection is blood transfusion. Symptoms of Syphilis include appearance of ulcers around the genitals or the oral region known as a chancre, severe rashes around the hand or feet coupled with other symptoms of mild fever, headache, throat pain and immense fatigue.

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

Hypogonadism in females occurs when your sex glands produce little or no sex hormones.The sex glands, also called gonads that are responsible for ovary formation in females, breast enlargement and in menstrual cycle.

What Are the Types of Female Hypogonadism?
There two types of hypogonadism are primary and central hypogonadism.

Primary Hypogonadism: Primary hypogonadism means that you don't have enough sex hormones in your body due to a problem in your gonads. Your gonads are still receiving the message to produce hormones from your brain, but they aren't able to produce them.

Central Hypogonadism or Secondary Hypogonadism: In central hypogonadism, the problem lies in your brain. The hypothalamus and pituitary gland in your brain, which control your gonads, aren't working properly.

Causes of Primary Hypogonadism:

1. Autoimmune disorders, such as Addison's disease and hypoparathyroidism
2. Genetic disorders, such as Turner syndrome and Klinefelter syndrome
3. Severe infections
4. Liver and kidney diseases
5. Hemochromatosis, which happens when your body absorbs too much iron
6. Radiation exposure
7. Surgery of your sex organs

Causes of Central or Secondary Hypogonadism include:

1. Genetic disorders, such as Kallmann syndrome (abnormal hypothalamic development)
2. Infections, including HIV and AIDS
3. Pituitary disorders
4. Inflammatory diseases including sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, and histiocytosis
5. Obesity
6. Rapid weight loss
7. Nutritional deficiencies
8. Use of steroids or opiates (especially long-term usage)
9. Brain surgery
10. Radiation exposure
11. Injury to your pituitary gland or hypothalamus
12. A tumor in or near your pituitary gland

Symptoms that May Affect Females Include:

1. Lack of menstruation
2. Slow or absent breast growth
3. Hot flashes
4. Loss of body hair
5. Low or absent sex drive
6. Milky discharge from your breasts

Treatment for Hypogonadism in Women: Your treatment will involve increasing the amount of female sex hormones in your body. Your first line of treatment will probably be estrogen therapy if you've had a hysterectomy. Either a patch or pill can administer the supplemental estrogen hormone. Estrogen must be balanced with progesterone, because taking estrogen alone leads to a dangerous build up of the lining of the uterus (endometrial hyperplasia) that can lead to cancer of the uterus. Low-dose testosterone may be added for women with hypogonadism who have a low sex drive.

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

Daily habits have the power to leave you limp during or after intercourse. These habits can result in low libido and low desire to engage in intercourse with your partner. However, once you identify them, it is easier to rectify them.

Here are a few daily things which might leave you limp:

1. Not nourishing your libido enough: One major reason of a depreciating sex drive can be attributed to low libido, which can be an outcome of poor dietary choices. Add more aphrodisiacs to your diet such as oysters, dark chocolates, bananas, strawberries and yogurt which are rich in zinc, magnesium and other minerals which help in increasing your sex drive.
2. Over-masturbation: Engaging in self-stimulation too many times a day can result in fatigue and other health problems. The acceptable number of times a person should masturbate in a day is 2-3 times, however, if you engage in masturbation more than that, you can experience problems like a limp, flaccid penis and reduced sexual drive.
3. Increase in insulin levels: Consuming too much sugar during the day can result in spiked insulin (blood sugar levels) in your body. This ends up making you feel more lethargic. It was recently discovered that in men, insulin raises ‘oestrogen’, leading to low libido and in graver cases, erectile dysfunction. Another study linked excess glucose or blood sugar with a dip in the levels of testosterone, thus, leaving you limp before/after intercourse.
4. Stress: Though some amount of stress is considered normal, when the levels of distress go sky-rocketing, it might leave you limp as if affects your sexual performance. Instead of relieving stress, sex ends up feeling more like a liability which can result in you having problems getting an erection or getting an orgasm.

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

Are you experiencing reduced libido along with intense dryness in your genitals? Loss of libido is a tough thing to cope with in women. In spite of having a great sex life, your vaginal area can become nonresponsive because of several reasons. You might not even know what is happening and the reasons which are causing the condition. These conditions are common in the menopause stage in women.

Reasons for decreased libido and vaginal dryness:

1. Several changes occur in a woman’s body during the menopause stage. The sex hormones, which include estrogen and progesterone start decreasing. This may lower your libido, cause vaginal dryness and affect your sex life to a great extent.

2. Testosterone is the sex hormone which turns you on or gets you into the mood for having sex. When the production of this hormone is insufficient, the urge for having sex gets affected and reaching an orgasm gets even harder.

3. The decrease in estrogen production causes several physical changes in a woman. The blood circulation to your sexual organs gets reduced, making you less sensitive to any kind of sexual stimulation. It also leads to vaginal dryness. The walls of the vagina also become thin due to which penetration may get painful.

Remedies for decreased libido

1. You should start practicing breathing exercises and do meditation for at least thirty minutes every day. This will enable you to eliminate stress, which is a primary trigger for decreased libido.

2. For balancing the estrogen levels, you should consume phytoestrogenic tea and supplements. Some important herbs which you should take include black cohosh, red clover and dong quai.

3. You should also consume aphrodisiac food items. Garlic is such a food item, which contains allicin and increases the blood flow to the vagina. Dark chocolate can also be taken.

Remedies for vaginal dryness

Several conventional vaginal lubricants may lead to irritation, infection and dryness of the vagina.

1. You should always use a natural lubricant, which is not associated with side effects and works effectively. Natural lubricants such as tea tree oil, coconut oil and vitamin E based oils provide effective vaginal lubrication. They also moisturize and repair the vagina.

2. You must keep fit and active. Regular cardio or yoga sessions will help with enhanced blood flow to your sexual organs, making you feel wet.

3. You should drink plenty of water and always stay hydrated in order to prevent dryness in the vagina.

Most importantly, it is a good idea to continue having sex. If you shy away and do not make any effort, the problem of decrease in libido will continue. Therefore, sex is the best way of encouraging your body. Proper communication with your partner is also necessary. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Sexologist.

Once is good, twice is better, multiple times, oh is even better. You must have heard about the desire to reach the pinnacle of pleasure multiple times. According to Rachel Carlton Abrams, the co-author of the book named 'The Multi Orgasmic Woman', an average woman is inherently able to climax multiple times. Reaching the climax more than once is not something you should be shy about.

Here are a few tips which can help you reach the climax multiple times: 

1. Do not be prepared for only one: Never ever be just single-minded. If you prepare yourself for only one orgasm, chances are high that you will not be able to have another after that. If your expectations are limited, then the possibility of you limiting your body to only one orgasm is high. Do not switch of your body mentally or sexually after reaching one climax. You have to be open-minded and be expectant towards being aroused again. If you have the right attitude, then that's the first step towards multiple orgasms. 
2. Foreplay is necessary: The second key to having multiple climaxes depends on how much time you devote to foreplay. Foreplay is extremely necessary as that will enable both you and your partner to attune your bodies for another climax. You might even reach your climax while your partner is still at the foreplay. Also make sure that you and your partner work towards your second orgasms slowly. Do not hurry too much as that might just mess up the entire experience.
3. Exercise regularly: Kegel exercises are usually done to keep the pelvic region fit. If you want to experience multiple orgasms, make sure that you keep your pelvic region fit and fine. Flex your uterine muscles to tighten them; after holding it for some time, loosen them. Do this routine a couple of times. If you combine it with the pelvic connecting crunch, then you will be able to get the maximum out of your next orgasm.
4. Take small gaps: It is usually better to keep a small time gap after you have reached one orgasm. It helps to calm you down and your partner sexually. After reaching the climax once, both you and your partner are going to be extremely sensitive to go for another round immediately. Hence if you both take a short break before working up to another climax, it will help you reach the peak.

So, if you still thought that reaching climax multiple times was something very difficult, well now you know it isn't. Try the above methods out and you will get to know why. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a sexologist.

Resuming sex post pregnancy can take some time as the woman has to go through the initial phase of vaginal soreness and perpetual exhaustion before she can think of having sex. Whether a woman gives birth vaginally or through cesarian section, her body will require time to heal itself; and it is advisable to resume the intercourse only six weeks after childbirth.

Here are some of the common sex problems post-pregnancy.

1) An eager partner - Your partner might be ready for sexual intercourse but you are not. Even if it is six weeks after giving birth, when the wound inside has mostly healed and perhaps you're not sore anymore, you still may not want to have sex. This is because the hormones in your body are drastically changing, and the uterus is gradually shrinking and your episiotomy wound is progressively healing. In such situations, one should take it slow. Cuddling, kissing and spooning are some of the ways closeness can be fostered.

2) Delicate and tender breasts - Breasts may become sore, heavy and leaky due to nursing your baby. And it is natural after breastfeeding the whole day, one may wat them to be left alone at night. Wearing a nursing top or a tank top during sex is advised. Nursing your baby right before sex can also help as your breasts won't be as full and achy.

So, in case you're a woman and felt strange about not being up for sex post your pregnancy, there's absolutely nothing to be stressed about. And men, if you are reading this tip, your woman needs you to understand her even more after her becoming a mother; so, treat her with utmost care. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a sexologist.

Female dyspareunia refers to painful intercourse. It is estimated that 8 to 21% of women experience this at some point in their lives. Pain during or after intercourse is disturbing and restricts partners need for intimacy. It leaves the partners with an unpleasant experience and may lead to frustrations, anxiety and fear of sex. There is little awareness among couples about dyspareunia and thus a painful experience is sometimes confusing for the other partner and often invites fights and arguments rather than support and understanding.

Women with dyspareunia suffer pain in genitalia or deeper in the pelvis, vulva or vagina. It is more common among women after menopause; however, many women experience pain right from their first sexual attempt or just after initiation while some at deeper penetration.

Causes of Dyspareunia could be medical, psychosocial or both. Medical conditions can be cured but often there are underlying personal and psychological factors which need to be addressed usually by counsellors or sexologists.

Diagnosis of the problem begins with a physical examination of the vulva. Apart from this an internal pelvic examination may also be required. A doctor takes into account the nature, extent and duration of pain in determining possible causes and deciding the mode of treatment. During interaction with the patient, various other psychosocial factors are also revealed that must be addressed for holistic treatment.

Medical conditions that could cause pain during or after intercourse are many including lesions, thin skin, scar tissues or ulcers. Infections like UTI, herpes, yeast infections, Chlamydia, trichomoniasis can also cause pain.

Treatment of infections is through drugs and creams.

• Apart from this, infections of the fallopian tubes or conditions like ovarian cysts, fibroids, tumours or endometriosis could be a reason for deeper and intense pain. In most of the cases, surgery is the option.
• Lack of oestrogen is another major cause for this type of pain. Oestrogen deficiency can cause lack of lubrication making vaginal area dry. This can cause painful friction during intercourse. Along with lubricants, an oestrogen treatment is given.

Apart from medical causes, fears or anxieties associated with sex can sometimes lead to pain. Lack of harmony in relationships can lead to loss of desire for sex leading to vaginal dryness and discomfort. A traumatic sexual experience of the past may also inhibit a partner to be at peace in the act and may invite psychosomatic problems. It is important for the partner to be sensitive and lend a hand of support. Understanding how a partner wishes to be caressed and touched and making efforts towards providing a sexually exciting experience can go a long way in removing partner’s inhibitions/fears and introducing positive sparks in the relationship. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a sexologist.

Painful or difficult intercourse is either caused by psychological or medical factors, such as dyspareunia. It is commonly known as painful intercourse due to various reasons and persistant pain in the pelvis region is a sign of it.

What an cause dyspareunia?
The causes of dyspareunia can vary, depending on when the pain occurs; during deep thrusting or penetration. Sometimes, emotional factors contribute to the cause as well.
1. Entry pain
Pain during penetration may be caused by the following factors:

• Insufficient lubrication: Inadequate foreplay can result in insufficient lubrication. Breast-feeding, menopause or childbirth can also cause inadequate lubrication.
• Irritation, trauma or injury: This includes irritation or injury from pelvic surgery, an accident, female circumcision or episiotomy (incision made at the time of childbirth to expand the birth canal).
• Skin disorder, infection or inflammation: Infections in the urinary tract or genital organs can result in painful intercourse. Skin problems such as eczema can also add to dyspareunia.
• Vaginismus: Uncontrollable vaginal wall muscle spasms can make penetration extremely painful.
• Congenital abnormality: Problems during birth, such as lack of a fully-developed vagina or underdevelopment of the hymen are some underlying causes.

2. Deep pain
Deep thrusting can be attributed to the following causes:

• Certain conditions and illnesses: These include ovarian cysts, haemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome, cystitis, uterine fibroids (benign growths in the uterus), retroverted uterus (uterus that is tilted), uterine prolapse (a condition characterized by the uterus sagging from its usual position), pelvic inflammatory disease and endometriosis (uterus lining tissues growing outside one’s uterus).
• Medical treatment or surgeries: Medical treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation or surgeries like hysterectomy (a surgical technique to remove either a part or whole of the womb) can result in dyspareunia.

3. Emotional factors

• Psychological problems: Depression, anxiety, body image issues, relationship problems or intimacy fears can affect arousal and result in pain.
• Stress: Pelvic floor muscles are affected by stress. This contributes to pain during sex.
• Past sexual abuse: Dyspareunia commonly develops in women who have been abused in the past.

The symptoms of painful intercourse include:
1. Pain only during entry (Sexual penetration)
2. Any penetrative activity is painful; even inserting a tampon becomes painful
3. Sudden sensation of pain, especially if sex before was painless
4. Deep pain while thrusting
5. Aching or burning pain
6. Throbbing pain, persisting hours after sex