8 Steps to a Happier Sex Life - Sex is probably the most important part of a relationship along with compatibility, trust and comfort. To make your relationship stronger and deeper, happiness in sex life is crucial. It must be the part of your life that you always look forward to and that brings the two of you together irrespective of the way your days go.

Follow these simple protocol to make for a happy sex life and therefore a happy life.

1) Believe you are sexy - Stop undermining yourself. You are sexy, accept it. And believe that your partner gets turned on by you. When you believe that your partner finds you sexy, you will be more interested in sex and so will your partner be.

2) Believe in the little gestures - Sex is not always awesome while you are in the act. The build up through the day can be made with the simplest of actions. A meaningful touch on the breakfast table, a mid-day text saying you miss him and an intimate evening message, or simply holding hands while shopping for grocery, all add up to build the connection between both of you.

3) Focus on the positive - Tell your partner what he does that you like. The kiss on the nape or how their breathe on your skin makes your senses tingle ? tell that. When your partner knows what you like, your bedroom experiments can take interesting turns. Always help your partner focus gently to what gives you pleasure.

4) Make time for sex - When new in a relationship, couples tend to have more sex and the frequency diminishes once they are comfortable in the situation. Avoid this; sex should be in your priority list at all times. Sex indeed should be a natural event. However, our lifestyles don't permit it. Also, there are too many distractions. If you need to schedule sex, it's okay. The idea is to indulge in it. You both have your needs and they should be fulfilled, right?

5) Fantasize - One great way to keep the passion alive is to share your fantasies. Doesn't matter how dirty it is, don't worry about what your partner will think. Far from judging, you yourself might realize something new about your partner. Chances are, that you might love the fantasies you both talk about.

6) Take it easy -  In real life, it is okay to not be perfect, to stop to catch breath and be real. To be happy with your sex life doesn't mean having spectacular sex every time. More than how you perform, it is how the experience was for both of you. Enjoy the process, it is for real.

7) Be responsive - Respond, even if you are not in the mood. Don't shun your partner because you are not in the mood. But if one of you wants to have sex, pushing them away is not a good idea. And if you still don't want to go ahead, explain that it's not them, but the time and plan to connect some time in near future.

8) Be willing to have sex - If you would rather watch tv all day rather than have sex and then do it nevertheless just because your partner initiated it, they would know. Never make your partner feel that you are having sex out of obligation. This is a mood killer and a guarantee for low satisfaction derived. Make sex an enjoyable affair, think what all you like and show them to your partner. 

If you have any further questions on sexual health, ask me by clicking on 'Consult'.

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Having Better Sex - 8 Steps to a Happier Sex Life

The contraceptive pill, or simply 'the pill', is a type of hormonal contraception taken by women to prevent pregnancy. Now, even though the birth control pill is extremely effective in preventing unplanned pregnancy, it is not without some side effects. The common side effects of birth control pill include:

1. Intermenstrual spotting: Some women experience intermenstrual spotting or bleeding in the time between their menstrual cycles. This is very common in the first three months of you taking the pill. Most of the times, intermenstrual bleeding resolves itself.

2. Nausea: Some women might experience mild nausea when they take the pill for the first time. The nausea will resolve on its own after some time, but if it gets critical or persists, seek medical help. Taking your pill at bedtime or with food can aid in countering the nausea.

3. Breast tenderness: Breasts can become tender or enlarge as a result of birth control pills. Reducing salt and caffeine intake, and wearing a support bra can be beneficial.

4. Headaches: The development of migraines and headaches are the effects of the sex hormones. Different pills with varied doses and types of hormones may lead to different symptoms of headaches. Studies suggest that pills with low hormone doses are usually linked with headaches.

5. Weight gain: There is no logical link between weight fluctuations and contraceptive pills, but fluid retention (specifically in the hip and breast areas) and enlarged fat cells are common side-effects.

6. Mood changes: Women who may have suffered from depression should consult their doctors when taking the pill. A study discovered that taking pills usually leads to the thickening of the cortexes (outermost layers of the brain involved with analysing incoming stimuli and reward response). However, there is more research pending on this issue.

7. Missed periods: Skipping or missing a period is very common when you are on the pill. Factors such as stress, travel, illness and thyroid or hormonal abnormalities can influence this.

8. Decreased libido: The pills contain hormones that can lower your sex drive or libido.

9. Vaginal discharge: Some women experience differences in their vaginal discharge when they are on the pill. Vaginal lubrication can dip, which causes discomfort during sex.

10. Visual changes: Fluid retention is a side-effect of the pill, which even ends up affecting the cornea; they change shape or swell up.

Birth Control Pills - 10 Common Side Effects!

Syphilis is a STD caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. It has several stages, like primary, secondary, latent and tertiary and is common in homosexual men. It should be remembered that Syphilis is curable. It can be treated, if diagnosed in early stage. It can be cured, if medical help is sought for. Sharing toilets, clothes, or utensils doesn t cause this disease. It will vanish forever, if treated at once. However, it can be reinfected if exposed to the bacteria through new syphilis sore. It can also spread, if transmitted by direct touch or contact with Syphilitic sore via anus, skin surface, vagina, mouth and lips. It is very rare though that syphilis can be spread during a kiss.

Syphilis can live within the body for months, even years or decades. Initially, it remains as a painless sore on the genitals like anus, vagina, mouth or skin surface. If present for many years, there is an increased risk of contracting HIV.

Causes
The major causes of syphilis are unsafe sex with homosexual partners and the practice of having unprotected sex like anal, vaginal and oral sex. Individuals who have multiple sexual partners and are specially sexually linked to HIV-infected persons have the highest risk of contracting Syphillis.

It can not only be spread through multiple sexual unsafe intercourses, but also has its high risk in spreading from mother to baby during pregnancy; commonly unknown as congenital syphilis. In such cases, the baby has low birth weight and can develop cataract, deafness or seizures. In some cases, even new born babies die from the disease.

Diagnosis
The doctor will first conduct a physical examination of the patient. Thereafter, blood and urine are collected for bacterial test. If a sore is found on the body, the doctor may collect a sample from the sore to examine the presence of syphilis bacteria. If there are nervous system disorders in the patient, a spinal tap or lumbar puncture is done to collect the spinal fluid. The fluid is then tested for syphilis bacteria.

Treatments for syphilis
Initially, syphilis is treated with penicillin. It has to be kept in mind that long-term exposure to the disease can have life-threatening consequences. Patients suffering from syphilis are either given a single dose or multiple doses of penicillin. The quantum of the dose depends on the nature of symptoms and the infection. Individuals must use condoms to reduce the risk of transmitting the disease while having sexual intercourse. In the case of penicillin allergy, the patient is recommended to have alternative medicines. Infants and newborns born with syphilis undergo antibiotic treatment.

Syphilis - How to Diagnose And Treat It?

Foods that kill sex drive in men
 
Do you wonder why suddenly at times you go on a zero sex drive? it could happen even when your chemistry with your partner is fine, nothing is heaving on your mind, and you are otherwise healthy too. Only you just don't feel like having sex. This might have to do with what you are eating. 
Here are some of the foods which can kill your sex drive.

1. Diet soda - while staying fit is an excellent idea, drinking diet sodas with artificial sweeteners can be absolute mood killers as they directly affect the levels of serotonin, a hormone which assists you in reaching the zone.
2. Caffeine - it certainly increases stamina for sex. However, for someone who is already nervous, this would mean increased anxiety which in turn would lower the sex drive. Overdose of coffee is known to increase one's stress hormone levels, too, affecting one's sex drive.
3. Chocolate - this is surprising since chocolate is known as an aphrodisiac. A study has shown that since it stimulates love and euphoria, it might also suppress, at times the testosterone levels in the body.
4. Mint - while mint is a good way to clear your breath after a meal, the menthol in it is also known to lower the testosterone. This lowers your sex drive.
5. Popcorn - when popcorn is made in the microwave and eaten, it could totally kill the mood for sex, especially in men. Research suggests that the bag's lining has chemicals which kill sex drive and in the long term can also cause prostrate problems.
6. Cheese - if made of cow's milk, cheese contains a lot of synthetic hormones which are known to mess with human body's natural hormone production that primarily includes testosterone and estrogen.


Did You Know These Shocking Foods Kill Sex Drive In Men?

Sexual problems might mean you have a broken heart, literally. The most common sexual problem in men is erectile dysfunction (ED). Erectile dysfunction affects >30% of men between 40 and 70 years of age. There are several different causes of ED, including depression, low testosterone, neurological problems, and some medications, such as beta blocker but the most common cause is a problem with the blood vessels called atherosclerosis.
Erectile dysfunction is frequently a sign of atherosclerosis, that can be the first clue to heart disease in men. It usually comes 3 to 5 years before a heart attack, so after ED is diagnosed, there is time to treat atherosclerosis and prevent a heart attack.
Sexual Activity and Cardiovascular Disease
Decreased sexual activity and function are common in patients with CVD and are often interrelated to anxiety and depression. In fact research has proved that there is a strong link between erectile dysfunction and heart disease. Studies have shown that if a man has ED, he has a greater risk of having heart disease. For instance, in one study, 57% of men who had bypass surgery and 64% of men hospitalized for a heart attack had had ED.
Several having ED can predict that a man will probably have heart disease symptoms within five years. In fact, having ED is as much a risk factor for heart disease as a history of smoking or a family history of coronary artery disease.
The Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Programme (SHEEP) study of post-MI patients (50% women) found that those who were sedentary had a higher risk of MI with sexual activity (relative risk 4.4) than did those who were physically active (relative risk 0.7).
How is the Heart and ED Related?
Deposition of cholesterol in the arteries causing atherosclerosis is taken as the most important reason for ED as the plaque formation reduces the blood flow in the penis, thereby affecting the erection process. However the latest studies show that ED is also due to the dysfunction of the inner lining of the blood vessels (endothelium) and smooth muscle. This causes inadequate blood supply to the heart and the penis which also aids in arthrosclerosis. Hence ED and heart disease are found to be inter related.
What to do?
If you are suffering from ED or heart disease , it is best to discuss your concerns with a specialist - for the heart a cardiologist and for the ED a urologist.

How Erectile Dysfunction and Cardiac Problems are Related

Chlamydia is a very common STI caused by bacteria. Those patients who are suffering from chlamydia usually don't see the side effects in the early stages, which makes it that much more difficult to diagnose it. Chlamydia can bring about a lot of severe problems in the later stages. These include not being able to get pregnant later or causing dangers in pregnancies. This disease is often easily spread since it shows no noticeable symptoms and can be passed on the partner very easily. 75% of the infection in women and 50% of the infections in men cannot be noticed and are without any symptoms.

Symptoms: Since the side-effects are not always visible, when they do happen, they are normally recognizable within one to three weeks of contacting and include the following:

In women these are:

    Vaginal discharge with strong odour
    Abnormal bleeding during periods
    Excruciating periods
    Stomach pain with fever
    Pain while engaging in sexual activities
    Burning around the vagina
    Pain during urination

In men:

    Cloudy discharge from the tip of the penis
    Excruciating pain while urinating
    Burning around the opening of the penis
    Swelling and pain in the testicles

Treatment: Chlamydia is easily treatable. Since it is bacterial in nature, it's treated with anti-infection agents. Following are some of the most common treatments for chlamydia in men as well as women:

1. Azithromycin is an anti-infection generally recommended in large dosage, yet the dosage may be spread out more than 5 days.

2. Doxycycline is an anti-microbial that must be taken twice every day for around one week. Your specialist may recommend different anti-infection agents.

Regardless of which antibiotic you are given, you should follow the dosage guidelines properly to ensure the infection is cured completely. This can take up to two weeks, even with the single-dosage medications.

Try not to engage in sexual relations while your treatment is going on. Unfortunately, you can get chlamydia again in case you're uncovered, regardless of the fact that you've had it and it was treated.

Women with extreme chlamydia infection may require hospitalisation, intravenous anti-microbial and painkillers. Your doctor might use a few tests to diagnose chlamydia. He or she will probably take samples from your urethra and cervix and then send it for further analysis. There are also other tests that include urine samples for presence of bacteria. Sometimes, even blood tests are taken depending upon your symptoms or in case the doctor is not able to diagnose it with previous methods and tests.

After taking the medication, individuals should get a follow-up on the treatment after three months to make certain that the disease is cured. This is highly important in case you are not sure whether your partner has been treated or not.

How to Treat Chlamydia in Men and Women?

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