Today, we shall be looking at some sexuality facts that can enhance our sexuality. Wives, sex time is not the best time to shed tears because the scent of a woman’s tears decreases sexual arousal in men. Some researchers have speculated that a woman’s libido is linked to her testosterone level. Although usually thought of as a male hormone, testosterone is also made in small quantities in women. It is produced in her ovaries. As she ages, her body produces less of all the sex hormones, which include estrogens, progesterone and testosterone. By age 40, the production of testosterone in a woman’s body is about half the amount made in the 20s. Although the ovary continues to produce testosterone after menopause, these levels drop gradually after this time. Women who have their ovaries surgically removed have even lower levels of testosterone.
Do you wonder why your desire for junk food increases when you are in your period? Well, here is the reason. Some women get cravings for strange foods when they are in their period, simply because women are hormonal beings and hormones cause cravings. As the cycle swings, the hormone swings. This makes a woman’s taste buds want spicy and salty food to prevent anaemia, so that the iron level goes up and the blood volume goes up. With the changes in metabolism, some women may feel cravings for carbohydrates, or any number of other food. Do you also wonder why your desire for sex increases when you are ‘on?’ Well, an increase in sexual libido during menstrual period has to do with hormones. They cause the vaginal secretions to increase, causing the breasts to swell, so there is that sexual feeling. It’s the nature’s way of saying, let’s have sex.
Do you wonder why you have such a heavy flow? Well, maybe your body is trying to tell you something because your period is your ‘barometer.’ A heavy flow can be a marker of uterine fibroids, which are benign growths on the uterus, or thyroid problems or hormone irregularities. It is important for you to see your doctor if your periods are heavy [meaning more than a pad an hour] or if you are flooding [meaning bright red blood that just does not stop]. It is not healthy to have menstrual clotting, it most of the time points to the existence of fibroids. And if you have a lot of them, more than a cup a day or saturating those pads, over an hour, or you’re starting to have symptoms of anaemia or low iron like headache and dizziness, see your doctor fast.
Do you wonder why you get diarrhoea and constipation during your period? Again, the single reason is your hormones. All women react differently to hormones. Actually, the hormones in a woman’s body control her temperature, especially around the time she ovulates. It is also responsible for the acne [pimples] around the menstrual periods that people term the breast tenderness, and for so many things. In fact, the slowing down of metabolism in the gastrointestinal tract is the reason why many pregnant women will become constipated or have diarrhoea. It is so because of those high hormone levels during pregnancy.
You can also prevent a whole lot of infections during your menstrual period if you minimise the hours you wear your sanitary pad. Sanitary pad should not be worn more than six to eight hours per day. Sanitary pad worn for longer period can be a medium for bacteria and can lead to uterine infections and toxic shock syndrome. If you are a lover of tampon, bear it in mind that it can be stuck and get wedged behind your cervix. Prescribed antibiotics especially during menstrual period to cure some aliment can allow the growth of yeast infection such as ‘toilet disease, itching in the private part and some STDs. While taking antibiotic prescription, try to eat yogurt, which is the more natural way of taking antifungal to balance up.
Do you wonder why your menstrual cycle is never regular? Well, a research at George Washington University did a first-of-its-kind survey of the menstrual histories of more than 600 women. They found that only 28 per cent of women had textbook cycles, and this is the conclusion. If you are over 45 and you are pushing past 35 days, it may be because you are in your pre-menopausal and beginning to ovulate less frequently. As women age from their 20s through their early 40s, the average menstrual cycle declines from 30 to 27 days (though many women had cycles that were longer or shorter). This average increases as they approach menopause: up to 35 days when they are three to four years away, then 45 days two years prior to the change, and finally 80 days in the year before they stop altogether.
However, if you have a 14-day cycle followed by a 36-day cycle, that is usually an indication that you have a hormone imbalance, you should see your doctor, especially if you are still at an age where you might want to get pregnant. However, if you are missing periods entirely and you are not pregnant, your ovaries are probably failing to release an egg (anovulation), which means your body will not produce the hormones that guide menstruation. Stress can trigger anovulation; you do not have to worry if it happens just once or twice a year. In older women, a “missed” period may also simply be a very long cycle. Experts say that when you see a 60-day cycle, that is a good indication you are approaching menopause. According to research from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, ginseng root boosts arousal and sexual satisfaction, and chocolate increases desire. A group of scientists recently carried out a research on why a typical teenage Nigerian girl becomes sexually active indiscriminately and this report was sent to my office. In the report, 90 per cent of mothers claimed to have spoken to their daughters about the danger of indiscriminate sexual activities but only 21 per cent of these girls confirmed this statement and 50 per cent said their moms had never talked to them about sex. Ninety four per cent of these mothers said they did not have a conversation about sex with their own mothers before their first sexual experience. 42 per cent of these girls said their beliefs about sex are most influenced by their religion, education, their own thoughts and experiences and have nothing to do with their parents while just 12 per cent of girls said their beliefs about sex are most influenced by their mothers’ beliefs and experiences. The most common message moms said they passed on during the sex talk is, “A man will tell you anything to get you into bed, it doesn’t mean he loves you or will marry you.” “Be careful of men; all they want is ‘use’ you and dump you.”
Seventy per cent of girls say they get most of their information about sex from the Internet and friends. Eighty seven per cent of these girls say if they have opportunity to talk to their moms like their friend about sex, it will shape their commitment to abstinence before marriage and be more comfortable about their sexuality. This is what Nigerian young girls think about sex. Do you know what your girl is really thinking about sex?
Do you know that you can have a great, long-lasting sex life with the same married partner as long as you both are married? Absolutely yes, this was a discovery some researchers got from a group of 600 married couples who have been married for over 25years. However, they discovered that these couples were not having movie-style sex. In movie sex, relationship sex is romantic and passionate: You idealise your partner; you are turned on even before you begin, and you make love every time you are together. In an ongoing relationship, sex is more about intimacy and security and it is integrated with friendship and companionship. It was also discovered that couples who keep their sex lives going develop a style early on in their marriage. Who initiates, how much foreplay is included, do they like taking turns, do they or don’t they appreciate quickies? They also consciously make time for sex. Most long-term couples plan their sexual experiences; it is like going on a holiday trip, part of the pleasure is looking forward to it. Sexually satisfied couples also know that sometimes the “holiday” will be great and other times, it will be business as usual.
This type of healthy, mutually pleasuring sex really helps strengthen the bond between couples. Until next week, I remain your loyal bedroom instructor.
By Funmi Akingbade
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