Sex has long been a taboo topic to really discuss in the United States. I’ve been talking about this disparity between how the United States and other countries address sex & sexuality since I was in high school… so over a decade.
Gross.
The younger generation of Americans is ready to discuss sex. We’re ready to talk masturbation and females enjoying sex – or why they may not enjoy it or have a libido. We’re ready to stop being defined as someone’s partner or ‘extensions of male fantasy‘ and start to be seen as ourselves
We’re ready to make jokes about sex that may seem too real. We need to learn about our bodies and how they react sexually instead of being forced into abstinence-only education that does nothing good for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection rates. We’re ready to say ‘vaginal atrophy‘ aloud sans giggling at the word vagina. We’re ready to question why there are ads to fulfill those male fantasies but not to truly help women.
Speaking of interactions with others… There are a lot of ways that chronic illnesses can affect our relationships and intimacy, but fatigue is a huge sticking point. If you’re together when that illness hits, it can be quite hard to keep things together throughout the changes. This means that some of us live in a relationship without sex. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that unless each person isn’t on the same page – and that can change.
Sometimes it’s more our depression and ways of coping that affect our relationships more than our primary illnesses.
Ther are many things that can affect our relationship dynamic like the need to discuss our illnesses. How much do we share? Are we complaining to or burdening our loved ones?
Therapists are great to utilize, whether together or alone. Sometimes marriage or couple’s therapy is a great way to visit these issues in a safe place.
Also, sex toys can really help. If you’re interested in exploring some of the bestselling sex toys, check out this collection of reviews.
Don’t forget to join us for #chronicsex chats over on Twitter every Thursday from 7-9 pm Eastern Time!