sexuality

Sexual Function after Hysterectomy

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Whether a hysterectomy will affect sexual function is a common concern amongst women considering the surgery, as well it should be. Sex is a vital part of life and the loss of sexual function can be devastating. Whether and how hysterectomy affects sexual function is not very clear, however, and depends upon a number of variables, not the least of which is sexual function pre-hysterectomy, and particularly, pre-gynecologic problems. In many cases, women have a hysterectomy to rectify conditions associated with heavy bleeding and/or excessive pain like fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis and cysts. Reducing pain and bleeding should positively affect sexual frequency; however, effects on function may vary. Hysterectomy can diminish sexual function either directly because of the disconnection of the nerves and blood vessels that supply sexual energy or indirectly via the loss of critical hormones when or if the ovaries are removed or cease to function. And for many women, those with endometriosis, the hysterectomy itself provides only temporary relief from the disease process.

When evaluating the possibility of having a hysterectomy relative to sexual function outcomes, there are a few things women must consider.

Understanding the “Anatomy” of Sexual Function

According to Masters and Johnson, there are four phases of sexual response – Excitement, Plateau, Orgasm, and Resolution.

Sensation to any body part requires proper nerve conduction and adequate blood flow. Many nerves, blood vessels, and ligaments are severed to remove the uterus. The uterus and its ligaments themselves are rich sources of blood supply. As a result, sensation to the vagina, clitoris, labia, and nipples can be diminished by hysterectomy. This loss of sensation can hamper sexual function.

The Excitement phase is triggered by sexual stimuli, either physical or psychological. The stimuli triggers increased blood flow (vasocongestion) to the genitalia. With a blood vessel and nerve network altered by hysterectomy, this process may be hampered.

Contractions of the uterus are listed as a part of the Orgasm phase. So without a uterus, orgasm is not complete. Hence, it would make sense that orgasm is negatively impacted by hysterectomy, ovary removal or not. I have read, however, that some women do not experience uterine orgasm. So for them, a hysterectomy may not affect their orgasms.

My Personal Experience Post Hysterectomy

I realized very quickly after my hysterectomy that my libido, arousal, and ability to orgasm were broken. A steamy sex scene in a novel or movie or a hot looking guy no longer elicited sexual feelings. And the thought of sex was repulsive. That was a very sad day for me and I still mourn the loss of my intact sexuality. Some may question whether these changes are really due to the loss of my uterus or more so from the loss of my ovaries. When my hormone replacement was inadequate, the thought of sex was repulsive. However, I did have occasional orgasms but they were difficult to achieve and very infrequent as well as disappointing compared to before hysterectomy. Before my surgery, I had a good libido and an intense uterine orgasm every time I had intercourse. I have been on a good hormone regimen for over 6 years now. Sex is no longer repulsive but I do not have a libido or feel sexual in any way. Arousal takes much longer and orgasms are still weaker than before hysterectomy, do not always happen, and rarely occur during intercourse. Testosterone did not improve libido or arousal nor improve orgasm frequency or quality. Nipple sensation has been absent since surgery. These losses to my sexuality have affected my marriage relationship as well as social and professional relationships as I lack what I would call “sexual energy” and confidence.  

Other Possible Sexual Sequelae Post Hysterectomy

Removing the Cervix. The changes to the vagina after hysterectomy can further hamper sexual function. The removal of the cervix (the lower part of the uterus) requires that the vagina be shortened and sutured shut. This is called the vaginal cuff. The shortened vagina can present problems with deep penetration. Also, the vaginal cuff sutures can tear (dehiscence) which is a serious medical problem, although this is rare. Retaining the cervix eliminates these concerns and may preserve some of the nerves and sensation. During sex, the tip of the penis is “grabbed” by the cervix enhancing the man’s pleasure. However, even if the cervix is retained, this “grabbing” sensation may not occur without the uterine contractions.

emale sexual function after hysterectomy

Reduced Lubrication. Many women report diminished vaginal lubrication post-hysterectomy even when ovaries are not removed. Lubrication is critical for sexual activity as well as sensation. When the ovaries are removed or fail from the loss of blood flow, lubrication is lost and the vagina atrophies making sex painful. Over time, the vagina may prolapse as it no longer has the uterine ligaments to anchor it. Changes to bladder, bowel, and vagina position and function post-hysterectomy can likewise affect sexual function and satisfaction. A falling vagina and urgency and incontinence are certainly not sexy!

Body Changes. The hysterectomy induced changes to a woman’s figure which include a thick, shortened midsection and protruding belly are another source of sexual dysfunction and anxiety. Appearance changes from hormonal effects such as hair thinning, graying, and texture changes, skin dryness and aging (including loss of plumpness and pinkness in the genitalia), and loss of muscle mass and tone can also negatively impact sexuality. I have written about the anatomical and skeletal effects of hysterectomy here and here.

Emotional Changes. Many hysterectomized women with whom I have communicated report a loss of feeling connected to others including their loved ones. At first I thought the loss of my romantic and maternal feelings was solely attributed to the loss of my ovaries (despite taking estrogen). But after hearing from other women who still had functioning ovaries and reported the same feelings, I realized that maybe our uterus is what makes us loving and social beings. A renowned gynecologist on a talk show a few years after my hysterectomy referred to the uterus as “a woman’s heart center.” And for women love and sex are very much intertwined.

Hysterectomy and Sexual Function

Why is it that so many dismiss sexual problems post-hysterectomy as psychological? If a man has his prostate and/or testicles removed or penis shortened (heaven forbid!), sexual problems are attributed to the loss or surgical alteration of his SEX organ(s). So why would it be any different for women?

Although there have been some studies on sexual function after hysterectomy, I have not been able to make much sense out of them. It seems that most use a benchmark of (impaired) sexual function shortly before hysterectomy when gynecologic problems impede sexual activity and function versus prior to the gynecologic problems that are the reason for the hysterectomy. This observational study compared sexual pleasure, activity, and problems by type of hysterectomy at 6 months post-operative. It concluded that “sexual pleasure significantly improved in all patients, independent of the type of hysterectomy.” However, it also concluded that “the prevalence of one or more bothersome sexual problems six months after vaginal hysterectomy, subtotal abdominal hysterectomy, and total abdominal hysterectomy was 43% (38/89), 41% (31/76), and 39% (57/145), respectively.” With these high rates of “bothersome sexual problems” I cannot imagine how this could have been an improvement. However, if the benchmark was based on the time frame when pre-operative heavy bleeding, discomfort, or pain impaired sexual activity and function, then it would certainly be possible for sexual function to improve post-operatively. That does not mean it was an improvement over NORMAL sexual function (pre-gynecologic problems).

This Boston University School of Medicine article discusses post-hysterectomy sexual dysfunction. It says,

“Desire, arousal, orgasm and pain disorders may all be seen post-hysterectomy…..Internal orgasms are often changed significantly after hysterectomy. This is observed in part due to the inability to have rhythmic contractions of uterine muscles without the uterus present. Also, internal orgasms are changed after hysterectomy due to injury to the nerves which pass near the cervix. Surgeons should try to spare these nerves, but efforts to spare them are limited at the present. The result is that after hysterectomy, many women lose the ability to have an internal orgasm.”

Changing the Mindset: Removing a Woman’s Sex Organs Impairs Sexual Function

First and foremost, we need to stop referring to women’s sex organs as reproductive organs since they have vital, lifelong functions far beyond reproduction. In addition to the sexual functions, these include endocrine/hormonal, bladder and pelvic floor and anatomical and skeletal as detailed in my articles and the HERS Foundation’s video.

Secondly, women need to be more open about the effects hysterectomy has had on their health and quality of life, sexual and otherwise. It seems that some do not connect their problems with the surgery and many others choose not to talk about it. Before surgery, we are likely to believe that hysterectomy is fairly harmless since it is such a common surgery (second to c-section). No surgery is harmless. One that removes a woman’s sexual organs cannot help but cause problems with sexual function.

Some other factors that may be in play are that women seem to value their sex lives less than men. We tend to shortchange ourselves in other areas as well, putting others’ needs ahead of our own. Women of older generations were taught to trust and obey authority figures. So we typically trust our doctors and follow their recommendations. We are particularly vulnerable with gynecologists as we tend to have a long history with them through annual well woman checkups and pregnancies and deliveries. We are easy prey for hysterectomy marketing.

Clearly, there are far too many women being harmed by unwarranted hysterectomies and castrations. According to this 2000 study, 76% of hysterectomies do not meet ACOG criteria. Yet the rates have not declined and the use of robotics seems to be fueling even more hysterectomies with promises of quicker recoveries. Hysterectomies are big business with revenues rolling in to the tune of over $16 billion annually. With so much money at stake, we cannot count on the medical establishment to restrain themselves. It is up to us to spread the word.

Does Hysterectomy Affect Sexual Function?

Yes, it does. How can it not, given the nature of the surgical procedure? Whether the effects are generally more negative or positive is not clear. It largely depends on the reason for the hysterectomy including the severity and prolonged nature of those gynecologic problems. There is very little research and even less consideration or conversation regarding women’s pre- and post- hysterectomy sexual functioning. That is something we can change together by sharing our stories and communicating our needs.

Additional Resources

I highly recommend the non-profit HERS Foundation’s video “Female Anatomy: the Functions of the Female Organs.” It taught me most of what I know about the consequences of hysterectomy and/or ovary removal (castration). When I first discovered the video, some of it did not make sense. But as more time elapsed, the changes became clearer. My body and life have changed in ways I never could have imagined. I only wish I had found the video prior to my unwarranted hysterectomy.

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This article was published originally on April 10, 2014. 

My Cycle: My Sixth Sense, My Self

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Sexuality Without Synthetic Hormones

At the age of 52 I believe I am in a rather small minority in the developed world of women who have completed 30+ years of natural menstrual cycles, something over 400 cycles in total.  I am only now coming to realize just how lucky I have been.

It started accidentally. At the age of 21 or so I proudly presented myself at my local family planning clinic fully expecting to be put on the pill.  Instead, I emerged some time later, slightly disappointed, not with a prescription but a diaphragm.

I don’t know who that doctor was or why he gave me such unconventional advice but as time has passed, my gratitude to him has grown immeasurably, as has my anger and sadness for women who have not been as lucky.  I had been ready to start a lifetime on the pill with no awareness that I had anything whatsoever to lose.  Only over years and decades of natural cycling did I begin to appreciate the birth right I could have given up without a thought.

The natural cycles of fertility and loss I have lived through are at the core of who I am.  They are a source of strength, hope and dignity and of deep connection to other people and to my environment.  Without these cycles I would only be a shadow of the person I now am.

We are taught so badly about our menstrual cycle.  It is all shame and distress – the bleeding, the cramping, the premenstrual horrors.  Presented like this, femaleness seems like a terrible burden.  Small wonder that young women are so easily convinced to switch off the whole messy show with hormonal contraception.

The Fertile Time: A Wild and Magical Power

Nowhere does anyone tell us about the flip side, the other pole of the cycle: the wild and magical power of the time leading up to and during ovulation. How can it be that our winter time is so heavily publicized while the summer time of our cycle, our time of fertility, creativity and wild power is kept a massive secret?

I eventually began to notice and appreciate this time and look forward to that week every month of unstoppable confidence, heightened perception and extreme sexiness. I trawled the net for information but the most anyone seemed to be able to say was that “You may feel sexier at that time”. Or you may not. Who cares? As if female sexuality was at most an insignificant little buzz.

But it does matter. Desperately. My fertility and sexuality have been my life force. It is impossible to fully describe what they have done for me as they have been so fundamental to my identity, my perceptions and my life path. How could you enumerate the importance of the sense of vision or hearing in your life? This is equally hopeless but I will attempt to give some sense of what the summer of the cycle has been like for me.

Most obviously at this time, I experience astonishing desire, ripe to bursting desire, delight in the slightest touch, feel aching tenderness. This is not like desire at any other time. It is a force of nature, the unstoppable attraction of the female to the male, the force of sexual attraction through which we have evolved.

Conversely, I experience the attraction of the male to the female. At this time, I know I am desirable. I am immune to all of the marketing men’s insecurities. I may have spots, wrinkles, body hair and a thousand other faults but it doesn’t matter. I know I am attractive.

I feel confidence, unbelievable confidence. Everything seems to flow. Fear is gone from me and risk means nothing. I am bold and decisive and everything works out.

Creativity flourishes. Without fear censoring and killing them pre-birth, ideas get to bubble up and form in wild abandon in a way that would be impossible at any other time of the month.

My perceptions are astonishingly heightened. I experience a sense of wonder: in people, in nature, in art and music. I feel as if a dirty veil has been lifted and my perceptions are temporarily opened to the miraculous nature of things. This is perhaps the hardest aspect of all to describe as such unempirical experience has become heretical to our scientific-objectivist ideology.  It is, nevertheless as real to me as the duller and more concrete states of consciousness at other times and may be the cruelest cut of all to those deprived.

Our Sexuality Is Our Birth Right

Although this is a hopelessly inadequate account of what my fertility has meant to me, I hope it gives a sense of why I believe it to be a central part of being a woman.  Our fertility is not an optional add on. It is not a thing to be got out occasionally when we feel like making a baby. Our sexuality is not just a bit of a buzz. It is not something we can exchange for “convenient” contraception.

To be deprived of the experience of fertility seems to me to be cruelty beyond measure.   This is women’s deepest source of power, energy and connection. To separate us from it is a form of slavery for which our culture grooms us. But women continue to accept this loss unwittingly and may spend a lifetime without ever realizing what they have given up.

It’s time for those few of us who have slipped through the net to speak up.

Beyond Sex as a Zero Sum Activity

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After another series of posts on Hormones Matter focused on sex and libido, I realized how rarely we speak of sex and libido in a positive light. Certainly, our audience and topics are skewed towards negative medication and surgical outcomes, but across the internet (and history), it is difficult to find thoughtful discussions about sex and libido that aren’t in some way dominated by shouldn’t, wouldn’t, or couldn’t. I find that troubling, if not a little disturbing. Where are the conversations about sex and libido that include the positive, the pleasurable, or the passionate? I am serious, I couldn’t find any.

So, sorry mom, kids, I am writing about sex again. I’m not sure why I should have to apologize or why such topics are so taboo that one cannot speak openly about them, but they are and we cannot. And perhaps, that is the root of the problem.

Talking about Sex is Taboo, Unless…

I write about sex periodically and almost to a tee my mother chimes in, ‘you shouldn’t be writing about such topics, you’re too smart’ as if having a brain disqualifies one from writing or even thinking about sex. Apparently though, it does. This is perhaps even truer for women, where the topic of sex is veiled in cultural and political taboos so opaque that navigating them can be perilous to one’s career, if not one’s sanity and one’s health. That is, unless of course, the topic is framed in some feminist conception of power structures, patriarchy, or other implements of victimhood. Then discussing sex is alright because it is so far afield from the actual act and so cloaked in theory, and often violence, that it bears little resemblance to sex and no one but others of similar leanings pay much heed. This is not to say that discussions of sexual violence, sexual victims and the like are not important, they are, but what about the rest of it? Certainly, not all sex is framed within a power struggle of cultural, political and violent tendencies. Certainly, there is a space beyond theory, beyond advertising, beyond politics or religion, where a man is just a man, a woman is just a woman and sex is just sex.

If there is such a space, no one seems to write about it. Our entire conversation about sex involves intruding contexts delineating what we should and should not think about sex. Advertisers use sexiness to sell products. Politicians and religious leaders use sex to coalesce and manage followers, while theorists and power mongers of every ilk, use sex to realign power structures. Sex in these contexts is always a tool to be wielded and in many cases manipulated and controlled. Sex is never just sex. It is always about something else or for something else. What happened to sex as a pleasurable activity, in and of itself, absent all other contexts? Was sex ever just for pleasure? It is a legitimate question to which I have no answer.

Sex as a Zero Sum Game

What I do know is that sex today is portrayed as zero sum game of sorts and that framework has done more to erase any notion of pleasure from sex than perhaps any other in history. In a zero sum game there are always victors and losers, oppressors and the oppressed. It is a model built on old industrial economies of scarcity and fear where heat, read passion, means friction, an inefficiency to be controlled at all cost. It is a model where when the debts are tallied, the more I have, the more I win and dominate, the less you have, the better. In a zero sum game, there is an assumption of equal proportionality between the winners and losers, wins and losses, dominators and dominated. To the degree I become more powerful, you lose power and vice versa. There is no room for abundance, synergies, shared responsibilities or even just winners and losers. And there little room for pleasure or passion except perhaps as tokens of victory to demonstrate success, but more frequently as vices, impurities and inefficiencies to be controlled.

What a totally sad state of affairs.

One has to wonder if, at least in the space where sex and sexuality lie, there isn’t a better way to conceptualize, talk about, and perhaps even, experience sex. Aren’t there overlapping interests here? What would happen if we re-framed the conversation away from this zero sum illusion towards a more equanimous perspective where passion and pleasure for all parties took center stage? What would those conversations look like?

Are we even capable of talking about sexual pleasure openly and frankly, not as a means to an end, not as something to be controlled or protected from, not within the context of a power structure, but simply as it is?

If we talked about pleasure, if we aspired towards giving and receiving pleasure and understanding pleasure, if we didn’t shy away from it as we do now, wouldn’t we also totally change the conversations we have about sexual violence, sexual inequality, heck, even economic inequalities?  Wishful thinking perhaps, but when one considers the pendulum of history and the power of discourse, how the conversation is framed is as important as what is said. In the case of sex, we need to talk more about pleasure and a lot less about everything else.

Alas, that is easier to think about than said or done.

A Kiss Is Just a Kiss or Is It?

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The mind-body connection makes us unique in our sexuality and preferences. As a women’s sexual wellness expert, I work with women on a large variety of issues from frequency disparity, pre-menopausal dryness and communication to understanding how antidepressants affect their libido, finding complementary therapies and understanding erectile dysfunction. While most of my time is spent educating and sharing information about how the mind affects the body (after all the brain is our largest sex organ); sometimes it is just as important to step back and let our bodies inspire us intellectually.

Physiologically we are sexual beings. How else can you explain the clitoris? With 8,000 nerve endings, its sole purpose is pleasure. No wonder 70% of women experience orgasm through clitoral stimulation. However, clitoral stimulation involves feeling aroused because it usually doesn’t happen until right before penetration if it is stimulation from a partner. Here lies the problem for so many women.  Equal rights, the pill and the sexual revolution came as part of a package that added all kinds of other stress along with the benefits. Unfortunately, for some women the revolution added no real revolutionary thinking when it came to their sexuality.

When I am out sharing the good news about sexual wellness, one of the saddest things I hear from the baby boomer generation is the woman who says “Oh, I don’t need any of THAT. THAT is all out of commission.”  My heart goes out to her immediately. In my mind I wonder who could have reduced her to just a reproductive machine, whether she was abused and associates her femininity with the source of the abuse or maybe even that she must tragically still be recovering from the loss of the love of her life. Certainly, it would have to be something so severe as one of these circumstances for someone to believe that sexual health is not important to overall health or to limit their sexuality to only their reproductive capabilities. Sadly, that is not the case. While there are many reasons why a woman may make such a statement; in many cases it is because a woman doesn’t know the benefits of an orgasm or how pelvic floor health can impact other bodily functions. These are important facts that have long been either unknown or not discussed.

The Kissing Connection

As I mentioned earlier while the brain is the largest sex organ in the body; sometimes it doesn’t hurt to not listen to our head and just dive into something that we know works for us physically. While the clitoris has 8,000 nerve endings, the lips (both male and female) have somewhere around 10,000. This makes the lips quite the erogenous zone in their own right and kissing would be the ideal way to stimulate them. I am often singing the praises of products that are made with mint as a means of encouraging blood flow. I usually talk about kissing when I am explaining why we all seem to lose our head during the throws of puberty. All those new and unfamiliar hormones are stirring and then we add the stimulation of lips against lips and lose sight of everything but the physical. I recently saw a video of an ad on social media that captured total strangers kissing for the first time. The ad went viral because so many people were enthralled with the idea that a first kiss can lead to love. Ultimately everything we do is motivated from love or fear and 95% of everything we do is done by the subconscious.  So for those who are struggling with their libido or just can’t seem to get there mentally a little oral exercise such as a passionate kiss can be a magic bullet. The thing about kissing is it can start slow and build momentum. So even if you aren’t feeling sexual, the stimulation with your significant other or your partner of choice can start with a little effort and go a long way.

Kissing Stimulates Blood Flow

Blood flow is the key to arousal and lubrication. Kissing stimulates nerve endings which in turn increase blood flow.  Once this cycle begins, the body begins a natural responsiveness and triggers emotional responsiveness in the mind.  The mind-body connection is a two way street and while the mind may be the dominant force it is important to never underestimate the physical contributions. A question I find myself asking women who are struggling with a lack of desire and determined to save their relationships is “When was the last time you made out on the couch?” and the question is generally followed by a quiet response of something to do with a lack of time or a repeat of their lack of desire.  Time is the great equalizer. We all have the same amount each day in our account. I am amazed how there is time for everything else, but not for something as good for us as sex. My next step is to challenge them. The next time they feel insecure about their relationship, because of their lack of desire for sex; their challenge is to “make out” for at least fifteen minutes. I coach them about starting slow and innocent and building until they are out of breath.  (Keep in mind I am not a doctor. These conversations come after I know whether this person is on medications under a doctor’s care, or am assured we shouldn’t be looking for medical assistance or if there is a need for a therapist.) Of course after the challenge, I work on helping them understand why this exercise can help them and some of the biological reasons behind it. The challenge itself is met with a wide variety of responses. I hear everything from an insecure laugh to outright refusal. Of course the receptiveness determines the next course of action and everyone is slightly unique in how we proceed; because we are all unique.

Sealed with a Kiss

What is important to remember is emotional fulfillment is one of the three reasons we have sex. Kissing inspires some of those emotions that we are looking to fulfill such as passion, intimacy, sensuality and desire. Kissing also allows us to warm up to the idea and if for some reason after kissing for a while one doesn’t feel sexual arousal there is still the ability to decline further sexual activity. This is very important for women who are struggling with a lack of sexual desire. It is not as easy to change course if you start out initiating sex and then change your mind and decline. Since kissing can stand as an activity all on its own; if it goes no further than an oral exchange there is no harm. From the feedback I receive, it is often successful in leading to more. One of the things I hear from men who are in relationships with women struggling in this area is the negative impact obligatory sex has on their self image. No one wants to feel as if sex is an obligation. Of course communication is key in all relationships; however there is a lot to be said for learning to effectively use body language. When trying to overcome issues with libido, what better way to communicate to your partner than with your lips?

About the author: Patricia Mooneyham is a Jersey girl on  global mission to help women be happier. She is a practitioner of complementary therapies and is passionate about helping women find happiness by defining their own sexuality. For the last several years she hosted the I’ll Have What She’s Having Online Radio Show. Her website: PatriciaMooneyham.com.

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Female Sexuality, Penis Size, Eroticism and Language

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Several weeks ago I wrote a post about Penis Size and Condom Use. It was a legitimate commentary on the state of medical and science marketing, but, truth be told, I used it as much to get a post with the words penis size circulating in blogosphere as I did to comment on bad medical journalism. Penis size ranks among the highest search phrases around.  The post got a lot of hits, but no discussion. It was, after all, a bit of a bait and switch using research on penis size to describe the state of medical marketing – not what most would have expected when Googling that phrase.

Recently, however, a gentleman commented both on the content of the article and the nature of modern eroticism. This gave me pause on many fronts.  First, I had to consider whether to approve the comment at all – he used rather frank terms. Would our readers be offended? Would they discontinue reading because of the terminology?  The very act of having to consider whether to publish the comment, led me to wonder when our adult, female ears became so sensitive that we could not speak or write frankly about sexuality?  Probably around the time of Freud, but I think I missed that memo.

And then, there was the comment itself about the nature of modern sexuality or more specifically, eroticism.

It is that raw eroticism mediated by plastic [that] is devoid of real memory. When I think of some of my worst erotic encounters, they invariably are those mediated by plasticity.

How absolutely telling his comment was; modern eroticism is plastic.  From a physiological standpoint, the plastic barrier that a condom provides reduces the erotic sensitivity for both parties – even when the condoms fit appropriately. And apparently, as the original research suggested, more often than not condoms do not fit correctly.

From the language perspective, modern sex is most often discussed in terms of disease, violence or ‘safe sex’ – no pleasure, no passion, no eroticism and not even an appreciation those concepts – only power, disease and violence.  Even our images of what is supposed to be sexually desirable are plastic, modified and unreal – think unnaturally thin women, with fake boobs, botoxed lips and when at all possible, heavily photoshopped so that nary a glimmer of natural or erotic beauty comes through. Indeed, there is no reality to our plasticized versions of eroticism.

So how do we talk about sex in a modern culture, where disease from sex places a barrier on the act and the language of pleasure? How do we talk about sexuality when the medicalization of sex supersedes the erotic?  How do we talk about eroticism when the politics of power elevate the sperm of violent, repugnant men – rapists, pedophiles and incestuous degenerates – above the health and well-being of girls and women?  How do we talk about sex when women don’t enter the conversation, except to denounce the actions of men? How do we talk about sex, sexuality and eroticism in the 21st century?

We don’t.  We seem only capable of talking about or writing or even visualizing notions of plastic, unreal, violent or medicalized sex. To make matters worse, we fail to distinguish among the ‘types’ of sex, between sex and sexuality, between the erotic and the mechanical. It’s all just sex.  Well, it’s not.

We need a new language of sexuality; one that brings back to the fore a notion of beauty and pleasure for both participants; one that speaks frankly about sex, sexuality and eroticism. We need a language that is honest about female and male sexuality, anatomy and pleasure and that is capable of distinguishing acts of violence from sex.

I would argue that conversations about penis size and female sexual pleasure have to come into the mix in some form, preferably with honesty. Ladies, what beyond the obvious, do we really know about the male penis or male sexuality?  Probably, not a lot. Does penis size affect female sexual pleasure? Does penis size affect male sexual pleasure? Who knows. Nobody, but the purveyors of porn talk about this stuff.

And guys, how much do you really know about the female anatomy or more importantly female sexuality?  Sure you’ve seen hundreds, if not thousands of pornographic images of women faking pleasure with over-endowed men. And of course, you imagine yourselves the wielders of such pleasure, but in reality how many of you know what a real woman actually wants and needs to achieve pleasure?  How many of you have taken the time to find out, or better yet, become skilled in these endeavors?

If we are to move beyond the plastic, the political, the violent, the sterile and mechanistic views of sex, we need to bring sexuality, eroticism and pleasure back into the conversation. We need a new language about sex and we need it now.