Stress and Sex

Helping women decrease stress and enhance desire.

by Laurie Mintz, Ph.D.

Analyzing The Latest Study in the G-spot Debate

The search for the G-spot continues. Let's stop and ask some questions about who benefits from the debate, who is harmed, and what positive message women can take from the search. Read More

What Science Tells Us About the Clitoris: It’s All Custom Under the Hood

While controversy exists, there is evidence that all orgasms are the result of direct or indirect stimulation of the clitoris, including both the external and internal parts of this often-misunderstood human organ. Read More

It’s Funny But It Isn’t True: Debunking Myths About Aging and Sexuality

Folk wisdom and scientific research tells us that we often laugh at jokes because of the truth that they convey (i.e., "It's Funny Because It's True"). Still, the joke about aging and sex at the start of this blog may be funny, but it's not true. Read More

Is Sex Always Pleasurable?

I hope the women in this class don't have to wait another 20 years until when someone asks, "Is sex pleasurable?" they scream YES! Let's work to stop sexual violence on college campuses and to educate women about their bodies so that these young women can be a chorus of affirmative voices. Read More

Dont Just Make Resolutions: Make Time for Them

Reaching one's goals involves more than just making resolutions. It takes the action steps of prioritizing what is important, closely examining how you are currently spending time, and then finding ways to re-arrange your time to make room for priorities Read More

Tis the Season

Tips to De-Stress During the Holiday Season Read More

The “Right” Kind of Orgasm: Feeling All Right with Pleasure That Is Rightfully Ours

Our society's misguided beliefs about the correct form, of female orgasm—and the psychological impact that these beliefs have on women Read More

Sexual Satisfaction: A Teachable Skill

Teaching your partner to satisfy you is similar to teaching a teenager to drive. Teaching both skills requires giving clear and direct verbal instructions, as well as providing demonstrations. Read More

Beating the Odds: Reframing Anxiety as Excitement

I distinctly remember learning about the Holmes-Rahe stress scale while in graduate school. This scale is based on research on the association between life events and illness. The scale lists 43 common life events and provides a "life change score" associated with each. The higher that one scores, the higher one's risk for illness. Read More

The Menopausal Symptom Women Don’t Tell Friends About

Vaginal dryness and painful intercourse are as much a part of menopause as hot flashes and night sweats. Break the silence, and tell your friends about it. Also let them know that information and help is just a mouse click and phone call away. Read More

The Unselfish Act of Self-Care

Although people, especially women, often think of self-care as selfish, just the opposite is true. Read More

Sex Lessons Learned from Pain and Disability

Orgasm is a proven pain reducer Read More

Life Lessons Learned from Being Temporarily Disabled

I've learned some important and surprising life lessons from being temporarily disabled. Read More

Communication Is the Bedrock to Make Your Bed Rock!

Couples benefit from learning to talk about sex as they would any other topic. Consider the question "Do you want to have sex tonight?" Read More

Trysts for Tired Women

Trysts are a little known but highly effective way for women to reclaim their sexual desire and re-energize their long-term relationships. Gaining the benefit of Trysts requires giving up myths about spontaneous sex. Read More

Masturbation: Not Just Monkey Business

When female monkeys masturbate, they touch their clitoris. Clearly, these lady monkeys know how to please themselves. My goal with this blog is to help human women undertand and own masturbation as an an important, self-affirming sexual activity. Masturbation is no monkey busines. Read More

Orgasms: You Can't Fake it Till You Make It

More men think their partners are having orgasms than are having them. Shedding light on this discrepancy are studies on faking orgasms. Across several studies, the results are strikingly consistent: 53% to 67% of women report faking orgasm. Learn why women fake orgasm and how to not be among them. Read More

What's the Buzz? The Science Behind the #1 Sex Toy

Sex toys enhance desire and pleasure Read More

Desire For Sale: Libido Boosters Backed By Research

The need for a listing of effective for-purchase remedies for women’s sexual desire and satisfaction Read More

Re-Defining Foreplay (or, Give Me My Eleven Minutes!)

If women's sexual satisfaction were the the defining criteria, intercourse wouldn’t be the “main event.” Foreplay would be. Read More

Work Out to Rev Up

Exercises enhances sex and is a lot like sex. Read More

If It's Fun, It's Not Duty Sex

If women knew what that the sex therapy textbooks say, they would be more comfortable "Just Doing It" without judging it as deficient. Read More

Well-Laid and Laid-Back: Harness the Power of the Sex Organ between Your Ears

Harness the power the sexual organ which lies between your ears - it will help you to simultaneously rev up your sex drive and quell your anxiety! Read More

A First Hello from a High-Strung, Low Libido Therapist who Stays Calm and Has Great Sex

If you have lamented both your high stress level and your low sex drive, you are not alone. Read More

Laurie Mintz, Ph.D., is the author of A Tired Woman's Guide to Passionate Sex: Reclaim Your Desire and Reignite Your Relationship.

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About Stress and Sex

One in every three American women struggles with diminished sexual desire, and almost half of us are experiencing too much stress. A high level of stress and a low libido are not separate problems. One of the often ignored consequences of stress is a diminished sex drive. At the same time, sex is a great stress reduction strategy.This blog is about sex and stress. Sometime it will examine the relationship between the two. Most often, it will provide you with tried and true psychological strategies to decrease your stress level and enhance your sex life.