Healthy Sex Drive, Healthy You : What Your Libido Reveals about Your LIfe

by Hoppe, Diana

• ISBN13: 9780982541104
• ISBN10: 0982541104
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-04-01
• Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Llc

Summary

Women's lives are fuller and richer than ever, but often at the expense of sexual intimacy. Dr. Diana Hoppe demonstrates that a woman's libido is a reflection of her overall health, and that a healthy sex drive not only indicates a well-balanced life, but sexual intimacy has significant health benefits. Studies show that having a healthy sex life can: Boost your immune system Promote heart health Alleviate stress Increase longevity In easy-to-understand text, Dr. Hoppe explains: the expected life patterns of a woman's sex drive, how -- and why -- libido is different in men and women and what to do about it, ways medical, psychological, emotional, sensual to boost your desire and getand stay--focused on sexual intimacy. Doctors' emerging understanding of sexual dysfunction in women Overflowing with ideas and tips for what you can do tonight to light the fire, this book is at once reassuring and effective.

Author Biography

Diana Hoppe, MD, is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist in private practice in San Diego, California. She is co-founder of Pacific Coast Women's Health, Inc., and medical director of Pacific Coast Research Center, a medical research center that conducts international clinical trials in the field of women's health, including menopause, perimenopause, and libido.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 13
Introduction	p. 15
Eight Reasons Why Sex Is Good for You-and Why It's Wise to Make Time for Sexual Intimacy	p. 23
Top Eight Health Benefits of Physical Intimacy	p. 24
How to Keep Your Libido in Top Shape	p. 30
Six Great Ways to Fan the Flames	p. 32
What Is Libido-and Why Is It Erratic?	p. 35
Libido 101: Understanding the Basics	p. 36
The Urge to Merge: Libido's Job to Get Humans to "Hook Up"	p. 37
Mother Nature's Plan	p. 38
Why Sex Drives Differ between Men and Women	p. 40
Turning on the Light Switch of Desire When the Body Has Declared a Blackout	p. 43
The Ever-Changing Libido: Stages and Phases	p. 45
Puberty/Menarche (First Menstruation)	p. 45
Fertilization Occurs: Pregnancy and the "Mommy Brain"	p. 48
The "Daddy Brain" and Pregnancy	p. 49
A Woman's Sexual Desire following Birth	p. 51
Libido during Perimenopause	p. 52
Sex at Menopause	p. 53
Self-Esteem: How the Body You See in the Mirror Reflects Your Thoughts on Love, Sex, and Libido	p. 57
What Is Self-Esteem?	p. 58
Enabling a Healthy Self-Esteem	p. 59
"I Used to Be 'Hot'....What's Happening to My Body?"	p. 60
The "Cosmo Effect" on Our Body Image	p. 61
Six Ways Your Self-Esteem Can Undermine Your Enjoyment of Sex	p. 63
Seven Ways to Improve Your Self-Esteem-and Your Sex Life	p. 65
His and Her Sex Drives: What Was God Thinking?	p. 71
Depression and the Female Brain	p. 74
The Female Brain: Why Women Are Better at Multitasking	p. 76
Why Women Are Better at Expressing Their Feelings (and Men Are Better at Reading Maps)	p. 77
What Attracts Mars to Venus	p. 79
Brain Differences-and Their Implications for Ways that Men and Women Relate to One Another	p. 80
Fueling Desire: Aphrodisiacs and Scents that Charge Libido	p. 91
Aphrodisiacs: Fact or Fiction?	p. 91
Food Aphrodisiacs	p. 93
Pheromones: What Are They, and Do They Affect Libido?	p. 99
Scent and Sexual Desire	p. 100
Women's "Favorite Smells"	p. 101
Men's "Favorite Smells"	p. 101
The Stress-Libido Connection: Is Stress Killing Your Libido?	p. 107
Libido's Stress Threshold	p. 107
Multitasking: Good or Bad?	p. 108
Sex and the Saber-toothed Tiger: What Happens When We Are Stressed?	p. 111
Enter Hormones	p. 112
"Tend and Befriend"	p. 113
How Much Stress Are You Under?	p. 115
Reducing the Stress in Your Life	p. 117
Five Suggestions for Eliminating Stress-and Upping Your Libido	p. 118
Can Stress' Ever Be Good for You?	p. 122
FSD-The Female "Erectile Dysfunction"	p. 127
Sexual Dysfunction in Women and the Importance of an Accurate Diagnosis	p. 129
Sexual Desire Disorders	p. 130
Female Sexual Arousal Disorder	p. 130
Female Orgasmic Disorder	p. 131
Sexual Pain Disorders	p. 131
Treatment Options for Sexual Dysfunction	p. 135
Good News for the Future	p. 136
Testosterone for Women: Is It Worth the Risk?	p. 138
Medications and Health Conditions that Can Shelve Your Libido	p. 141
Certain Medications Sedate Your Love Life	p. 141
Antidepressants	p. 144
Four Ways to Light a Fire under Your Libido	p. 147
Contraceptives	p. 149
Hormone Therapy (HT)	p. 150
Health Conditions that Fizzle Desire	p. 152
Heart Disease	p. 153
Diabetes	p. 154
Insomnia and Lack of Restful Sleep	p. 154
Heart to Heart: Using Communication to Resuscitate Your Libido	p. 157
Eight Skills to Revive Communication	p. 160
Pillow Talk: One of the Most Important Languages You Can Learn	p. 164
The Bedroom-Libido Connection	p. 165
Shared Time: The Language of Spending Time Together	p. 166
Communicating with Your Doctor	p. 168
Appendix: Resources	p. 173
Index	p. 183
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