Sabine Walter

An anonymous writer put it this way: "Friends in your life are like pillars on your porch. Sometimes they hold you up and sometimes they lean on you. Sometimes it's just enough to know they're standing by." ©Seventyfour / Adobe StockWriter Elisabeth Foley points out that friendship doubles your joy and divides your grief, and that the most beautiful discovery that true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.

If a couple tries to conceive but can’t seem to do it, one of the first things that doctors look for is a problem with the man’s sperm. Sperm compose about 5 to 10 percent of semen, and are the only part of the semen that can cause pregnancy. If a man is infertile, there is a problem with his sperm — often a low sperm count or low motility.

Kegel exercises target the muscles in your genitals. These muscles are often weakened from the stretching that occurs during childbirth, but any woman — including those who have never been pregnant — can benefit from knowing how to do a proper Kegel. Essentially, a Kegel provides a good workout for your genitals, which allows a woman to control urination and to enjoy greater clitoral stimulation during sex.

Before a woman reaches menopause, she’s in what is called perimenopause. If you feel like you aren’t the “right” age for menopause but you're still experiencing many menopausal symptoms, you're probably going through perimenopause. Luckily, treatments are available to alleviate the symptoms of perimenopause (including the infamous hot flashes).

Many parents have discovered their young children — whether boys or girls, whether nearing adolescence or still toddlers — touching their genitals. And these children aren’t just checking out their private areas and moving on to something else. These children are clearly enjoying the process. So how should a parent handle it when their child touches himself?

If you’re a parent, or if you hang around kids long enough, at some point you will be asked a question pertaining to sex. Many adults panic when confronted with such questions. Right away, they think that they’re going to have to explain the whole scenario, and they don’t know how to talk about sex with younger children.

Masturbation is, in fact, a basic part of good sexual functioning. The myths about going blind are most definitely untrue, and masturbation is a healthy part of growing up. If, however, you are just exploring sexuality, you may be wondering exactly how to masturbate (or how the “other half” masturbates). Keep in mind that, while you can read about the most common ways, there are many ways to enjoy sexual pleasure on your own and no “wrong way” to masturbate.

A common misconception is that when a couple's children leave home, Mom and Dad will develop empty-nest syndrome. Yes, they may have an empty nest, but for some couples, their love life blossoms during this period of their lives. The victims of the syndrome are the couples whose relationship falls apart when they're the only two left at home.

Many women start out with a low sex drive. Others have problems after they've had children. Still others don't begin to have such problems until after menopause. A number of women also have low desire after surgery to remove their ovaries (oophorectomy) or the uterus (hysterectomy). Low desire needn't mean no sex For the partner who has a very low or nonexistent desire for sex, be it the woman or the man, the problem is not as acute as it is for the partner who does want to have sex.