Live webchat with sex and relationship expert, Suzi Godson - Monday 7th November, 1 - 2pm

[RachelMumsnet]

Suzi Godson is joining us on Monday 7th November between 1 and 2pm for a live webchat where she'll be answering your questions on relationships and sex. Suzi is the sex and relationships expert for The Times newspaper. Her Saturday Sex Counsel columns have recently been published as a book and she is also the author of the The Body Bible, and the award-winning The Sex Book which has now been translated into fifteen languages. For the last year she has been editing www.moresexdaily.com, a free resource which aims to help couples sustain sex in long-term relationships. It hosts a wealth of news, research and advice from guest experts and it is also the vehicle for a major new survey into sexual frequency. The data will hopefully provide new insights into what some couples are getting wrong in their sexual relationships, and more importantly, what other couples are getting right.

Join Suzi next Monday (7th November) at 1pm or send your questions in advance to this thread.

Hi, Since having my two children (4 and 19 months) i have lost all interest in sex. By the end of the day when its time to go to bed i am shattered. Most nights one of the children has me up so i have broken sleep more often than not. When i go to bed i feel its my time, but i feel like i am on call 24-7, if its not the children needing me, its my husbands needs that need fulfilling. I almost dread my husband comimg to bed as i think 'is he going to want sex tonight? is he going to wake me up in the night? When i say i am going up to bed he sighs so i feel guilty, but i need to catch up on my sleep. He never gets up to the children in the night or ever helps with them in the mornings, even on days when i go to work and he doesn't. I think i resent him because of this, and think 'well why should i give you what you want when you don't help me' He keeps saying he is frustrated and i can understand that but the more he makes sex an issue the more i don't want it. I don't know if i need to see my G.P or what to do?

Hi, similar to some of the others really, I find it hard to "find" my libido. If I'm being really honest I would rahter be asleep/ reading a book! We've been married ten years and my husband's sex drive is as enormous as it ever was and he constantly wants it to be more exciting / spontaneous / "dirty" / raunchy / frequent.
I try to keep up but after a month or two of putting extra effort in it just fizzles out again and then his dissatisfaction creeps back in and we're back to square one.
Can a marriage survive with two very different sex drives do you think?

Thanks, Suzi, if you could come back to this tomorrow, that would be great. Yes, re sex! I'm not the only MNer who may have an interest. Sometimes undiagnosed Asperger tendencies can be the unexplained reason for a man's apparent coldness and lack of physical affection.

@ferfuxake

I've been with my partner for over 10 years. We have 2 small children and we hardly ever have sex. And to be honest it only bothers me because I think we should, rather than because I actually miss it.

Logically I can see a while range of reasons for this situation - we had trouble conceiving our first child before success through IVF, but that was preceded by 2 years of fairly joyless sex aimed purely at conception. Since then we have been through the usual lack of sleep with young children; my husband struggles with depression, and has a stressful job; we are both overweight; and to top all that off we both probably drink too much. I also suffered a 3rd degree tear when I gave birth to our youngest, so I was quite anxious about having sex after that. I still care for my partner but to be honest (and this is the first time I've really admitted it) I don't fancy him, and I don't really think he fancies me either.

Is there any hope for us?!

@Cussandroid

Thanks, Suzi, if you could come back to this tomorrow, that would be great. Yes, re sex! I'm not the only MNer who may have an interest. Sometimes undiagnosed Asperger tendencies can be the unexplained reason for a man's apparent coldness and lack of physical affection.

You are welcome. I will enjoy researching this. Suzi

@milk

As a MNers I have to ask... how can I add Pom-bear into my sexual escapades? I was thinking how when licked they melt, but I do not know on which part of the body I should balance the bear, do you have any suggestions?

Hey milk, Child-friendly-teddy-bear-shaped-deep-fried-melting-potato-snacks.... as a sex aid? So very, very wrong! Suzix

@ferfuxake

I've been with my partner for over 10 years. We have 2 small children and we hardly ever have sex. And to be honest it only bothers me because I think we should, rather than because I actually miss it.

Logically I can see a while range of reasons for this situation - we had trouble conceiving our first child before success through IVF, but that was preceded by 2 years of fairly joyless sex aimed purely at conception. Since then we have been through the usual lack of sleep with young children; my husband struggles with depression, and has a stressful job; we are both overweight; and to top all that off we both probably drink too much. I also suffered a 3rd degree tear when I gave birth to our youngest, so I was quite anxious about having sex after that. I still care for my partner but to be honest (and this is the first time I've really admitted it) I don't fancy him, and I don't really think he fancies me either.

Is there any hope for us?!

Hi ferfuxake Thank you so much for posting this question. I think you have been really honest and that is not always easy. Firstly, given your circumstances I think I would be more surprised if your were interested in sex. It sounds like you have had a tough time and if your partner is depressed and stressed he is unlikely to feel particularly sexual. Although I strongly believe that it is important to try and sustain intimacy in a long term relationship , if neither of feels like sex, and neither of you feels that not having it is creating problems, then there is no problem. Sex ebbs and flows in long term relationships. Sometimes you have lots of it and sometimes you don?t, and right now I think you and your Dh should let yourself off the hook and accept that a goodnight kiss and cuddle is all either of you want or need.
On a more practical note, being overweight and drinking too much is, as you say, unlikely to be helping either of you. I know only too well how easy it is to get to 'wine o clock' and think "sod it, I?ll finish the bottle", but alcohol is a depressant, it packs on the pounds and it also suppresses the libido. Try cutting back so that you just drink on weekends. And is there any way you and your Dh could get into the habit of taking the kids for a walk, or to the park, so that you get some exercise together as a family? Or maybe you could take turns going to the gym in the evening. Getting fit would make you both feel better. Exercise helps alleviate depression and it is a fantastic libido booster too.Good luck Suzi

@cheekychickenknickers

Hi there, Have name changed, sorry for not feeling brave enough to be myself.

DH and I have slipped into a once every couple of months kind of relationship.
We cuddle every day, fall asleep snuggled up and snuggle in the morning. We are very touchy feely, openly talk about loving each other, and often chat about wanting more sex. It doesn't materialise and we slip back into the rut.

I know that he masterbates, he knows that I do.

In my over analysis of all this... I want more babies, he DEFINATELY DOESN'T
I want him to have a vasectomy.. the best sex we have ever had was when we were trying for a baby or pregnant. and I think the lack of hidden anxiety about getting pregnant had been removed.

Help!!

Hi Cheekychickenknickers, thanks for posting a question. Firstly, there are lots of good things going on here. You are snuggling and cuddling and touchy-feely with each other and that is a sign that your relationship is in good shape, but it also sounds as there is a HUGE big issue which the two of you have not resolved, and that is, whether or not you want to have any more kids. You say you do and he doesn?t, but then you also say you want him to have a vasectomy?

I?m not sure how many kids you have already, but there may be lots of very practical reasons why your hubby doesn?t want any more. Sure, making them is great fun, but the long term cost of raising a child is approximately 200 grand. That is an expensive way of getting your love life back on track.

I think it is healthy that you both know and accept that you masturbate. It is completely normal and I don?t think any of us have a right to police each other in that regard. However if you are both masturbating, and yet you both want to have sex, it sounds as if you are channeling your sexual energies away from each other to some degree.

Basically, I think you are both avoiding sex because you know there is an underlying conflict associated with it. What you now need to do is clarify, once and for all, whether you do, or don?t want more children. If you can come to an agreement on that major issue, then, as you say, you will eliminate a major source of anxiety for both of you. Either you go ahead and try for a last baby, or you sort out long term contraception, in which case you get to have lots of great sex and end up 200 grand richer at the same time. Bonus. Yours Suzi x

Hi, my DH and I are both finding sex difficult after a very recent miscarriage. We both feel guilty when we try. Can you give us some tips to overcome this please? Thanks.

@Shakey1500

Hi Suzi

What are your thoughts on monogamy?

Hi Shakey, I could write a novel on this one. Monogamy is only two letters away from monotony and you really do have to work to keep it going. We all have a tendency to take our partners for granted and to imagine that the grass is greener but I remember once being at an airport and I was watching my Dh helping an attractive woman with her bags. I stood back and I saw how enchanted she was and how attractive he was to her and it made me value him in a way that I had not done for a while. Sometimes we need to step back and look at how much we have and appreciate it. It is far too easy to allow yourself to be dissatisfied but the alternative is not much fun. Marriage can be tedious but divorce is hell.

@supadoula

DH and I have no more sex life. I had a miscarriage 3 and a half years ago and have always wanted to have another baby since. He has constantly said no. Our intimacy is now reduced to a brief cuddle at night. He is kind with the children and cuddles them but I don't get any of that. Where do we go from there? We are moving apart.... Thanks

Oh Soupadoula, I do feel for you. I know miscarriage is unbelievably difficult to deal with, largely because people just do not understand the grief associated with it. Because the baby is unborn there is a tendency for friends and family to think that a couple should just ?try again? but they don?t understand that sex and potential pregnancy become so tied up in loss, and those feelings are so painful, that often, you just don?t want to go there. I also know that when a woman has a miscarriage and sex does not subsequently result in pregnancy, it becomes increasingly difficult to find the motivation to do it.

You both need help to get past this and I would suggest that you talk to an expert to establish both the cause of the miscarriage and/or why you have not been able to get pregnant since. Then you need to make an appointment with a really good relationship counsellor (www.BACP.com or Relate) and both of you need to talk through how weird you feel about the miscarriage and what has, or more pertinently, has not, happened since.

I do think that if you could untangle your feelings about losing your baby you could create the space to rebuild your sexual relationship, but you do both need to engage in that process before things will change. You can get in touch with me at www.moresexdaily.com if you need more help. Yours Suzi

Just wanteed to say thanks now, as am unlikely to be able to join webchat.
I'd never read your column or heard of your website, but I clicked on the link in the OP, and it's just brilliant. Rings so many bells, helpful without being patronising, doesn't pull any punches but not trying to be provocative for the sake of it....

Anyway, the reason I'm writing is that I was officially in a "sexless marriage" a year after having 2nd child within 20 months of having first. After 2 non-sleeping babies, and a year where both of us were under an immense amount of pressure at work, sex was the last thing on our minds. It just kind of slipped down our list of priorities, and then wasn't there at all.

But I read the article about why something that's enjoyable and free isn't done cos we can't be bothered. It gave me the confidence to just go for it and not worry about why it had happened.... (and also to know we're deinitely not alone or abnormal...)

We're still officially "sexless" (ie less than 10 times per year or whatever) but am working on it. And am loving reading the website....

thanks :)

(ps: am also a coward and have name-changed!)

@madandunhappy

Hi Suzi, desparately need your help. DH, for the past 3.5 years has had every excuse for not wanting sex - firstly i was pregnant, then he was unhappy at work, now he says he is worried about not satisfying me, so doesn't want to. I can't face the rest of my life without sex (i am 41, he is 55) but he finds every excuse for not being intimate. he says he love me, but i am so unhappy. Is it wrong of me to want a physical relationship? I feel guilty for wanting a "normal relationship".

Hi madandunhappy, thanks for posting your question. It sounds as if your DH is having some serious difficulties with sex. It may be a reflection of depression or unhappiness. He obviously had kids later in life and he may be finding it hard to cope. However it sounds as if his reluctance to engage may actually be an attempt to hide the fact that his erection is not as firm or as reliable as it once was.

By the age of 55 occasional ED is normal - some of the causes include drinking too much alcohol, anxiety and tiredness - but three and half years of reluctance suggests something more serious. Ongoing ED can be a symptom of a of underlying illness such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol so your Dh does need to see a doctor. If there is a physical cause, treatment will resolve the issue. If the cause is psychological, he may respond to Viagra, Levitra or Cialis. Just knowing he can achieve erection will make him feel more confident. If things don?t get better you should consider psychosexual counselling (www.bacp.co.uk) to try and help you both get things back on track. Good luck. Yours Suzi

@SenoraTorres

Hi Suzi,

have literally about 15 mins ago had a friend tell me that her and her partner have not been intimate for about 3 years.Imagine my delight at seeing on you mumsnet! Just wondering what you would have said to someone who had just told you this as I was pretty hopeless and only managed a sympathetic "oh".
Thank you.

Hi SenoraTorres, One of the Mumsnetters - madandunhappy - has posted a very similar question today and I have given her a fairly detailed response so have a look at that. It is obviously difficult to comment on someone's relationship without knowing a bit more. There may be illness, depression, infidelity or a failing relationship involved. If your friend wants help she could contact me through www.moresexdaily.com or she could write to me at The Times. I am always happy to help. Yours Suzi

@bumbums

My husband and I also have a poor sex life. We've never been red hot lovers but I was happy. Since having 2 children, the youngest being 2 and a half, I am a stone heavier and have a saggy belly and boobs. My husband is at the peak of his career and has the work life balance completely tilted to work. He has said in the past that he doesn't find me as attractive anymore. He is a control freak and has always wanted to take the initiative as far as come ons go. So I learnt early on not to come on to him. He's not a massively sexual person anyway. Unllike some men who are randy all the time; for him, the stars have to align, he can't be tired/stressed, he has to feel sexy too etc etc etc. The affection has gone from our marraige because he never spontaneously hugs, strokes, kisses or touches me. I cuddle him sometimes and ask for a kiss. We haven't had sex for 6mths. My coil strings were bunched up and I had to wait 3mths for a scan appointment to ensure it was in the right place, so no sex then, since then we've just not been in the mood for it. How do we get our physical relationship back? I told my husband months ago how unhappy I was with our physical relationship and he's done nothing to improve things.

Hey bumbums, Lots of men struggle to restore an intimate relationship with their wives after childbirth but this sounds more extreme. You have made it clear that you feel very unhappy about the lack of affection in your relationship, and if you DH valued you as he should, he would recognise that the absence of sexual intimacy makes you feel inadequate and rejected.

It can not be easy to live with a man who is both controlling and unaffectionate and there is, in my experience a certain, rather specific, kind of cruelty associated with withholding sex. Yes, there are a million valid excuses why a busy man might want to put off having sex with the mother of his children, but over a six month period? It is hard not to deduce that your husband gets some kind of kick out of denying you.

In my experience, men like your husband only want what they can not have, so the more you ask, the less you will get. I know it is hard with young children, but if you are determined to make this marriage work, you need to withdraw, both emotionally and physically, and work on building up your own self esteem, because you husband clearly isn?t going to help you.

You are obviously not happy with the way you look so do something about it. Get into sport. Have abdominoplasty. Do whatever it takes to make yourself love the way you look. Get out as much as you can. Hire a sitter or leave him to babysit. Take night classes. Do a part time degree. The more you invest in yourself, the more you challenge yourself, the more you distance yourself, the more he will begin to notice that the person he took for granted has pulled away and begun to carve an autonomous identity for herself. Once he realises that he can not control you anymore, I guarantee he will be begging for your attention.

Yours Suzi

Thank you - will direct her to your website, it looks excellent.

@tireddddd

Just wanteed to say thanks now, as am unlikely to be able to join webchat. I'd never read your column or heard of your website, but I clicked on the link in the OP, and it's just brilliant. Rings so many bells, helpful without being patronising, doesn't pull any punches but not trying to be provocative for the sake of it....

Anyway, the reason I'm writing is that I was officially in a "sexless marriage" a year after having 2nd child within 20 months of having first. After 2 non-sleeping babies, and a year where both of us were under an immense amount of pressure at work, sex was the last thing on our minds. It just kind of slipped down our list of priorities, and then wasn't there at all.

But I read the article about why something that's enjoyable and free isn't done cos we can't be bothered. It gave me the confidence to just go for it and not worry about why it had happened.... (and also to know we're deinitely not alone or abnormal...)

We're still officially "sexless" (ie less than 10 times per year or whatever) but am working on it. And am loving reading the website....

thanks :)

(ps: am also a coward and have name-changed!)

Hi tiredddd, that is such a cute message and I'm thrilled that you like the site. I've been running it for about nine months now and I'm carrying out a big survey into sexual frequency in long term relationships at www.moresexdaily.com/the-survey/. If you can take a few minutes to fill it in that would be great. (That goes for everyone by the way)

I really want to be able to provide men and women with a more accurate picture of what is really happening in relationships. A lot of us feel we should be having tons of sex, but I think a more realistic idea of what everyone else in our age group is up to might take some of the pressure off. Ultimately, I aim to produce a book which has lots of positive ideas on what couples can do to restore an ailing sex life or make a dull one more fun. Do keep in touch through the site. Yours Suzi

Hi - the physical side of my relationship with my DH has all but disappeared and I would say in the last 3 years we've had sex about 8 times in total (and I'm being generous there).

I think part of the problem is that its been so long that neither of us even knows how to go about initiating it any more.

any thoughts?

@babyheave

I read this as live sex chat

Unfortunately I will not be performing live sex. Up for a chat though! Suzix

@pink4ever

Hi

Another one here who is not happy with their sex life. Dh isnt interested in sex anymore. We do it once a week and even then its only because I moan-alot!

He makes it pretty obvious he doesnt find me attractive any longer and he never cuddles or kisses me.

I have tried to talk about this,tried the usual stuff-suggested dressing up,role play,dirty talk but doesnt work. Dh will make an effort briefly but then he goes back to normal.

I am only 35 and want to be having loads more sex-any advice?

Hi pink4ever, thanks for posting your question. Sexual frequency is a bit of a pet subject of mine actually. For the last year I have been carrying out a survey at www.moresexdaily.com/the-survey/ in order to establish a more accurate picture of sexual frequency in the UK. I have always been suspicious of the of the ?twice a week? statistic that is bandied around because that figure is a mean, or average, so it includes twenty year olds who are doing it five times a night as well as people who aren?t having any sex at all. I also doubt the validity of surveys such as the Durex global survey because it is mostly filled in by young men who want to brag about how much sex they have, so I don?t think the data is very reliable.

So far, my data, sadly, confirms my worst suspicions. The downside is that we, as a nation, are not having half as much sex as we pretend to. The upside is that it means you are doing incredibly well to be having sex once a week given that you are married, a mother and over 35 years of age.

If you think your Dh is not interested it may be because he feels you are being overly needy (see my advice to bumbums on autonomy and investing in yourself) and you might find that if you make fewer demands on him he may respond differently. Thinking through the situation from his perspective might also give you some insight into how and why he is behaving the way he is.

I don?t know your particular situation but I know that being a Mum of small children can be pretty boring and it is very easy to become completely Mumcentric. By the time your partner comes home from work you are craving adult company as well as reassurance that you have not turned into a lump of play dough. It can be a bit overwhelming for men and I know lots of guys who stay at the office far longer than they should simply because they can?t face the re-entry period when they get home from work. Is he feeling overwhelmed? And if he is, is there a way you could take the pressure off?

Best of luck with it all, Yours Suzi

@NessaRose

Hi, my DH and I are both finding sex difficult after a very recent miscarriage. We both feel guilty when we try. Can you give us some tips to overcome this please? Thanks.

Hi NessaRose, Miscarriage is simply devastating and my heart goes out to you. Don't expect things to go back to normal because you are both still feeling bereaved and because sex is all mixed up with the baby you have lot it is only natural that it will be difficult.

I've done a lot of work with Professor Lesley Regan at the recurrent miscarriage unit at St Marys Hospital so I am aware of the impact it can have. I will drop Lesley a line and find out if there are any support groups that might be able to help in this particular context and I will post them here for you tomorrow.

Also, another Mumsnetter - supadoula - has posted a question about miscarriage so do have a look at that response.

Give yourselves time to grieve and take care of each other. And keep in touch if you need any more help. Yours Suzi

@anyoldexcuse

Similar to other posters, but coming from the other point of view.

I'm in a long-term, very loving relationship. We have 2 children, youngest is only a few months so it has been hard to find the time and energy for sex. He still fancies me and is keen to have sex often. But even aside from the time issue, I just don't seem to have any libido. I just don't feel like I need sex, but for the sake of my relationship I really want to get back into it and start enjoying it! Where to start?

Heavens to Betsy anyoldexcuse, you only gave birth eight weeks ago! At that point I think I was still watching Loose Women in my nightie with cabbage leaves on my boobs. Give yourself a chance love. Your libido is on hold because you have a bigger priority at this particular moment, but once things settle down you will will bounce back. I have posted a column I wrote about this issue here www.moresexdaily.com/after-having-a-baby-i-dont-feel-my-body-is-sexual-anymore/ and it might help you to see your lack of libido in a more sympathetic light

In the mean time, when it comes to libido, don?t underestimate the power of responsive desire. I?m cutting and pasting a little extract from some work by Dr Rosemary Basson here. Her research suggests that in women, desire and arousal can occur after sexual intercourse has begun - in other words, having sex makes you want to have sex.

According to Basson, ?women have many reasons for engaging in sexual activity other than sexual hunger or drive, as the traditional model suggests. Although many women may experience spontaneous desire and interest while in the throes of a new sexual relationship or after a long separation from a partner, most women in long-term relationships do not frequently think of sex or experience spontaneous hunger for sexual activity. In these latter cases, Basson suggests that a desire for increased emotional closeness and intimacy or overtures from a partner may predispose a woman to participate in sexual activity. From this point of sexual neutrality?where a woman is receptive to being sexual but does not initiate sexual activity?the desire for intimacy prompts her to seek ways to become sexually aroused via conversation, music, reading or viewing erotic materials, or direct stimulation. Once she is aroused, sexual desire emerges and motivates her to continue the activity. On the road to satisfaction, there are many points of vulnerability that may derail or distract a woman from feeling sexually fulfilled. The Basson model clarifies that the goal of sexual activity for women is not necessarily orgasm but rather personal satisfaction, which can manifest as physical satisfaction (orgasm) and/or emotional satisfaction (a feeling of intimacy and connection with a partner).?

Some feminists have interpreted Basson?s research in a negative way suggesting that it somehow gives licence to men to have sex with women who don?t want it, but she is a Director of Sexual Medicine at the University of British Columbia and a full-time sexual medicine physician at the Center for Sexual Medicine at Vancouver Hospital and I think what she says makes sense. I intend to do a more detailed piece on responsive desire for www.moresexdaily.com in the next week or so if you are interested in finding out more.

Yours Suzi

Hi Suzi,

I'll try and keep it brief. I am in a 2 yr relationship with a wonderful man who i have a deep and satisfying (in many ways) relationship with. We are expecting a baby in Jan and so my sex drive has recently plummeted a little...to be expected i think and we remain very affectionate. Before pregnancy we have always had issues with sex since about 3 months into the relationship. I love sex and under normal circumstances would happily have it 3-4 x per week. During pregnancy that's been more like once or twice a fortnight. My partner on the other hand is less sexual. He wants to be sexual but suffers from lack of desire. I don't believe this is about me (i hope) as although perhaps now it's different at 7 months pregnant i know when we do have sex he enjoys it and i know he finds me attractive. The problem is he seems to have no libido...or a v low one. He's not out with other women, into porn, pleasuring himself, gay or anything (we have talked openly about this) and i really just don't know what to do to help him increase his libido (which is what he wants). i think he feels like he is failing me / us.

What i am really scared of is the baby arriving and us not having the opportunity to have sex anymore and using that as an excuse...i know it will be a lot lot easier to put off doing and talking about once it arrives and so really wanted to try and address this more before then.

DP has been to the DR who has referred him for some counselling (thinks it stems from feeling under-confident) but the referral hasn't come through.

any advice on books/websites etc we can read?

Thanks Suzi.

@DriveGone

Hi Suzi I hope you can help me, I just seem to have no sex drive anymore. I love my husband (we have been together for 11 years, married for 7) and find him attractive but I just seem to have no sexual desire anymore. I don't think it is him as I don't even masturbate or have feelings towards other men. I have two young children and constantly feel shattered. When we do have sex, I am often just thinking I would rather be asleep. My husband is very patient but I am worried this will drive us apart, what can I do to get things going again. Can you permanently lose your sex drive? I hope you can help. Thanks

Hi DriveGone, Small kids are a drain, but if you have lost your libido and feel permanently shattered you may actually be run down, depressed, or suffering from an undiagnosed illness. You really need to make an appointment with your GP to talk about how you are feeling physically, and most importantly, be brave enough to mention your loss of libido and the fact that you don?t even masturbate. Your GP will be able to assess whether he or she needs to treat you (depression, thyroid, hormones, virus, I can think of tons of reasons why you might feel this way) or whether you need to be referred to a specialist for more specific sexual help. I?m not sure where you are in the country but The Jane Wadsworth Clinic (www.imperial.nhs.uk/.../ourclinics/jane-wadsworth-clinic/) at St Marys Hospital in Paddington has a fantastic clinic which treats both the physical and psychological causes of low sexual desire simultaneously.

I know it can be very difficult to talk about personal issues and none of us feel comfortable talking about sexual difficulties, but if you don?t ask for help you won?t receive any, and often, just taking the first step and admitting that you have a problem, and that you need help solving it, can be such a huge relief that the situation begins to improve immediately anyway.

Talking about it will also take the pressure off your husband who probably feels responsible but does not know what he can do to help. Men are solution oriented. They like to be able to fix things, to make them better, to make them go away, so they find it very frustrating when they can?t help. If he knows you are going to see a doctor he will, at least, feel that you are moving towards a resolution.

Taking good care of yourself is very important. A good diet, not too much booze and exercise can all help to decrease tension and make you feel better. You don?t mention how old your kids are but is there any way you could get some time off? Have you got a kindly Mum or Mother in Law who would step in while you and your husband got away for a few days. See my note to teeschlurfenderdino on hotel sex.

Finally, libido is something that you can encourage. If sex feels like a chore I can guarantee you that only the most stubborn can last longer than sixty seconds with a splash of lube and a Plug-in Magic Wand vibrator. It is worth a try because orgasm is a fantastic way of improving your mood and it also helps you to sleep better and to feel more relaxed.

Best of Luck. Yours Suzi