By Corrie Pikul


You're not imagining things, and you're not alone: Women start to notice a fizzling of desire after living with their partner for one to four years[1] , research shows (it can happen to men, too, but women's levels seem to plunge more precipitously). Read on for science-backed rekindling ideas.


If you have 0 minutes...follow the advice of that classic Nike ad campaign[2] .


Most of us believe that desire sparks the idea to have sex, which ideally leads to us feeling like it's the Fourth of July when it's really the third of March. So if we're not already in the mood, then it's hard to for us to motivate to light some candles and change out of our yoga pants that are too baggy to actually wear to yoga. But the desire-then-sex formula can be limiting, says Laurie Mintz, PhD[3] , a professor of psychology at the University of Florida and the author of A Tired Woman's Guide to Passionate Sex[4] . Research clearly shows that women can have the idea to have sex, start having sex and then become excited, and then become really really excited, Mintz says. Often, the trick is to just do it and tell yourself that you'll be glad you did. What makes the difference between sex-as-foreplay and sex-as-duty is your attitude, says Mintz, (who acknowledges that yes, this is harder than it sounds). She says that what has worked for many women she's counseled is to practice mindfulness during sex -- focus and immerse yourself in the smell of your partner's hair, the warmth of his skin, the feeling of his hand on your…you get the idea.


If you have 5 minutes, put on…socks.


That's right, we're not recommending a lacy, filmy or revealingly clingy little something. Here's why: Researchers have found that warming up the feet leads to warming up other parts of the body[5] . The area of the brain associated with genital sensation is right next-door to the one associated with feeling in the feet, writes Daniel G. Amen, MD, in his book Unleash the Power of the Female Brain[6] . Some scientists think that when our feet are cold, it's harder for us to feel comfortable enough to let go in bed. In an orgasm study at the University of Groningen, half the couples were unable to make it to climax, but once socks were offered, the success rate shot up to 80 percent[7] .


If you have an hour...go to the gym.



More than 200 women reported in a 2010 online survey that they had experienced exercise-induced orgasms, says study author Debby Herbenick, a research scientist at Indiana University and the author of Sex Made Easy[8] . Insert your own "sexercise" joke here, and then start warming up for titillating workouts involving the captain's chair (you lift your lower body by contracting the obliques and pelvic muscles), Spinning (which causes friction between the bike seat and the pelvis), yoga (which improves mind-body awareness) and rope-climbing (see also: Spinning). Many of the women surveyed also said they felt excited by watching themselves perform strengthening and flexibility moves in the mirror[9] . Herbenick says that even if going to the gym isn't your means to an end, it can literally get the blood flowing so that you're more easily aroused by your partner when you get home.


If you have a week...make time for cheeky daydreams.


We think that planning ahead for sex is something only old married couples do, but Mintz reminds us that most of us picked up this habit in the early days of our relationship. On date nights (which at that point usually involved something more X-rated than fusion cuisine), we'd put lotion on our legs, wear something flattering and anticipate how our partner would look, smell and feel. Need more proof of the power of anticipation? Mintz compared women who read her book (which is essentially a self-help course that involves lots of thinking about sex) with a control group. The results, published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology, showed that the book readers (aka the sex-strategizers) showed significant improvements in desire, arousal, satisfaction and quality of orgasms[10] -- and the gains in desire lasted for more than six weeks. So if you and your partner know you'll have the house to yourselves on Friday, you'll have a better night (and a better week) if you start getting psyched for it on Monday.


If you have two weeks...replace your pocket rocket.


More than half of women ages 18 to 60 use vibrators, surveys show, so it won't come as a shock to hear that regular use of these happy tools can make it easier to get in the mood. Sex researcher Debby Herbenick and her colleagues at Indiana University have found that women who had used a vibrator in the past month reported significantly higher levels of desire and arousal than those who hadn't[11] . What you may not realize is that the type of toy matters -- for more than the obvious reasons. Some contain high concentrations of phthalates[12] , industrial chemicals that make plastic soft and pliable, which has been associated with serious health problems, including lower testosterone levels (which may affect sex drive). This is not the kind of thing you want to have in the vulnerable genital tract, so if you think your little friend may have phthalates, roll a condom over it. Or consider upgrading to one made of medical-grade silicone, glass or metal


If you have 30 days...sample Asian medicine that's been backed by Western science.


While we're usually skeptical of supplements that claim to improve libido, there seems to be some legitimacy to Korean red ginseng. This herb has been used in Asian medicine for centuries as a sex enhancer as well as to boost immunity and create a general sense of well-being. In a promising 2010 study published in the Journal of Sex Medicine, menopausal women who tried Korean red ginseng extract reported improved levels of arousal[13] . You may have heard of the OTC supplement ArginMax, which contains ginseng as well as gingko to improve blood supply (important for physical arousal). It's been recommended by some medical professionals[14] , including the prominent sexologist Beverly Whipple, PhD[15] , for women experiencing sexual dysfunction[16] . Talk to your doctor before trying ginseng, though, because it can have negative or intense interactions with several different medications and supplements[17] -- including caffeine.


As a reminder, always consult your doctor for medical advice and treatment before starting any program.



Also on HuffPost:




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  • Most women have orgasms from sexual (vaginal) intercourse.


    Wouldn't we all love for this one to be true? Many experts and studies have found that about <a href="http://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/advice/sex-question-orgasm-problems" target="_hplink">70% of women do not have orgasms from (heterosexual vaginal) intercourse alone</a> (without external clitoral stimulation). This clearly contradicts all the sex scenes we watch on television or in movies where it appears that everyone can climax on demand. (Which is really a shame because that would be nice.) So if you have been wondering what's wrong with you... well, absolutely nothing at all. We are not built the same as men, but the lens through which we talk about sex (or see it) is often male. Many of us wind up feeling badly if our experiences don't match our expectations -- or we start to question the prowess of our partner (but that's another blog post altogether). And don't get me started on pornography -- it can certainly be entertaining, but hardly represents reality. That aside, yes, there are some women who suffer from medical conditions that make orgasm (and even intercourse) difficult or impossible. However, the majority of women are not experiencing sexual dysfunction; we just haven't been given great sex education.




  • Oral (or anal) sex doesn't count as sex.


    I always find it interesting that we seem to have a hierarchy of sex behaviors. Consider the rationalization:<em> I can have oral or anal sex but it's not really sex so I don't have to count it as having a sex partner. Or I can do this and still be considered a virgin. Or</em>... you get the point. And to complicate matters, depending on who you ask, that hierarchy may change. So here are a few thoughts: All forms of sex are sex. They are all intimate personal behaviors with the capacity for great pleasure and if practiced without protection, the potential for certain negative outcomes, too. Did I convince you? If not, try this: Sex is not just for straight people, which is basically what we're saying when we suggest that vaginal intercourse is the only true form of sex.




  • You would know if your partner has a sexually transmitted infection.


    In my eleventh grade health class, our teacher showed us photos of penises and vulvas (notice I did not say vagina?) ravaged by sexually transmitted infections. My health class probably wasn't unique. Lots of us were shown these photos as a means of curbing our sexual behavior. Did it work? Nope. It actually backfired. I remember my fellow students squirming in their seats. "That's disgusting!" they screamed as they looked at images of cauliflower-like warts and oozing blisters. While on the surface it may sound like a great way to scare us out of any or all sexual activity, it didn't (shocking, I know). What it actually did was incorrectly teach us that sexually transmitted infections have visible (and quite grotesque) symptoms. (They don't, most of the time.) The fact is, you cannot tell if a partner has a sexually transmitted infection just by looking at their genitals. The only way to know for certain is for you and your partners to get tested.




  • If your doctor needed to talk to you about sex, he or she would bring it up.


    In addition to not having enough time for conversation, doctors don't always know how to bring up sex in their short time with you. How do I know? I've conducted numerous medical school lectures in an effort to help future medical professionals in this department. But don't just take my word for it. In the last few years there has been some scientific discussion about about how our physicians lack the skills and confidence to talk to patients about sex.

    In a study published in the <a href="http://www.livescience.com/19230-sex-talk-doctor-office.html" target="_hplink">March 2012 issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine</a>, researchers at the University of Chicago Department of Medicine explored how (and if) 1,150 OBGYNs (people who are literally handling our sexual and reproductive body parts) were broaching issues of sexuality in their practices. Even within the field of obstetrics and gynecology, only 40% of physicians routinely asked about sexual problems; 28.5% asked about sexual satisfaction. Pleasure, sexual orientation and sexual identity were discussed even less than that.

    In a <a href="http://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Fulltext/2010/08000/Medical_Student_Sexuality__How_Sexual_Experience.17.aspx#" target="_hplink">2010 study published in Academic Medicine</a>, researchers explored how experience and medical school education impacted medical students' comfort in talking about sexuality. Over 53% of medical students felt that they did not receive enough training in how to approach issues of sexuality with patients. So it is clear that while sexual health should be a subject talked about in the doctor's office, it is sorely lacking




  • If you fantasize about other women (or like lesbian pornography or erotica), you're definitely a closeted lesbian.


    No. No no no no, and no. But by the way, if you fantasize about other women and do identify as a lesbian, that's totally cool. Do we have to discuss (yet again) the role that fantasies play in our lives? I must admit, I'm getting tired of having to justify the fact that women have a myriad of fantasies -- some of which may not fit the good girl image that people may have of us. Nonetheless, thinking about someone or something doesn't mean that you want to act it out in real life; it's possible, but not definite. And by the way, I know many (let me repeat, many) heterosexual women who enjoy all sorts of lesbian erotica and pornography and are quite fulfilled by their heterosexual sex lives.




  • There are two types of female orgasms. Or maybe not. Who cares?


    So maybe this isn't a myth, but rather, a frustrating social commentary. It seems like we devote lots of science to demystifying the female orgasm. We contest how many types of orgasms there are, whether or not they even exist, where they may or may not come from and their evolutionary purpose; we even question women's experiences with orgasm if theirs doesn't match ours. While I do believe that science should explore all aspects of human sexuality, I often question how and why we choose to focus (quite frequently) on female orgasms. I find that what this conversation does is delegitimize what many women experience. Who am I (or anyone else for that matter) to tell someone that they didn't experience an orgasm in a particular way? Orgasms are subjective and there is no one (no one) who will ever be able to know what you felt and how or where you felt it.