Besides eating more fruits and vegetables, and exercising, what is the next thing that the doctor could order for your health? Here is an answer that might please you. Recent research backed by a handful of studies suggests that having more sex is actually good for your health! It has some great benefits.

Sexual Activity and Endometriosis

One study published in 2002, reported that sexual activity might help to prevent endometriosis. Endometriosis is a common gynecological condition that takes places when the tissue lining the inside of a woman's uterus grows at other sites like the ovaries or fallopian tubes.

This growth causes pelvic pain and infertility. The study also found that women who were sexually active during menstruation were considerably less likely to develop endometriosis than women who didn't have sex during their periods.

According to the research scientist any activity that leads to menstrual debris going backwards into pelvis increases the risk for endometriosis. The heavy contractions of the uterus that occur during a bout of satisfying sex, and orgasm, may push the menstrual debris out of the uterus.

Sex and Exercise

We all know that exercise is good for health. It has some great benefits.

Many call the bed an excellent instrument for exercise. As an exercise sex is in a league of its own. Vigorous sex is an excellent workout. After all, sex and the subsequent orgasm, involves the contraction of muscles in the arms, legs and abdomen. Similarly, the heart and breathing rates rise during the act of sex just as they do when you exert yourself on the playing grounds. What crowns it all off is that great sex ensures that you drift off into a deep, luxurious and refreshing sleep after you tire yourself out. That sounds like a great pathway to enjoying the benefits of health!

However since sex requires some stamina and staying power, it appears that people who devote time for physical fitness and health are likely to have more satisfying sex. Regular exercise has benefits for better sex as it improves muscle tone, cardiovascular fitness and mental health.

Sex and the Heart

A British study involving nearly 900 middle aged men found that men who had sex with a frequency of twice or more a week had a lower risk of heart attack over a 10 year period in comparison to men who had sex less often. The heart does exert itself during sex and regular exercise has important benefits for good health.

Sex and Stress Relief

Emotional well-being is important for health.

Satisfying sexual activity can be an exhilarating mood lifter. If you're in a relationship, sex can bring harmony into the relationship. It often makes partners feel closer, so that you feel less stressed and more relaxed.

In fact a bout of vigorous sex followed by orgasm itself can help release tension. This is because orgasm leads to a surge of the hormone oxytocin. This may account for the stronger emotional connection and the tension relief experienced after sex. Oxytocin also appears to have a regulatory effect on blood pressure, temperature and helps relieve pain. Having good health doesn’t mean feeling sad! Who said that good health didn’t have its benefits?

In fact scientific studies show that having sex on an average of a few times a week has the following health benefits:

Sense of smell : After a nice bout of sex, the production of the hormone prolactin surges. This leads the stem cells in the brain to develop new neurons in the brain’s smell center and contributes to an improved sense of smell.

Reduced risk of heart disease : In a 2001 study, the researchers studied cardiovascular health and found that men who had sex three or more times a week, reduced their risk of heart attack or stroke by half. That’s a bid benefit!

Sex as an exercise : Sex is an excellent exercise for health. Let us compare the calories you burn through common methods of exercise. A vigorous bout of sex burns some 200 calories which is equivalent to running 15 minutes on a treadmill or playing a spirited game of squash. The pulse rate at the height of the sex act increases from about the normal 72 beats per minute to nearly 150 which is about the same as that of an athlete at his best. Muscular contractions during sex involve the pelvis, buttocks, thighs, arms, thorax and the neck. Another benefit of great sex for males is that it boosts the production of testosterone, which leads to stronger bones and muscles.

Reduced depression : A 2002 study of about 290 women concluded that all participants whose male partners did not use condoms were less susceptible to depression in comparison to those women whose partners did. It is believed that the male hormone of Prostoglandin, present only in the semen, may be absorbed in the female genital tract and modify female hormones.

Pain-relief : A good bout of sex which culminates in orgasm, releases greater amounts of the hormone oxytocin which increase to five times the normal level. This in turn leads to release of endorphins which are actually natural pain killers. Therefore if you have a nagging headache, you could try sex as an option! You will certainly get relief from pain. And it is better for your health!

Greater Immunity : A study in a US university have claimed that individuals who have sex about once or twice a week show 30% higher levels of an immunoglobulin A. This antibody is known to boost the immune system, which results in health benefits.

Better bladder control : Sexologists advise many couples to go for Kegel exercises if they want to prolong the climax. Over a period of time it leads to better bladder control as the same muscles come into play.

Better prostate : Postrate health is important for men. In men, the prostate and the seminal vesicles take substances like zinc, citric acid and potassium from the blood to produce seminal fluid. Regular sex flushes the prostate of carcinogens and reduces chances of cancer of the prostate.

Researchers advice that it is best not to focus on orgasm too much as it can be self-defeating especially for males. It’s best to think about sex as an erotic activity with pleasurable after effects and bonding. Plus improved health, with some great side benefits!.