We’ve long known that there is a direct link between aging in women and men and the subsequent decline in both’s fertility - meaning they both do not have as much baby-making power in their sperm and eggs, respectively, as they did when they were younger.  Further, the quality of the sperm and eggs declines as we age, paving the way for potential complications and genetic weaknesses in the resultant baby if we have babies when we are older and the quality is lower, not the mention the likelihood of pregnancy complications goes up.

While researchers had always known that women have a harder time conceiving as they age, the impact that the man’s sperm has on that conception is much larger than was once thought, meaning the guy’s sperm contributes equally to the likelihood of conception, and the fact that an older man may be trying to impregnate a woman has a very large effect on whether that will be a successful pregnancy.

The idea from this research is that men over 40 begin to see a dwindling in the quality of their sperm, and not only that, there may also be a higher likelihood of a miscarriage in the woman they impregnate if they get pregnant from a man who is over 40 years old, so we are more likely to see more complications not only if the woman is older, but also if the man is older.

While the number of miscarriages was about the same for women who were over 40, the amount went up significantly higher if both the women and her parter were older, since the man’s sperm also contributes to the pregnancy and the successful full term of that pregnancy, and miscarriages were seen much more often when the man was significantly older, showing the importance of not only the age of the eggs, but also on the age of the sperm.

Tantra has it’s basis in Buddhism and Hindu religions, and is a state of sexual pleasure and ecstasy that is supposed to transcend the boundaries of sex as we know and create feelings that are of a spiritual nature, not just purely physical sexual pleasure, but actually a spiritual experience where one may even see visions, lights, or momentary feelings of euphoria that feel “otherworldly”.  Gee, no wonder why so many people buy the Kama Sutra and seek out the ways of the Tantra when it comes to having more meaningful sex with their partners.

Sex, in the tantric meaning of it, is a means of transcending one’s self, of having a spiritual experience, and the purpose of sex is liberation, procreation and pleasure, and is a means to get into closer touch with our spiritual side and the spirit side of the world.  Tantric sex takes place after lengthy purification rituals, and is a sort of uniting of the female and male energies.

Not only does tantric sex elevate both individuals to new, unknown forms of ecstasy and euphoria, but they also do not believe in the “frictional” type of sex that we traditionally associate with the male orgasm and male sexual enhancement of the orgasmic feeling, but rather the couple locks in a still embrace for long moments as they both feel the sensations coursing through their bodies. 

I’ve often wondered, there is always something that every one of us thought would be “cool” to experience in the sack, and it seems to be different for all of us, sometimes dramatically so.  So, it got me thinking, how and where to sexual fantasies originate from?  Are they spontaneous, or are they carefully culled from one’s life experiences, their childhood crushes, or a combination of factors?

Well, most likely, they do come from a combination of experiences.  Perhaps once you saw a movie where a couple has a scintillating romp on the beach or in some other fairly public place, and thought that the aspect of questionable privacy and even a little voyeurism would add a lot of excitement to the sexual interlude.  Or maybe you had a crush on a woman when you were a kid who wore some specific kind of clothing, and now you want to have your partner dress up similarly. 

Another scenario could be that you had a crush on someone who was in a certain profession, say a childhood teacher, or a nurse or something, hence your sexual fantasies as an adult may be somewhat nostalgiac in their quest for some sort of memory or a feeling that goes back to those young carefree days when you were just exploring your first feelings of sexuality. 

Another thing that sexual fantasies may be born of is overcoming some sort of a fear you’ve had, like the having sex in a fairly public place thing.  

Lots of people have fantasies about that, or of meeting a perfect stranger out in a bar and then taking them back and having a torrid one night stand, but they know how dangerous that is in real life and in these times, so they might want their lover to pose as a stranger and they do the role play thing and act like they are strangers so they can act out this “naughty” fantasy safely and without cheating on anyone.  Sexual fantasies definitely run the gammut when it comes to individual personalites and the paradigms that shape our lives and our ideas. 

It seems that there has been some scientific unearthing of similarities found in the brains of sexually straight women, and homosexual men, explaining why some men may be automatically predetermined as far as their sexual orientation and preference goes.  The area of the brain that gay men and straight women share the similar characteristics are in the centers for emotions, mood and anxiety, making them inclined to be driven by the same emotions and motivators that women are.

Although these similarities were shown in brain scans, and in fact the same parallel was drawn between gay women and straight men’s brains, they are reluctant to say whether these individuals were born with these traits or whether this was some sort of a gradual change or evolution once the person aged (environment for example).

For example, the similarities may be due to exposure to certain hormones while in the womb, or they may also be a combination of pre existing brain structure combined with the “nurture” aspect, which means that their environment and upbringing may also play a part in which sexual orientation becomes the dominant theme in the men’s and women’s lives as they get older.

Many scientists believe that these new discoveries showing different brain attributes as related to sexuality is a combination of both environment and upbringing, and exposure to events etc that shape a person’s personality and ultimately maybe even their sexual preference, and there also may be some sort of biological forces at work as well, meaning that it really is partly genetic forces that are shaping their destiny as far as sexual orientation. 

What if, for some reason, most likely testicular cancer, you had to have one or both of your testicles removed?  You would think that may have some sort of impact on your sex life, especially seeing as how they manufacture sperm, you’d think that mother nature would have put the kibosh on the other facets of your sex life since you may technically no longer reproduce normally, which is supposedly the intent of nature’s instillment of a male libido in all of us. 

Well, at least this is what I thought.  However, supposedly if you lose one testicle to cancer or some other reason, you should still be able to reproduce normally, one of the marvels of the human body.  However, this applies if you still have one healthy functioning testicle left, because the testicle should be able to produce enough healthy sperm that can reproduce and impregnate a woman, there are no guarantees if you do lose both testicles however.

What about the sex drive and the ability to have sexual relations though?  Can you still get an erection, will your penis still enlarge with the engorgement of blood like other normal men’s penises do when they get sexually aroused?  As far as that all goes, you should have no problems with getting an erection, maintaining it, and also coming to a full orgasm as well.  Men with one testicle may however have to come to terms with the fact that they are missing what many men consider part of their manhood, and some may have sexual issues or difficulties until they can come to terms with that, but that is psychologically related and has nothing to do with the physical fact that only one testicle remains on the body. 

Counseling may be in order if a man feels that way, to help him come to grips with losing a testicle and prevent any sort of psychologically based erectile dysfunction that may arise.  Many men may be resistant to counseling about such a personal matter, but believe me, it pays to be open instead of suffering frustration and confusion alone.   

I read an interesting headline recently that something called a “natural condom” may help to stop the spread of the HIV virus.  Well, when natural comes to my mind I’m thinking maybe something made with lambskin or some other sort of natural material that is organic in nature, rather than latex, which does not allow any cells, no matter how small, to pass it’s barrier.  In other words, I think of a natural material that stops male ejaculate from going past a certain point and entering the vaginal quarters.

However, I was pretty far off in my assumption that a “natural condom” meant an actual condom-like contraption that is fitted on a man’s penis to prevent the spread of the virus, it’s actually a hormone that when administered offers a natural barrier within the body that stops the spread of the virus and therefore prevents infection if someone has slept with someone who has the virus without protection in the form of a condom, or if that protection was inadequate.

Apparently research is being done on estrogen in men and how it can block the virus from entering the male penis and therefore prevent infection of a man with the HIV virus.  Intersting, because I never knew that estrogen provided a sort of natural barrier against the virus.

However, the guys in the testing did not have to orally take the hormone estrogen to gain benefit.  What is was is that they applied the hormone estrogen to the penis topically and this apparently was enough to offer some sort of a level of protection against the HIV virus from entering the penile chambers.

More interesting is that estrogen does this by creating a natural barrier between outside viruses by making the skin on the penis thicker where it is applied, and therefore just makes the skin a bit of a better natural protectant against invading viruses. 

This seems all well and good, but the study didn’t mention how often a man has to apply the estrogen to his penis, nor whether applying estrogen would have any side effects, since essentially anything that is applied to the skin generally absorbs into the blood stream and should cause some sort of interaction since it is a female hormone.  More to come on this one I’m sure - it’s interesting nonetheless. 

I recently read that men are really prone to not visiting the doctor when they should.  This is really no surprise, since the stereotype for men is that they have to practically get paid a lot of money to go see a doctor has been around for a long time.  Because of men’s tendencies to be doctor-shy and go into immediate denial when something may be wrong, doctors want men to pay attention to a few things that they may normally just shrug off as a “oh well, that’s life” thing and take it more seriously.  Their life may actually depend on them being more vigilant about getting to the doctors more often and taking their health into their own hands.

Two common health problems that may not even be connected in the mind as a health problem with men’s view of themselves, that can often signify either an existing or very probably likelihood of certain health issues are a big belly (lots of belly fat, the worst kind, whether you’re a man or a woman), and an issue that we like to talk about a lot here at Male Enhancement Mag because of our subject matter, and that is impotence.

Belly fat is a major problem, and is often an identifier as a huge area of risk for men for future heart problems.  The problem in men is that a lot of belly fat usually signifies a low level of testosterone, which sets men up for many health problems, the biggest being increased risk of heart disease and heart attack.  If you see your belly getting bigger, it’s time to crack down on the diet and get on the treadmill more often, because this can seriously increase your risk of dying at a much younger age than you were meant to if you were your ideal, healthy self. 

As we talked about just a few weeks (or perhaps days) ago, impotence and other sexual dysfunction is another possible serious indicator that something else is amiss in your body.  Many times impotence indicates that the blood isn’t pumping like it should be and circulation is poor, which means you may be much more prone to stroke and heart attack, both of which stem from improper or inadequate blood flow.  So, even though these problems may seem fairly insignificant at first glance, what they really are is a potential indicator of bigger problems, so guys, get yourselves to you docs more often! 
  

Well, gentlemen, there may be a very good reason to pay a visit to your favorite body part fairly often, and take things into your own hands, if you know what I mean…What I mean is masturbation may have an unexpected health benefit for you that you hadn’t yet thought of.  Yes, we all know that masturbation can be a wonderful stress reliever, and heck, because of that, who knows - it may even help fight heart disease and other stress related problems, but now there is strong evidence suggesting that masturbation - frequently - may help dramatically reduce your odds of getting prostate cancer. 

Taking some prosolution pills and getting on with it may even be some of the most fun times you have with yourself, so why not make an event of it and get the most pleasure out of it that you can too?  As long as you are at pleasing yourself, that’s a supplement that can make for very intense experiences.  Of course, you could also save it for a real sexual encounter as well.   

Great news, right?  In fact, it may help men who do the deed up to five times a week reduce their chances of getting prostate cancer by up to one third, which is absolutely statistically a staggering number if you ask me!  For those of you who aren’t having sex or masturbating very often, to the tune of several times a week, this may change your tune a bit when you realize the true health benefits of staying sexually satisfied, whether in your hands or in someone elses, so to speak.

Here’s the really cool, scientific part of all this cancer risk reducing info.  I guess that the prostate is part of the supplier to the liquid that comes out in male semen, and because masturbation cleanses out a lot of carcinogens in the process of ejaculation, the theory is that this is the reason frequent masturbation may dramatically reduce the risk of prostate cancer.  So, gentlemen, if you are a frequent masturbater, soldier on, and hopefully reap the health benefits of this all too pleasurable pass time! 

We all know that AIDS, the illness that is caused by the virulent HIV virus, has killed millions in the African nations, and it has become such an epidemic that most young men in African nations, including Kenya, either have the virus themselves or know someone that has died or is dying of AIDS, and many times know several men who are dying from the disease which has become so powerful over there that it kills very quickly since anti AIDS drugs are hard to come by.

Circumcision it seems, is finally becoming and accepted method over there for the prevention of contracting the AIDS virus.  It was once looked at by many Kenyan tribes as a loss of part of one’s manhood and therefore frowned upon, but the fact is that circumcision, where the male penis is altered in the foreskin area to prevent the harboring of bacteria - and in this case, viruses, is a good way to help prevent AIDS, although it is not by any means a “vaccine” to keep the disease away.

There are programs being rolled out in several African nations which are offering free circumcision, especially in areas where it is not a customary tradition, to get men over there used to the fact that this little procedure could in fact save their lives.  It is estimated that circumcision may cut the rate of HIV infection by as much as 60 percent, so that is definitely a good odds maker and case maker for getting the procedure done to increase life expectancy by keeping AIDS away.

There is still much education that has to happen to get African men to accept circumcision as a health preventive measure, as it is still not recognized as acceptable in many subcultures in Africa, and a lot of men still look down on the procedure, however much it may increase their odds of not contracting the AIDS virus.  Let’s hope that through education and further free programs we can help the African nation with the epidemic of AIDS and save more men from this dreaded disease.

Well guys, I have some rather bad news for those that suffer form persistent erectile dysfunction, meaning they regularly have problems achieving an erection or keeping an erection long enough to have satisfying sex.  As if ED isn’t a big enough problem in itself, causing mental anguish and frustration for the men it affects, doctors are now warning men who have it that it may be an indication of a more serious health problem, usually having to do with the heart or circulation, which indeed is very serious and needs to be looked at immediately.

They say that lots of men who suffer from ED and have for a while may be too embarrassed to go see a doctor about the problem, but in fact if they don’t, they may be putting their lives in jeopardy.  This goes especially for men who are diabetic, who often experience problems with erectile dysfunction, since they are especially high risk for other complications that are only symbolized by ED.

Not only can ED predict with some accuracy your likelihood of having heart problems but it also may predict likelihood of stroke.  It makes sense if you do think about it, since erections are essentially reliant on the fact that a man’s circulation is good enough to get the blood flowing to the penis to get and keep it hard enough to have sexual intercourse for a reasonably sustained period of time.  ED is an indicator that all is not as well as it should be on the circulation front, and a battery of tests can conclude this for men who are concerned their ED signals larger issues. 

Men often, especially in certain cultures where it is considered embarrassing to go to the doctor for such a condition, or in demographics that don’t have health insurance, ignore the problem of ED because they either are in denial or they think that it’s too expensive to treat, or that it is, in a way, a “self contained” problem that is not indicative of other problems.  In fact it is a very good indicator though of bigger issues to come, and men cannot afford to ignore it if it has happened to them on a consistent basis. 

There are also of course preventive steps that can be taken such as modified nutrition, exercise, and certain medications that can improve the underlying issues behind ED that can improve quality and span of life as well as help prevent the heart and circulation problems that may lead men to having a heart attack or a stroke.