Regular Sexual Contact Benefits Women's Physical and Emotional Well Being
 
By Dr. Daniel G. Amen
 
In a series of studies by Winnifred B. Cutler, PhD and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania and later at Stanford University it was found that regular sexual contact had an important impact on physical and emotional well being of women.
 
Sexual contact with a partner at least once a week led to more fertile, regular menstrual cycles, shorter menses, delayed menopause, increased estrogen levels, and delayed aging.
 
Brain imaging studies at UCLA have shown that decreased estrogen levels are associated with overall decreased brain activity and poor memory. Enhancing estrogen levels for women through regular sexual activity enhances overall brain activity and improves memory.
 
In Dr. Cutler's study the occurrence of orgasm was not as important as the fact that sex was with another person.
 
Intimacy and emotional bonding may be the most influential factors in the positive aspects of sex. As a psychiatrist I have seen many people withhold sex as a way to show hurt, anger, or disappointment. Dr. Cutler's research suggests that this is self-defeating behavior.
 
The more you withhold, the worse it may be for you. Appropriate sex is one of the keys to the brain's fountain of youth. 

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Daniel G. Amen, MD, is a physician, child and adult psychiatrist, brain imaging specialist, bestselling author, Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the CEO and medical director of Amen Clinics, Inc. (ACI) in Newport Beach and Fairfield, California, Tacoma, Washington and Reston, Virginia.
 
ACI is the world leader in applying brain imaging science to clinical practice. ACI has the world's largest database of functional brain scans related to psychiatric medicine, now totaling more than 50,000 scans, and the clinics have seen patients from 75 countries.
 
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