Medicine has the perfect polypill to keep memory and muscles in tune, preserve the prostate and control blood pressure , among many other things. Sex is a free and always available resource to improve health. Ignored and repressed for centuries, doctors discover every day some field in which to apply it. “It relieves anxiety, insomnia, improves self-esteem, acts on the immune and cardiovascular system and is a sport with which we burn about 150 calories in each relationship. What more do we want?”, Says Publio Coronado, gynecologist at the Hospital Clínico de San Carlos of Madrid.
Considering how good it feels, it must be deduced that nature disposed of it not only to ensure reproduction, but as a means to extend existence. Sex life is already checked in many consultations, and not only when there are problems. José Serres Márquez, president of the Spanish Society of Anti-aging and Longevity Medicine (SEMAL), and his colleagues in the specialty consider it a key aspect in medical treatment to prevent them from arriving accompanied by ailments.
As a rule of thumb, he recommends that his patients do things that give them pleasure, and of course, sex is on the list: “It has been shown to increase longevity, because it causes the secretion of hormones related to it. The first is the dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which helps prevent depression and cardiovascular and degenerative diseases. “
A chemical avalanche
From there, a chemical cascade is produced in the body with unsuspected effects. For example, estrogens, released at orgasm, have cosmetic consequences. This hormone is related to the fact that the hair looks fresh from the hairdresser and that the skin looks smooth, since it induces the synthesis of collagen , the protein that forms its structure and gives it elasticity.
When Dr. Coronado began practicing, asking a patient about her sexual relationships was unthinkable; Now it is talked about openly, because having sex has become an indispensable condition to overcome problems as frequent as vaginal atrophy . This is produced by the drop in estrogen that occurs in menopause and affects 40% of women.
The vagina is the area that suffers the most atrophies, because it is the one with the highest concentration of hormone receptors. “It thins the mucosa and vessels, which translates into a smoother and paler organ, with fewer folds and vessels, and smaller lips. As a consequence of all this, it loses elasticity and appears dryness, bleeding and inflammatory signs , among other symptoms, which translates into painful intimate relationships , “says Dr. Coronado. To avoid this ordeal, most women tend to avoid contact, which in turn leads to relationship problems.
In some cases, gynecologists break this vicious circle by prescribing hormone replacement therapy, and always inviting the woman not to neglect sex. Its regular practice, with the help of lubricants that facilitate penetration, increases blood flow in the area and reverses the atrophy.
