attraction with the same gender compared to men. Gay women report more sex with men, yet this isn’t true of gay men and their interactions with women. Women’s attitudes toward certain sexual practices are more likely to change over time and are more likely to be influenced by peer group activities and religion. Women who have higher levels of education have generally more experience with a wide variety of sexual activities. Women are more inconsistent with regard to their value system and actual sexual behaviors. There are differences in the paths men and women take to getting at sexual desire. Women are more attracted to a novel that has romance and a plot, which isn’t the case with men. Women like the anticipation associated with sex, while men do not need to enlist their imagination. Men use sex as the language of their connection, while women need connection first. There is a difference in the time taken to arrive at orgasm for men. It takes about four minutes in men and about ten minutes in women, if women have an orgasm at all. Men usually have an orgasm, while only 25 percent of women actually do have one. Because male libido is more tied to biology, they are more likely to be responsive to medications that treat low libido. While testosterone is more likely to work quickly to restore libido in men, it doesn’t work as quickly or as effectively in women. There is a testosterone patch use for women in Europe; however, because libido is less biologically driven in women, it may not be safe or effective for long-term use.
SEXUAL AROUSAL Sexual arousal or sexual excitement is the feeling one gets when anticipating sexual activity. There are different responses seen in men and women. Men will get an erection, while women will have engorgement of the vulva, clitoris, vaginal walls, and nipples. There will be increased vaginal lubrication. Given enough sexual stimulation, sexual arousal leads to orgasm in both men and women. Sexual arousal usually begins with one or more erotic stimuli. There are mental and physical stimuli possible, depending on the situation. Arousal can be visual and related
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