Does sexual activity have physical benefits?
As a physical boon, sex appears to be an all-time winner: For men, sexual arousal increases testosterone and flushes out the prostate gland. For women, regular lovemaking increases levels of estrogen, which protects the heart, keeps vaginal tissues more supple, sustains the brain at its cognitive best, and even helps ameliorate premenstrual syndrome. The endorphins released with sex, as well as the accelerated blood flow throughout the body, can reduce pain from any number of bodily ills, arthritis to headache to whiplash. And, like other forms of exercise, sexual encounters burn calories, enhance the immune system, and suffuse the physical body with feelings of relaxation and well-being.