Have you found yourself going through the motions in the bedroom? Does your partner not seem as stimulated as he or she once was? Has a recent medication changed your sexual responsiveness or caused physical changes that make lovemaking uncomfortable?
You’ve got questions, but are you too embarrassed or too uncertain about whom to ask for answers? It is an all-too-common problem that sex therapist Dr. Gail Wyatt and her husband of 50 years, OB-GYN Dr. Lewis Wyatt, see in both of their practices. The Wyatts have counseled hundreds of people about their sexual health. She is director of UCLA’s Sexual Health Program, he runs a private medical practice in Los Angeles, and they combined their expertise in the popular book No More Clueless Sex: Ten Secrets to a Sex Life That Works for Both of You.
Now they’re bringing their expertise to The Root and its readers in a regular column called Just Sex where you get answers to your most intimate questions. Here is what the Wyatts say about what they hope to accomplish.
Dr. Gail Wyatt:
It is important for people, and African Americans in particular, to be able to ask questions and get honest and accurate answers about sex. There is too much misinformation in the media, homes, schools and churches. People are more influenced by stereotypes of black sexuality than by what sex for black people really is like. We are guided by urban myths rather than the truth. We can do better.
Hundreds of years ago, we were brought to these shores because of the strength and endurance of our bodies, but not our minds. It is time to turn to a new chapter where we take responsibility for sex so that it is not the only way to express ourselves in life. We are so much more than that.
Dr. Lewis Wyatt:
My practice of medicine confirms the majority of men are sexually spontaneous while the majority of women are sexual responders or need stimulation. Human emotion, thought and behavior constantly change. African Americans are emerging with a culture that often fails to identify risky behaviors even though they are in plain sight. The need for open, honest and well-informed communication can lessen or even eliminate poor sexual and relationship outcomes.
If you have issues about your sexual health, and you want to get help from the Wyatts, write to us at JustSex@theroot.com. In under 200 words, please explain your sexual issue and include any information that would be helpful, such as age, gender, medications, sexual orientation and marital status.
All questions remain the property of The Root.