Updated December 27, 2006

Sexual Wellness

by Laura Hieronymus, M.S.Ed., A.P.R.N., B.C.-A.D.M., C.D.E., and Lawrence Maguire, M.D.

Recognizing the fact that women and men commonly have different perspectives regarding intimate relationships may be helpful. Men typically want a partner who is willing and interested in a sexual relationship, and they often associate intimacy with sexual contact. Women, on the other hand, tend to feel closer to a partner who listens to them and most often connect sexual intimacy with love.

So let that special person see and know who you truly are, as well as what you want within the relationship. People who understand the needs of their partners—and recognize that those needs might be different from their own—have the best chance for creating longer-lasting, more satisfying, intimate relationships.

For more online information about sexual health, see "Read More About It."

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Laura Hieronymus is the program coordinator for an American Diabetes Association–recognized education service, and Lawrence Maguire is a practicing internist. They are diabetes care and education providers at Drs. Borders & Associates, PSC, in Lexington, Kentucky.

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