“I did not have sex with that woman!” This was the proclamation solemnly intoned by the actor portraying President Bill Clinton in the current TV series, Impeachment. In a subsequent episode, he is testifying at a deposition where he dissects, parses, frames, and reframes the word “sex” as well as what actually constitutes an act of sex. Or do I mean a sexual act ?
At Maze women’s Health, I encounter many women who define “sex” as specifically sexual intercourse. As if any other forms of intimacy or pleasure are nice adornments to sex, but don’t count as “real sex.” While penetrative sex is one way to have sex, it need not be an all or nothing proposition. There are many reasons why one or both partners may be unable or unwilling to experience penetrative sex at a certain time in their life, and that does not in any way doom a relationship to a passionless void.
So, what is sex? Well, if it’s good for you and good for your partner, and you are both into it, call it whatever you like. Close the dictionary, get between the sheets and enjoy.
For more information about your sexual health, contact us for a free phone consult!
