Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer - Sex For Dummies

52 52

53 53

54 54

55 55

56 56

57 57

58 58

59 59

60 60

61 61

62 62

63 63

64 64

65 65

66 66

67 67

68 68

69 69

70 70

71 71

72 72

73 73

74 74

75 75

76 76

77 77

78 78

79 79

80 80

81 81

82 82

83 83

84 84

85 85

86 86

87 87

88 89

89 90

90 91

91 92

92 93

93 94

94 95

95 96

96 97

97 98

98 99

99 100

100 101

101 102

102 103

103 104

104 105

105 106

106 107

107 108

108 109

109 110

110 111

111 112

112 113

113 114

114 115

115 116

116 117

117 118

118 119

119 120

120 121

121 122

122 123

123 124

124 125

125 126

126 127

127 128

128 129

129 130

130 131

131 132

132 133

133 134

134 135

135 136

136 137

137 138

138 139

139 140

140 141

141 142

142 143

143 144

144 145

145 146

146 147

147 148

148 149

149 150

150 151

151 152

152 153

153 154

154 155

155 156

156 157

157 158

158 159

159 160

160 161

161 162

162 163

163 164

164 165

165 166

166 167

167 168

168 169

169 170

170 171

171 172

172 173

173 174

174 175

175 176

176 177

177 178

178 179

179 180

180 181

181 182

182 183

183 184

184 185

185 186

186 187

187 188

188 189

189 190

190 191

191 192

192 193

193 195

194 196

195 197

196 198

197 199

198 200

199 201

200 202

201 203

202 204

203 205

204 206

205 207

206 208

207 209

208 211

209 212

210 213

211 214

212 215

213 216

214 217

215 218

216 219

217 220

218 221

219 222

220 223

221 224

222 225

223 226

224 227

225 228

226 229

227 230

228 231

229 233

230 234

231 235

232 236

233 237

234 238

235 239

236 240

237 241

238 242

239 243

240 244

241 245

242 246

243 247

244 248

245 249

246 250

247 251

248 252

249 253

250 254

251 255

252 256

253 257

254 258

255 259

256 260

257 261

258 262

259 263

260 264

261 265

262 266

263 267

264 268

265 269

266 270

267 271

268 272

269 273

270 274

271 275

272 276

273 277

274 278

275 279

276 280

277 281

278 282

279 283

280 284

281 285

282 286

283 287

284 288

285 289

286 290

287 291

288 292

289 293

290 294

291 295

292 296

293 297

294 298

295 299

296 300

297 301

298 302

299 303

300 304

301 305

302 306

303 307

304 308

305 309

306 310

307 311

308 312

309 313

310 314

311 315

312 316

313 317

314 318

315 319

316 321

317 322

318 323

319 324

320 325

321 326

322 327

323 328

324 329

325 330

326 331

327 332

328 333

329 334

330 335

331 336

332 337

333 338

334 339

335 340

336 341

337 343

338 344

339 345

340 346

341 347

342 348

343 349

344 350

345 351

346 352

347 353

348 354

349 355

350 356

351 357

352 358

353 359

354 360

355 361

356 362

357 363

358 364

359 365

360 367

361 368

362 369

363 370

364 371

365 372

366 373

367 374

368 375

369 376

370 377

371 378

372 379

373 380

374 381

375 382

376 383

377 384

378 385

379 386

380 387

381 388

382 389

383 390

384 391

385 392

386 393

387 394

388 395

389 397

390 398

391 399

392 400

393 401

394 402

395 403

396 404

397 405

398 407

399 408

400 409

401 410

402 411

403 412

404 413

405 414

406 415

407 416

408 417

409 418

410 419

411 420

412 421

413 422

414 423

415 424

416 425

417 426

418 427

419 428

420 429

421 430

422 431

423 432

424 433

425 434

426 435

427 436

428 437

429 438

430 439

431 441

432 442

433 443

434 444

435 445

436 446

437 447

438 448

439 449

440 450

441 451

442 452

443 453

444 454

445 455

446 456

447 457

448 458

449 459

450 460

451 461

452 462

453 463

454 464

455 465

Humans have been having sex since time immemorial, and not much changed as the centuries slid by. Then in the 1960s, the Pill came out, women could easily control whether or not to become pregnant, and the sexual revolution began. Other advancements followed so that today many more women who couldn’t have orgasms are now orgasmic, and many older people, particularly men, can have sex into their 90s. People are talking to each other about their sexual needs, leading to greater satisfaction, but although we’ve made progress, more needs to be done.

Millions of young people just beginning their sexual lives need to be taught what to do and how to do it — as safely as possible. There continue to be millions of adults who are still having sex the way cave men and women did in the Stone Age, never having received the message that terrific sex is possible. Dating, that all-important precursor to sex, has changed dramatically. More members of the LGBTQ community can express themselves, but discrimination persists. And finally, many people are still derailed by sexual myths. So although the need for this book has lessened in some ways since it first came out, my job of educating people about good sexual functioning is not yet over.

Do you know how I learned about sex? I was about ten, and my parents kept a marriage manual in a locked cabinet way up high. I had to pile books on top of a chair to reach it, so I literally risked my neck to learn the facts of life. You’re so much luckier because everything you need to know is right here in the palm of your hand. (Okay, not everything. If you have a serious problem, you may have to turn to a professional for help, but at least after reading this book, you’ll know whether you really need to do that.)

Just as you can have sex many different ways, you can use this book a variety of ways. You can read it from cover to cover, but it’s okay if you skim it too. The table of contents at the front of the book and the index in the rear can point you to the topics you’re interested in. Also, when I talk about something important that you should know that you may have skipped, I always refer to the appropriate chapter.

And because I cover such a wide variety of material, I’m going to suggest that instead of keeping this book on a bookshelf in the basement, you keep it right by your bed — or on the kitchen counter if that’s where you most often engage in sex!