Enough already! HIV and STI statistics saturate news reports about sex—we get it; you gotta wrap it up. But that doesn’t mean getting busy is the enemy. “Sex is an important part of being human,” says Hilda Hutcherson, MD, sex expert and clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. “Not to mention there are so many health benefits to having a sex life.”

According to various studies, frequent and satisfying sex with your partner can help:

  • Boost your immune system
  • Improve your mental health
  • Raise self-esteem
  • Lose weight and maintain a healthy size
  • Lower high sugar levels
  • Sleep better
  • Slow the aging process
  • Regulate periods
  • Reduce prostate cancer risk

Think about that the next time you have a “headache”!