Ladies: Sex is good for you, and in more ways than one.
Not only does it help increase intimacy and serotonin levels, but studies show it can boost your immune system, too.
Researchers at the Kinsey Institute tested 30 healthy women in two studies and found that participants who had sex frequently experienced immunity boosts that were not seen in the women who did not have sex during the same time.
Published in the journals Fertility and Sterility and Physiology and Behavior, the studies were initially meant to find out why women who did the deed often and throughout their cycle were more likely to get pregnant—even if they were having sex when they were least fertile.
The result? Higher rates of sexual activity produced greater T cells, which help regulate immune response.
“Our findings suggest that the more frequently a woman engages in sexual activity the more often her immune system gets the message that it's time to reproduce," lead researcher Tierney Lorenz said.
"Even when an individual act of sex happens outside of the 'fertile window' it is still useful for sending that message to the immune system."
So—if you’re trying to get pregnant, it helps to have sex more often, at any time, regardless of the fertile window. (And if you’re not trying? Please use birth control!)
However, the results of the study could have some fascinating health implications as well. If more sex equals a greater immune response, we might conclude that frequent hanky panky could help ward off disease and might even have positive effects on autoimmune disorders.
Still, it remains unclear as to why these immunity changes occur, and Lorenz was careful to point out that “….there may be some other factor that is different between women who are and are not having sex that is relevant to any and function, such as diet, sleep or simply social interactions."
Fair enough—but it's better be safe than sorry!
This article previously published at W Dish.
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