By: Taren Vaughan
Obesity is a topic that never seems to get old in our society. It is discussed over and over again by various health physicians, fitness experts and nutritionists. As we all know, being obese can have a serious impact on one’s general health. But did you know how much of an impact it can have on someone’s sexual health and practices?
According to BMJ findings, obese men and women may feel as though they are immune to certain things that people of normal weight are not. It was reported that obese men were less likely to use condoms during sexual intercourse. Now this stat puzzles me quite a bit. Since when did being obese stop you from getting someone pregnant or contracting an STD? No matter what size a person is, it will not, by any stretch of the imagination, keep you from being infected with a disease that could end your life. That is not a risk that anyone should take but it does happen fairly often.
Interestingly, the obese men were not the only ones who appeared to be “anti-contraceptive”. BMJ also reported that obese women were four times as likely to have unwanted pregnancies as women who were at healthy weights. Unlike women of normal weight, obese women were also less likely to use oral contraceptive methods and inquire about the various forms of birth control. So basically, it appears to me that these individuals have the perception that there is no need for them to practice safe sex. . Researchers did say that there was no significant difference between STD rates amongst normal weight women and obese women. But if obese men and women keep this same frame of mind when it comes to sex, then I’m sure those numbers will change for the worst.
Stamina is another issue that obese individuals have a hard time dealing with. If sex can wear out a person who is in top physical condition, what do you think it’s going to do to a person that’s obese? As for obese men, they have more problems with erectile dysfunction than men of normal weight do. To sum it all up, obesity and sex are just not a favorable combination. That is not to say that being obese should stop someone from having sex. The fact that much heavier individuals were said to engage in sexual activity at lesser rates than normal weight people speaks volumes about the obese individual’s self esteem. Should they punish themselves for not being “desirable”? Truth is everyone has their own preferences so to think that someone who’s much heavier than someone else shouldn’t have sex seems a little discriminatory to me. We all have sexual desires that need to be fulfilled. It’s more so about getting the most out of your encounters. Being obese not only affects your overall health and the physical condition of your body. But it can spoil your sex life as well. And who wants that? If having a great sex life is extremely important to you, then you should definitely work to keep your weight under control as best as possible.
Source: Time
