I recently received an email from a man with this question:
“My wife complains that during sexual intimacy I don’t speak words that boost her desire much. I just repeat the usual words, “I love you”. It’s like I have a limited vocabulary. How can I include more variety in what I say to my wife and boost her desire?”
Great question! Let’s dive in and figure this out.
First, let me say that a woman’s sexual response is a little more complicated than a man’s. It’s not a switch that can be flipped and she’ll be ready to go.
Related: Is the Difference Between Male & Female Sexual Responsiveness Holding your Love-life Ransom?
There are two places you can make a difference for your wife:
Outside the bedroom and inside the bedroom.
A woman’s sexual responsiveness begins outside the bedroom, and depends largely on emotional connection. Invest in her emotions.
If you invest in her heart, her body will follow.
Men can tend to see touch as the precursor to sex. Wives need to know that not every touch is going to lead to the bedroom.
Hugs, shoulder rubs, and foot massages all let your wife know that you value her as a person, not just for her body.
This may be challenging for you because it may be difficult to hear that she doesn’t want xyz. But the point is, if you want sex to be better for her then find out what works for her.
Related: How to Get Comfortable Talking About Sex with your Spouse
It’s known that women take longer to get aroused than men, so it’s important to focus on your wife’s arousal in order to increase her sexual desire.
This means – don’t be in too much of a hurry! Slow it down. Enjoy the journey. Take time to explore her body and find out what arouses her. This will require vulnerability and communication.
Compliment her body, her face, her hair. If she is overweight then choose to compliment her about the things that are beautiful. Telling her to lose weight or that she is overweight is sure to kill her desire.
Look deeply into her eyes and tell her you love her. She will feel connected to you. Maintaining eye contact for a few seconds or up to a minute will create a deep connection with her (try it!).
Related: How to Reignite the Passion in your Marriage
Communicating verbally lets your wife know you are mentally present. Describe what she means to you and how much you appreciate her.
Solomon did a good job of verbally affirming his bride in the Old Testament book Song of Solomon. Learn from him.
After sex, don’t roll over and go to sleep. Affirm and connect to your wife by staying close and cuddling. Be tender. Tell her how much you enjoy being married to her. Pray together.
She needs your verbal connection to bring closure.
This afterglow period is not just for her. It’s the time a man is most emotionally vulnerable, so allow yourself to connect emotionally with your wife.
To put it simply, the avenue to a woman’s sexual response is through her heart. Pursue her heart and she will respond to you.
Related: 8 Easy Ways to Help your Husband Become More Romantic
What have I missed here? What works in your marriage? Let me know in the comments!
13 Ways to Increase Women's Libido - Love More to Live | 3rd Mar 22
[…] Related: 8 Ways to boost your wife’s sexual desire […]
Mike E | 1st Mar 24
I do all of these things. How often should I expect my partner to want to put effort into our relationship? She doesn’t seem to want to do the things she doesn’t want to do most of the time. I bring alot to the table it’s hard for me to not have some expectations including at least weekly sex. It’s getting frustrating.
Jennifer Lovemore | 4th Mar 24
That’s a real challenge – I’m sorry! You are not alone! My husband would tell you that he used to have the same challenge with me. The beginning place is always to have a conversation about it. There are a multitude of reasons for lack of interest – past sexual abuse or faulty education about it, just too much on her mind, physical exhaustion, lack of arousal. The key is to get talking about it. Feel free to email me at lovemore@lovemoretolive.com to chat more or schedule a Zoom appointment. 2 Great books to read are The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex, and the Good Guy’s Guide to Great Sex by Sheila Wray Gregoire and her husband, Keith. I hope you are able to get this resolved soon!
Ahmad A | 30th Mar 24
Lovely read 🙂
Took some notes.
Any tips on how to gradually seduce my wife without her knowing it, being married for long and also being best friends. We always know when it’s going to happen or happening.
I hope my question makes sense lol. U know that gradual innocent escalation towards that moment is not there (which I’m okay if it’s Normal, just looking for ways to spice things up)
Jennifer Lovemore | 24th May 24
This is such a great question! I think the answer would vary for every couple since every woman enjoys different things, but if you tease a little then back off, slow kisses with no expectations, being playful etc – things like that build the heat. It’s not necessarily the relaxing things like a bubble-bath that get a woman in the mood, but things like exercise, watching a scary movie, or laughing together that can all build arousal without her even realising it.
Do you have any other ideas? I think this could be a great topic for another post…