Dear mac_king,

It's not true that all guys want to have sex more than all girls do. Your sex drive isn't determined by whether you're a girl or a guy.

People have different levels of sex drive. Some people would be happy to have sex every day, and some people would be happy to have sex once a month or even less often. And there are also some people who don't want to have sex at all.

Many things can affect our sex drives — positively or negatively. This can include stress, certain prescription medications, how comfortable we are with our partners, past sexual experiences, if we feel safe, how deeply we are attracted to the person, and many other factors in our lives.

Stereotypes about whether women or men have stronger sex drives have changed throughout history and from culture to culture. In some cultures, women have been seen as more sexual than men. In others, men have been seen as more sexual than women.

Women in colonial Massachusetts, for example, were seen as needing more sex than their husbands. Wives' sexual needs were protected by law. They could and did sue their husbands for not providing them with enough sexual pleasure. In fact, suing men for lack of sexual attention was a very common kind of litigation in colonial New England.

Hope this information helps!

Take care,

teenwire.com^® Editors

This column is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have a medical problem, please call toll-free 1-800-230-PLAN for an appointment with the Planned Parenthood health center nearest you.