Erectile Dysfunction

But for others, familiarity can breed boredom; they lose interest in doing the same old thing the same old way time after time.

Novelty is a well-established sexual stimulant.

An unattached man or woman in midlife or beyond who had all but forgotten about sex meets someone new and attractive, and suddenly the flames of sex are reignited.

This can happen, too, to very old people.

Stories abound in assisted living and nursing home facilities of elderly widows and widowers whose long-dormant sexuality is reawakened by attraction to a new, albeit equally old, partner.

Of course, changing partners is not a realistic option for those in a long-standing monogamous relationship in which sexual intimacy is just a fond memory.

But there are ways for such couples to introduce novelty — ranging from a change of venue or techniques to an exchange of fantasies or even the introduction of sex toys — that may rekindle sexual feelings.

Even young couples can find their interest in sex diminished by a fear of interruption or being overheard by children or an elderly parent.

It can take some effort — and perhaps a lock on the bedroom door and background music — to reduce the risk of distractions that blunt the flame of desire.

Women may think that the decline in estrogen at menopause i...

We don't hide anything anymore," Hanley says.

"It's not surprising that any bodily fluid that needs to be controlled will be shown for what it is and not masked by any euphemistic construction.

The days of the euphemism are dead."Melissa Leonard sees that as a bad thing.

A less uptight society is one thing, she says, but a society that has no compass where privacy is concerned is quite another."We're on very dangerous ground right now.

We expect to know so much information about people.

We think everything's our business.

You're at a dinner party, and you hear people start airing their dirty laundry.

It's just considered normal now to talk about private issues and other people's business," says Leonard, an etiquette and protocol consultant from Westchester County, N.Y., who has done etiquette training with Fortune 100 companies.

"No one knows what to keep private anymore.

People have diarrhea of the mouth.

Being civil is out.

Speaking your mind is in."The YouTube and MySpace generation that traffics in overshare is actually the generation that could reverse the trend, Leonard says.

"It starts with going back to the basics.

It's important to teach your child m...