Dear Colleagues,

In the last five years, the concept of sexual pleasure has had a prominent platform in sexual health. In 2019, the World Association of Sexual Health (WAS) defined sexual pleasure as “the physical and/or psychological satisfaction and enjoyment derived from shared or solitary erotic experiences, including thoughts, fantasies, dreams, emotions, and feelings” (World Association of Sexual Health, 2019). In The Pursuit of Pleasure, Professor Ellen Laan and colleagues elaborate on this concept and discuss gender differences in experiencing sexual pleasure. For instance, they posit that while women have the same capacity and ability to experience sexual pleasure as men, their opportunities to reach these experiences are often more restricted. Thus, this Special Issue is dedicated to women's sexual pleasure, with an emphasis on owning and enjoying their erotic experiences. Special attention is placed on areas such as pleasure in long-term relationships, the up-regulation of sexual pleasure and excitement, the down-regulation of negative experiences such as shame or perception of pain, and general (sexual) health in individuals as well as couples.

The ultimate goal of this Issue is to utilize the scientific evidence to better understand how relationship dynamics and social norms have contributed to how we experience sexual pleasure.

Dr. Charmaine Borg
Guest Editor

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• sexual arousal overriding negative emotions
• sexual creativity
• orgasm and sleep
• relationship cohesion and sexual arousal
• sexual pleasure in long-term couples