Infidelity has a way of either making things very messy or painfully clear. For some people, finding out that a partner cheated calls for an immediate break-up, no matter the situation — what we call a dealbreaker. But if both partners try to work things out, even for a short amount of time, the back-and-forth arguments, confusion, and feelings of betrayal and jealousy can cloud the relationship and make it hard to end it or move forward. For those who to choose to stay, well, it often takes a lot of work to re-establish that trust and build that bond up again, and even then, the relationship ..read more

About six months after we opened our marriage, my husband, David, stopped me at the door as I was leaving for the night.  “You and Randy are like boyfriend and girlfriend, huh?”  A shocked expression painted his face. Yes, Randy and I were boyfriend and girlfriend. I was on my way out to see him at that very moment. But why was my husband surprised by this? It was David’s idea to open our marriage, and wasn’t this always one of the risks — that I might get serious with someone else? While open marriages are becoming more and more popular in our society, with 24% of Americans agreeing ..read more

“In sickness and in health” is part of the classic marriage vows for a reason. Committing to someone means making a promise to stay with them through it all, both the good times and the bad. When it comes to health problems — an inevitable challenge every couple will face at some point — you might just be the only source of support they have, or vice versa. Of course, that’s easier in theory than in practice. Health problems can be a huge source of stress, and marriages often enter rocky waters when one partner is suffering. However, which partner it is makes a big difference. According to a s ..read more

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission. The journey of solo play can be an empowering and fulfilling experience, and finding the perfect vibrator is the key to unlocking your deepest desires. The good news is, stepping into the world of self-exploration just got a whole lot more mind-blowing, thanks to the Satisfyer Pro 2 Generation 2. The Satisfyer Pro 2 Generation 2 isn’t just another vibrator; it’s a game-changer. Thanks to its unique Air Pulse Technology, this device doesn’t rely on traditiona ..read more

Open relationships really can and do work — we’ve talked to women who’ve been in them and loved it! — but you wouldn’t know it from the amount of stories on the Internet (and especially Reddit) where opening a relationship or a marriage leads to the end of a couple. We hesitate to blame that all on the polyamorous aspect of it; some of these relationships maybe just aren’t built to last, and seeing other people helped them realize it. Other times, the partner(s) were opening up their relationship for the wrong reasons or using it as an avoidance technique instead of addressing their deeper iss ..read more

Everybody wants to be in love and nobody wants to talk about what it’s really like to find your way there — or what it’s really like once you finally get there. Whether it’s petty arguments, existential crises, heartbreak, or finding a new partner, love isn’t all fairy tales and couch cuddles. It’s real work to build a partnership. We love the following sex, dating, and relationships podcasts because they’re some of the few places that really explore the reality of relationships — the good, the bad, the painful and confusing. Whether it’s advice columns or real stories from folks in the trench ..read more

General rule of thumb: if you think opening up your marriage or relationship will save your marriage or relationship, it’s probably not going to work. Don’t just take our word for it: experts and women who’ve tried open relationships (including one mom who wrote a bestselling memoir about the experience) have told SheKnows that open relationships are best started from a place of complete trust and commitment. If you’re dealing with deep marital issues, introducing other partners into the mix will probably not solve the issue. We can understand the temptation, though. Let’s say, for exampl ..read more

No threesome is exactly the same. Whether it’s spontaneous or planned, your first threesome or your tenth, inviting a third person into what is, for many of us, a two-person situation always makes things a little different. A lot of times, that’s a good (and exciting!) thing, a much-needed way to spice things up in the bedroom, especially for steady couples looking for something new. But no matter what the context or how many partners you have, one thing stays the same: you’re going to have to talk through some things. We mean talking about what feels good and what you’re consenting to — makin ..read more

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission. If there’s one thing that Drs. John and Julie Gottman want every couple to know, it’s that fighting is normal. In fact, Julie tells SheKnows, 69 percent of all problems within a relationship are what the Gottmans call perpetual issues, meaning they don’t necessarily get solved… ever. “Don’t freak out about it,” says Julie, a clinical psychologist. “It’s normal.” The Gottmans are both relationship experts, cofounders of The Gottman Institute, and co-authors o ..read more

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission. It seems as though Joe Biden is much more open about his sex life than others, and most recently, he divulged the saucy secret behind his strong, nearly 50-year marriage to First Lady Jill Biden. In the upcoming book American Woman: The Transformation of the Modern First Lady, from Hillary Clinton to Jill Biden, author Katie Rogers takes readers through a comprehensive guide to modern First Ladies. And she recently gave DailyMail an excerpt, claiming that Jo ..read more