Why good sex on Valentine's Day could help reduce your cancer risk

Sex on Valentine's Day? Groundbreaking.

The idea may be just as unoriginal as florals for spring. Still, research shows having a good sex life is associated with myriad health benefits, including reducing a person's risk of developing cancer.

Not just any sex will do, though, said Candice Hargons, psychologist and associate professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.

“Sexual functioning includes sexual desire, orgasm, satisfaction, arousal and pleasure,” she said. “When I say ‘good sex,’ I mean sex that is good to and for everyone involved.”

A hormone called oxytocin that’s released during orgasm helps reduce stress, which has been linked to preventing ovarian and cervical cancers in women, Hargons said.

These hormonal benefits also apply to men, she said. Sex also reduces men’s prostate cancer risk by working out the prostate gland.

Sick of having boring sex? There might be a fix to spice things up in the bedroom.

A 2016 study from Harvard University researchers found men who ejaculated more than 20 times per month reduced their prostate cancer risk by about 20%, compared to men who ejaculated up to seven times per month.

The American Cancer Society says prostate cancer is the most common cancer in U.S. men and the second-leading cause of cancer death. Prostate cancer rates continue to rise by 3% each year, according to the organization’s annual report.

A good sex life can also help reduce migraines, boost immunity, protect the heart and promote good sleep, which is important for overall health, Hargons said.

Good sex is also important for public health, she argued, especially as the country struggles with an isolation epidemic. Approximately half of U.S. adults report experiencing loneliness, with some of the highest rates occurring among young adults, according to Dr. Vivek Murthy's U.S. surgeon general report on loneliness and isolation.

“Those feelings of having value, having high-quality experiences – and sex being one of them – are public health benefits,” Hargons said. “I feel good, then my disposition in the world, with family, with my friends are improved."

Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How is sex linked to cancer? What to think about this Valentine's Day