I’m a 36-year-old single straight woman, and I really didn’t think this was going to be an issue until later in life. I’m a very sexual person (just reading about sex in your column is enough to turn me on) and I’d like to get married one day, but for the past few years, I haven’t even been able to manage halfway decent sex, much less great sex or a relationship. The problem I keep experiencing in the dating world is the same: men with all kinds of erection issues.

The most recent guy could get hard but would lose it after a few thrusts, saying sex doesn’t do it for him these days (he preferred mutual masturbation or blow jobs). Guy No. 2 was good in bed but refused any touching outside of that 20 minutes. Guy No. 3 required 20 minutes of me going down on his flaccid penis before possibly getting hard enough to have intercourse for three minutes (most of the time, he wouldn’t get hard at all). Guy No. 4 hadn’t had sex in years so he’d either come in 30 seconds or he’d stick it in and barely move so he could last five minutes (I could have worked with him sexually, but we broke up for other reasons). Guy No. 5 completely ignored his problem, continuing to thrust even after I told him he was soft (I suspect he had a porn addiction).

The list goes on. I’ve barely had any good sex in the past six years. I don’t know what to do. These guys are all my age or younger. I try to be patient and understanding, asking if there’s something they’d like me to do or offering up a menu of things they might like, but most just shrug awkwardly and avoid talking about it. None of them sound like they’ve made any effort to get help. I get that it can be embarrassing and men might feel ashamed, but these guys keep cropping up in my dating pool. I can orgasm on my own, but I crave and miss sex, and I know I wouldn’t be happy in a relationship without it. So I’m stuck in a lonely, sexually frustrated land and I can’t get out. Any suggestions?

—Elusive Wood

After all the shopping and TV watching, Amazon knows you also like to do other things, like, the sex, for example.

To help facilitate this most natural of human activities, Amazon has now given Alexa the power to help you out with music specially designed to help set the right mood.

Now, when Amazon Music users interact with Alexa, they can issue commands “Alexa, play baby making jazz music” or even "Alexa, play hooking up music." And you know what? It actually works. Every time I tried either command, Alexa started playing a song that could easily be deemed appropriate for excursions into the realm of the intimate.

You've probably joked before about how the last time you had sex, it felt like an actual workout. I mean, everyone's at least thought about that. But no one really wants to be the one to ask that question. Interestingly enough, research already shows women who exercise regularly have more active sex lives, are quicker to reach orgasm, and are more easily turned on than women who don't exercise.

So it's not a totally ridiculous thought, right? But when all is said and done, could you actually replace your usual SoulCycle class with a steamy sex session?

(I promise, I'm definitely just asking for a friend.)

I have known “Sarah” for half my life. We are now in our late 20s. I came out to her as a lesbian two years ago and am currently dating someone.

Sarah is a conservative Christian, so I have made sure to be careful around her regarding our public displays of affection. I basically told my girlfriend we should act the same around Sarah as we would around family. The occasional kiss on the cheek or hand-holding, nothing more.

Recently, my girlfriend and I asked Sarah out to dinner. She initially replied maybe, then about an hour later told us she would come if we “chilled with the PDA,” and added, “I would ask the same if your girlfriend was a man.”

I am angry. I have been very careful around her, and was shocked at her request. I don’t really know what to do. My family is unsupportive so I hide a significant amount of my life already — they know but refuse to talk about it — and I don’t want to have to hide around my best friend. Any advice on how to proceed?