--- title: Ask Dr. Ruth, Body Sounds During Sex description: Dr. Ruth, the revered sex therapist, has some advice on how to handle strange sounds during sex. canonical: https://time.com/5107829/body-sounds-sex-dr-ruth/ author: Dr. Ruth Westheimer article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-18T15:41:54.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:02:19.125Z og:title: Ask Dr. Ruth: Strange Sex Sounds og:description: You know you've been there og:url: https://time.com/5107829/body-sounds-sex-dr-ruth/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt67a392abe73e3ce2/69892aec096a943feb6a1d6f/dr-ruth-amazon-publishing-author-fb.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: Dr-Ruth-Amazon-Publishing-author-fb og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ask Dr. Ruth: Strange Sex Sounds twitter:description: You know you've been there twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt67a392abe73e3ce2/69892aec096a943feb6a1d6f/dr-ruth-amazon-publishing-author-fb.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ask Dr. Ruth: What You Should Do When Your Body Makes Strange Sounds During Sex > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Worth Your Time: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Worth Your Time is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more. Worth Your Time is a curated guide to the culture worth knowing, from the biggest conversations of the moment to the books, shows, ideas and discoveries worth your attention. Culture editor Eliza Berman taps TIME's collective taste and perspective to surface what is worth watching, reading, talking about and sharing, and why. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture recommendation newsletter, edited by culture editor Eliza Berman. Twice a week it surfaces the books, shows, films and ideas TIME's editors think are worth your attention, and explains why. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Does TIME have a culture newsletter? Yes. Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published Tuesdays and Saturdays. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Here’s How Much Sex You Should Have Every Week [Watch (HLS stream): Here’s How Much Sex You Should Have Every Week](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/5nU4kRMc.m3u8) (0:45)  _Published 2017-03-11. Sex and health go hand in hand. Research has linked it to a slimmer waistline, a stronger heart and a lower risk for prostate and breast cancers. It's also a boon for mental health, since sex is associated with lower rates of depression._ by [Dr. Ruth Westheimer](https://time.com/author/dr-ruth-westheimer/) ## Dr. Ruth Westheimer Jan 18, 2018 3:41 PM UTC  Courtesy Amazon Publishing by [Dr. Ruth Westheimer](https://time.com/author/dr-ruth-westheimer/) ## Dr. Ruth Westheimer Jan 18, 2018 3:41 PM UTC _After 30 years of working as a sex therapist, the legendary_ [_Dr. Ruth_](http://drruth.com/) _isn’t done sharing her wisdom. Here, she answers your most pressing questions on sex, relationships and life. Email your own queries to_ **_drruth@time.com_**_, or_ [_catch up on previous installments of the Ask Dr. Ruth series_](http://time.com/author/dr-ruth-westheimer/)_._ **Q: How do I become less self-conscious about unwanted body sounds and actions during sex?** **A:** My philosophy about [sex](http://time.com/4692326/how-much-sex-is-healthy-in-a-relationship/) is that it should always take place within a [loving relationship](http://time.com/3700140/valentines-day-surprises-love-and-tricks/). If two people love each other, whatever they do together, whatever happens in terms of [sounds](http://time.com/2976464/scientists-say-smelling-farts-might-prevent-cancer/), leaks or even failures to perform can be [overcome](http://time.com/3002833/how-to-be-resilient-8-steps-to-success-when-life-gets-hard/). I’m not saying that you won’t [feel embarrassed](http://healthland.time.com/2011/04/18/locating-the-seat-of-embarrassment-in-your-brain/) for a moment, but if you’re with someone you care about, and who cares about you, and you’ve established good communication, any damage will be limited. On the other hand, when two people who [barely know each are in bed together](http://time.com/88092/hookup-culture-myth-study/), then anything about the experience that might be considered less than ideal will be magnified, and you’ll both [feel self-conscious](http://time.com/4439084/tinder-online-dating-self-esteem/). And one key reason for this is that you won’t have an established rapport or [good methods of communication](http://time.com/4927173/relationships-strategies-studies/). There might also never be a next time to iron out any difficulties that arose that first time. Sex can be messy, and one might even say it should be messy. If you’re too fastidious, you’re going to have a hard time letting go, which you need to do in order to find sexual satisfaction. But when two partners care for each other, no one should feel embarrassed by whatever took place. There will be a next time to make corrections — several hopefully. If there’s a problem that a couple can’t overcome, then they should seek out professional assistance, but for the everyday variety of issues that might arise when having sex, all the motivation that is required to fix things comes from the desire of keeping that relationship going. **_Email questions to drruth@time.com._** ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5107829/body-sounds-sex-dr-ruth/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5107829/body-sounds-sex-dr-ruth/"},"headline":"Ask Dr. Ruth: What You Should Do When Your Body Makes Strange Sounds During Sex","datePublished":"2018-01-18T15:41:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:02:19.125Z","description":"You know you've been there","url":"https://time.com/5107829/body-sounds-sex-dr-ruth/","keywords":["motto","Sex","relationships","advice"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt67a392abe73e3ce2/69892aec096a943feb6a1d6f/dr-ruth-amazon-publishing-author-fb.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dr. Ruth Westheimer","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dr-ruth-westheimer/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt67a392abe73e3ce2/69892aec096a943feb6a1d6f/dr-ruth-amazon-publishing-author-fb.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Dr-Ruth-Amazon-Publishing-author-fb","caption":"Dr-Ruth-Amazon-Publishing-author","creditText":"Courtesy Amazon Publishing","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5107829/body-sounds-sex-dr-ruth/","name":"Ask Dr. Ruth: What You Should Do When Your Body Makes Strange Sounds During Sex"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Here’s How Much Sex You Should Have Every Week","description":"Sex and health go hand in hand. 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