Annie’s Mailbox: Have hormone level checked

Dear Annie: I have been married to a great guy for over a year. We have a fantastic marriage, with one problem. Three months after we wed, our sex life slowed to a trickle. Before we married, we were having sex four or five times a week. Now it’s less than once a month, and the change happened suddenly. We are young and in the prime of our lives, yet he is completely uninterested in having sex with me.

I have asked him lovingly if there is anything wrong, but he says things are perfect. I have asked him to see a doctor, but he doesn’t think there’s any reason. He gets very defensive when I bring up the subject. He tells me he realizes I want more, but nothing changes.

We snuggle, we kiss and are very affectionate. I feel deeply depressed and unattractive. I know he loves me and is a great husband in every other way. I have tried to live with it and count my blessings, but I am beginning to resent and snap at him. I don’t know how to overcome this. – Needing More

Dear Needing: Your husband needs to understand how important a healthy sex life is to your marriage. He thinks you don’t care or will get used to it. The hyperactivity when you were courting was not, apparently, his real sexual appetite. This is. Tell him he must see his doctor and specifically ask for his testosterone to be checked. If he refuses or if the doctor says he’s fine, it’s time for counseling. It would be best if he’d go with you, but if not, go without him.

Dear Annie: Are you supposed to place your hand over your heart during the national anthem? And if so, when did this become the practice?

I am in my 40s. When I was in school, we said the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. We were to stand at attention, place our hand over our heart and recite. We then sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” but with our hands at our sides. .

I was listening to a local radio show recently, and a caller said anyone who didn’t put his hand over his heart during the national anthem was “an unpatriotic idiot.” Did they change the rule and I missed the memo? – Patriotic Idiot

Dear Patriot: We can understand your confusion. According to the Emily Post Institute, it is necessary only to stand quietly at attention during the playing of the national anthem. However, according to uniform guidelines established in 1942, the U.S. Flag Code states those in uniform should salute and civilians should stand at attention with the right hand over the heart. These federal guidelines are strictly voluntary, and there are no penalties for not complying.