Chances are, you'd never grill your best friend's boyfriend for details about their sex life in order to give your BFF some sex advice-but you're not wrong to think that the most valuable sex tips for women come straight from men themselves.

Good news: Sex therapists are more loose-lipped, at least when it comes to sharing guys' secrets and sex advice that will strengthen your relationship and help you learn how to have better sex. Sometimes, it's all about exploring new techniques, toys, or even mindfulness techniques during sex, to expand your comfort zone while still staying in it. Learn what men are dishing out behind that closed door and how you can use those sex tips for women to have better sex than ever. (Related: How to Have An Orgasm Every Time, According to Science)

Be Open to Trying New Things with Me

One of the main pieces of sex advice that guys tell sex therapists: They'd like you to act more uninhibited and confident when it comes to sex, and be more open to experimenting with new things, to see if they're pleasurable for one or both of you.

"Variety is part of what keeps the spice alive in a relationship and men definitely need that," says Laura Berman, Ph.D., director of Dr.LauraBerman.com. Keep in mind that your boyfriend or husband doesn't want you to do things you don't enjoy-but at the same time, give at least a fleeting thought to his desires (and air yours too!), and see what you're both curious about, whether that's new positions, locations, or costumes.

"Sex is about give and take," Berman says. "At the end of the day, the best sex happens when you are connected and truly open about your needs and desires." (Consider warming up with these partner stretches for better sex.)

Image zoom Photo: A. Dragan // Shutterstock

Let's Test Out Some Toys

While some guys seem to still fantasize about a threesome (which might totally turn you off) there's another way to bring a third party into your sexcapades. Sex toys can be a fun and experimental way to connect and keep things fresh in the bedroom. One way to introduce them is to have your partner use your favorite solo sex toy on you, says Laurie Mintz, Ph.D., author of Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters-And How to Get It. She also suggests purchasing a couple's vibrator, or a sexy card or dice game to keep the variety alive. If you're really feeling frisky, Mintz recommends a kinkier toy that involves bondage or restraint of some kind to take things to another level (if and only if both you and your partner are actually into it).

Image zoom Photo: MRProduction // Shutterstock

Try Watching Porn with Me

Because porn is often associated with secrecy, an escape from the relationship to fulfill a fantasy, it gets a bad rap. But sex therapists explain that porn doesn't have to be something you hide from your partner. "Some people are really uncomfortable with porn-if that describes you, don't feel any pressure to incorporate it into your sex life. That said, if you're open or even a little bit interested, porn can be a fun and sexually arousing part of sexual relationships," says Sarah Hunter Murray, Ph.D., a sex researcher and relationship therapist.

To find porn that actually gets you in the mood instead of making you want to punch the screen, search for "feminist porn," Mintz suggests. Even though it's for entertainment purposes and meant to be exaggerated, it can still be some brainstorming material for trying new positions, styles, or whatever it may be. If it's watched in this way-as a creative inspiration for sex-with the acknowledgment that it isn't what real sex is, Mintz says, it can be great for conversation and arousal, both of which can help you have better sex. "It can put them in the mood to have sex, even if that sex is much more vanilla than anything being acted out on screen," Hunter Murray says.

Keep Your Head in the Game During Sex

It turns out meditation isn't reserved for just your yoga mat-it has a place in the bedroom too. Guys want you to stay focused so everyone can have the most pleasurable experience: just like you'd bring your mind back if it strays during a meditation class, the same applies here. "It's not just about having your head and body in the same place, though-it's about being able to bring your head or thoughts back to your bodily sensations when your mind invariably wanders (as all minds do, even during sex)," Mintz says.

Dr. Hunter Murray has a great sex tip for women to help you bring your mind back to your partner and squelch self-consciousness thoughts: "If your mind isn't in the moment, simply invite your attention back by focusing on your breath and the touch of your partner." Mintz also advises practicing mindfulness in your everyday movements and activities, which can help keep you locked in mentally during sex too. (You can also practice by trying mindful masturbation on your own.)

Image zoom Photo: WaveBreakMedia // Shutterstock

All's Not Lost If I Lose An Erection

Men feel emasculated, ashamed, and powerless when they go soft. "It's shocking how personally they take it when they report it to me," Dow says. "Men who are with women who don't make it a big deal do a lot better than the ones who make the proverbial mountain out of a molehill." The more a guy thinks about losing his erection, the more anxious he gets trying to make it come back-and the less likely that is to happen.

So take this as a cue to shift gears and touch each other in places other than your genitals (try these male erogenous zones you probably haven't heard of), or ask him to go down on you, suggests Mike Dow. Ph.D., co-host of Logo TV's That Sex Show. (Thanks for the Rx, doc! This is one sex tip for women we can definitely get behind.) "Sit back and enjoy it. The more he senses you're liking it and that he's really pleasing you, the more likely his erection is to come back since he won't be thinking about himself." (Um, that sounds like a great excuse to try having multiple orgasms.) You can also have him watch you masturbate or you can bring out sex toys if you've used them together before.

Tell Me What I'm Doing Right

You may have heard that guys want their women to be more vocal and louder in bed, but it's not because he wants you to reenact his favorite porn scene. Men complain that their partners aren't speaking up and that they're unsure if they're pleasuring you, Berman says.

This is one piece of sex advice you'll hear over and over again, regardless of your gender or your partner's gender: Say something! "Many men find it erotically charging when the woman is very affirming during sex," McCarthy says. "He enjoys hearing things like, ‘That really feels good' or ‘I'm really turned on' or moans." It doesn't hurt that doing so will mean more enjoyable sex for you since men assume silence means you're happy.

And when you're not happy, don't stay mum. A lot of guys tell Dow that they want to know what they're doing wrong-but then they're pretty upset when they find out they're not the best lover in some ways. Criticism will make a man defensive, Dow says, so phrase your sex tips positively. He recommends trying something such as, "I love it when you X and Y to me. It'd make me so hot if you'd Z." (Fill in the variables, of course.)

Image zoom Photo: Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

We Want to Boost our Connection with You

It's a common myth that all guys want is sex, all the time (and this is true in some cases, TBH). "The notion that men want sex more often than women is definitely a stereotype, but it's a widely held belief and many heterosexual couples do experience that dynamic in their relationship," Hunter Murray says. This can be exhausting when you're not on the same page. "When a woman's partner wants more sex than her, it can be frustrating because it can feel like all he wants is sexual gratification versus emotional closeness," she explains. (Related: How Often Most Couples Really Have Sex)

However, everyone releases the same hormones when they finish, which pretty much dispels the myth. "Both women and men have oxytocin (often referred to as the 'bonding' or 'love hormone') released during orgasm," Mintz says, so basically men and women have the same desire to cuddle and connect, especially immediately after sex (check out more reasons to make time for cuddling).

Men don't always appreciate this stereotype of being "animalistic" or "caveman-like" in their desires, and many of them want exactly what women do in a sexual relationship, researchers say. "The men I spoke with talked about how they felt there is a misconception about how all men want is sex. When, in fact, having sex is a way for men to reach out, hold and be held, and connect with you in a way that they were socially groomed to embrace," Hunter Murray says.

Appreciate Me-and Show It

Heads up: The road to better sex isn't always about what happens in between the sheets. "For most men, making their partners happy is the number-one way that they feel masculine and empowered, so when they know they are making you feel loved and cared for, they feel like the man," Berman says. And guys say a little reminder here and there that you value them helps-especially since we're all guilty of putting in a 10-hour-plus workday and getting angry when we come home to a partner lying on the couch instead of cleaning up. (Related: 6 Things Monogamous People Can Learn from Open Relationships)