I'm not fool-proof of course (you can't completely whoop the trick that is oxytocin!), but I've gotten to the point where I can keep those hormonal blinders off. I either accept the situation as is, or I don't get into it in the first place. No sense in putting yourself in the position to cry over a pipe dream that is never going to materialize.

So, in short, I wouldn't be so quick to say every woman can't separate sex from love. Some of us are starting to evolve!

Ladies, if you started out the jump off, you will end up the jump off. There is no clawing your way out of that box. PERIOD. Let it go, keep it moving.

I will say, however, that my situation turned into one of the "exceptions": FwB –> relationship. But these circumstances are terribly rare!

Something important to note is that we were friends for about 3yrs before we started…"getting closer". But I'm not painting the perfect picture- it took a while to progress to the next level.

Truthfully, it's really not that different than dating someone new. Yes, you're friends, and (if you're extremely close) you love each other on that level, but you still have to build a romantic connection. In fact, I think it's more challenging because in this case you've acted on your physical attraction with a true friend before dating and discovering what they might be looking for- you can either lose something dear or walk the path to a committed relationship; there's usually no gray area.

If you literally had no real connection before things became physical– you were cut buddies with absolutely no dating or effort involved (i.e. you weren't actually friends, never dated, and never felt any obligation whatsoever to the other person) then it's going to be quite hard to raise the regard that guy has for you and your situation.

My point is, these things can happen, but the chances of it occurring are 1 in…yeah. The most important factors are the people involved and, as someone stated earlier, the foundation of the FwB situation.

This was the only time I had a FwB situation; it was hard enough traversing these waters with a man I considered one of my best friends– I can only imagine how much more stressful it would be if I didn't already have a solid base with him.

From experience, I'd say that women who cannot handle a no-strings-attached situation (which happens to be most of us) should be honest with ourselves and the men we encounter. I can honestly say I would've been devastated if things turned negative (because of our history/friendship).

Deciding not to be intimate or too close without feelings or a relationship doesn't require one to force the topic of relationships on men or be a hermit; it simply means date until a compatible man who genuinely wants what we want is found. That way the men who only want "a good time" are weeded out, and whatever time and energy that would've been wasted trying to convince the "FwB" to see you as girlfriend material can be saved.