“Having cancer changed my sex life irreversibly”

“Our sex life, which had kept us so close in the past, changed irreversibly” By Jennifer Savin Meredith, 27, was diagnosed with cancer twice in her twenties (first cervical cancer and then breast cancer). She explains how it impacted her relationship and sex life, and how it changed the way she feels about intimacy.< There’s …

How Young People Are Redefining Sexuality And Romantic Attraction

by Rory Gory Pansexual, skoliosexual, asexual biromantic. How young queer people are identifying their sexual and romantic orientations is expanding—as is the language they use to do it. More than 1 in 5 LGBTQ youth use words other than lesbian, gay, and bisexual to describe their sexualities, according to a new report based on findings …

What Happens to Relationships When Sex Hurts

Women who suffer from the chronic-pain condition vulvodynia often feel isolated from their partners. But a better medical understanding is helping. By Ashley Fetters In her 18 years as a sex therapist in Orange County, California, Stephanie Buehler has come to recognize a certain tense, fraught dynamic in couples when a female partner has vulvodynia. …

Slow sex

How embracing the ‘mindful sex’ trend could boost your wellbeing By Mary-Jane Wiltsher There’s no denying that our interest in slow sex, or mindful sex, is on the rise. From sexy audio stories to carefully curated ‘pleasure packages’, there’s a whole new world of thoughtful, creative approaches to sex out there – and for many …

Surrogate Therapy Takes a Hands-On Approach to Overcoming Sexual Trauma

—Up to and Including Intercourse By Shannon Gormley Touch, erotic or not, can communicate painful memories, insecurities and vulnerabilities that are hard to verbalize. One of the most revelatory moments of Carlene Ostedgaard’s career was the time she got an orgasm from having her shoulder touched. It happened a few years ago, when Ostedgaard, 35, …

What does a healthy open relationship look like?

In a culture that favors monogamy, is it possible for couples to have open relationships that work? Recent research that used a novel framework to explore types of monogamy and nonmonogamy suggests that open, consensual nonmonogamous relationships can be healthy and satisfying. by Catharine Paddock, Ph.D. The new study does not draw sweeping conclusions about …

How to Move Forward When You’re in a Sexless Marriage

A Q&A with a clinical psychologist who specializes in getting couples to talk openly about sex. By Sophia Benoit Recently, a 36-year-old man posted something stupid on Reddit. This is not breaking news—this happens likely thousands of times per day, but the post made it over to Twitter, and people went in. The issue at …

How female sexuality is finding its voice

By Remy Rippon After centuries of secrecy, female sexuality is finally finding a voice, with women entering a new era of enlightenment and fulfilment thanks in part to the booming wellness industry. Considering how long females have graced this earth, it’s astounding to think it was only 21 years ago that scientific research discovered something …

These 3 Qualities Better Equip You For Nonmonogamy

By Kelly Gonsalves Open relationships are becoming increasingly popular, and with good reason: They allow people to connect with each other in ways that make sense for their real needs and lifestyles, removing monogamous expectations that don’t work for everybody and allowing for more ways of relating to each other. Even for those who are …